syncrowave 180 or dynasty 200dx??

[jevs]

I just bought a syncrowave 180 saturday. I did not know about the dynasty 200dx. I mainly do custom car/motorcycle work and rebuild wrecks as a hobby/supplemental income. I may need to weld aluminum that is thicker than 3/16" at times. From what I read this is capacity for the 180. The dynasty will do 1/4" which is more of my target capacity. Can I weld thicker stuff with grooving and multiple passes and preheating? I currently have a Miller Challenger 172 which I have never needed anything more for steel welding. A couple of examples of things I have needed to do lately are: 1) weld an exhaust bolt hole up on an aluminum Harley head that was reamed out and redrill and tap it (payed local shop to Tig it) 2) Weld a motor mount on a Dodge Viper Aluminum Engine block (payed a guy to come out and use his portable spoolgun setup to weld it) I am basically trying to avoid paying other people to do this kind of stuff for me. I also want to make nice clean welds on various metals. I just bought a lathe and a mill so I may get into some small fabrication. Should I stick to the 180 which is already in my garage, or try to exchange it and get the Dynasty 200 dx? I only unpacked the 180 and opened the boxes to get the manuals out. Think they will even exchange it? I want a machine to last me a long long time with no need for upgradeing. I should also say that I am no experienced TIG welder, but I am a fast learner and have lots of experience with the MIG. Another thing I read was that the dynasty draws 16 amps doing the same thing that the 180 requires 68 amps to do! Is this right? My garage has a 100 Amp service that is comeing off of my house 200 Amp service. It seems I could save some money on the electric bill with the dynasty? Any advice is appreciated. My day is now shot because I can't try my TIG welder because I may need to return it . What to do?????

[Mike W]

I once welded a bellhousing (repair job) with my Linde arc/ Lincoln HF box homebrew tig setup. I have a Syncrowave 250 at work. My take is that the inverters are great for lower current input but if they break, what will a typical repair cost?

[df5152]

from all the research i have done and from this site the 200dx is hard pressed to weld 1/4 aluminum. Im not saying it cant be done but I have been using a 300dx at almost 250 amps for 1/4 aluminum with good result the miller calculator recomends even more amperage

[jevs]

If miller would supply me with parts and a schematic I can fix it myself. Not sure how Miller is on this, but I have a degree in electronics and 10+ years experience. Most companies make it so you can't repair stuff yourself though, so I get screwed like everyone else . Will Miller sell components or do you have to send it to them? Anyway, repair factor aside what should I do? Let's assume it isn't going to break down, unless the Dynasty model is known for breaking down alot?? I just have to make a decision because I am at a stand still untill I decide. I need to weld up an aluminum chip pan for my lathe also, so I can't use that either till I make this decision. Is there a method to weld on thick materials with the 180? This is a major concern, this could also be a concern on the dynasty, but at least it has a higher capacity to start with. This is suck a toss up.

Dynasty 200DX:
cost more $$
more output to weld thicker material
less power consumtion
more adjustabilty and the pulsed tig stuff
auto line stuff
lift arc thing

syncrowave 180:
cost me less money
I already have it in my garage
sucks way more juice
lower capacity
will it do what i want??

Arghhh!!

[migmaniac70]

Just get the Dynasty,Sounds like what you realy want to do anyway

[jevs]

Only two concerns for just going out and getting it.

Over $1100 dollars more (will it do $1100 more for me verses the 180?)

I will spend the money if it will

and....

will it break easier/break the bank in repairs after the warranty?

I wish I had some experience TIG welding, so I would know the capabilities better. I just want to make sure I don't regret the 180 purchase later, once I learn to TIG. It could be that all the hype on the dynasty 200 really isn't that big a deal when it comes right down to getting the welding done.?

[DEA]

if you do a search on Dynasty Dx 200 or Dx 200 you'll find a a lot of info. on that.especially from Hawk.Use the advanaced search and search under titles only
I almost bought a sd 180 before I found out about the inverters.So then I started looking at the Thermal Arc 185 and the Dx200.
Since I had the funds at the time i went with the Dx200. I was and am still new to welding.Due to my work schedule I haven't had much time to spend with my DX200.One would think that you should be able to trade in your SD 180 in without a loss $$

[fun4now]

power consumtion

powe is a big deal for me thats why i dont have a 180 in my shop and i'm still saving for the dynasty. i cant give 60amps to anything in my shop 16amps is a life saver. the dynasty has several advantages over the syncrowave. no all the advancment's in the dynasty are not hipe they do make the jobe easyer and cleaner. yes the syncrowave can do the weld but the dynasty can do it smoother. if you have the funds get the dynasty and never look back.

as for sending parts, i have read many on here that have called miller with problems and miller has shipped them out what they needed to fix it. bypassing the repair shop dosent seem to be a concern with miller they just want you welding

in the last year that i have been reading this site i have only seen 3 down dynasty's all due to opperator errer.
NEVER USE PURE TUNGSTEN AND NEVER BALL IT.
this has been the cause of all 3 failures i have seen on the dynasty 200.

although called new the dynasty has been in the field for over 5 years. miller has worked out the buggs and has a solid welder ready for you

[jevs]

Can I weld pretty much anything automotive related with the dynasty 200? Could I weld a cracked head, motor mounts, make custom exhaust stuff, weld thick flanges, etc? Or should I just bite the mega bullet and get a Dynasty 300? Is there any downside to having a dynasty 300 verses the 200? One thing I noticed is the 300 doesn't go down quite as low as the 200. Is this an issue on very thin metals? What if I want to Weld a beer can? One thing I need to do right now is weld 2 cookie sheets together. There is also the issue of the 300 not running on 115V, but I don't see me needing portabilty.

[jevs]

After reading this http://www.babcox.com/editorial/ar/ar100037.htm , it seems you need at least 250 amps to do any type of aluminum work on a head or engine block. I don't think I could supply enough juice to run a syncrowave 250 in my shop and now I am concerned with the dynasty 200 even being enough power??

[Paul Seaman]

They will both get down in the bottom pretty much the same the big difference is the power on the mid to upper amperage ranges. I have seen heads done with preheat and post heat and used less than 200 amps but the balance and control will be more critical, thus making the job more difficult. The 200 dx won't get it done on the heavy stuff on 115v you'll need 230v.
Peace,

[jevs]

I have a 100 Amp service in my shop and plan to run the TIG on 220V. With this in mind could the 200 do the thick aluminum? I don't mind grooving it or multipassing it, or whatever it takes. I would love to stay in the price range of the dynasty 200. I was also reading about the stick welding on the dynasty 200 and I think that would be great, because I have rental properties, and you never know when you might need to weld up a mower or something at a different location (all of that equipment is stored and used at the rentals). I could pack up the 200 and some sticks and go fix stuff anywhere. I just thought of this extra bonus to the 200. This would not be an option on the heavier 300 that requires 220V. It could be done, but it would be more of a pain.

[imported_Harold]

Jevs

Welcome to the world of the big doubt. I know this welding thing is addictive, been there, done that but... since you are asking here is my 2 cents. Have both the SD180 and Dynasty 200 DX. Had I bought the Dynasty first I wouldn't have both but much too late for that. I love the SD180 and that's why I still have it; no doubt in my mind though that the Dynasty is better, much better. Uses less power, great portability, runs on any commercial power, just stick the right cable adapter on it and plug it in, no linking, no jumpers to change, nothing else required. (110, 230 single phase, 230, 400, 460 three phase) and your off and running. Oh yes, it's also very generator friendly for those occassions your out in the boondocks with no commercial power. If you can afford it I'd recommend the Dynasty. Do a search on this forum for Hawks postings on the Dynasty series, lots of good information and recommendations from a power user that uses them. Regardless its your decision. Good luck and happy welding.
Oh yes the manual is available to download from this site in case you want to look it over.
Harold

[fun4now]

the 200 will be working it's little box off on the heads and thick stuf multy passing for shoure. if you need the 110V option go with the 200 it will give you great portability and a good strong arc.
if you dont need the 110V option and can aford the 300 it will no dought be the only TIG you will need for all your auto repairs. as for the water cooler it depends on how big a job you will be doing and how offten. my gues is most of the time you will be in the lower end of its amp output and be fine with air cooled. you can always add a cooler later if you realy feel the need. air is more conveneant for the lil quick fixes. watter is realy for long term welding or high amp stuff.

[jevs]

The 200DX is on order (they didn't have one in stock that hadn't been a demo). After many hours of reading and talking to the Miller people today I have decided to return the 180SD and get the Dynasty 200DX. The really cool thing is they matched the best price on EBAY! It is not hard to justify the $1000 difference I will be paying for the Dynasty, but it was tough to justify the $3000 more I would have spent on the 300DX. I will rarely if ever need to weld a head, but may need to at some point, and I think the 200 will do it for me with the right mix and setting and preheat. I can live with that for the advantage of having the lower current setting, portability, 110V operation, and less current draw. After carefully weighing everything, I just could not stick with the SD180 or move all the way up to a Dynasty 300DX. Thanks for all the advice I will be posting some more questions in different threads.