Cornish Rattler Posted December 22, 2023 Share Posted December 22, 2023 Hi guys Son wants to get into tig welding diy stuff, so the question is what's the best starter tig welder to get please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted December 22, 2023 Share Posted December 22, 2023 Ali or ferrous? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted December 22, 2023 Share Posted December 22, 2023 MigTigArc (MTA) and R-Tech do some good stuff from what I've heard. Or look for good used stuff - Miller, Esab, Cebora (sometimes branded SnapOn I think), Lincoln, Kemppi. These days I'd want DC, AC + pulse, and a rule of thumb I saw is that you want about 40 amps per mm of material thickness, maybe a smidge more with aluminium, so that adds up to near 200A quite quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornish Rattler Posted December 22, 2023 Author Share Posted December 22, 2023 1 hour ago, Bowie69 said: Ali or ferrous? Sorry Ali Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulcan bomber Posted December 22, 2023 Share Posted December 22, 2023 Have a Look on YouTube for DoubleBoost, he has done quite a few video's on R-tech Welding kit. I also know someone else with an R-Tech TIG welder and he's very happy with it and the service he got when it broke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted December 22, 2023 Share Posted December 22, 2023 I looked at Tech when getting mine, I ended up with a Parweld as there seemed to be fewer stories of failures, and it is a relatively older brand - R tech have good customer service, but I would rather not have to use it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volvotgb Posted December 23, 2023 Share Posted December 23, 2023 I would recommend Technical Arc in Yorkshire. They actually build all of the their welders in house in the UK. If you ever have a problem with them you can speak to the man who actually built your welder. Service and parts backup is excellent should you ever need it and the prices are on par with other options. I have been running their MIG, TIG and Plasma machines for over 10 years and only have good things to say about them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean f Posted December 23, 2023 Share Posted December 23, 2023 I have used MTA for both MIG and TIG welders. I currently have a TecArc 216i and it has been fine, performs well with no issues. When you look at the specs one thing to check is the power draw, the newer Invertor ones draw a LOT less than the older coils types, something to bear in mind if you look at second hand ones, any sort of power and you start looking at 50-60amp inputs or 3 phase, if you have no power supply issues then fine but for use on a domestic supple something to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoSS Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 My R-tech AC/DC has been great, still learning but a great value TIG IMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 Worth saying, you really, really should be looking at an inverter machine these days, so much lighter, more efficient, and more options. E.g. the equivalent non-inverter machine was 2-300 quid more than the my inverter Parweld, but weighed 20+Kg, vs 9Kg! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornish Rattler Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 On 1/2/2024 at 1:01 PM, Bowie69 said: Worth saying, you really, really should be looking at an inverter machine these days, so much lighter, more efficient, and more options. E.g. the equivalent non-inverter machine was 2-300 quid more than the my inverter Parweld, but weighed 20+Kg, vs 9Kg! Yeah will probably go for an inverter one 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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