/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>1422007
Welding Engineer here and been a tig welder myself for years before I graduated.

For suggested machines, just like anything... It depends.

>What are you using the machine for?

Hobby welding at home / Art?

Just what you can afford and want to learn with. You'll get value out of practicing and learning the settings. This is most people who aren't doing welding for a living and just want to get started. I'd suggested staying away from anything structural (trailers, frames, ect) until you get more practice and education on cut/etch and weld structural integrity.

Side jobs / anything structural?

Get something more industrial and a decent range of power outputs. In this realm, you get what you pay for. The Millers and Lincolns are more expensive, but for good reason. There are some good machines out in the used market, but most are outdated and poorly kept or overpriced.

Production / exotic materials?

Anything outside of just DC increases the cost dramatically for anything decent. Some machines CAN run ac from the cheaper market, however, the arc is not as stable and doesn't hold up to the more expensive machines. The same goes for anything in the production realm. The duty cycle of the more expensive machines will keep you running so you don't have to wait 10-30 mins for the damn thing to cool down.