TIG Welder - Everlast

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ctwo
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TIG Welder - Everlast

Post by ctwo »

I am naive in this subject, but getting the bug again - to weld aluminum and thin sheet metal. I thought briefly about the new HF line, then this brand started coming up in my youtube feeds.

PowerTIG 185DV was my first thought, but it does not come with a foot pedal, the PowerTIG 200DV does. $800/$1175.

Any thoughts on this brand? They are local to me, but work through distributors. I think I can get an argon tank for less than $400, probably a small one. Those are far away and used, I think with mixed gas too.
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SteveHGraham
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Re: TIG Welder - Everlast

Post by SteveHGraham »

Don't forget the AHP AlphaTIG. It's a 200-amp machine you can run on 110 power, and it comes with a pedal.
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warmstrong1955
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Re: TIG Welder - Everlast

Post by warmstrong1955 »

I'm not familiar with the brand, but whatever you get, the foot pedal is worth the extra cash, if you can afford it, or wait & save up for it.
My first machine was a hi-freq unit that I hooked up to my arc welder. Worked, but kind of a pain in the butt. Have a slow start waiting for the metal to warm up, and then as you get going, you have to move faster & faster.

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ctwo
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Re: TIG Welder - Everlast

Post by ctwo »

I kinda like knobs. I read the two brands are owned by the same family. I guess they'd just be importers. Both companies show address in south San Francisco and are half mile apart. I suspect the machines are probably very much the same, but with Everlast being a little more updated in the control panel and I think some features. I'll have to compare specs. The AHP unit is taking pre-orers, which is perplexing. Hasn't that been out for years? I guess gen 4... it is cheaper.

Everlast has lower starting DC amps and lower top end pulse frequency. I think I wouldn't notice.

Is the clear tube regulator all that's needed for a tank, or is another regulator for the tank needed?
Standards are so important that everyone must have their own...
To measure is to know - Lord Kelvin
Disclaimer: I'm just a guy with a few machines...
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SteveHGraham
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Re: TIG Welder - Everlast

Post by SteveHGraham »

AHP keeps making changes. I don't know if they're still doing it, but I got the first improved 2017 model. Lots of features.

AHP and Everlast both sell Chinese machines. My big worry with AHP is support.

You might want to ask about these machines at Welding Tips & Tricks.
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ctwo
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Re: TIG Welder - Everlast

Post by ctwo »

Yeah, he's done YT reviews on them too. I'll have to watch the specifics. The problem now is there is no review of the new gen4 model, and I think that is all the importer is offering on their site. I'm sure Amazon has the Gen3, for more money of course. All the Everlast tigs on CL are priced hundreds over the importer's site. Crazy beans.
Standards are so important that everyone must have their own...
To measure is to know - Lord Kelvin
Disclaimer: I'm just a guy with a few machines...
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SteveHGraham
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Re: TIG Welder - Everlast

Post by SteveHGraham »

I was thinking of the forum. There are a ton of AHP users there.
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ctwo
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Re: TIG Welder - Everlast

Post by ctwo »

Does yours have start on lift setting? What should I care about?
Standards are so important that everyone must have their own...
To measure is to know - Lord Kelvin
Disclaimer: I'm just a guy with a few machines...
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SteveHGraham
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Re: TIG Welder - Everlast

Post by SteveHGraham »

I know almost nothing about TIG. I hold the electrode close to the work and step on the pedal, and it starts! AHP used to have the manual available on their website as a PDF.
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John Evans
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Re: TIG Welder - Everlast

Post by John Evans »

Buy a Miller! You want a hi-feq start ,and around here the biggest argon bottles are less than $300 full. no mixed gas used on TIG.
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ctwo
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Re: TIG Welder - Everlast

Post by ctwo »

I can't afford nor justify a name brand welder, and I expect anything affordable will be ancient with a different set of concerns.

I am slightly tending toward the Alpha now because it's cheaper and I think practical features that I'd notice are equivalent. Like most things, there are folks that have either one or the other and that often introduces bias. The welding guru talks about both of them, but seems to mostly end up talking about welding rather than an actual objective comparison between models.
Standards are so important that everyone must have their own...
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Disclaimer: I'm just a guy with a few machines...
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Re: TIG Welder - Everlast

Post by steamin10 »

Just my hard headed opinion, but I bought an older transformer based Red machine just for the reason that it is old without bells and whistles that fail. The case was beat, and it looked awful in the silver boiler paint it was squirted with. A cleanup and s spray of red made things sharp as a tack with all the capabilities still there. Off brand is not off function, so you have a reasonable hope of good use for your dollars. A home guy will never press a good commercial machine on its limits. So plug in and have fun. The learning curve is awful when you only do things occasionally. So get at it, and stay at it, until you satisfy yourself with the results. You know a Stradavarious is still just a fiddle until its in the hands of a master.
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