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Tig welder advice
COREdevelopments - 21/4/16 at 08:44 PM

Hi all. After some advice and recommendation on a imminent Tig welder purchase. I am looking at higher end budget models which need to be ac/dc and pulsed, basically want the best that I can afford. My budget is £1000. my choices are so far:

R-Tech 200amp

Thermal Arc 202 digital

Parweld XTI202 AC/DC Tig Welder With Tig Torch, Foot Controller, 936H Helmet

WELDER APEX TIG 200 AC/DC PULSE HF INVERTER ARC STICK AC DC

Last one is tempting at half the price but can't find any reviews on it and after sales is probably non existent so could be a gamble.
I am swayed towards the Thermal Arc. I have heard that R-tech have good customer service but their equivalent to the thermal arc is £1500.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Rob

mark chandler - 21/4/16 at 08:53 PM

Look at the retech shop soiled page, mine came from there and looked like brand new and was I think just under £1000 for the 200amp AC/DC model

COREdevelopments - 21/4/16 at 09:01 PM

How happy are with it? I have been using an EWM triton and Cebora at my place of work so bit spoiled and am a novice, so would like a tidy tig that is easy to use.

Rob

mark chandler - 21/4/16 at 09:25 PM

It's very good, does what it says on the tin, I used to have a Marshall dynabolt (like a millers) copper wound 350amp AC/DC which spun the electric meter like a top, it's better than that for what I use it for.

I also had a cheap Chinese 200amp, this was okay.

I use a little water cooled torch which is a lot handier.

nick205 - 22/4/16 at 07:36 AM

Just mastered MIG with a Clarke 150 TE welder - no experience of TIG so can't advise on those I'm afraid. I would like to have the budget and learn though so your feedback on choice and satisfaction would be appreciated.

liam.mccaffrey - 22/4/16 at 07:46 AM

I have the retch 200 amp ac/dc tig and it is very good. Good customer service too, very helpful.

snakebelly - 22/4/16 at 08:00 AM

Another owner of an RTech Tig, good value, reliable and as above, good customer service.

prawnabie - 22/4/16 at 08:18 AM

Another vote for the RTECH, I have the 160 ACDC for 3 years and apart from the foot pedal failing (due to abuse I think and replaced FOC out of warranty) it has been faultless

Digimon - 22/4/16 at 09:50 AM

I've also got an rtech and its being brilliant. The customer service is amazing

tilly819 - 22/4/16 at 10:25 AM

I have the R-tech ACDC 200A model, Great machine cost about a grand.
Had a problem with it a few months after i got it. They picked it up fixed it and had it back to me within 72 hours. All payed for by them, great service!

Tilly

richardm6994 - 22/4/16 at 11:35 AM

R tech are a great company and I buy all my TIG stuff from them.

If this is your first welder, I would highly recommend buying the gas lens for your torch and also a pair of their deerskin gloves (absolutely brilliant for TIG welding with).

907 - 22/4/16 at 11:51 AM

I've no idea what Miller's after sales service is like.

It's only 9 years old so I haven't found out yet.

blakep82 - 22/4/16 at 01:51 PM

Id be asking more about this one myself
http://www.unitedwelding.co.uk/lincoln-invertec-v130-tig-240v-1189-p.asp

I learned tig on esab machines, tried an rtech machine a few months back and just couldn't get on with it, which is a shame. Not sure why, just felt very cheap, and felt the arc was very weak.
But a Lincoln electric tig machine for under 300 quid, ID be asking for more info on its spec, personally

COREdevelopments - 22/4/16 at 08:19 PM

Cheers for replies chaps. Tempted with R-Tech however been reading on mig-welding.co.uk and quite a few good reviews on the parweld an Thermal arc which pretty much identical units, they are digital and come in around the grand mark where as the R-tech is analogue and 250 more. All backed by uk suppliers with 2 year warranties. Also been reading about the jasic which is about £1300 but are backed by wilikinson star with 5 year warranty.
It's a lot of money to put down for a welder so would like to know i am making the right choice. It won't be used heavily but would like to get my monies worth out of it.

Thanks

Rob

ashg - 23/4/16 at 04:33 AM

quote:
Originally posted by 907
I've no idea what Miller's after sales service is like.

It's only 9 years old so I haven't found out yet.


where is the like button :-)

personally i would go for the parweld, if it were to go wrong you can take it into any boc agent and they will fix it as the are one of their distributors.

[Edited on 23/4/2016 by ashg]

big_wasa - 23/4/16 at 06:38 AM

The Thermal arc is sold by my local dealer so that would sway it for me. But there all Chinese made.

The Thermal arc doesn't come with the pedal that evens the price up a little. It's well known that the Rtech price is loaded for the customer service / warranty. I can't justify either at the moment, but soon

mark chandler - 23/4/16 at 07:46 AM

quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
Id be asking more about this one myself
http://www.unitedwelding.co.uk/lincoln-invertec-v130-tig-240v-1189-p.asp

I learned tig on esab machines, tried an rtech machine a few months back and just couldn't get on with it, which is a shame. Not sure why, just felt very cheap, and felt the arc was very weak.
But a Lincoln electric tig machine for under 300 quid, ID be asking for more info on its spec, personally


My coil wound Marshall dynabolt was the better machine, I know where yiu are coming from. It had a few controls, big wheel for current, levers for power ranges and a lever for AC/DC

A little dial for post gas flow and switches for on/off and HF start and pedal control on/off.

Nothing for AC balance, ramp up, ramp down or anything like that, it cost £500.

I purchased it from a welding workshop, they had posh millers invertors and a handful of these old machines that had come from ford Dagenham's trading centre. He was only selling as he had purchased a job lot 10 years before, they never went wrong so no-longer needed a spares stock, the welders preferred these old machines to all the newer stuff as the arc was more stable, you used the pedal to control the flow - they just worked.

I'd have it back tomorrow, only sold as I lost my garage with power so wanted something I could run on a generator, it went to someone on here.

Here's a smaller model that sold on eBay a few weeks ago, mine was the 350amp job

eBay Item

You strap it for single phase and off you go, it will not run off a 13amp socket !

[Edited on 23/4/16 by mark chandler]

big_wasa - 23/4/16 at 08:46 AM

Anyone have an honest opinion on this Kemppi. http://www.unitedwelding.co.uk/kemppi-mastertig-mls-2300-acx-acdc-ready-to-weld-tig-welder-package230v-ce-1315-p.asp

Worth saving up for ?

I thought the evo200 mig looked very plastic-e but welds buetifully and so easy .

mark chandler - 23/4/16 at 10:33 AM

First thing to do is make sure it is built using IGBT transistors, after that I have no other opinion.