any welding pros on here

[glassdave]

A friend of mine bought this HF box to do some TIG welding but after the fact realized its not something you just pick up over a weekend. Anyway he's offered to sell me the thing but its been years since i've welded with a tig unit. I do have the ability to pick it back up and have been thinking about picking up a smaller unit. Can anyone tell me anything about this one? Its the the one on the left the 175HF. Based on the info given can i weld mild steel and aluminum up to maybe 3/16th inch or so and occasional stainless? Its an obscure brand i have not had much luck finding info on. I was told its made in Italy ore something like that. I couldnt find anything on a google search. I did find this spec sheet and was hoping that was enough info to determine just what i can do with it. Thanks all

 

[scottw]

Hey Glassdave. We have this one at work. Welds aluminum fine and mild steel. We used it on 1/4" AR plate. Left behind a nice bead but wasn't very strong. Here is the link to compare specs.



http://www.millerwelds.com/products/tig/econotig/

 

[HaxbySpeed]

Never seen one of those either but with a 175 you should be fine to 3/16 in AC or DC. There is a lot of adjustability to control your welds on a modern machine. Make sure you get a manual in english so you can take advantage of all the features.. :sifone:

 

[Roger 1]

Looks like chineses junk to me. Stay with the major brands (Lincoln, Miller) and you can't go wrong. Parts availability and support.

 

[phragle]

parts avail. was my first thought....

 

[Tony]

Unless your getting it for free then stick with Miller, Lincoln, or Hobart.

 

[cosmic12]

I have a Lincoln weild pack 175 HD that I got on e-bay for $280.00 that works great and it was brand new in the box w/3yr warr. I haven't tried the alum yet as I will need a spool gun but a friend has the same unit and use's it alot for alum and does a great job.
He also has a large Miller Tig unit that he never use's anymore because the little HD175 works just as good and it can be toted around so easy.

Stick with the name brands you will be way better off in the long run, but you already know that.

 

[tcuda499]

Unless your getting it for free then stick with Miller, Lincoln, or Hobart.

+1. If you tiged before you should have no reason to pick it back up quickly esp. with the newer models out today.

 

[PARADOX]

I just bought a small welder too. (100 Amp) Fixing an old trailer, but all I can weld is bubble gum. Can't get the hang of it. Sticking, sparkling.. the bead is like my dogs doo-doo. I stay with bolting.

 

[glassdave]

Good info guys. I dont think this is a cheap import but i cant argue about the obscure brand name. Heres the only other info i found. Near as i can tell its made in Italy or there abouts

http://www.helvi.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=62&category_id=40&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=7

Heres there product line

http://niteh.com/images/pdf/Product_Guide_2009.pdf

I agree with brand name welders i also have one of the first Lincoln 110V wire welders that has served me pretty well for the twenty years i have had it and I have a Hobart 250 wire welder for bigger stuff. Both have been great. I was looking at picking up this just to have in the shop. Price is right and was hoping to get some input regarding the specs.

 

[mbam]

Does not look too bad actually. Inverter is the way to go for a small machine.

Couple of things - can't tell from the pictures or specs

Is it AC/DC?
It does have Hi Freq, yes?
Post weld timer?
Gas/water solenoids built in? You can get away without water if you use an air cooled torch, but 170 amps on alum with air cooled is a problem.
Is there a foot control for the current? I cannot imagine TIG welding without it.

 

[phragle]

I just bought a small welder too. (100 Amp) Fixing an old trailer, but all I can weld is bubble gum. Can't get the hang of it. Sticking, sparkling.. the bead is like my dogs doo-doo. I stay with bolting.

Soundslike you got an arc welder... you would be much happier with a little mig....

 

[Sean Stinson]

Roger 1 is the pro if you need a number to call I have it......

 

[Expensive Date]

Been selling tools for 17 years never heard of this brand.But a lot of welders are coming out of Italy most are good quality.

 

[Offshore Ginger]

Dave , i do not care what type of welder you use , and a special thanks for that weld job you did on that Vette frame because that sucker will never know that we pieced that frame back togather and to think the dam thing didn't even side track going down the road .:willy_nilly::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::seeya::bump: JUST A JOKE GUYS !

 

[skaterdave]

dave, its looks compareble to Miller's Dynasty series. If you learned on an older type machine, these seem to weld quite different. I learned on a Miller Econotig. Miller's Dynasty series have all the same features on the big machines just crammed into that small unit, plus they're alot more energy efficient. A good friend of mine that does quite a bit of welding at their machine shop recently replaced their old Miller 250 with a Lincoln version of Miller's Dynasty. With a water cooled torch they do quite a bit of aircraft-grade stainless parts and said the machine is great. It's just alittle funny looking since they're using their old water cooler which is bigger than the actual welder.

So, basically it should be a good machine just might be more complicatied than say an Econotig machine.