Tig Welder selection. What do you think?

I'm in the process of finally buying a new Tig Welder. Had narrowed it down to the Lincoln Squarewave 175 or the Miller 180SD, both of which are available locally in Anchorage.
I have just ran across another unit which is interesting due to the weight and low power consumtion, along with good versatility. It is an HTP Invertig 200 AC/DC.

http://usaweld.com/product_page/tig_welder/tig200.html

It is more expensive @2295 but can have choice of the remote amp control and flex-neck torch for the same price. Freight not included.

I would also not have to have any expensive electrical changes done to the shop.

Looking for feedback and anyones personal experience with one of these.
The company has been around for 25 years but these welders are only 3 years in service.

Try going to the Google Group (Sci.engr.joining.welding) and do a search for HTP. There has been a fair amount of discussion there on the HTP and other Inverter TIG welders. I have the Lincoln Invertec V205T and really like it, but the Miller inverters are very good to. I prefer the light weight and lower power requirements of the inverters. If you only need DC then take a hard look at the new Miller 150 TIG. Also do yourself a favor and get a CK Worldwide Torch with a Superflex Cable and one of their hand Amptrols. (www.ckworldwide.com)

Tig welder selection what do you think?

I dont have an HTP Tig machine but one of your questions was how is HTP as a company to deal with. I have had one of their mig welders for 11 years and have had good luck with it and also when I call for supplies. My Tig is the Miller 351 Syncro wave and it is overkill for aircraft work but I do a lot of alumn. tanks for homebuilts and the square wave technology makes the alumn. welding easier. In regards to torches, if you are building and repairing fuselages go with a water cooled torch, air cooled torches get hot to handle rather quickly and need extra flow of argon to help the cooling. In 27 years of Tig welding I have never needed a flex neck torch. On extreme angles of tubing clusters I have at times used ox acetylene to get to a hard to reach area but I have not had an instance like this on a cub fuselage. I like the Lincoln, I played with it at Oshkosh and it was smooth. Of course, just my dos centavos worth.

Cub Junkie,

You were probably playing with my Lincoln at OSH, (I bought the demo 175 Squarewave after the show at a reduced price). I've been very happy with it, does great on aluminum. I have burned up a lot of gloves with the stock torch, and have caught the rubber neck of the torch on fire on several occasions. (It's always fun when your glove catches fire halfway across a critical weld and you can't stop the bead...and your trying to tell the smell of burning cow hide gloves from the smell of burning human flesh from your numb finger tips...some twisted people actually think airplane building is fun...) Anyway, my stock torch is well used, I've replaced all the removeable parts many times over, the poor thing is held together with safety wire. What would you guys who have a lot more TIG experience then I do recommend for a torch replacement on my 175?

Tig welder selection. what do you think?

MD, those burning gloves and flesh are all just a badge of honor when you finish that bead and can look at it with pride! I done it many times. I replaced my 27 year old torch 3 years ago with an ESAB HW-20, which is a copy of the Linde HW-20 that lasted me 24 years. I think it was about 160 bucks and it is a water cooled torch. As in my previous post I prefer water cooled torches and I know its easy to talk about spending someone elses money but it does make a difference. When you start spending a lot of time on the torch repairing those old nasty PA-18 exhaust systems that come through your shop it will be a pay off. There are a few inexpensive(relative terms) coolant pumps on the market that run off 110 or powered right off the machine. Mine is a Dynaflux and was about 400 bucks 10 years ago and a friend bought one recently and the price was the same. Im real picky on how my tungstens are sharpened also. when I upgraded to a larger belt sander I dedicated my old one(1 in. belt) to tungsten only. I use a cordless drill and mount the tungsten in the drill and hold it vertically on the belt and sand the "saturn" rings right off the end of the sharpened tip.

Tig welder selection. what do you think?

For those interested I forgot to post the site of cooling systems and other welding accessories www.dynaflux.com

Thanks for allow the good advice. Think I will go with the Miller as it is available. (impatient) and comes with the cart.

As to the liquid cooled. Can a person build his own?
How much Argon do you think it will save. Refilling the large bottles will cost $92.00 up here. If it saves much Argon it will soon pay for itself.

How many hours of welding should a person expect from one large bottle of Argon using a gas cooled torch vs. the liquid cooled?

Anyone have any experience with the Hobart Tigmate?

Carlon