garygnu

have the itch to buy a aluminum welder .looking at the longevity 200 amp with a spool gun for about $720.also looking at a horbart 190 with a spool gun for $820 from tractor supply.any input is welcome .

jasond26

iTrader: (22)

I had a millermatic 211 w/spoolgun and I can tell you that welding aluminum with a spoolgun is a pain in the *** but it can be done. It sounds like your price range is 1k or bellow. I personally would go with the eastwood 200 tig machine in that price range. I think they have most of the bugs worked out and you can't beat the price.

If you want the mig machine with the spoolgun then I would go with the hobart. Most everyone services them (miller guts) and they are very durable.

k_cash1432

iTrader: (9)

That hobart with the spool gun is a nice unit.
As for the tig welders from eastwood its a gamble. I am on my 4 one, the first one lasted the longest at 4 months with maybe 10 hours of so on aluminum and 40+ on steel. Now the next 3 are a different story 2 of the inverters in #2 & 3 were DOA and the 4th one lasted about an hour into using it. With a 3 year warranty if you can handle the down time its not too bad though. wish it had a pulse feature though...

SShep71

iTrader: (5)

Save your money a while longer and buy a Miller Dynasty 200 DX, you can find them used for about 2500.00. They last a long time, and miller make all the replacement parts. If you buy a machine make sure its capable of handling more than one job. The biggest complaint I hear from the people I teach welding to is that they outgrew their machine. Not soo much that the projects get bigger, but the different types of required welding make some machines useless. With a spool gun and a MIG you are limited on waht you can do and the outcome of the work. Once your friends find out that you have a capable machine and you are good at it, you will have a good amount of side work. The machine will eventually pay itself off. This is all just my .02 so take it for what its worth.

garygnu

I have a horbart 210 welder set up for steel.saw 1 like last yr set up for aluminum ,kick myself for not getting it .I want to build a camper with aluminum ,and maybe a car trailer.I am not good at welding ,but like to do it .

s57_s2k

if you want to TIG weld aluminum make sure that you get a foot pedal (to control the heat) .

2002TTTA

Will the dynasty 200dx be enough for my turbo and cage project

s57_s2k

That is a very good machine. It is light weight and it has very good arc control especially for aluminum welding. Check out covell TIG welding dvd it has alot of information that will help you starting.

SShep71

iTrader: (5)

The Dynasty 200 DX is an amazing machine with LOTs of control and features. The pulse times is beautiful when doing Aluminum, but the control it offers is what makes it worth it. The 200DX is also DV dual Voltage so it can be run on 120 or 220 and the duty cycle isnt that far off between the two. If you get into a situation where you think you are a little behind the curve on amperage adding some Helium into the shielding gas help out big time.

thehazz12

OP, listen to the others...get a Dynasty and teach yourself to TIG. Aluminum is a tricky bitch at first. It's behaves a lot differently that say stainless, but I've actually found aluminum welding to be quicker. The pulse feature that the Dynasty has would be a very nifty tool. We have a Lincoln square wave TIG at my shop and I've already seen the limits of that machine. It just doesn't have the control capabilities that a machine like the Dynasty has. If you've got the cash, that's the machine I'd get.