Re: looking to buy a tig for home finally
 

Ah that's why your getting rid of it. Like the TA that much? I heard Corey ranting a bit on H-T about it and said there is no comparison to the miller and ta!

Re: looking to buy a tig for home finally
 

go to a welding shop. They'll tell you all about the TA. Its a bad ass machine!!

Re: looking to buy a tig for home finally
 

38lbs TA plus a cart = 4 times lighter than a 180SD


See numbnutz, a CAAARRRRTTTTT. Works wonders.

Re: looking to buy a tig for home finally
 

i have to ask...wtf is a smiley i hear that repeatedly... i thought it was some make it yourself type welder. haha oops. what are the specs on yoru miller hotrex?

Re: looking to buy a tig for home finally
 

http://cgi.ebay.ca/30Amp-Plasma-Cutt...QQcmdZViewItem

Smiley TIG, or a variation of it. Plenty of people are carrying them on ebay now. You can buy mine when I get my new TIG!!!

Re: looking to buy a tig for home finally
 

You're right. The TA is an inverter and the 180SD is a transformer. Miller makes some nice inverter machines, but they're not as cheap as the TA's.

I got a chance to use the Dynast 700 the other day. It's got triangular wave ability. It's amazing!! I heard a rumor that they're coming out with that in a smaller machine..but it will probably still be in the $4-5k range. Oh, the 700 Dynasty runs about $11k.

The Maxstar 150 now comes with a pulser and foot pedal...and it's the size of a shoebox. I think it's 7lbs.

I know a lot of guys here have the Smiley machines, but look around at how many are selling them and buying other machines...and look at the money they're losing doing it. I'd go ahead and buy something better and not lose that money. Buy a machine that you will keep for 10-15 years...and will keep you welding for that long.

Re: looking to buy a tig for home finally
 

Valid points but my little smiley paid for itself multiple times over already.

Re: looking to buy a tig for home finally
 

i have a maxstar 150stl. Its a lift start but its a pretty good machine for the size. It is truly the size of a shoebox. Lift start is simple, just touch the material and pull up and it starts the arc. But it is def out of your price range. It doesnt have the pulser as thats only avail on the sth model.

Re: looking to buy a tig for home finally
 

id be up for a used tig from anyone on this board as i know its like alot of things that if they survive for a while it should last me. let me know jk also. thats a ------- cheap ass welder! id be afraid to use that thing and break somthing. but so many use it its almost troublefree

Re: looking to buy a tig for home finally
 

I bought the 150 STL about 4 months ago for $500 and it's great. It weighs next to nothing. 100% duty cycle up to 100amps and still has %40 at 150 amps. Inverters are really nice. It seams like the inverter machines need less amperage compared to the transformer power supplies.

I would just like to have the 200DX. Oh that would be nice, but the TA is a lot cheaper with comparable features. Miller needs to step in with something that could challenge the TA. They have nothing so far.

They will keep coming out with new waveforms. They are easy to make, but it's more difficult to produce them with a lot of current and efficiency. If they can do a triangular output they are not far away from a sawtooth one either. Would be nice to have a ramp up pluse.