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Thread: CIG three in ones.
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21st Aug 2018, 07:05 PM #1Banned
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CIG three in ones.
I have a CIG inverter mounted under the bench and a Uninig MIG on a wheeled cart. Having a smallish workshop I'm always cramped for space so I thought I'd get rid of the two, buy a three in one and mount it under the bench.
I have my eye on a CIG weldskill 185 three in one, anyone have one, pros and cons??
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21st Aug 2018, 08:36 PM #2Philomath in training
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The only comment I would make is that if a 3 in one breaks, then you lose capability to do all three things when it goes off for repairs (if you bother), or if it is a common part in the machine that has failed. If you don't have anything time critical happening that does not matter but unless you are really pushed for space you may be better off storing one or both for back up purposes.
Michael
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26th Sep 2018, 02:13 PM #3Novice
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I am thinking about buying a CIG 185 as well would love some feed back some one must have one.
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26th Sep 2018, 05:29 PM #4Pink 10EE owner
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I have been told some of the cheap name brand welders are little better then the cheap no name welders.
Gold, the colour of choice for the discerning person.
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26th Sep 2018, 06:59 PM #5Diamond Member
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Can you mount the cig inverter on top of the mig? That way when you need to do a quick job you can just take the inverter with you. The problem with the 3 in 1 machines is once you load them up with wire and gas if required they are not really all that portable anymore anyway.
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27th Sep 2018, 10:01 AM #6Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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Many years ago when I knew very little about welders and metal work I bought a $99 CIG stick welder from Bunnings. This turned out to be one of the worst machines/tools I ever bought - The cables were too short, the hand piece and earth clamp fell apart, the 10% duty cycle drove me nuts. I spent more than $99 to lengthen the cables and replace the hand piece and earth clamp, and a large heat sink and fan (which did nothing to increase the duty cycle). I struggled with the CIG at home but whenever I wanted to do anything more than about 3mm plate I used the welders at work. Eventually I sold the welder and felt a bt guilty selling it because I new how happy it was.
After that I approached my boilermaker BIL (he has 5 welders at home) who loaned me his CEAweld Rainbow and I found out what decent inverter welding was all about. I kept hold of that welder for 5 years until he asked for it back. Now I have a Tokentools Alupulse 210 PRO and yes it did cost a tad more than the average AC/DC machine but I'm really glad I bought it. I also have a TT plasma - also a good machine.
The Mens shed has a BOC welder with similar specs to the Alupulse 210 but I think the TT machine is a bit easier to use.
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27th Sep 2018, 10:05 PM #7Novice
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Pretty obvious I guess but some only have 10 amp power. As do I, but I do have a very big old 15 amp stick welder that operates quite well out of a 10 amp plug. After all circuit breakers these days are mostly 20 amps. But it does influence the power of the machine I can buy. I will keep the old stick welder just for heavy welding. I also have an oxy. I have had a UNIMIG 200 and have never even used half a roll of wire in over 10 years because it has never really worked. I have spent more than the original cost on repairs. It recently got stuck on settings that sort of let me weld body panel but now even that has failed. That is why I need a new MIG but thought a TIG would be good as well. Cannot afford to buy one of each hence the three in one.The MIG TIG will be for light sheet. So has any one actually got a CIG or WIA 3 in one machine?
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13th Oct 2018, 12:33 PM #8Novice
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Well I have just picked up a CIG 185 Supra 3 in 1. Haven't tried it yet but hopefully will get a chance this weekend sometime. I haven't got a tig gun yet but will eventually. They only come with a stick and mig fittings. TIG guns are available for it but will wait for a bit. Will let you know how it goes.
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23rd Oct 2018, 12:58 PM #9New Member
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I have a 165 CIG inverter stick and tig welder have only used it for stick welding but it is just a magic machine it has done heaven only knows but it would be in the thousands of hours [ I have owned it for about 12 or so years] of all types of stick welding e.g. low hydrogen rods hard surfacing and general purpose welding you name it has probably done but it has a 60% duty cycle and to me that is cut off point anything below that I would be worried about anything above that is probably worth buying. The problem with that is that most 3 in one machines that I have looked at don't have anything like that as a duty cycle or the ones that do are not cheap
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23rd Oct 2018, 03:17 PM #10Novice
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I did try the stick welder and it makes a sound rather like a MIG more of a sizzle than the harsh noisy of a big stick welder arc. I set the auto weld feature and did two near perfect welds on 2mm sheet. The rods I used were 2.5 and years and years old. Then I did two welds not so neat. But my eye site isn't the best for welding and I have a bit of old man shakes. So I was very happy with the results of the stick part. I do know that welding 2 mm with my old welder would have meant burn through holes to fill. But there was none of those. Yet to try the MIG.
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23rd Oct 2018, 08:20 PM #11Diamond Member
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5th Nov 2018, 07:20 AM #12Novice
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Tried the MIG last week and the auto mig failed to drive the wire. Worked fine on manual, though I still cannot MIG weld. Rang the state distributors welding guru and he thought about it over the weekend and eventually came up with the solution. The machine left the factory set for a spool gun when on auto MIG and so a few changes to the on board computer input and hey presto all works. My other complaint was the work place health and safety mandated VDR or something similar that reduces the start voltage on the stick making starting difficult. He suggested a different rod that has different flux and makes starting easier. Just after I bought a large pack of different rods. Oh well will perservre, anyhow will probably still use my old stick welder for big jobs. Currently welding up the large sheet metal press I am building. Yer I know, start a thread and photos. I still owe a photo of the milling machine I have built to stage 1. Will do, just need to remember to do it.