Thread: which tig welder

hi all, as a retired qualified welder boilermaker i have an australian made 250amp mig and arc 140amp running off 240v for home workshop use that all work well ,never giving any trouble after many years usage
i have an interest in restoring vintage motorcycles and an ac/dc tig would be a great for ally repairs
not wanting to spend mega thousands on a Lincoln or Frounis
has anyone bought one of the cheap ebay Chinese ac/dc tigs on ebay,
any brand that has worked well and been reliable
i have my eye on a boswell 200amp inverter pluse tig for just over a grand comes with foot pedal sell has sold many with 100% feed back
i know its only cheap by industrial standards
but i just want something for the odd jobs at home, something that welds half good and will last more than a few years
so anyone that has any experience with an ebay tig , any recommendations would be great
i dont want to throw my money away on a useless machine that welds like crap or blows up after an hours use
thanks all

Unimig seem to be the leader in Australia for quality Chinese machines they do a 10amp regular power point ac/dc tig

I owned a Unimig Razor 200 mig and it ran faultless awesome machine, i also have owned a Unimig ARC 180 stick welder i use it for stick welding and dc tig welding i built a 6.7 meter aluminium trailer with the stick welder, i have owned the stick welder for 5 years never broken down

Originally Posted by gazza2009au

Unimig seem to be the leader in Australia for quality Chinese machines they do a 10amp regular power point ac/dc tig

I owned a Unimig Razor 200 mig and it ran faultless awesome machine, i also have owned a Unimig ARC 180 stick welder i use it for stick welding and dc tig welding i built a 6.7 meter aluminium trailer with the stick welder, i have owned the stick welder for 5 years never broken down

thanks for the input and reply

Bought one of the china bay 200P specials, eg one of these different brand and painted red:
Tig.jpg


Used it a few times but never had good success as a Tig.

Bought a Unimig Razor 200
https://unimig.com.au/product/razor-...dc-tig-welder/
No problems and would buy again.

Would not recommend the china bay machines

Originally Posted by gazza2009au

Unimig seem to be the leader in Australia for quality Chinese machines they do a 10amp regular power point ac/dc tig

I would be interested to know if this is the opinion of a Unimig owner or if there are statistics to back it up.

Originally Posted by dodge at4

i have my eye on a boswell 200amp inverter pluse tig for just over a grand comes with foot pedal sell has sold many with 100% feed back

Is this the machine you are looking at? https://dynaweld.com.au/product/boss...0x-tig-welder/

I don't have one and I haven't used one but it looks pretty similar to the Unimig Razor 200 AC/DC but cheaper. They both have one of those crappy optional pedals that look like they come from ebay. BOC uses something similar.

As I have no direct experience with this, I can only suggest that it all comes down to after sales service. The Boswell has a 3 year warrantee (like the Unimig) but that is only useful of there is someone to honour it. For that reason I would not buy online or from eBay and I would avoid anyone who knows nothing about welding and welding machines. That leaves a few tool shops but no dedicated welding shops (not uncommon).

I think I'd prefer a shop I can walk in to - I don't like the thought of being put on hold for the duration, waiting for email responses or, worst of all, shipping a machine at my own expense to who knows where for repair.

The bottom line is, even the best can fail, the question is, what then?

Jack

Originally Posted by Jack Ryan

I would be interested to know if this is the opinion of a Unimig owner or if there are statistics to back it up.

Jack

For many years I had a Cigweld Brumby, but when I started on panel work it did not have the adjustments I needed. Bought a Unimig 182
https://unimig.com.au/product/viper-...-stick-welder/

Sold the Cigweld as the Unimig covers the panel work as well as the heavy stuff I used to do.

Was so impressed with the mig that I splashed out on the Razor 200 as I linked above.

No formal welding experience, just a self taught hack. I am sure a Fronius or Kemppi may improve my welds but cannot justify the expense.

Originally Posted by droog

For many years I had a Cigweld Brumby, but when I started on panel work it did not have the adjustments I needed. Bought a Unimig 182
https://unimig.com.au/product/viper-...-stick-welder/

Sold the Cigweld as the Unimig covers the panel work as well as the heavy stuff I used to do.

Was so impressed with the mig that I splashed out on the Razor 200 as I linked above.

No formal welding experience, just a self taught hack. I am sure a Fronius or Kemppi may improve my welds but cannot justify the expense.

I think any reasonable modern inverter welding machine will be an improvement on a 30 year old transformer machine with rough stepped voltage settings. I also accept that Unimig have done a pretty good job of lifting their game and supporting their users.

But to say Unimig is "the leader in Australia for quality Chinese machines" requires statistical evidence, not just happy customers.

Anyway, this is off the track.

Jack

Originally Posted by Jack Ryan

I think any reasonable modern inverter welding machine will be an improvement on a 30 year old transformer machine with rough stepped voltage settings. I also accept that Unimig have done a pretty good job of lifting their game and supporting their users.

But to say Unimig is "the leader in Australia for quality Chinese machines" requires statistical evidence, not just happy customers.

Anyway, this is off the track.

Jack

Here is the question you asked which is what my reply is aimed at!

I would be interested to know if this is the opinion of a Unimig owner

No comment on the "the leader in Australia for quality Chinese machines" comment

https://unimig.com.au/australias-num...rated-welders/

Originally Posted by gazza2009au

https://unimig.com.au/australias-num...rated-welders/

Thanks, but I meant objective statistics. That is Unimig itself listing consumer opinions.

Jack

Originally Posted by Jack Ryan

I think any reasonable modern inverter welding machine will be an improvement on a 30 year old transformer machine with rough stepped voltage settings. I also accept that Unimig have done a pretty good job of lifting their game and supporting their users.

But to say Unimig is "the leader in Australia for quality Chinese machines" requires statistical evidence, not just happy customers.

Anyway, this is off the track.

Jack

Hi Jack,

I had a Mitech 200P Chinese red box 4 in 1, MMA, AC/DC tig, Plasma cutter for over ten years. I learnt to weld on it. Honestly I loved it. The control panel finally died and I tried so hard to get another but no parts anymore.

I bit the bullet and bought the new Unimig 230a 4in1 MMA, AC/DC tig, MIG machine. https://unimig.com.au/product/razor-...-stick-welder/

It's only been about a month but so far I have to say I am blown away by the machine. Compared to my old red box, it's a breeze to tig ally with. I don't have a foot pedal yet but even without it, I find it easier to weld than the red box with foot pedal.

The settings are out of this world and having everything in one, I am able to mount two bottles to my trolley and walk every welder around with me for whatever I am doing. As per my other thread you replied to, my only gripe is customer service. I have been trying to get an idea what spool gun I need for this machine from Unimig with no help. I rang a number of offices around Australia. One guy didn't know, another fumbled through paperwork for 2mins then said I don't know and transferred me but it was a dead line. I then emailed and it's been 5days without response. Pity.

Originally Posted by Jack Ryan

Thanks, but I meant objective statistics. That is Unimig itself listing consumer opinions.

Jack

Originally Posted by Jack Ryan

I think any reasonable modern inverter welding machine will be an improvement on a 30 year old transformer machine with rough stepped voltage settings. I also accept that Unimig have done a pretty good job of lifting their game and supporting their users.

But to say Unimig is "the leader in Australia for quality Chinese machines" requires statistical evidence, not just happy customers.

Anyway, this is off the track.

Jack

Hi Jack,

I had a Mitech 200P Chinese red box 4 in 1, MMA, AC/DC tig, Plasma cutter for over ten years. I learnt to weld on it. Honestly I loved it. The control panel finally died and I tried so hard to get another but no parts anymore.

I bit the bullet and bought the new Unimig 230a 4in1 MMA, AC/DC tig, MIG machine. https://unimig.com.au/product/razor-...-stick-welder/

It's only been about a month but so far I have to say I am blown away by the machine. Compared to my old red box, it's a breeze to tig ally with. I don't have a foot pedal yet but even without it, I find it easier to weld than the red box with foot pedal.

The settings are out of this world and having everything in one, I am able to mount two bottles to my trolley and walk every welder around with me for whatever I am doing. As per my other thread you replied to, my only gripe is customer service. I have been trying to get an idea what spool gun I need for this machine from Unimig with no help. I rang a number of offices around Australia. One guy didn't know, another fumbled through paperwork for 2mins then said I don't know and transferred me but it was a dead line. I then emailed and it's been 5days without response. Pity.