[Flatline's Up!]

I've done hours of research for buying my first tig, and still am left feeling iffy.

I'm planning on welding alum. <.250 usually, and I'd like to be able to do stainless for headers and other auto applications primarily, but want to buy something substantial enough that I won't be wishing I'd got the next model up 6 months from now.

I'm thinking along the lines/price of the Miller 200DX. Any +/-'s for them from owners/weldors?
The numbers look good, but they don't always tell the real world truth.

Thanks in advance for any opinions and help,
Britt

[tool_man]

I bought a 200DX about 6 months ago.I love it.Great welder at a great price.I would suggest that you also purchase 3/32" cerriated tungstens to go with it,if you plan to weld aluminum.100% tungstens won't do for aluminum when using this machine.The difference is like night and day.Grind a truncated point,or use Chem-Sharp,then flatten the point slightly.This will allow you to focus your arc.If you plan to weld a lot of aluminum over .250,you might consider the 300 DX (provided your budget will allow it).
If you weld aluminum occasionally then you cannot beat the 200DX.Stainless headers are a snap with this machine.I built a stainless exhaust for my brother's airplane a few weeks ago.Wall thickness,.035.Had no problems with this thin metal.Just an aside....if you have not purchased Argon lately....be prepared for sticker shock.The price has trippled in the last year.OUCH!!!!!!

[mxtras]

I think the 200 will be right on the hairy edge for welding 1/4" - I typically use 175A to start on 1/8", then back down to maybe 145A or so. I weld mostly 1/8" butt joints and I run a 250DX. I don't weld a whole lot of 1/4" stuff so I can't say for certain, but I know that getting started on 1/4" with only 200A might be a bit painful. I weld a variety of things and I have maxed out my 250 on many occassions.

Scott

[solgood]

I make allot of the parts for miller 200DX welders and other miller welders. TOP OF THE LINE WELDERS!!!!!

[mxtras]

And you can't beat their support. If you buy and decide a few months later that it's not what you need, and want to upgrade, you can talk them into buying the machine back and get the bigger machine.

Check with them before purchase - have the dealer call to see if the factory has a 'scratch-n-dent' unit or a trade in - sometimes thay will have a 3 month old machine for a substantial discount and it will have the complete warranty, support, etc..

Scott

[tool_man]

I really like the fact that the DX200 is a small,light weight,yet a very powerful unit.These features are very important to me.The 300DX weighs in at about 95#,and is quite a bit larger.If portability is what you need,then you can't beat the 200DX.If you need to weld a lot of aluminum over .250" and portability is not an issue,you might want to go with the 300DX or the Syncrowave 250,with a water cooled torch.All I can offer is personal experience with the DX200.Great little machine and,one of the best investments I have ever made.

[srstol]

We use several of the Dynasty 300's at work. We are phasing out the Syncrowaves and replacing them with the Dynasties. Miller makes good welding machines and they have about the best customer service you can find anywhere.

The inverters have some quirks. To get good performance from them you have to be selective with the tungsten you use. At work we have gone through a serries of tungsten tests and the winner so far has been the "ArcTime" electrodes from ARC-Zone.com I don't work for arc-zone or miller, but I highly recomend both.

Rob

[tool_man]

Are the "ArcTime" electrodes 100% tungsten, 2% ceriated, or Lanthanated?I have been using 2% ceriated tungstens from PowerWeld.I very much agree that the tungstens are the key to obtaining top performance from the inverters.Another plus from the inverters is the lower power consumption.Semiconductors are more efficient than laminated steel cores wound with aluminum wire.

[srstol]

I'm not sure what the composition is on the Arc-time electrodes, but that's about all my welders will use now.

http://www.arc-zone.com/catalog/web_...=3581713_11539

http://www.arc-zone.com/MSDS/MSDS_arctime_cream.pdf

We have also used the miller ceriated electrodes and they work well too. I am now aware of any downside to the inverters. Less power, smaller, lighter, more control, etc. I guess they do make a little more noise.

Rob

[tool_man]

I checked out the "Arc-time electrodes.Looks like they are not telling what the composition is.I will order a few of them to see if they outperform the 2% ceriated electrodes I am using now.Thanks for the info.