You may be in the market for a TIG welder but are unsure of how much welder you need. Today I’ll cover the Eastwood TIG 200 AC/DC model and how it relates to your needs.
Let’s start off by discussing what the main features are and how they’ll be used on your welding projects. I believe the most important thing to start off with will be the types of metal it can weld. Since this unit has the ability to weld both on AC and DC modes you’ll be able to weld steel, stainless steel, aluminum and more with one welder. DC also knows as Direct Current will allow you to weld steels, and stainless with ease while AC frequency is correct to weld aluminum. Simply flip the switch on the panel of this welder to choose the right setting for the type of metal to be welded. You’ll only need one bottle of shielding gas with this TIG welder as 100% argon will allow you to weld aluminum, steel, and stainless steel correctly.
Now that we have established what type of metals we can weld I feel we need to discuss how this unit initiates and arc along with how you control it. This unit has high frequency start which simply means you do not need to touch the tungsten to the work piece. The arc will jump across the small gap much like a spark plug to start the welding process. Now there are two ways with this machine to get the arc going and maintained. First and most commonly used will be the foot pedal. Using a foot pedal allows the user to fine tune the current welding amperage by simply pushing harder or letting off of the foot pedal. This is extremely handy as you may want to “pulse” the amperage to minimize the heat effect zone. To use the foot pedal all that is needed is to plug it in to the face of the unit, flip the switch on the face of the machine to foot pedal, and then choose the maximum amperage the foot pedal can create with the dial on the side. We recommend placing the amperage only at what you need for the metal you’re welding. This way you get more variance to the foot pedal. Nothing is worse than trying to vary between 10 and 200 amps when all you’re welding is a thin piece of sheet metal. The other option will be a trigger located on the torch right where a hand would reside during welding. This is extremely handy if you find yourself in an area in which it is impossible to use a foot pedal. Imagine trying to activate a foot pedal while laying under a car.
Another very important aspect of any welder is what voltage does it need to run. We know a lot of people don’t have access to 220v so this unit was designed with the ability to run either on 110-120 volt or 220-240 volt outlets. The unit comes pre wired with a Nema 6-50 plug which is a 220v plug but also comes shipped with an adapter cord to step down to a 110v outlet plug. There are no switches or buttons to press as the unit knows what it is plugged into and simply compensates. Now while you won’t get the fully welding capacity out of the unit on 110v it is extremely handy to have the versatility. I use mine on 110v only as my current living situation doesn’t give me 220v. Even on 110v though you still get a respectable 1/8 inch welding capability on both aluminum and steel. When the time comes though and you can step up to 220 volts you’ll be able to lay down welds on metals up to 1/4 inch thick. Heck, one more power option is a generator. This is great in case you’re welding on a job site or new construction without any power.
We’ve covered what,how, and where the amazing TIG 200 AC/DC can weld now let’s cover some of the great accessory options. Unless you plan on having a dedicated welding bench you will undoubtedly wish to have a welding cart to make the unit mobile. Our Eastwood MIG TIG Plasma Welding cart is a perfect solution as it even has six slots to hold your tubes of TIG wire. Heck there’s even room to store a plasma cutter on the bottom of the cart. Still on the portability subject we’ll talk about power. It is just about never in which your welding project is right next to an outlet. With a our 6 gauge, 100% copper wired extension cord you’ll be able to supply the welder with all the power it needs. The last popular option to talk about will be our Gas Lens kits. These allow an even more constant stream of shielding gas over the area being welded.
I hope this gives you an idea of why our TIG 200 AC/DC is perfect for you and your garage or home. Feel free to check out our Youtube channel for all our great welding videos.