Shopping for an ac dc tig welder so that you can tig weld aluminum as well as steel?
I have used several different tig welders over the last 10 years but on this page, I am strictly speaking about the ck mt200 ac dc tig welder.
I have done at least 20 videos and projects using my mt200 welder...both Aluminum and Steel... and even a few stick welding videos with 7018 rods.
I often get the question..what is the best ac dc tig welder for the money?
And while my answer is usually "It depends"....
There are 5 main reasons why this little ac dc tig welder could be a great choice for a lot of folks.
OK lets go over these 5 reasons in more detail.
Occasionally, you might need to weld something really thin.
...or do a build up bead on the edge of something really thin.
A 5 amp start comes in klutch for that.
Some 200 amp tig welders list a 20 amp start and while that is not a problem on some jobs, it can melt an edge or blow a hole quickly on really thin metal.
You dont always need a 5 amp start but when you need it,,,you need it.
This is a bigger deal than you might first realize.
Some welders advertise fan on demand but once you strike the first arc, the fans come on and run constantly until you turn the welder off.
I have one particular welder with really loud fans that seem to run all the time and it gets pretty tiresome.
that is not true fan on demand.
True fan on demand is controlled by the temperature of the machine and the fans only run when needed to keep the machine under a certain temperature.
Not hearing tons of background noise from constantly running cooling fans is pretty great.
when I have to use a welder with loud fans, I wear ear plugs...but it still wears on me.
I made several videos using the mt200 where I only had access to 115 volt power.
Not all tig welders do well on 115 volt power.
Some machines will kick a 20 amp breaker at 80 amps.
I used the mt200 at 140 amps on a 4130 chromoly cluster video pumping the foot pedal to 140 amps and never tripped the breaker.
this is especially a big deal for portable jobs where 115 volt power is the only option without bringing your own generator.
2 of the biggest complaints on 200 amp ac dc tig welders are the foot pedal and the tig torch.
Some companies cut corners here and its a mistake.
The mt200 comes with a nice CK air cooled tig torch with flex head and super flex cables along with a smooth high quality SSC style foot pedal.
I saved the best for last.
My mt200 has been bulletproof for goin on 5 years and I have seen very few issues over the last few years of selling them.
Without exception, CK has taken care of every issue to make sure the customer is happy. CK is a top notch company.