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Bought a TIG

DavidR8

Scrap maker
Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
Been looking for months now. Blame it on Tony.
Sprang for a Primeweld 225.
Including shipping, the Primeweld folks beat the price on the Everlast 185DV by $240.
3 year warranty and paid shipping back for any repairs.

Looking forward to learning a new skill.

fd21b788b99eeda6086cba0ea501929c.jpg



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Everett

Super User
Nice! TIG welding is fun, but I find I'm so shaky that my tungsten takes a swim on a regular basis . . . That machine of yours has way more user control than the one I have, looks like a very nice unit!
 

CalgaryPT

Ultra Member
Vendor
Premium Member
Good for you. TIG welding is my favourite process; so relaxing, I find it therapeutic. Read the thread regarding TIG welding and a table you can sit at; it's all about keeping your arm steady.

Enjoy your new machine.
 

DavidR8

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Thanks @Everett and @CalgaryPT
Funny you mention that TIG is relaxing. I find MIG the complete opposite of relaxing, feels like I'm being 'pushed' somehow. Hard to really describe it but it's just not relaxing to me.
 

CalgaryPT

Ultra Member
Vendor
Premium Member
It's all about feedback, subtlety and aftertaste.

MIG is McDonalds; it gets the job done and requires little effort.

TIG is haute cuisine; you need to appreciate quality and the investment.
 

DavidR8

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Premium Member
It's all about feedback, subtlety and aftertaste.

MIG is McDonalds; it gets the job done and requires little effort.

TIG is haute cuisine; you need to appreciate quality and the investment.

That’s a great analogy!
Let’s hope I become a connaisseur!


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John Conroy

member
Premium Member
Nice looking machine David. It looks to have all the nice features of my Everlast but at a much better price. It takes a lot of practice to produce nice looking welds but you will enjoy it I think.
 

DavidR8

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Nice looking machine David. It looks to have all the nice features of my Everlast but at a much better price. It takes a lot of practice to produce nice looking welds but you will enjoy it I think.

Thanks John, I did a lot of research before jumping in. The Primeweld folks seem to work hard to provide a good product for a decent price.


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Tom Kitta

Ultra Member
I am at the stage where I need to start using a pedal to control the amperage - I burn the edges otherwise or need to go back to the welder to decrease amperage just for the ends. You can weld a lot of thin stuff with TIG with ease. Congratulations on your new machine. I like the case looks very sharp and rugged. For just over $1000 that is a great deal. Excellent. Either that or prices have fallen. I am a bit disappointed through that Everlast dropped their warranty from 5 years to 3 years - is it b/c of failures? Mine is approaching 5 year mark and so far so good - used it for an hour plus yesterday.
 

DavidR8

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Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
I am at the stage where I need to start using a pedal to control the amperage - I burn the edges otherwise or need to go back to the welder to decrease amperage just for the ends. You can weld a lot of thin stuff with TIG with ease. Congratulations on your new machine. I like the case looks very sharp and rugged. For just over $1000 that is a great deal. Excellent. Either that or prices have fallen. I am a bit disappointed through that Everlast dropped their warranty from 5 years to 3 years - is it b/c of failures? Mine is approaching 5 year mark and so far so good - used it for an hour plus yesterday.

My other choice was an AHP 201 or an Everlast 185DV @ $1350 delivered. AHP won't ship to Canada so that crossed them off the list.

I contacted Primeweld and they got back to me within an hour, they ship to Canada via UPS. I hate UPS cross border charges so they gave me 10% off. The list price at the time (mid-April) was $775 USD. About a week after that they raised the price to $799 but notified me that I would still get the $775 - 10% deal when stock arrived on May 11.
They gave me my own discount code and the actual discount ended up being 103.87 USD or 13%. So my total ended up at $790.87 USD or $1114 CDN to my door.
Comes with a CK 17 torch :)
 

PeterT

Ultra Member
Premium Member
Way to go David. Keep us up to speed on how you get on with it. Coincidentally I just bookmarked that welder having see it on Fabrication Series YouTube channel.
Can you share any links/resources you may have saved in your evaluation?
What about the CK handle/accessories, where did you buy that through?


 

DavidR8

Scrap maker
Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
Way to go David. Keep us up to speed on how you get on with it. Coincidentally I just bookmarked that welder having see it on Fabrication Series YouTube channel.
Can you share any links/resources you may have saved in your evaluation?
What about the CK handle/accessories, where did you buy that through?
The TFS review was a big factor in my decision.
For direct user feedback I joined the Facebook groups for Everlast, AHP and Primeweld. The AHP group, and the Everlast to a lesser degree have plenty of stories of welders packing it in after a year or two.
I also joined the Welding Tips and Tricks and Welding Web forums for more feedback.
They backed up what the Facebook groups said with the advantage that the forums are a better medium for communication.

I like the full analog interface of the Primeweld machine. Scrolling through menus a la HTP InverTIG is not my idea of a good time.
 
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