@bhowden, there are so many 3 in 1's out there now it's hard to make the assumption they have a CV only machine
@historicalarms does your buddy want to weld aluminum
....
That's the big price jump for a tig machine
I don't know of any 3-in-1's that would need other stuff added to them to make them work in another format, ie: you cannot buy (as far as I have seen) a stripped down single use machine with the ability to add to it later to add the other functionality. They would not actually be 3-in1, otherwise, no? I think he has a fair point.
That sort of only works if you go high enough up the food chain in a name brand machine, and add in the TIG and Wirefeed additions to a CC/CV capable power source, which is NOT the budget option. In my case I have a Miller Bobcat 225D, a Miller HF TIG Box, and a Lincoln LN-25 wire feeder for.
Agree re: Aluminum. AC and continuous High Freq add a LOT to the basic build cost of a machine!
I'd suggest that depending on the local market, it may be well worth buying used, name brand equipment, if it can be got for near to the price of new import. One of my 'other' welders is an AC/DC Miller 250HF, it's a big heavy pig to move (so it lives in the shop, and doesn't), and really needs a bigger than the 50Amp circuit I use it on to max it out, but I got it, leads, some TIG torches and consumables, all for about half the cost of a lunch box sized Princess Auto welder goes for. It's most complicated electronics are in a board that controls the timer for the HF TIG Start, but the component values for the discreet components on that board, are listed in the parts manual.
Aside from the weight and bulk, the main downside, that the new machines can give you, is that the used machines seldom have any multi-voltage capability.
If not in the grips of fear of the risks of no warranty, used may be an option!
(coming back some hours later to edit in
: )worth noting, that if the bells and whistles are wanted (Pulse, variable frequency, and a bunch of others, you pretty much cannot afford those on a relatively new, or even not abused, used name brand machine, while you CAN get those for fraction of the cost, on a new one. IIRC, the Lowest end of the Miller Dynasty machines, is north of ten grand out the door.
Suffering, as I do, from two very strongly felt issues, used suits me pretty well. Those issues are that I am one cheap SOB, and that I tend to feel very nervous, around electronics devices that I am unable to dig in to and blunder my way through, as far as troubleshooting and the like. So this too flavors MY opinions!
