One of the more shocking moments of shopping for a welder may be when you look at a top of the line TIG welder and discover a sticker in the $7,000 price range. If a $1,500 TIG welder can basically join two pieces of metal, is it possible that sometimes less is more? Are you really getting something all that much better for the extra $5,500? Though you can sometimes cut corners with something like a car—a less expensive model will get you where you need to go—buying a cheaper welder means many limitations that you need to consider.
TIG Welding Aluminum
One of the primary uses for a TIG welder is joining aluminum together. If you don’t need to create extremely high quality welds on aluminum or you are only welding thin sheets of aluminum together, then you’ll do fine with a less expensive TIG welder.
When it comes to hobby projects at home, a basic TIG welder will provide all that you need. However, if you’re working in a shop where a wide variety of projects come in, a more expensive unit with more power will make it possible to weld thick pieces of metal. More affordable TIG welders will not have enough power to create welds on thicker metal and will be a source of tremendous aggravation.
Water Cooling for TIG Welding
When you’re using an inexpensive TIG welder, you’ll often need to crank up the amperage in order to weld. Your machine can become quite hot if it’s an air-cooled unit. The torch will become quite hot and since TIG gloves tend to be thin, you’ll have to give in sooner than you’d like sometimes. It’s important to use high quality TIG gloves, but even the best gloves won’t be enough sometimes if you’re using an air-cooled torch.
Welders who pay extra for a water-cooled unit never go back. Water-cooled torches make it possible to weld longer since the torches don’t become as hot. When efficiency and time on task count the most, paying extra for a high quality TIG machine that is water-cooled will pay off in productivity.
Square Wave AC for TIG Welding
Another great benefit that comes with a pricey TIG welder is square wave AC technology. This feature allows you to use a pointed ceriated electrode at the right frequency with a very stable arc. The name of the game in TIG welding is high quality welds that are neat and very controlled. When you need to make every single weld count, square wave AC is more than a luxury—it’s the key to higher profits and happy customers.
There are many other benefits and features that come with the top of the line TIG welders, but these are just a few of the key benefits you’ll gain by picking up a higher quality unit that will allow you to create better welds for a wider variety of applications.
