MM , Before you buy a off brand find out who makes it and if parts are readily available ! When you buy a Miller or a Lincoln you can be sure parts can be had for many years to come. I prefer Miller , you get what you pay for , a great welder !

I've owned both an cheap import and blue.  Probably the only reason I have a blue now is that I came into some money I didn't expect.  I could have bought and discarded 5 cheap imports before I had spent the same amount of money I did on blue.  The cheap import performed okay and was not quite as full featured as my blue.  The cheap import did develop some issues with the lift arc start method but it also has high frequency start that worked well until I sold it.  I would never buy that brand again because the only US location was in California.  

I'd feel better about buying an imported brand from retailer that I can drive to than a retailer that has an import office in California.  At least that way to can walk it back into the store if it breaks down.  Ask them about how they deal with warranty issues before you buy.

If you are looking for a basic DC TIG and wire feed unit and you're not using it to make a living I think I'd consider taking a chance on the Klutch if I knew the retailer would stand behind it with a simple return or replace policy through the warranty period.  I'm not familiar with wire feed welding but I'd at least ask about the spool so you can buy your wire anywhere.

The torch on the other hand I'd pass.  It's a 17 air cooled torch so at least your consumables should be common and readily available from many suppliers.  An air cooled torch will get hot and so even though they never say it has short duty cycle because it gets hot.  If you've got a lot of welding to do you'll have to stop and let it cool from time to time.   10 foot hoses are short.  Vinyl hoses get stiff in the cold.  I always get a flex head torch, it's nice to be able to adjust the handle angle to provide a comfortable grip in different position.  

The 17 torch is rated for 150 amps but you can push it 200, it just get hot faster.  You could go to 26 torch that's rated for 200 amps.  The trade off is it's just bigger.  It still gets hot almost as fast as the 17 so it's really not that different.  Luckily the consumable are common so if you get one and decide you want the other at least all your consumables can be used on either torch.  

I have bought several CK Superflex hose and Flex and hose sets. They are more expensive but the cables are very flexible and tough.  I always get a cable cover too.  The cables are spendy and the covers are cheap and disposable.   They come in either 12.5 or 25 foot lengths.  Here's an amazon link to one that's only $10 more than what you posted as an example.  Just be sure to check the connections are right when you go to buy, this is only an example.


https://www.amazon.com/CK-CK17V-12-RSF-Torch-150A-SuperFlex/dp/B00JV8OWF6/ref...

If you think you'll weld a lot a water cooled torch is great.  It's a more expensive torch kit and you need a cooler too.  My advice is get started with an air cooled torch and decide later if you want to go water cooled.

Look at Eastwood......they have good customer support for their products.

MMRanch wrote on 11/12/18 at 08:14:49:


The TIG torch gets hot, especially where you hold it and of course the higher the amps the hotter it runs.  I'd say up to around 100 amps just the time it takes to reposition yourself for each weld is long enough to cool the torch and won't slow you down.  Once you are in the 150 amps and up range you'll be taking breaks to let the torch cool.

As a ball park number you should run around 1 amp per thousandth inch.  So 1/8 or 0.125 inch material runs around 125 amps.

Once you get a handle on TIG I predict you'll like it.  DC tig is quiet and clean, no spatter or hot slag.  You can see exactly what you are doing and you have full control over how much filler gets added.  It's got a long learning curve so be prepared for that  

MMRanch wrote on 11/12/18 at 19:59:22:


My Mig welder is a Miller 200....waaay more welder than I deserve, but I had a friend pass away that owned it and I bought it from the estate at a great price.  It has a brand new spool gun that has never been used.

I did buy myself an Eastwood TIG 200 last year when they were on sale for $600.  As Sandmanred stated, I have found out the learning process is lengthy.  Unlike a MIG where you are just welding with one hand (maybe a second hand to help keep you steady), with the TIG you need to use one hand on the torch the other hand will feed the rod......and a foot to control the heat!  The metal also has to be completely clean and spotless with the TIG - you can't have any rust, paint, or mil slag on the parts......a MIG can weld right through that crap but the TIG doesn't like any kind of impurity.  Learning to make pretty TIG welds is going to take me a very long time!

MMRanch wrote on 11/14/18 at 07:51:02:


Check with your local welding supply store......if you buy a bottle from them you can likely just exchange when you need to.  If you buy from somewhere else they will likely need to fill your bottle, and for most places that means trucking it to wherever they have their bottles filled...then trucking it back, and it may take several days/week to get your filled bottle back.

I have never used coated wire - my welder has always had a bottle of gas.

How long does it last.....it really depends on how big a bottle and how much you weld.  My bottle is a 120, and it lasts me 4 or 5 years unless I have a major project going.

If you are welding indoors and are not in the wind you can crank the gas flow pretty low - outdoors the wind can make it hard to keep the shielding gas from blowing away.

I have a very small amount of experience with a spool gun and aluminum - but I did learn it takes a lot of heat, and the weld does not penetrate much into the aluminum.....the weld bead is big and is definitely "proud" of the surface.  Pretty fillet welds on aluminum require a TIG welder.