Anyone has a Tig/Arc/Plasma cutter station...
 

Hey guys, I have been shopping for a while to purchase a Tig/Arc/Plasma cutter a 3 in 1 type of welding station. I know company like Miller & Lincoln make very good welding products but it is about 2 to 4 time more pricey, than what my budget allow me, perhaps their products are more aimed at the professional welder. I want a good and reliable welder station for my needs.



I'm a hobbyist and wont become a professional welder but I have been welding for a few years already, and I can make good welds. I have about a 1500$ to spend. I have seen a 3 in 1 station in price that range from 399$ to 4000$ but the one I'm looking are selling around 700$ to 1000$



I know I will also need to buy an Argon bottle, a 20 lbs is around 200$ if I remember correctly. I'm also expecting to spend another let say 300$ for a mask and a small supply of rods to welds, ss, metal, metal sheet and possibly aluminum. If anyone is in a similar situation I'd like to hear about your story / experiences.

no attempting to burst your bubble! Just me. i use a plasma cutter, very fun and you can score a quality plasma cutter for about 400 bucks! completey worth it if you do alot cutting! also i can get away with a good mig welder! a good mig will allow you to weld a wide variety of metals! You can pm me if you want. But i am in about 700 dollarss for both my machines.

first off arc welding is any welding process that uses electricity-... not to be confused w/ stick welding ( aka Shielded Metal Arc Welding).



i haven't seen a machine that is capable of plasma cutting, stick, and tig-... not to say there isn't one out there.



i also have to ask why does it need to be plasma cutting? there are many more ways to cut metal-... plasma's are really only needed if you are cutting both ferrous and non-ferrous metals like steel and aluminum, brass, magnesium, vanidium, iron, stainless, tungsten, etc (basicly any known metal to man). most likely you'd be using it for automotive purposes and a few odds and ends around the house, most of which are made of steel. i'd look into oxy-acetylene cutting before tinkering w/ a plasma-... even then note that some cuts w/ either process generate a fair amount of heat, and that heat will warp the metal if not done correctly. and the cuts aren't as clean as you'd expect. you should also know that in order to run this machine(s) you will need to have a 220v power supply, and the plasma will require an air compressor. and not to mention all of this will use up a large amount of electric,so get ready for high electric bills.



$300 for a welding mask is pretty steep too-... i've had the smae one for 8 years and i only spent $100 (made by cobra i believe).



have you ever tig welded aluminum?



if i were you, i'd invest in a mig welder. they're alot more user friendly and able to get into tighter spaces. screw the plasma and get some nice cutting tools (cut off wheels, die grinders, nibblers, band saw etc) instead.

Did you get one in the end?