ProTIG 200

scootercat

scootercat

Active Member
#1
#1
I was at Harbor Freight today and was looking at the new Vulcan welders, the Protig 200 is an AC/DC machine that comes with everything but the Argon bottle.... It will do anything from steel to aluminum which covers the whole area of the minibike materials.... The cost is half of the name brand welders and the best part is it has a one year money back guarantee!.... It is on My list for the next big thing to buy.... scootercat....
 
jimkemp

jimkemp

#2
#2
Before you buy it take a look at the Eastwood tig 200 , I have had one for 3 years now and it has welded a lot of stuff in my shop , the price is good and the quality is great
 
scootercat

scootercat

Active Member
#4
#4
Thanks Jim, I did check out the Eastwood,it is a good deal too!...and the price is right for My budget also.... Just shopping around for the moment so I can do some aluminum tanks and other stuff .... scootercat....
 
massacre

massacre

#5
#5
The duty cycle on the Vulcan isn’t really that great, Eastwood is a much better welder imho but the foot pedal is kinda janky. I see they now have a foot pedal upgrade but that is an extra hundred bucks. The stock foot pedal does work fine but it is not a rocker type so if you are used to that style, it might take a little getting used to.
I welded a bunch of stuff with mine, lots of thick aluminum too. The torch will get hot after a while welding thick stuff as it is not water cooled. I only used mine on 220, don’t think I ever used it on 110. I have a water cooled rig now but will use the Eastwood for small quick stuff sometimes.
 
FOMOGO

FOMOGO

#8
#8
[MENTION=23766]scootercat[/MENTION] If you have an AC/DC stick machine all you need to TIG weld is the torch, bottle and regulator. You wont have the luxury of a foot pedal BUT you can TIG weld mild steel all day long. You just have to learn how to set the machine and use a scratch start to get the arc started. Its old school but it works as good as anything else for anything steel. This was all I had for a long long time. Its actually a good learning curve precursor to having a machine with a foot pedal. You get a better feel for the heat settings I think because it is a pain to adjust the heat and restart a weld. Then it becomes easier to read the weld puddle and adjust the heat with the foot pedal.

Doug
 
FOMOGO

FOMOGO

#10
#10
chatten63 said:
Jim. Have you had to replace any parts or change out any consumables and is it easy to get replacement parts for the Eastwood tig.
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Rick I know you didn't direct this at me but the Eastwood Tig uses a "WP-17"-type torch and it accepts common cups and collets. The 17 torch is a common torch and the parts are readily available at any welding source. All my Tig torches are a 17 and it makes for easy interchange of parts and pieces. I have a big Plano tackle box that is full of different cups, collets and various pieces just for my 17 torches. I have been using a size 16 cup welding the stainless exhaust.

You can figure cup size by taking the cup number times 1/16''. So my #16 cup is a 1'' opening.

My big Lincoln has a water cooled torch that came with it BUT I have never used it.... I do use it with a air cooled 17 torch.

I too am curious about everything other than the torch consumables.

Doug
 
FOMOGO

FOMOGO

#12
#12
chatten63 said:
Thanks Doug. I was looking today at the Eastwood 200 digital. This has some real nice options on it. And cheaper than the lincoln and miller.
Click to expand...
Rick, learn about what the duty cycle does and what it is on individual machines. Every machine is different and your intended use will determine the machine to buy. If you are going to be doing production welding where you need the machine to run all day and not cyle into the duty cycle you need to spend a lot of money. If you are going to be doing small projects where your setup time allows the machine to cool then a lower end machine is all you need.

For example the Eastwood Tig is listed as having a 60 percent duty cycle at 190 amps using 220 volts input. My Miller Diversion that cost 3 times as much has a duty cycle of 10 percent at 180 amps using 220 volts input.

Duty Cycle - the amount of time a machine will operate at a given amperage. Example - The Diversion says 10 percent at 180 amps and 100 percent at 60 amps. That equates to it welding constantly for 1 minute and resting for 9 at 180 amps or welding constantly and not resting at 60 amps. The Eastwood Tig says 60 percent at 190 but does not give any other amperage duty cycle numbers. That equates to welding constantly for 6 minutes and resting for 4.

The machines will do this automatically so it is not something that you can fudge on. It will shut down and restart when the internal sensors are overheated and rest until it is cool enough to weld again.

Now my 2 cents for all it is worth. I have welded for a long long time and I have never run a machine into the duty cycle. Also I cant see the Eastwood Tig having a true 60 percent duty cycle... :shrug: That is a lot of guts built into the machine for the money it cost.

All of the above being said you probably aren't going to be running the machine set up wide open and weld constantly for long enough that it will ever make a difference in my opinion.

All the machines that I own have never been run "wide open" for any reason. I step up to a bigger machine and do the job with the proper machine. I am fortunate to have anything from 5 amps to 300 amps. Most people have 1 machine or maybe 2. They might encounter the need to run a machine wide open.

Doug
 
jimkemp

jimkemp

#13
#13
Rick for what you want to do the Eastwood tig will work great for you , standard parts fit the torch and you can get them anywhere , and if your worried about duty cycle , don't , I weld the tractor mufflers I build in production style set up and it works great , you end up having to wait for the torch to cool down before you have to worry about the machine its self , for the money and for a home shop I think its the way to go
 
FOMOGO

FOMOGO

#14
#14
jimkemp said:
you end up having to wait for the torch to cool down before you have to worry about the machine its self
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Jim you should step up to a water cooled torch so that you can weld without waiting on the torch to cool. Hook it to the water hose and let it drain outside. Its not the ultimate using tap water but it works none the less. Its what I do when I fire up my big Lincoln 300 amp Tig and weld big aluminum. I do it so infrequently that its not worth a cooler setup.

Doug

Just curious... If your last name is Kemp are you any relation to Charlie Kemp, the great Trans Am racer???
 
jimkemp

jimkemp

#15
#15
Water cooling is on the list of things to do , and nope no relation , but I have raced for 30 years , but on dirt , asphalt is for getting there , dirt is for racing :clap::clap::clap:
 
massacre

massacre

#16
#16
I beat the crap out of my Eastwood TIG200 for a couple years and it still works fine. I got mine years ago when they first came out.
The gas line has tape on it and the foot pedal wants to not work every once in a while but overall it’s a great value
The W-17 torch is fine, and takes common cups collets etc.
I would get the EW machine over the HF machine
Ymmv
 
rugblaster

rugblaster

Active Member
#17
#17
I'm a fan of Jody and his weldingtipsandtricks.com deal He has reviews on the Evergreen welders. I have a friend who bought one and he likes it, (inverter welder) I bought a Miller Syncowave years ago and spent a fortune for it. If I had it to do over again, I would buy the cheaper inverter welders, probably a squarewave machine. Most people don't need a water-cooled torch.
 
massacre

massacre

#18
#18
I use a water cooled setup but I often need to weld up bigger projects.
I bought an HTP inverting 221DV and could not be happier with the machine
 
ole4

ole4

#19
#19
I bought a HTP 221 as well but not the dual voltage. Comes with the great foot pedal and starting amps as low as 5 amps. Had a everlast multifunction tig, plasma stick as my first tig. It went up in smoke but I got 8 years out of it so no complaints. Love the http but it is not cheap.
 
FOMOGO

FOMOGO

#20
#20
ole4 said:
Had a everlast multifunction tig, plasma stick as my first tig. It went up in smoke but I got 8 years out of it so no complaints. Love the http but it is not cheap.
Click to expand...
8 years is not long for a welding machine unless you weld with it all day everyday. My Lincoln AC/DC Stick - Tig is a 1964 model that my friend bought new. My Lincoln Mig I bought new is a 1985 model. My Miller Mig 251 is a 1997 model. No idea how old my Miller AC/DC Dial Arc is. It came out of a Vo-Tec school. Everyone of them will fire up and do what its supposed to do every time. It all depends on how they are used and cared for.


---------------------ONE THING TO REMEMBER!!!!!-----------------------------

A friend has a toasted Miller SyncroWave. It was unplugged and the torch hanging on the bottle... A lightning strike traveled into the building and hit the machine. Toasting the circuit board. It came through the ground cable that was still hooked to the welding table. So don't leave your ground clamp hooked to your work.

I had a lightning strike burn up the control switch on a 2 post lift years ago. Struck a tree outside the shop. It came through the ground also.
 
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