Does anyone have anything bad to say about the T/A 185 TSW?

[boostnerd]

Hi All:

In the next 3 months, I'm looking to buy a TIG machine for around $1600. I plan on welding on steel as thick as 3/8" and aluminum as thick as 1/8".

My initial choices were the Lincoln Squarewave 175 and the Miller Syncrowave 180 SD. After looking at the amperage vs duty cycle graphs, the Miller is a clear winner.

However, after reading some old threads and talking to an owner of one (Hi Adam ) about the Thermal Arc 185, I'm almost convinced that it is the machine to get in this price range.

A lot of people that I've talked to (mostly people with lots of welding experience) have told me to avoid inverter based machines. I guess the older ones were unreliable or not as good as the transformer based machines?

Those who have the TA 185...how do you like it? How does it stack up to other TIG welders that you have used? Any complaints/regrets?

Thanks,
Sonny

[aircraft]

never welded with the T/A 185 just the prowave 300gt. Its a great machine no complaints.

Just make sure you can get service for it.

[dsergison]

I love it.

3/8 is some pretty thick steel. you might want a dynasty 300.

you might need to take out a mortgage too.


It's a very nice machine, I've been using the snot out of it the last few days and I couldn't be happier.

I've been welding up a cart out of very thinwall aluminum tube, and making a hydraulic press out of some 1/4" angle and rectangular tube.

I use a ck hand amp slider. It is a handfull but once I learned to manage it it's really nice and I prefer it over a pedal.

[Junk]

Anything bad? You don't have one.

If I painted the case blue, then it would fit in better in the garage.

1. Low number of dealers.
2. don't think you'd really be satisfied if trying to run it on 3/8 - that HEAVY STUFF!
3. Manual that came with it is pretty much useless.

Other than that, it's AWESOME. Get one.

[Junk]

Originally posted by aweaver
My T/A 185 does a better job on 3/8" than my HH175 does. I even weld 3/8" alum. w/ it, but the duty cycle is zip.

Hmm. Uh. Er. Hmm. Gee. I, uh, er, guess maybe it's the fact that I'm the user. No surprise there I guess.

For some reason, though the HH175 maxed out at 1/4 no? I had only tried to use the T/A 185 on up to 1/4 and noticed a big drop off when I tried the 1/4. Then again, remember I'm like a supernewb to that 'chine. Guess I got some practicing to do. Thanks Aaron - will continue to keep trying.

[Scott V]

Originally posted by aircraft
never welded with the T/A 185 just the prowave 300gt. Its a great machine no complaints.

Just make sure you can get service for it.

I welded with both the 185,and own a 300 gtsw.You will not need service from what I seen.Parts do not matter,because nothing to wear.If something does happen Thermal-arc has repair stations all over the country.It's a non issue,and parts take as long to get from Thermal-arc as it does from Miller,Esab,Hobart,Lincoln.This is from the left coast.

Here is my little unit.

[dsergison]

hey aaron, do you ever use it for stick?

I hear it's a nice stick machine too. I even burned a couple rods with it on the first day. But once I tried the tig I've never looked back.

I have a 9 1/5 lb box of 6013 if anyone wants it

[Junk]

Thanks Aaron. Brain has taken the day off... just like everyday.

Thanks.

[boostnerd]

I guess the only thing that kind of concerns me is that the inverter based machines are relatively new...and the earlier inverters didn't seem to do that well.

I have friends who are using Lincoln machines that are 25+ years old and they have never had problems with them. Those machines also weigh about 1000 lbs...that poses a problem for me.

What is it that was "bad" about that earlier inverters that has been "fixed" in the newer ones?

Thanks,
Sonny

[dsergison]

there's noting new about inverting in general.

it pretty much boils down to this. there are modern electronics in an anverter and in an old transformer there is just about nothing.

so some people distrust technology, even when it's been around since the 50's.

wellthey can drive a model T, that's just fine. I'll take something with a/c, fuel injection, power windows, and a cd player

that's my $.01 cent.

[JTMcCracken]

I don't know when inverters first came out, I'm sure someone will tell us, but I first used one in the mid to late 80's. Powcon's were pretty common those days.

JTMcC.

[davesisk]

Originally posted by boostnerd
What is it that was "bad" about that earlier inverters that has been "fixed" in the newer ones?

Thanks,
Sonny

Here's what I've heard (and I don't know this from experience, so take it with a grain of salt). Early inverters tended to fail sooner than their transformer-based counterparts because metal dust would get sucked into the case by the cooling fan, then short semiconductor components on the circuit boards. The transformer based units didn't have this problem because they didn't have any semiconductor components nor circuit boards period.

Supposedly, modern inverter-based units have the circuit boards well protected in some manner to prevent failures such as this.

HTH,
Dave

[Scott V]

Some of the early ones did not have the voltage spike protection of the new ones.I have three inverters,and one hybrid unit(powermig 300)I will never go back,unless it's a deal I can't pass up.Like a MM200,Migmaster 250,and maybe a small Lincoln mig.

[Ed in Ga]

Sonny,
To answer your original question, I've owned a T/A 185 since the spring and have no regrets. An inverter is a box of electronic circuit boards. Can it fail, sure. Could it be expensive to repair, sure. So could a transformer machine with shorted or open windings. Less current draw, and less size and weight with the inverter. If you are really concerned with reliability then trade every three years as the warranty ends.
Ed

[10secBu]

Man, I sure wish you guys would drop this subject. I've read enough on it lately that you've got me wanting to sell/trade in my Lincoln SW 175 Pro for the T/A 185.

I sure could use more shop space and the pulse feature is attractive to me...would like to try one out...no dealers in my area that I know of.