Stick Welder-Tig Welder video

This weeks video is about a small stick welder / tig welder....the Everlast powerarc 160 sth.

You might have seen a video I did a few weeks ago about Lincoln Exalibur 7018 stick welding rods vs hobart 7018 rods.

What you dont know is which welder I used to make that video.

well...it was a tiny little portable stick/tig welder ..the everlast powerarc 160 sth which has high frequency start and is a super smooth DC tig unit but is also a pretty good stick welder.

In this weeks video, I thought I would put this stick /tig welder to the test and burn some more of those excalibur 7018s doing a bit of uphill welding.

Also, to make it more interesting, I included some footage doing some tig welding on an outside corner joint using 11 gauge cold rolled.

I think the video speaks volumes about the capability of this welder.

It handled the 7018 stick welding just fine with a nice smooth arc.

But what really surprised me was the crisp low amp start when in tig mode.

You could seriously use this welder for pretty much any tig welding project other than aluminum.

Like thin wall chromoly tubing for aircraft or motorsports, thin stainless food grade tubing, thin auto body panels, etc.

Some cheap tig welders have a pretty hot start. like around 20-30 amps. The miller econotig for example starts way too hot for certain thin metal jobs.

With this welder, .030" thick metal would not be a problem. It is rated to start at 10 amps but it seems more like 5 amps.

All in all , this small welder is a winner. And for under 500 bones, It is a way for anyone to get started tig welding.

I used to think the cheapest way to get started tig welding was to get an old DC stick welding machine, an air cooled tig torch with a valve on the handle, and an argon tack and regulator.

But not anymore. Because with this small tig inverter, you can also have high frequency start and amperage control. ( foot pedal does not come with it but is available).

Tig welding. At least tig welding steel...has become very affordable.