Tig Welder Comparison - Miller Maxstar 150stl & Everlast 140st

Tig Welder Comparison - Miller Maxstar 150stl & Everlast 140st

This is a Tig Welder comparison but also provides a few tips.

For this weeks video, we use 2 lift arc Tig inverters to talk about some tips for using lift arc and scratch start tig welding.

The Milller Maxstar 150stl is a stick and lift arc tig inverter that has foot pedal capability but is strictly a DC machine NOT made for welding aluminum.

The Everlast powerarc 140st is a stick and lift arc tig inverter that is also not intended for welding aluminum and does NOT have remote amperage capability.

Both machines are lightweight tig inverters with lift arc start.

When it comes to tig welding there are basically 3 ways to start the arc.

1. There is lift arc.
2. Scratch start
3. high frequency arc
   

My main goal in this video is to determine whether these tig units are capable of welding thin metal....because Miller made a machine a few years back named the Econotig and it was definitely not the best machine for thin metal. The Econotig was ok for most jobs but for tedious work like thin wall chromoly tubing...it fell way short.

There are a lot of good DC tig inverters out there these days and to be honest, the arc is pretty smooth even on the cheaper machines.

But the low end amperage is something I am always concerned about.

Thats why I tested the low end of both these welders on box cutter blades.

Not that anyone is going to buy a lift arc tig welder for welding razor blades but I figure if it works on a razor blade, there will be no problems blowing holes in thin wall tubing.

In the video, I use copper backing to start the arc because it helps a lot.

Its a good trick but if you try it, remember not to touch the copper too soon or you will get burned.

Starting the weld on copper helps a lot for lift arc and scratch start tig welding.

But ending the weld can be an issue also.

Without a foot pedal remote amperage control, you have to snap out of the arc in order to stop the arc.

Thats were copper can help once again.

Just tape or clamp a small piece of copper at a stopping point and you can avoid the lack of gas shielding and crater hole that you sometimes get with scratch start tig welders or tig welding with no foot pedal.

see more tig welder videos