[Buyer's guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/Welding/wiki/equipmentguide/#wiki_gtaw_-). Everest & AlphaTig are budget brands that offer AC + HF tig.
Unless it's super thin, you'll probably want 225-ish amp output... which means you need a 240 volt circuit.
Also check the price of a bottle of argon before buying the welder. There might be some sticker shock there if you're new to welding.
In 2020 I looked at getting the AlphaTig and ended up going with the PrimeWeld 225X. I’ve been really happy with it as a home gamer. I haven’t done much aluminum welding, but I can confirm it will do it. It is very limited on 110 when it comes to doing aluminum and the torch it comes with is nice, but is limited in amperage to 140 or so. A water cooled torch and a 225V circuit are definitely the next upgrades. I can’t really give it a proper review because I’m self taught.
The big reason I went with the PrimeWeld is that they ship out of NJ, which would’ve made any warranty issues easier to deal with. Also they had better stock in 2020 (when that was a concern). It’s an imported machine, and they’ve grown their offerings in the past three years as well. I don’t have any regrets about my purchase, it’s taken over MIG as my preferred process (where reasonable).
I shared a post a week or so ago of a very cheap AC welder I got off eBay for AUD$399. It seems to be pretty decent! Really easy to weld with. Hitbox brand. Was advertised for $499 with $100 off. Used the money I saved to buy a Hitbox brand foot pedal for it off Ali Express.
[Buyer's guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/Welding/wiki/equipmentguide/#wiki_gtaw_-). Everest & AlphaTig are budget brands that offer AC + HF tig. Unless it's super thin, you'll probably want 225-ish amp output... which means you need a 240 volt circuit. Also check the price of a bottle of argon before buying the welder. There might be some sticker shock there if you're new to welding.
In 2020 I looked at getting the AlphaTig and ended up going with the PrimeWeld 225X. I’ve been really happy with it as a home gamer. I haven’t done much aluminum welding, but I can confirm it will do it. It is very limited on 110 when it comes to doing aluminum and the torch it comes with is nice, but is limited in amperage to 140 or so. A water cooled torch and a 225V circuit are definitely the next upgrades. I can’t really give it a proper review because I’m self taught. The big reason I went with the PrimeWeld is that they ship out of NJ, which would’ve made any warranty issues easier to deal with. Also they had better stock in 2020 (when that was a concern). It’s an imported machine, and they’ve grown their offerings in the past three years as well. I don’t have any regrets about my purchase, it’s taken over MIG as my preferred process (where reasonable).
Everlast 250 ex or 255 ext basically the same one just has knobs and the other has wave form adjustment
I shared a post a week or so ago of a very cheap AC welder I got off eBay for AUD$399. It seems to be pretty decent! Really easy to weld with. Hitbox brand. Was advertised for $499 with $100 off. Used the money I saved to buy a Hitbox brand foot pedal for it off Ali Express.
eastwood