$400 TIG/Plasma Cutter on 110V or 220V

Cool. Definitely interested in how well it works. I hope you keep us posted. Thanks for sharing!
 
Yup. I should get it tomorrow. When I see some of the talent on this forum, including yours, I just imagine what could be done if more folks could have some really cool equipment.

Garage builders are where its at.

I'll let you know how the unit works out.
 
I'd be very nervous about buying something like that. The company's website is beyond simple and makes you wonder if they are even still in business. I wonder what would happen if you had to try to send it in for warranty work or needed it to be fixed after the warranty period. I can't even find any literature on the unit other than what is in the ebay listing. Did you read good reviews about the unit somewhere that I couldn't find? The only review I could find was one where it stopped working after 3 months.

I'm not trying to be a downer about your new toy, and will be interested in hearing how it works, but just wanted throw up a cautionary flag. I hope it works out for you. I guess even if it just works for a little while, you'll probably get your money's worth out of it.

Definitely keep us updated on how well the unit works now and every couple of months. Maybe it'll work great and this thread will be a good resource for people searching for reviews on the unit.

This should help them find this thread:
Accurate Tools Model: ATPW520
 
Roger all that pal. There are a few different 'brands' of these low end units that look strikingly similar. I'm guessing there's one or two manufactures in China or India stamping them out for different importers. I did manage to buy it from a US company and with a 1 yr warranty, so we'll see.

One thing that makes them cheaper is the technology. Instead of big transformers they use solid state inverters and MOSFETs. They are also physically smaller and lighter so they're cheaper to import and ship.

If they are decent units, look for Miller and Lincoln to start raising hell about them 'dumping' on the American market.
 
Last edited:
Well at least that might make it easier to find parts if you need them down the road since parts might be interchangeable between the different "brands". Kind of like import lathes and mills.
 
how much is the foot pedal?
air cooled too. wonder if you could convert to water cooled for longer run time?
also, some of these cheap welders wont tig aluminum. aluminum needs dc positive, and steel needs dc neg. if Im not mistaken.
I was gonna get the harbor frieght one simular to this one, but wanted to weld alum and steel. but those cant weld alum for the reason above.
dont get me wrong, if it only does steel, and last at least a day over warrenty, its worth it.
 
Almost certainly only welds steel. Still, if it turns out to be a quality tool it's easily worth the money.
 
Yeah this one does not weld aluminum, for the reason you stated. These guys want $120 for the pedal but other vendors on ebay are selling them from $40 to $60. The plugs look right, so I guess they would work on this welder.

Yes too, these are air-cooled units. If you look at the duty cycle though, they aren't designed for the kind of continuous welding that would demand water cooling.

Having said that, could you make a simple liquid cooling mod for the handle to keep it cooler? Also, could you use another wire feed welder with the electrodes disconnected to function as a wire feeder for the TIG? It would be smoother than the classic hand-feed manuever.
 
hand feed vs. auto feed. well, thats realy a preference thing. i couldnt get a auto feed to sync with me for the life of me. others love it. I think it has someting to do with spending alot of time oxy/ace welding.


I suppose you could make a water cooled handle. first thing that comes to mid is a auto trans mission cooling radiator, with a fan behind it, a electric auto fuel pump(not a fuel injected one) to pump the water around, but i'm not sure about the handle part, as for the tubbing, teflon lined no kink, and wrap the whole extension to protect it.
 
I've had the Chinese TIG/Plasma/Stick welder unit now for about a year and am happy to say it is well worth the money. I got it on Ebay, the home of all things Chinese, and immediately found there is no documentation and damn near no support for it!

Mystery number one was: where does the gas go in and where does the air go? Answer: in the same (one) port!

So, I documented how to set it up, based on my own experience and info I scrounged around the web. I might add to that to check all electrical and gas tight fittings and connections, a couple were loose or leaking on mine.

Also, if you've never used TIG or plasma before, keep an eye on the little bronze pieces inside the guns, where the arc occurs. They are consumable and, even though they make look fine to you, after a while they will begin to burn out and dramatically impact the quality of welding or cut.

Don't use welding magnets, it screws up the plasma arc.

Finally, respect the duty cycle. Weld or cut for a half minute, let it cool and rest for a half.

Like most Chinese made tool or machines, I had to tweak it and was unimnpressed with their "quality lack-of-control" as far as pre-ship testing and of course, the complete lack of user documentation. But, other than that, the machine itself seems to be made of pretty good stuff. I use it regularly.
 
Don't do it Travis!

:laugh:


Kent, Thanks for the update! It's funny because I was reading about a guy buying one on another forum and I googled "Accurate Tools TIG review" or something like that and this page popped up. I had forgotten all about it.

Have any pictures of TIG welds made with the machine?
 
Travis, I just happen to have a pic of the weld. ll my welds look like this.
images
 
Back
Top