Lincoln Invertec V205-T or Miller Dynasty 200DX

[unixadm]

I do not know the actual duty cycle at 100% for the Dynasty 200DX on 230V. You'll probably need to use a DVOM and measure your input voltage. The more volts, the less amps that will be required. I've been running my 200DX up to it's max on a 30amp circuit and have yet to trip the breaker. A safe bet may be a 40amp circuit.

As for the water-coolers, yes the Coolmate 3 is a bit large. It was designed for a machine to sit on top. The 300DX actually bolts to the top of a Coolmate 3 when sold in the TIGRunner. So with that said, it's a nice cooler. I don't really care for the Coolmate 4, but it is more portable. The Lincoln Magnum coolers are a lot smaller - but to me, my Coolmate 3 fits on my cart nicely and it works great.

You can see some pics of my 200DX and Coolmate 3 here:

http://www.dmwtech.com/gallery2/v/we...s/dynastycart/

[precisionworks]

As others have mentioned, the HTP Invertig 201 is another contender:

http://www.htpweld.com/products/tig_welders/tig201.html

$2799 water cooled, $2295 air cooled.

Lot of info on HTP on the Hobart forum as well as here. 90 day free trial.

[Sundown]

<snipSundown, one of the reasons for considering the two above, other than they are the only type of units that suit the amperage I have available, is the fat they will also run on 115v, which increases the portability.

Yes, having the ability to use it most anywhere is a plus if needed. If you need an AC side and also need 120V then either the Lincoln or the Miller will be a quality machine, my personal choice would be the D200DX. The reason I purchased a TA185 was the money difference (45% less) and the fact that I have a factory authorized service center for TA 5 minutes from me, plus I looked at how many times I needed to use the 120V capability of my Maxstar 150 STL (now a STH) and found it was only one time in two years, and that job could have been done with my 120V mig with no problem. I wish you good luck with whatever you decide to get.

[StretchNM]

I don;t know what specs Laiky was looking at, but saying the Dynasty "outclassed" the V-205 in all specs is ridiculous. IF you are judging by specs alone, and you objectively put aside any biases toward one brand or the other, the V-205T edges out the Dynasty 200DX.

[bbseay]

Asking a question here what welding machine is perferred is not receiving a good sample since most people here are Miller fans (even me). Lincoln needs a forum. I do own mostly Lincoln and some very high quality, elite, Taiwan purchsed tig welding AC/DC machinery,that probably exceeds most of what you can buy both from Miller or Lincoln at 1/3 of the price.

[dandimand]

well i know i use my dynasty at full max all the time and that is its only purpose as for mobile cast welding of aluminum . the fan inside comes on after about 10 minutes of on off welding etc.. but it seems to work fine . If your doing alot of aluminum and dont need the portabilty i would get a transformer machine or if you can afford it go with the larger inverter. Ps i have no problem with either lincoln or miller and own both . for daily shop work though i personally would not use any of these little inverters Imho a bigger machine will last longer . As i like a larger duty cycle that is why my shop machine is an aerowave full feature which i love by the way best machine ive ever owned. If you dont need the portabilty maybe look for a syncrowave 351 im sure there are lots of good used ones out there as well and the lincoln models .my dynasty is only to see a max of 8 hours usage per week or less.my aerowave has paid for itself many times over especially on magnesium and difficult to weld castings etc...

[Coalsmoke]

I think he may have been saying that the tiawan stuff was 3 times more, or, that L and M are 1/3 the cost.

[eyecandy]

Unixdam, this DVOM do I just test the voltage currently there, or need to test it with the welder in place?

That’s a nice looking cart and table you have there, that’s giving me some ideas.

Precisionworks, how does this 90-day free trial work? I assume if you are not happy with it after 90 days you can return it for a refund? But again the problem is this is 230 volts only.


Sundown, I see your point about the 115v. Which this could be the same case for myself, but I am sure that if I bought one that was 230V only I would kick myself later on; decisions, decisions.

Bbseay, I understand what you are stating and I figured that from the beginning, although there have been a few people that chimmed in that have used or owned both, or that own neither of the two. Yes I agree it would be nice to have a Lincoln forum available.

Whats this Taiwan company?

Dandimand, again as I stated before the transformer units require more amps than available, besides from reading it seems that the inverter based units are better suited for Aluminum do to the ability to run higher frequencies, plus other than Max amps of 200, these units seem to have better or more features available. Now the problem with going with a larger inverter based unit, as in the 300DX is $$$$, this is already more than what I would like to spend. But since most of my aluminum welding will be in the 1/16-1/8 range the power should be just fine. Plus I do not see myself welding daily with this, maybe a few times a week or month. I just need the ability to TIG weld aluminum.


What about accessories? Is it better to run the manufacturer's or piece the needed accessories toegther yourself?

[Sundown]

"Whats this Taiwan company?", I think several members would like to know the name of this equipment and who makes it, come on now, fess up, I guess it must exist but a search turns up nothing, maybe I just missed it

[unixadm]

Eyecandy,

You would simply connect a digital volt ohm meter and probe your 220V outlet, hot to hot to see what your input voltage is without the machine connected.

Thanks for the compliments. I didn't get my cart finished this weekend as I had a few other things come up. Next weekend I should have it completed and painted. I've got a 300DX TIGRunner showing up this week as well, so that may take some of my time this coming weekend as I'll want to give it a test drive.

My welding table is a lighter duty than than what a lot of the guys here have, however it's mobile and for me that's very important. It works great too. I've put 400lbs on the top of it, no problems. I'm going to add a plasma cutting grid with a sheet metal catch tray. I have a lot of fun making this stuff, but I'm wanting more and more tools so that I can do projects with higher quality and also a bit quicker. hehe.