MIG or TIG: Which is better?

[ModMech]

MIG offers fast set-up and welding with good quality welds that will pass even FAA standards when done correctly. MIG is less expensive to get up and running and has lower process costs for small projects. It is also a LOT easier to learn than TIG, but beginners are easily fooled into thinking their welds are better than they really are (based solely on external visual inspections). It is harder to weld thin material w/o damage and you will always fight finnish quality of the weld bead.

TIG offers superior penetration on all materials and can weld "any weldable metal" with the right machine (AC/DC) and capacity. TIG process on AL will take at least 50% more amperage than welding the same material with MIG, but will produce a much nicer weld, both in aesthetics and strength. TIG is often the process of choice because it is more controllable than MIG and easier to manipulate the puddle charecteristics for good quality welds. It is more time consuming when done by hand, but second to none when done by machine. TIG can weld all common metals with a single gas, Helium (hence the term HeliArc(tm), which is a trademark of ESAB), something you cannot do with MIG, assuming you have the correct machine.

For general purpose welding, you just can't beat a full frame 220V MIG machine. But, if your needs range widley, a gas powered AC/DC stick with a TIG attachment would be the lowest cost way to be able to weld almost anything and do it well.

 

[_RaT_]

As the guy who has to approve the finished construction of new food processing machinery I love TIG... Smooth strong welds that are easy to clean and don't harbor bacteria and soil.

As the guy who has to repair busted farm machinery in my garage and fabricate stuff out of scrap, I love MIG... cheap to buy, easy to learn, and fast welding.

Actually, I prefer stick unless it's something very thin. I'm used to stick, and I can do repairs with much less prep.

Well said Mr Iplayfarmer. I use my MIG a lot. When it really counts like welding critical welds, I stick with stick. For penetration, its hard to do much better.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

I have a mig and a tig and am very good with either one. As others have said mig is faster. Tig is an art. Once you learn how to tig you don't use the mig as often. The main time I use the mig is in hard to reach areas, where it is hard to get a tig torch and a filler wire in at the same time. You almost never have to grind off an ugly tig weld. With mig you can be welding along perfectly an hit an contaminated spot in the steel and have a big ugly in your weld . Also with tig there is no splatter. If I could only have one it would be tig.
Bill

 

[Gary Fowler]

I dont think there is such a machine or process in welding whereby 1 is good for everything. That said, the best all around welding equipment with the least cost would be a good AC/DC welding machine with high frequency attachment and a TIG Torch with gas regulator and a bottle of Helium. A person with the skills to use them could weld anything weldable in Ferrous and non ferrous metals with that rig.
MIG is faster, easier to learn if you just want to lay down some metal, but MIG is more difficult to use when you want good xray quality welds as it is very easy to get non-fusion between your weld and the base metal. This may look good on top but be very weak in strength, so I personally prefer to use SMAW (stick) and TIG.

 

[AHNC]

Years ago I was a powerhouse welder. I was a hand, but not perfect! If you want to spend the time and energy learning, TIG is absolutely where it's at. Having been away from it for about 30 years I bought a tig machine and was going to get back into it for my projects. Turns out, I am just unwilling to spend the time to get my hand back and cannot stand the work I'm turning out. Tig is not someting you just do. You can make it stick together, if that's all you are looking to do but you won't want anyone to see your work and you will not have confidence in it. When done properly, as previously noted, Tig is an artform and, oh, it is pretty to look at and real satisfying to do well.:thumbsup:

I'm selling my heliarc rig and buying a Miller 252 with a spool gun. I can still do commendable work with mig that I don't mind letting folks see. My suggestion is to get the best 220 mig machine you can afford so you have something to work with and if you have the tig itch, then scratch it, but it will take time and a lot of practice:laughing: Spend some time on Miller - Welding Equipment - MIG/TIG/Stick Welders & Plasma Cutting Excellent information there.

I tend to like my welding machines in Blue.

 

[_RaT_]

"I tend to like my welding machines in Blue."


I think it is more involved than simple color. It seems to come down to the process and even in that a model in the process. There are machines like MIG that many manufacturers make well, some that make better TIG and some that make better multi process. My MIG is a Miller, my stick a Lincoln. Sometimes when you open up and look at the guts, you will see some short cuts made by a company on various componets. My uncle worked for Union Carbide (Linde) for many years and eventually bought a large welding business in San Jose. I got to play with lots of stuff. By the way, the money he told me was not in selling the equipment, it was selling the consumables.

 

[yomax4]

I sell Mig, Tig, Stick, Plasma, Torch and Arc Gouging Equipment.. I is all Good, Get as many types as you can afford and dont discount one process or the other. Side Note: Sub Arc and Tig is used in all High Pressure situations and Critical Welds for food service and AeroSpace is all Tig.. Mig and Stick everywhere else. Want to take it to the next level? Look up Synergic Twin Pulse Mig. You can do Tig welds on Aluminum with a Mig Gun. All Possition and high speed. Or, Spatter Free welds on Steel. The future of Welding is ready to take on a whole new light.

 

[_RaT_]

I sell Mig, Tig, Stick, Plasma, Torch and Arc Gouging Equipment.. I is all Good, Get as many types as you can afford and dont discount one process or the other. Side Note: Sub Arc and Tig is used in all High Pressure situations and Critical Welds for food service and AeroSpace is all Tig.. Mig and Stick everywhere else. Want to take it to the next level? Look up Synergic Twin Pulse Mig. You can do Tig welds on Aluminum with a Mig Gun. All Possition and high speed. Or, Spatter Free welds on Steel. The future of Welding is ready to take on a whole new light.

Thanks Mike, very cool. My uncle sold equipment out of Chicago in the 60's and early 70's. He went to John Deere as a salesman and introduced them to MIG, they were using stick to weld much of their equipment. He showed how little splatter there was and they could eliminate jobs by going to this process. They did. Sorry to those of you who lost your job grinding away splatter.

 

[AHNC]

"I tend to like my welding machines in Blue."


I think it is more involved than simple color. It seems to come down to the process and even in that a model in the process. There are machines like MIG that many manufacturers make well, some that make better TIG and some that make better multi process. My MIG is a Miller, my stick a Lincoln. Sometimes when you open up and look at the guts, you will see some short cuts made by a company on various componets. My uncle worked for Union Carbide (Linde) for many years and eventually bought a large welding business in San Jose. I got to play with lots of stuff. By the way, the money he told me was not in selling the equipment, it was selling the consumables.

Certainly, the Blue line is more than a bit arbitrary, but for my uses my equipment has been excellent. The problem with most equipment is "operator deficiency". That is certainly the case with me. Having spent thousands of hours on the hot end of "red" machines, I know they are just fine

Your uncles observation on the consumables is, what I call, the Gillette school of marketing. "Giv'em the razor, sell'em the blades!"

 

[ModMech]

Certainly, the Blue line is more than a bit arbitrary, but for my uses my equipment has been excellent. The problem with most equipment is "operator deficiency". That is certainly the case with me. Having spent thousands of hours on the hot end of "red" machines, I know they are just fine

What you say is true.

I have used the RED ones for most of my career, and started with them over 25 years ago already. I have spent a good amount of time with the BLUE ones too and in fact own a MM251. To say one is "better" than another is personal preference, nothing more because they are BOTH VERY GOOD.

HTC is another brand (Made in the USA, Chicago to be exact) that has a VERY good reputation and loyal following.