EdK
Silver Member
I didn't notice that used had been mentioned but a lot of pro welders and shops are converting to inverter welders and spinning off their pro-grade transformer machines and there are always people getting out of the business. That's how I got my "beginner" set up on a budget like yours:
- Lincoln 250 Idealarc AC/DC with power factor caps (a bruiser for sure)
- 2 sets of stinger cables for stick (long/short)
- 2 air cooled TIG torches (one new-in-box)
- 1 water cooled TIG torch
- foot pedal
- gas regulator
- several large gas bottles (argon, argon/CO2 mix, etc)
- lots and lots of different size and type consumables
- A couple of non-darkening helmets, a vise, some vise-grips and other accessories
All this ran me $800 and certainly got me off to a good start. Sure, I might like an inverter MIG or other machine down the road but I think a budding tractor attachment welder could do a lot worse than cutting his teeth on a stick machine that has some added versatility built-in (albeit nothing state of the art).
- Lincoln 250 Idealarc AC/DC with power factor caps (a bruiser for sure)
- 2 sets of stinger cables for stick (long/short)
- 2 air cooled TIG torches (one new-in-box)
- 1 water cooled TIG torch
- foot pedal
- gas regulator
- several large gas bottles (argon, argon/CO2 mix, etc)
- lots and lots of different size and type consumables
- A couple of non-darkening helmets, a vise, some vise-grips and other accessories
All this ran me $800 and certainly got me off to a good start. Sure, I might like an inverter MIG or other machine down the road but I think a budding tractor attachment welder could do a lot worse than cutting his teeth on a stick machine that has some added versatility built-in (albeit nothing state of the art).