On Feb 21, 12:12*pm, Jon Elson wrote:
jon_banquer wrote:
I think the Chinese will soon totally dominate the welding business
because their inverters really seem to have lots of advantages over
transformers. Even Miller's "affordable" inverter welders are made in
China.

See for *yourself how good these inverter based welders are getting.
Note the longer duty cycle. He started with a Hobart Handler, which
doesn't have the duty cycle that the Chinese inverter does:

Well, I got a pretty good deal some years ago on a Lincoln Square Wave
TIG 300. *It can do stick, but I HATE the smell and the fumes mess
up my nose and sinuses. *So, I have pretty much sworn off ever doing
stick again, but still have the cable and handle if I need to.
This welder can do something like 250 A continuously for hours.
It is a transformer machine with some SCRs and electronic control.
So, I am not complaining, although it is quite a bit bigger than
an inverter machine. *I have done steel, aluminum and copper with
it, and the only limitation is MY skill, not the welder's.

Jon

"I HATE the smell and the fumes mess up my nose and sinuses. So, I
have pretty much sworn off ever doing stick again"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9VeN_sd7Do