Hi I'm a new guy here, but an old fart

[tooln]

Hey everyone Newbie here. I've worked in the dairy/cheese/butter manufacturing for 35+ years. Most of this has been as a maintenance mechanic and maintenance lead. Looking to retire soon and welding and fabrication has always been my forte. I've a Millermatic 210 mig and am looking to add AC/DC tig to my collection. Seriously considering the PowerPRO 164S. Any comments on this one would be appreciated? Once I get going on some projects I'll be posting some pics.

[christian]

Hey,

Welcome to the Everlast forum.

Yeah, I considered the PP164S when I decided to upgrade to an AC/DC TIG unit, as I initially had a DC TIG, Stick, Plasma multi that I liked well, but soon wanted to do aluminum too.

I also considered the PP185, but ultimately landed on the 210EXT. And I'm glad I didn't end up "under-buying", as the advanced features on the EXT were helpful to me as I began welding aluminum. The Triangle waveform was especially helpful on thinner aluminum. I often like higher AC Frequency adjustment too.

The 164S may be ideal for you, though.

I notice that Everlast units seem to get a very useful amount of welding amperage on 115V power and a typical household breaker, which not all welding unit manufacturers can match, i.e., their dual-voltage ability is more limited in amperage or requires a higher rated breaker, if I'm not mistaken.

You see, I used to use my 210EXT on 220V exclusively, but then I moved, and now weld in an unattached garage that has only 115V power. And I'm amazed at how I haven't been limited in my heat input on 115V yet, at up to 125 amps for sustained periods, so far. It may go higher, too, but I haven't needed it to yet.

[performance]

164 is great for 1/8 and 3/16 in TIG, but don't expect much capability over that. Otherwise, it is a great, reliable unit.