Thread: CIG Transmig 175i user feedback please

I have not used a commercial machine but my 175 wirefeed works well and seems pretty smooth in operation to me? Maybe someone who is in the trade could comment ?

i bought this machine yesterday at total tools for $979 , i used it today and it works pretty damn good its pretty smooth arc is really good just gotta find the right sweet spot setting for the job your welding , i got the 0.8 100mm mini gasless spools as they are cheaper at $18 because i dont do much welding , the gasless wire makes tons of smoke takes getting used to welding with gasless , the machine takes spools of 200mm also thats 4.5kg at the shop they are damn expensive total tools wanted $140 for a gasless 200mm spool , as on ebay you can get it for about $90 , the machine welds in mig mode mild steel , stainless and alluminum , for welding stainless and alluminum in mig mode you need gas , and the guy told me if i have to mig weld alluminum with it you need to change the liner in the whole length of the mig gun. in tig mode it will only weld stainless and mild steel and you need gas for that again , in tig mode it wont weld allminum because it doesnt have a ac function . it doesnt include tig torch thats another $150 in a seperate purchase .

ill also add i saw alot of youtube videos on gasless migwelding they all say for gasless the the wire feeder rolls for welding gasless needs to be knurled so it grips the wire , i checked mine out and the groove is NOT knurled SO i dont know whats going on there maybe i have to buy one of those knurled wire feed rolls for the gasless welding , but as it is now it has no trouble gripping the wire in the smooth groove .

I ran a community welding course back some 12 months or so , a student rolled in with a 175 I combo machine.

When ran it through stick ,mig and fluxcore modes.Stick and mig outputs were Ok.but the fluxcore would not run right until an exact sweet spot was achieved in the voltage range .

On this particular machine the fluxcore would only run happily on 21 Volts NOT 20 volts and NOT 22 volts.

Some breeds of wire were like that in the industrial machines ,so that voltage setting might be something to note on the inside of the machine cover or somewhere you will see it when loading the fluxcore.

Grahame

Thanks for the replies guys, I see United Tools has the 175i on sale for $950 and the 200i for $1250.

I like the idea of the 175 coming packaged in a bag and being light weight, however the extra 35A (200i is rated to 210A in GMAW) and the ability to carry a 15kg spool make the 200i sound favourable.

Does anyone think the 200i is worth the additional $300?

I will most likely be running with C02 as a gas, however I am trying to sort out buying an argon cylinder from Speed Gas in NSW, the sales rep told me he won't sell cylinders interstate but.

Thanks

From my understanding, the extra amps will let you run 0.9mm rather than 0.8mm which is common for the 160 to 180 machines, and for the same settings on both machines, you'll get a better duty cycle from the larger machine. The downside is inferior portability - particularly once there's a 15Kg spool inside (which you could, of course, remove for transport).

I have a slightly smaller 165A machine, and the portability aspect is quite important to me - the smaller CO2 bottle is also a plus in this respect -chucking the lot into the back of the ute is quick and easy, so I'm more inclined to do so.

If, on the other hand, it's going to live in a workshop and you weld at a rate where duty cycle becomes an issue, go the bigger machine.

just an update , i used mine with gasless wire and sorry but gasless welding sux , i think i could have done a better job using an arc welder , gasless mig is still like a 100 times better and easier to use than a arc welder because you can tack the job in harder to reach areas and you dont have the problem of striking like an old arc . gasless mig has its uses like out doors in windy conditions , but yeah get gas if you can even the disposable ones if you can afford it , i seen disposable gas on ebay for about $100 delivered ,they only last upto 55minutes of continuous use which is pretty good i think .