Hobart 230 or 210 for welding Aluminum or save for TIG???

[WaAkFJ]

I need some advice. I've been using a Hobart 180 for the past 7 years but sold it last summer. While the Hobart 180 was plenty of welder for my projects, I really want to weld aluminum.

I am looking at the Hobart 230 and the new Hobart 210 or 190. Does anyone have experience welding aluminum with the Hobart 230, 210 or 190? My main needs for the aluminum welding are boat accessories (seats) and repairs, aluminum sleds (for snowmachines), maybe an aluminum chainsaw mill like the Logosol.

So my basic question: will Hobart 190 meet my needs, or is it going to be a waste for aluminum?

If the 190 or 210 won't work, the next welder I'm looking at is the Hobart 230. Here's where I'm pulled. For the price of the Hobart 230, I can get a light TIG machine like the Miller 165 for $1400. I've welded OA, stick, and Mig, but never TIG. I know TIGs make the best welds, but also slower to weld with and more expensive to operated?

Any advice from Muders would be great!

 

[Lake Rat]

I use MIG to weld steel with, and no experience with TIG and aluminium. But what I have observed in seval demonstrations is this: You can weld Aluminium with MIG, but the sign wave (electrical signal) of a MIG welder is too strong (explosive) for aluminium, and although it will do the job, it spatters the material pretty much, not a real "clean" looking weld (if your worried about apprearance) as aluminium is a sofer metal.

The TIG not only has an adjustable arc (more controlable with your foot or other ignitor initiated by you, you start the weld with as much amperage as needed instead of a MIG machine where your "set" with an amperage), but the sign wave from TIG is much smoother and therefore doesn't splatter the material like the MIG does (you control how much arc needed), the welds are cleaner and look much better.

Not quite sure if I 'splained it right, and as I said, "I" don't have any experience with TIG, but following along and watching folks who can TIG weld, that is my observation, so you may not want to take my word for it. But if I were just doing aluminium, I would go TIG. You can also weld steel with TIG. My big problem is, I can't get both hands, and my foot in syc to do TIG. But I guess that's why they would call it practice.