Thermal Arc Pro-Wave 4000 GTSW

[RonL]

Does anyone have any experience with this machine? It looks like it may be what I am looking for in a shop welder. Thermal Arc has a sales brochure on line but it does not have the manual online.

[knucklehead]

Does anyone have any experience with this machine? It looks like it may be what I am looking for in a shop welder. Thermal Arc has a sales brochure on line but it does not have the manual online.


Hello, yes I have used 400GTSW. Sweet unit! They currently still sell the 400 at almost $8,000. Very smooth inverter. Its AC/DC tig with HF and a great stick welder. It has the same 14 pin plug for remote that Miller uses, so miller remotes will work on this unit. Phenominal on Aluminum and Stainless/mild. Thermal has sales brochures if you need one.

[RonL]

Thanks for the reply. I have read their online brochure. They don't have the current manual online. Thermal Arc e-mailed me a manual dated 1994. The specs seem different than the current model. I'm looking for a shop welder for the shop I'm building. Single phase only. The critical thing for me is that I don't want to spend a big chunk of money for a welder that is derated severely running on single phase. It just seems like a waste to spend a fortune on a machine that will spend the rest of its ( and probably my ) life in a single phase shop if it cannot run at its full potential.
I'm looking for a shop machine that will always be there ready to run.

RonL

[knucklehead]

Thanks for the reply. I have read their online brochure. They don't have the current manual online. Thermal Arc e-mailed me a manual dated 1994. The specs seem different than the current model. I'm looking for a shop welder for the shop I'm building. Single phase only. The critical thing for me is that I don't want to spend a big chunk of money for a welder that is derated severely running on single phase. It just seems like a waste to spend a fortune on a machine that will spend the rest of its ( and probably my ) life in a single phase shop if it cannot run at its full potential.
I'm looking for a shop machine that will always be there ready to run.

RonL


Here are the specs from what I can find....

400GTSW 1 phase
Rated Output
Amps 400 A
Volts 40 V
Duty Cycle 40%
Output Range
Amps DC 5 - 470 A
Amps AC 10 - 470 A
Volts 10 - 40 V
Maximum OCV 69 V
Input Hz 50/60 Hz
Dimensions
Width 16.25 in / 410mm
Length 20.75 in / 529mm
Height 32 in / 810mm
Weight 220 lbs/100kg
Options/Accessories

[RonL]

My LWS quoted me a price of just under $8,000. for just the machine. Much as I like the concept of the machine, this seems a bit steep. For that type of money one could get a full Dynasty 350 Tig Runner package. As a matter of fact, it puts it close to the Dynasty 700.

RonL

[knucklehead]

My LWS quoted me a price of just under $8,000. for just the machine. Much as I like the concept of the machine, this seems a bit steep. For that type of money one could get a full Dynasty 350 Tig Runner package. As a matter of fact, it puts it close to the Dynasty 700.

RonL

Well I can tell you "any" thermal arc tig machine can run circles around any Dynasty or Maxstar hands down for that matter.

[DesertRider33]

They make the Arc Master 300 ACDC TIG machine that, if I remember right, runs both 1 and 3 phase and does all the things the Dynasty 300/350 does, probably for a little less $$ than the Dynasty.

The attraction of the 400GTSW is it can do MIG and TIG. For that in a Miller, you'd need an XMT, but the XMT only does DC TIG, and no HF start. If you can find an old PowCon 400SMT, those can MIG and DC TIG and run both 1 and 3 phase too. Their output is cut by a third in single phase, but they are plenty powerful even so. I have a 300SM with pulsing pendant that used to weld great in pulsed-spray MIG for aluminum, until it finally died on me. I may fix it one day....

For TIG, I chose the Thermalarc Arc Master 185 ACDC over the Dynasty 200DX cause it does everything the 200DX does for about a grand less. I'm very happy with it. If I'd had more amps of single-phase at the time, I would have thought about getting the TA 300 but all I had was 30 amps then.

Now that I put the sub-panel in, I have a 50 amp plug and 100 amps to the panel (about 70, maybe 80 of which I can use, as the house also has to run off that same 100 amps). If I get rich and have much call for mobile AC TIG, I'll put the 185 on the truck and buy a TA 300 for the shop.

[knucklehead]

They make the Arc Master 300 ACDC TIG machine that, if I remember right, runs both 1 and 3 phase and does all the things the Dynasty 300/350 does, probably for a little less $$ than the Dynasty.

The attraction of the 400GTSW is it can do MIG and TIG. For that in a Miller, you'd need an XMT, but the XMT only does DC TIG, and no HF start. If you can find an old PowCon 400SMT, those can MIG and DC TIG and run both 1 and 3 phase too. Their output is cut by a third in single phase, but they are plenty powerful even so. I have a 300SM with pulsing pendant that used to weld great in pulsed-spray MIG for aluminum, until it finally died on me. I may fix it one day....

For TIG, I chose the Thermalarc Arc Master 185 ACDC over the Dynasty 200DX cause it does everything the 200DX does for about a grand less. I'm very happy with it. If I'd had more amps of single-phase at the time, I would have thought about getting the TA 300 but all I had was 30 amps then.

Now that I put the sub-panel in, I have a 50 amp plug and 100 amps to the panel (about 70, maybe 80 of which I can use, as the house also has to run off that same 100 amps). If I get rich and have much call for mobile AC TIG, I'll put the 185 on the truck and buy a TA 300 for the shop.


Acutally you are thinking of the GMS line. The 400GTSW is a stick, HF tig, lift tig unit only, no mig unless running a voltage sensing feeder on stick mode(CC) mode for outersheild cored wire. I agree the 300 model AC/DC as far as tig is concerned is the superior unit especially on aluminum.

[RonL]

The sad thing is, as much as the 400 GTSW may be an outstanding machine, if thermal arc does not even bother to put a manual on line it does not portend well for the future of the machine. They don't even support it now, what will support be like in the future? I can't see spending $8,000. for a machine that will not have support in the future. Will thermal arc even be around ten years from now?

RonL

[DesertRider33]

Sorry about that confusion with the GSM/GTSW machines. Thermal Arc's machines have so many different letters attatched to the names, it's hard to remember what goes with what.

Thermal Arc has been around awhile now, don't know how many years. They'll never be a Miller or a Lincoln, but I expect they will be still be around in another 10 years.

I agree, they need to fix up their website so it works when you click on things and they need to put more information on there. There are .pdf format info sheets you can download from their site on most of their machines that do have some useful info on them about the machines.

[Tailshaft56]

They make the Arc Master 300 ACDC TIG machine that, if I remember right, runs both 1 and 3 phase and does all the things the Dynasty 300/350 does, probably for a little less $$ than the Dynasty.

The attraction of the 400GTSW is it can do MIG and TIG. For that in a Miller, you'd need an XMT, but the XMT only does DC TIG, and no HF start. If you can find an old PowCon 400SMT, those can MIG and DC TIG and run both 1 and 3 phase too. Their output is cut by a third in single phase, but they are plenty powerful even so. I have a 300SM with pulsing pendant that used to weld great in pulsed-spray MIG for aluminum, until it finally died on me. I may fix it one day....

For TIG, I chose the Thermalarc Arc Master 185 ACDC over the Dynasty 200DX cause it does everything the 200DX does for about a grand less. I'm very happy with it. If I'd had more amps of single-phase at the time, I would have thought about getting the TA 300 but all I had was 30 amps then.

Now that I put the sub-panel in, I have a 50 amp plug and 100 amps to the panel (about 70, maybe 80 of which I can use, as the house also has to run off that same 100 amps). If I get rich and have much call for mobile AC TIG, I'll put the 185 on the truck and buy a TA 300 for the shop.

I'm going to disagree a little on your Dynasty comparison. I have also have a TA-185 and absolutely love it. That said the Dynasty has the ability to run on 120v line and also 208 3 phase. Not an issue for most but for some doing work at customer sites it might be. As for me I'll run mine in the shop and spend my $1000 on other toys.


Dennis