Lincoln Precision TIG 225 or 275?

[UserJB]

I'm looking to purchase a used TIG welder and I only have a 220-volt 50-amp circuit available. I've narrowed my choices down to a Lincoln Precision TIG 225 or 275. Does it make any sense to pay extra for the 275 if I only have a 220-volt 50-amp circuit? Will that circuit limit the 275's output to basically the same as the 225?

[Lis2323]

I had a 275...



and you will need a 100 amp circuit to take advantage of it’s full capacity. I’m not certain if you’d be much further ahead if you are limited to a 50 amp circuit.

[G-ManBart]

While it's not a Lincoln, I ran my Syncrowave 250DX for 10 months on a 40 amp breaker and regularly ran it at 250-275A without a problem. I ran lines that were heavier, but didn't have a bigger breaker on hand when I got the 250DX and took forever to get around to replacing it.

The rules for dedicated welder circuits are different than normal circuits and you can run a lot higher amperage and breakers. Depending on the conductors in the circuit you might be able to go to a bigger breaker than 50 and not have any issues, and still be within code.

[RideKTM350]

I'm looking to purchase a used TIG welder and I only have a 220-volt 50-amp circuit available. I've narrowed my choices down to a Lincoln Precision TIG 225 or 275. Does it make any sense to pay extra for the 275 if I only have a 220-volt 50-amp circuit? Will that circuit limit the 275's output to basically the same as the 225?

Look at the Lincoln Aspect 230, nice inverter with plenty of options / adjustability, I have one and am very happy with it. You can buy as air cooled pak or watercooled setup but I highly doubt there are any used ones around yet. If you start with the air cooled set up it is somewhat affordable, I know you were looking at used- something to consider.

I skipped on the cart as it is way overpriced...………..

https://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-u...ncolnElectric)

[Munkul]

I think the lack of used Aspects is probably why the OP is looking at Precision TIGs...

I can't get my head around the fact that my modern inverter does 200 amps on 240v 16 amp circuit, but the same amps from a transformer demands sometimes 4x as much input power. Although in practice, maybe it doesn't, going by what G-man says...

[Welder Dave]

I had a Precision Tig 255 (model before the 275) hooked up to a 60 amp breaker by an electrician with no problems. Duty cycle comes into play with welders. The 275 is much more desirable than the 225 and has a lot more features. I've used a 225 and it was really frustrating because the thermal overload would kick in without notice and you'd have to let it cool off. After that it would kick in a lot sooner. I'd see if a 60 amp breaker could be installed or bigger wires and get the 275. Even if you were limited at the upper end you wouldn't have to worry about the welder constantly shutting off because it got too hot.

[motolife313]

How much aluminum do u wanna weld? 225 doesn’t have much duty cycle. Your comparing a work horse to a hobbyist welder

[G-ManBart]

I had a Precision Tig 255 (model before the 275) hooked up to a 60 amp breaker by an electrician with no problems. Duty cycle comes into play with welders. The 275 is much more desirable than the 225 and has a lot more features. I've used a 225 and it was really frustrating because the thermal overload would kick in without notice and you'd have to let it cool off. After that it would kick in a lot sooner. I'd see if a 60 amp breaker could be installed or bigger wires and get the 275. Even if you were limited at the upper end you wouldn't have to worry about the welder constantly shutting off because it got too hot.

Funny you said that. I recently sold my Syncrowave 250DX because I found an even newer 250DX and it wound up costing me almost nothing to upgrade. The one I sold was a 2007 model and I sold it to a guy who owns a welding shop. He was running a Precision TIG 225 and said the problem was the constant thermal overload issue...it welded fine, but he just couldn't stand the downtime on big jobs. He said he had previously owned a 275 and never had that issue, but made a bad decision and sold it at one point when they weren't doing much TIG work. Now they're back to doing a lot of TIG work and needed to upgrade. It sounds like the 275 would be a much better choice...if nothing else the duty cycle at the same output would be far better.

[Welder Dave]

I used the 225 on a job test welding wake towers for boats. I didn't get the job but was told I was the only one to finish all the welds on the mock up. I thought it would be good to finish the welds. I'm sure everyone else gave up on waiting forever for the machine to cool off.

[UserJB]

The reason I buy certain used equipment is that if I need to sell it, I won't lose much in resale value. I'm just a hobbyist and I don't really know what I will eventually need. But if I can buy and later sell for the same price, then that's just like money in the bank. So I don't mind buying more powerful equipment then I need. I just don't know if the 275 will be so limited by the 50-amp circuit that it's not worth waiting for.

My pole barn is wired for 100 amps. I never considered installing a 100-amp circuit. Maybe I should....

I never considered the Lincoln Aspect 230 either. Is that a better welder then the Precision TIG 225? I just checked Craig's List nationwide and I did not find a single one for sale.

[Welder Dave]

You could run off the 100 amp circuit to the pole barn but shouldn't be a big job to have a smaller breaker installed like a 60 or 80.

[Munkul]

I never considered the Lincoln Aspect 230 either. Is that a better welder then the Precision TIG 225? I just checked Craig's List nationwide and I did not find a single one for sale.

The aspect is a truly modern inverter, with every bell and every whistle that anyone will ever realistically need. Power-efficient, you should be able to run it full whack all day long off 50 amp service. It's a direct competitor to a Miller Dynasty, which is "the" benchmark TIG set.

Over here, we only get the aspect 200, or 300, both made in Poland. Good machines though. We have a 300 in our shop at work, it has a loud water cooler but it's a top end machine.
I would be looking for a HTP 221 instead if I lived in the US, though, might be cheaper, and is also a very well regarded inverter TIG.

[UserJB]

What would happen if I ran the Precision TIG 275 off a 50-amp circuit? Would it simply trip the breaker if I set the welder output too high?

[UserJB]

I'm trying to understand the Spec sheet for the Precision TIG 275:

Input Power

208/230/460/1/60

I get that. It can be configured for an input voltage of 208 volts, or 230 volts, or 460 volts. It's single-phase only, and 60 cycles per second.

What is the difference between 208 volts and 230 volts? (don't say 22 volts)

The next lines say

Rated Output

275A/40% 225A/60%

Is that simply a duty cycle for each output amperage?

The next lines say:

Input Current

40% Duty Cycle: 104/94/47A 60% Duty Cycle: 86/78/39

I can't figure that out. What does it mean?

[G-ManBart]

What would happen if I ran the Precision TIG 275 off a 50-amp circuit? Would it simply trip the breaker if I set the welder output too high?

Generally speaking, yes you might trip the breaker at higher amperages, but it's not going to hurt anything. I was able to run 275A on my Miller with a 40A breaker so you should at least be able to get in the ballpark with a 50A breaker.

[G-ManBart]

The next lines say
Is that simply a duty cycle for each output amperage?

The next lines say:
I can't figure that out. What does it mean?

Where is lists 275A/40% and 225A/60%, yes...that's the duty cycle for those amperages.

The Input Current part with the 40% Duty Cycle and 60% duty cycles with matching amperages for 208/230/460V is what you use, along with a chart published in the National Electric Code, to determine input conductor and breaker requirements for the circuit. Dedicated welder circuits fall under a different set of rules than most things because they're not a continuous load...the breaks keep the conductors from overheating so the safety margin can be less.

[Oscar]

I think the lack of used Aspects is probably why the OP is looking at Precision TIGs...

I can't get my head around the fact that my modern inverter does 200 amps on 240v 16 amp circuit.

You still need approx 30A from a 240V outlet to produce 200A of welding current with a good inverter, so the breaker still needs to be sized accordingly. Wiring, as was mentioned, can be derated depending on the duty cycle of the machine. The lower the duty cycle, the smaller the wire is permitted to be de-rated, according to US NEC.

This graph is a representation of such a case where a welder (my HTP 221) can consume up to 32A at full-bore, idle's at 1.3A. The curve depicts the wire size permitted, which is based on duty cycle, on the X-axis.

[Munkul]

You still need approx 30A from a 240V outlet to produce 200A of welding current with a good inverter, so the breaker still needs to be sized accordingly. Wiring, as was mentioned, can be derated depending on the duty cycle of the machine. The lower the duty cycle, the smaller the wire is permitted to be de-rated, according to US NEC.

This graph is a representation of such a case where a welder (my HTP 221) can consume up to 32A at full-bore, idle's at 1.3A. The curve depicts the wire size permitted, which is based on duty cycle, on the X-axis.

I don't.
I can run my Lorch 200 flat out on a 13 amp fused plug, with a 16 amp C type breaker... nothing gets warm. It's even supplied with a 16amp plug from factory.