I have a Vulcan Pro-Tig 205 myself and others as well. I own and manage a short run fabrication and welding shop and I have 2 full time employees as well, plus I farm and agitate my wife once in a while...lol
Keep in mind that all the new machines are IGBT so no big transformer and no huge weight either. Actually, I prefer a transformer machine because the arc is smoother, especially when running TIG with exotic alloys and if you want to run aluminum, you need an ac-dc TIG machine so you can weld both ferrous metals and non ferrous. Intesestingly, one of my good friends is 1/2 owner of an outfit that does nothing but Nuclear refits in stainless process piping and exotic alloys. He's at Fermi in Monroe, Michigan presently (they are on shutdown for a refit), I'd love to go and observe but I don't have the required security clearance to get in, oh well. I do get to see pictures however. He's a world traveller as well because they are in great demand for Nuclear refits. He's been to every country that has an operating N plant. Most of the process piping they install is all machine TIG welded, multi pass, they do some really big stuff too. His second in command Nate, I know him as well. They are both AWS certified in Nuclear welding and my buddy happens to be the one that tests the welders and magnafluxes their welds to make sure they are welding at Nuclear code.
Interestingly My friend has a Miller TIG machine at home and after he used my Pro-Tig and found out what I paid for it and the warranty (I have the extended 3 year warranty on it), he told me he's selling his Miller and buying a Pro-Tig. he said (and I'm sure he meant it, that the Pro-Tig had a much smoother arc and it easier to establish the arc as well. When he found out what I paid for it, I knew he'd be buying one as well. I have a CK Worldwide water cooled torch on it with a stand alone water cooler and the Pro-Tig will stick weld (low hydrogen electrodes as well). Not something I'd do as I also own a Lincoln engine drive Ranger ac/dc stick machine. If I want to burn an electrode, I use that. Besides, it gives me a chance to exercise the engine so the gas don't get stale in it.
I also own a Hyper Therm 85 amp plasma cutter with a hand torch and a machine torch I use on my CNC plasma table but I'm selling it as well. Hyper Therm consumables, especially the Fine Cut consumables have gotten to be so expensive, it's time to change brands on that as well.
I already own a HF Titanium 45 amp plasma I use around the shop for free hand cutting, I'll probably buy another Titanium but the 65 amp edition and use that on my CNC plasma table instead.
The 65 amp Titanium already has the plasma table interface plug on the front so all I have to do is keep the HT interface cable and I'm good to go.
I own a Shop Saber 4 x 10 plasma table with a water bed on it. it's a fun machine to run, actually all I do is plot in what I want to cut and if the parts are smaller, use the nesting program to optimize the sheet. I rarely cut anything thicker than 3/4". Mostly light gage sheet aluminum or stainless. The machine basically thinks for itself. I can walk away and forget about it for the most part and I can (if I could afford it) change it over to water jet or laser cutting, neither of which I can afford to upgrade presently too.
The table alone was 37 grand. Lot of money for a part time dirt farmer but I have a steady workload on it all the time. I cut parts for 2nd and 3rd tier automotive suppliers and some stuff for Kubota tractor as well. Don't do artsy-fartsy stuff like a lot of people do with plasma tables, mine is all parts and often times those parts must be fitted up and welded together as well.
I retired from the steel industry so I have excellent relations with steel suppliers so procurement of raw materials isn't an issue, what is, is the constant price increases. My steel cost for HRPO, AKDQ sheet has increased 4 time this last year and aluminum and stainless has also went through the roof. Now, when I quote any job, the quoted price is entirely predicated on the materials cost, I never know until I place an order for materials, what it's going to cost me. I get my materials delivered in bulk, usually on a tractor trailer and I have a high-lo to unload it as well as a truck dock where they can back to if it's rear loaded.
We have had a good year despite the economy and have enough work presently to keep us busy until summer. I'm thankful for that.
I really like the Pro-Tig and the Titanium plasma cutter, especially the out the door pricing. HF is selling a quality machine at way below the cost of a Miller or Lincoln and plasma cutter wise, and the Titanium plasma cutters are also well below the price of say a Hyper Therm and more importantly, the cost of consumables is much, much less.
One thing i don't do is skimp on Tungsten. I (we) use only pure tungsten electrodes and I buy them all from Midwest Tungsten in Northbrook, Illinois. They might not be the cheapest but their quality is consistently high, besides, I know the owner...lol The other ting is, I own all my bottles, I don't lease any anbd I don't exchange any. I have mine filled when empty and I always have at least one full bottle on hand of whatever gas I need, pure Argon or 75-25 or oxygen or acetelyne.
I got into this stuff over 40 years ago, Started out gas welding stuff using metal coat hangers for filler / welding rod and some of the stuff I 'stuck' together is still around today. Too bad metal coat hangers aren't, you cannot use plastic coat hangers for filler-welding rod and starting out with OA was a good primer for TIG welding as both are 2 handed operations so TIG came naturally for me for the most part.
Nice thing about the Vulcan is it has a very nice digital control screen and it's easy to adjust everything and it 'remember' the last settings as well so unless I need to change any parameter, it will revert back to what I was welding at when I turn it on plus it has adjustable pulse settings and you can custom set the post flow and pre flow as well as AC and DC balance. The Lincoln don't have all those features so it's time to go. I don't forsee any issues with the HF welder or the plasma cutter and if I did, they both have 3 year warranties on them anyway. I understand that if either fail, HF just replaces the machines with new ones. I can do that.
Kind of reminds me of Stihl chainsaws versus Echo chainsaws. Stihls are stupid priced today (I have a couple) and the Echo's are basically 1/2 the price (I have a couple of them as well) and they all do the same thing, they cut logs and so long as the chains are sharp (I grind my own chains) both are good machines but the up front cost is the deciding factor for me. The Square Wave Weld Pack cot me 4 times what I paid for the Pro-Tig and the Hyper Therm was at least 3 times what I paid for the Titanium and the warranty on both the Vulcan and the Titanium is much better. I don' skimp on stuff like tungsten and I expect to receive full bottles when I have them filled (3000 pounds psi +). other than that and the materials I use (I don't like Hencho-Mexico steel), I prefer domestic made and far as stainless or aluminum, there is only one domestic stainless mill state side and I buy from them and I buy Alcoa sheet aluminum as well. I try to support domestic industry for the most part and I did cringe a bit when I bought the HF Pro-Tig and the Vulcan Plasma cutter as they are made in China (I presume) but I will say that HF must be doing strict oversight on their production because taking the covers off exposes a well made unit and not some haphazard crap inside, prone to an early failure and their warranty just enforces my belief in that.
I find it hard to fathom how HF can sell their welding machines and plasma cutters at such a low price compared to the competition, but I'm glad they do anyway because I'm inherently cheap, if I wasn't, I wouldn't stay in business very long. it's a very competitive world out there today.
Finally, if you remove the cover on any late model Lincoln welder, you'll be shocked at the amount of offshore sourced parts (China), that Lincoln uses in their machines even if they say 'Made in America; on the cabinet, They should say, 'Assembled in America from parts and assemblies sourced worldwide'. Least my old Ranger engine drive was made in Euclid, Ohio from domestic parts. That isn't how it plays today. and I believe (could be wrong and if I am correct me) that Miller / Hobart is a owned subsidiary of a Chinese company.
I grew up in Euclid, Ohio and my dad worked at Lincoln so I know them and the plant very well. Lincoln was good to my dad and I believe they still make their SMAW electrodes there and draw their wire as well, though I've found that Italian wire INE is much better than Lincoln so that is what we use in the MIG machines. It might be more expensive but like I said, I don't skimp on quality stuff if I can help it.
