Am looking to buy small Mig welder,mostly for car type repairs,and have seen a Tigren 120 inverter m/c. Can't find any reviews,are they decent or junk?
Thanks,Rod
mine is the TGN150..... 140Amp in MIG mode, takes the bigger 200mm wire spools and APPEARS to be of reasonable build quality..... the reviews I have seen so far are good....it also comes with TIG and MMA kit should I ever need itHello and welcome to the Forum!
I have never heard of the "Tigren" brand before. It looks typical of the many low- to mid- level imported hobby inverter welders that are now available.
In addition to the usual no-name eBay box-shifters, it is offered for sale by some known ( ? ) distributors, such as SIP and Halfords, but even also the respected Zoro and Cromwell. I would suggest checking the length of warranty these Sellers offer; most will be one year. At this level, the only exceptions to that are Lidl/Parkside at 3 years, and the unique 7-year guarantee offered on the higher-priced German Stahlwerk products.
The price of the Tigren varies from a low of £120, which is fair, up to £210, which is high for a 120 Amp machine.
The features ( e.g. gas/gasless, short permanently-attached torch, only accepting mini spools ) and build quality ( plastic wirefeed assembly ) are typical of this class. I reject the statement that the wirefeed is "2-roll" - only the drive roller is powered, the pressure roller is not geared, it just runs along.
It is a traditional 2-knob inverter, with independent controls for wire speed ( = Amps ) and voltage ( which may be labelled as "Amps" .) The very latest machines have only one "synergic" control, altering wirespeed and volts in accordance with a pre-programmed map. The dial may be labelled in millimetres of metal thickness ( 0.5 to 4mm for a 120A machine ). These machines also have digital displays for the selected parameters. For a beginner, the former system, with fully-variable controls, may actually be more helpful and instructive.
In addition to considering the "Tigren", you may also search the Forum for comments and reviews on other small inverter MIGs, such as Stahlwerk, Rohr, Uptime, BlackLine, and StaticArc, and the SIP Autoplus 130:
SIP Autoplus 130 Mini Synergic Welder
Has anyone got experience of using one of these? What settings are suitable for 18 gauge but and overlap joints?www.mig-welding.co.uk