I bought one! HT200

[Munkul]

so, I went to Express Weld on Friday, brought some stainless and ally scrap and my helmet, and had a good play with the Handy Tig 200.

What can i say... I was expecting something along the lines of the average 200 amp AC/DC TIG welder from the premium brands - I've used most of them, including multiple Lincolns, ESABs, Kemppis, etc, but I was blown away, honestly. The level of features on this thing and the quality just blows everything else in its price point away. I'd have to spend £4k to get anything equivalent, never mind better, I think.

So I walked away with one, and a borrowed WP26 torch, I've ordered a WP20 sized up/down 8m torch, and they're going to try to sort me out a second hand cooler for cheap.

It's like the designers though "we need a cheaper do-it-all AC/DC unit, so we'll make one with the basic functions easily adjustable, but we'll leave everything else in there as well so you can make it do anything you're actually likely to need and plenty stuff you probably won't". They've REALLY thought about how most people use a TIG welder, both for casual repair work, and industrial work. Obviously a T220 control panel is laid out in a better way for professional use, but I think it's unbelievable how they've managed to do this machine, for this price point, that WILL do it all anyways.

Shout out to Express Weld in Preston - a bunch of very friendly, helpful and crucially, knowledgeable people

One thing that I didn't really get - ran some stick welds with it yesterday, but it wouldn't run 7018 properly. After realising what the sucking noise was, swapped the polarity from a marked EP to EN, same as for the TIG torch... but there must be some software switch of the polarity internally in stick mode?

 

[Munkul]

Money shot from Saturday repairing our aluminium backed mower:

It's replaced this:

Now how can a 200 amp single phase welder replace a 3 phase 250 amp @ 60% DC welder?

- By virtue of running a hotter 200 amps on AC than the ESAB can - and also that I now have a pulse mig setup for alum over 1/4" thick But it puddles so much more easily even on 6mm than the ESAB could, and looks after the tungsten point much better. I suppose we're talking 20 years of development between the two.

Another fun thing was running 6013 rod uphill on a pulsed MMA mode. I can see this being handy...!

 

[Tom Orrow L]

Top notch set! You'll have plenty of fun with that! What are the plans for the ESAB set?

 

[Munkul]

already sold the ESAB to some farmers in Yorkshire it still works fine, but it's VERY old and the AC arc is a bit unstable. I've been told it's more of a feature than a problem, but even so...

 

[Hood]

I think that must be the first time I have heard those 3 words in the same sentence. Farmer and Yorkshire, yes I could understand but adding Sold in there seems odd.

 

[Richard.]

Money shot from Saturday repairing our aluminium backed mower:

It's replaced this:

Now how can a 200 amp single phase welder replace a 3 phase 250 amp @ 60% DC welder?

- By virtue of running a hotter 200 amps on AC than the ESAB can - and also that I now have a pulse mig setup for alum over 1/4" thick But it puddles so much more easily even on 6mm than the ESAB could, and looks after the tungsten point much better. I suppose we're talking 20 years of development between the two.

Another fun thing was running 6013 rod uphill on a pulsed MMA mode. I can see this being handy...!

Well done mate. Cheers for flying the flag.
I first used one of these a good few years ago now long before I started at Lorch when forum member badgerbear bought one round for a tig tuition session. Since that day it has been one of my favourite all time tig sets. It reminds me of a mark 5 golf with 4 doors on standard alloys and a child seat in the back. but hidden away is a great big fat R32 engine and 2 turbos for the real driver to take advantage of if needed. Badgerbear didn’t have it long before selling it to my mate brad93 and now that little set gets used every day under the skilful hands of our Brad. I personally prefer the HT to the T
It’s just a sheep in wolves clothing and would happily shame a lot of welding kit holding far bigger price tags.
A hell of a lot of forum members on here are missing a major trick spending similar money on far far lesser sets.

Now all you need to do mate is get express to sort you out with an S3

 

[Brad93]

so, I went to Express Weld on Friday, brought some stainless and ally scrap and my helmet, and had a good play with the Handy Tig 200.

What can i say... I was expecting something along the lines of the average 200 amp AC/DC TIG welder from the premium brands - I've used most of them, including multiple Lincolns, ESABs, Kemppis, etc, but I was blown away, honestly. The level of features on this thing and the quality just blows everything else in its price point away. I'd have to spend £4k to get anything equivalent, never mind better, I think.

So I walked away with one, and a borrowed WP26 torch, I've ordered a WP20 sized up/down 8m torch, and they're going to try to sort me out a second hand cooler for cheap.

It's like the designers though "we need a cheaper do-it-all AC/DC unit, so we'll make one with the basic functions easily adjustable, but we'll leave everything else in there as well so you can make it do anything you're actually likely to need and plenty stuff you probably won't". They've REALLY thought about how most people use a TIG welder, both for casual repair work, and industrial work. Obviously a T220 control panel is laid out in a better way for professional use, but I think it's unbelievable how they've managed to do this machine, for this price point, that WILL do it all anyways.

Shout out to Express Weld in Preston - a bunch of very friendly, helpful and crucially, knowledgeable people

One thing that I didn't really get - ran some stick welds with it yesterday, but it wouldn't run 7018 properly. After realising what the sucking noise was, swapped the polarity from a marked EP to EN, same as for the TIG torch... but there must be some software switch of the polarity internally in stick mode?

I think people must think I’m a Lorch fanboy or something blowing their horn all the time.

But I’ve used Miller Aerowaves, Synchrowaves, Dynasty 400’s, ESABs, Stels, EWMs, Lincolns, Rtechs, Kemppis, Thermal Arcs, Fronius machines.
The whole lot, you name it.

That Lorch HandyTig is the best 230V TIG welder on the market.

Bar the old old Fronius MagicWave Fuzzy Logic.
But I discount those, because they’re old, you can’t get parts and they weigh more than my Pulse Mig.

Bang for buck the HandyTig 200 can’t be beaten.
Build quality, arc quality and support. Only a few hundred quid more than some of the Chinese sets!

That AC arc is absolute quality. The only thing I would upgrade to is the V series machine which Richard promises me runs exactly the same.

I would spend time with anyone on this forum chatting about Lorch machines and why all my machines are now Lorch, and will continue to be Lorch.
Top company and top people.

 

[Munkul]

I genuinely thought that you were just a fanboy, Brad. Same as Richard - reading back through a load of old threads from years ago before he worked for Lorch, where he went through a few different welders and each one was better than the last... you know what I mean. You buy a new machine, and instantly it's the best machine you've ever had, and all the rest are rubbish. We all do it

I was wrong! Even if the dealer had been useless, the machine would have spoke for itself. The fact that Express were so good with me just adds up to the full package, where in the unlikely event I have problems, I know they'll sort me out.

"That Lorch HandyTig is the best 230V TIG welder on the market." - exactly what I was thinking last night. I can't think of a single comparable machine on paper, and none I've used. If someone gave me an unlimited budget for a TIG set I'd have two - one of these, and a T-pro 300 for a bit more grunt in the shop. The T-pro would get very little use, I think. Out of interest, why the V series over T? Other than automation control, what's better than a T pro?

I agree about the AC arc. It's smoother and quieter than anything else modern I've used inc Kemppi and Lincoln. And realistically, with unlimited pulse on square wave AC, you don't need any other fancy waveforms. "Wouldn't it be handy if I had triangle wave AC" said no-one ever.

And now... I'm a unashamed fanboy. Like you said Richard, the next thing I would have if replacing my Miller MIG would be an S3 with speedpulse and speedup Problem is, I can't justify one for the fulltime workplace until a Kemppi dies (never), and definitely not for my shop... the MIG sits for weeks at a time unused. Still want one though!

By the way, am I alone in this DC stick welding polarity thing? The manual doesn't tell me anything about swapping poles.

 

[Brad93]

Don’t get me wrong, Tetrix 230, great Machine, Fronius Magicwave, Rehm, all really good machines.

But they’re all double the price! For 20-30A more.

Why a V over a T?

The T series have a stiffer arc than the HandyTig. More like the arc on other machines.

Richard tells me the V series weld just like the HandyTig

 

[Munkul]

Don’t get me wrong, Tetrix 230, great Machine, Fronius Magicwave, Rehm, all really good machines.

But they’re all double the price! For 20-30A more.

Why a V over a T?

The T series have a stiffer arc than the HandyTig. More like the arc on other machines.

Richard tells me the V series weld just like the HandyTig

Aye, too right. There's definitely loads of good machines in the 200-230amp category. It was a combination of paper specs (especially duty cycle), value for money, a good dealer within reach, as well as the machine quality itself, that was going to sell it to me.

I get you about the arc, it's strange though, I thought originally the HT WAS a T series but they altered the controls a bit and marketed it to make the product lines make more sense?

 

[Richard.]

I thought originally the HT WAS a T series

In many ways it is. It shares a lot of the same components and slots neatly into the same box. The T series control pro has 2 wave forms both of which are quite advanced square wave types with one being slightly softer than the other. Compared to the HandyTIG both myself and brad agree it’s a stiffer arc. It’s a very stable arc and a pleasure to use I really like the arc on the T series but the HandyTIG seems softer so there is a difference and it is a preference thing. The V has various wave forms and that includes a softer sine wave. It is softer than a T series and certainly very similar to how a HandyTIG behaves on AC. At some point Brad will have to try out a V to see if he thinks it’s the same.
Which ever you go for they all weld lovely. Stability is really the key to a quality machine and they have all got that perfectly

 

[Brad93]

Yep the T is a decent machine. Purely preference.

Some people like a harder wave. I started on syncrowaves and hence like that arc

 

[Brad93]

Aye, too right. There's definitely loads of good machines in the 200-230amp category. It was a combination of paper specs (especially duty cycle), value for money, a good dealer within reach, as well as the machine quality itself, that was going to sell it to me.

I get you about the arc, it's strange though, I thought originally the HT WAS a T series but they altered the controls a bit and marketed it to make the product lines make more sense?

I’ve welded 8mm thick plate on full amps (and a good preheat) for like 30 minutes on/off.
Never hit the Thermal cut out. Then again it’s never 40 degrees in the workshop which is what most machines are tested at.

 

[Munkul]

Started making me money tonight... first batch of 60 S/S legs to rattle off.

This was after a bit of experimenting with pulse... played with high speed pulse but I don't think it suited the application. 2-2.4 hertz, 30% background current, 40% background time seemed to give a nice balance between puddling, travel speed, and the ripple/heat input. Slightly more hz and a chunk more amps for the fillet weld.

Now I'm starting to use the setting memories, I'm wishing I had more I have one program for the butt edge weld, and another program for the fillet, but I have to turn back to the machine to knock pulse off for tacking. It's really a job where ideally you drop the pieces in the jig, then hood down from tacking to completion. The up-down torch does work well for switching between programs, but again, I wish I could see on the torch which program was selected.

Express are delivering my new up-down watercooled torch and a second hand cooler on Wednesday, but I wonder if I should have specc'ed the Powermaster torch...

@Richard. two questions:
1. can you retrofit the powermaster control/screen into any I series torch?
2. does this, as the literature suggests, give you an additional two program memories?

If so, it might actually pay off in the long run.

 

[Richard.]

@Richard. two questions:
1. can you retrofit the powermaster control/screen into any I series torch?
2. does this, as the literature suggests, give you an additional two program memories?

1) yes it’s just a cartridge you can slot in replacement of what you already have on the i series torches.

2) I know LED no 2 is for job selection on the Powermaster torch but I don’t believe it adds job space to the machine. @matt1978 will be able to confirm for sure but I’m sure it doesn’t.

 

[matt1978]

PowerMaster torch doesn’t add additional jobs just the ability to scroll through.

There are 2 jobs for tig and 2 jobs for MMA

 

[Munkul]

Shame. I suppose i can manage just fine with the welder sat next to me... but makes the 8m torch a bit superfluous, lol.
If i get a T series next, will i then have 4 selectable programs on the torch?

 

[matt1978]

If you get the T Series with ControlPro front panel you get 100 job spaces

 

[Brad93]

100 jobs like with the S series. And they’re in 10 sets too which is useful.

 

[Munkul]

Just had another look at the manual... it looks like PL3 and PL4 doesn't give an entire new program space, but DOES give a new set of parameters for slopes and pulse.

So in theory with powermaster i could use PL3 and set it up with minimal slope and 100% I2 current, and use it as a tacking program on either of the two main memories... is this right?