TIG · AC/DC against DC pulse
Aluminum capability at €300, or better pulse control on steel at €440?
One of these welds aluminum and the other does not. The dearer machine spends its money on arc control instead — and for a stainless fabricator that is the better trade.
| Compared on | AC/DC WIG 200 ST | DC WIG 200 Puls Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminum (AC) | Yes | No — explicitly stated |
| Pulse | Not published | Long and short pulse |
| Arc start | HF, contactless | HF, contactless |
| Trigger modes | 2T / 4T | 2T / 4T |
| Gas management | Separate pre- and post-flow | Not published |
| Weight | 12.7 kg (28 lb) | Not published |
| Price | ≈ €300 | ≈ €440 |
| Listed on amazon.com | No | No |
A tick marks the better answer on that line only. Counting ticks does not decide the page — the two verdicts below do, because these machines answer different questions.
No amazon.com listing was found for this one. We hold references for other markets but none for the United States, so it may not be buyable here — which is the first thing to weigh against anything below.
Prefer the AC/DC if aluminum is anywhere in your plans. That capability cannot be added later at any price, and this is the cheapest machine on the site that has it.
No amazon.com listing was found for this one. We hold references for other markets but none for the United States, so it may not be buyable here — which is the first thing to weigh against anything below.
Buy the DC Puls Pro if you weld stainless and steel only. Two pulse regimes — long for penetration, short for heat control — do more for a stainless fabricator than an AC mode they would never use.
Aluminum carries an oxide skin that melts at roughly three times the temperature of the metal beneath it. Alternating current reverses polarity many times a second, and the reverse half of each cycle breaks that oxide up. On direct current the arc simply sits on the skin. No gas, tungsten or technique substitutes.
A choice between depth and heat. Slow pulsing lets the pool freeze slightly between peaks, which holds a bead on thin stainless and produces the stacked-coin appearance; fast pulsing stiffens and narrows the arc, concentrating penetration. Machines with one pulse setting force a compromise between the two.
200 A AC/DC · HF start · 12.7 kg (28 lb) · €300
The cheapest AC/DC machine here, which is to say the cheapest one that can weld aluminum at all.
Best for: A first AC/DC machine, bought because aluminum is somewhere in the plan
200 A DC · long and short pulse · not for aluminum · €440
A DC machine at an AC/DC price, which only makes sense once you read what its two pulse modes do.
Best for: Stainless fabrication, where AC is useless and pulse control is everything
Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
