Control, and aluminum · review
The cheapest AC/DC machine here, which is to say the cheapest one that can weld aluminum at all.
Where we come out The entry point to aluminum, at the price other brands charge for DC only.
If aluminum is anywhere in your plans, this is the cheapest machine on the page that can do it. AC/DC, 200 A, HF start, 2T/4T, at €300 — a price that buys DC-only machines from several other makers.
Every TIG machine welds steel, stainless and copper on direct current. Only AC machines weld aluminum, because it takes alternating current to break the oxide layer. That single capability is what separates this from the DC machines above it in this list, and it is not something you can add later — there is no accessory, no gas and no technique that substitutes.
HF start means the arc jumps without the tungsten touching the work, so the electrode stays sharp and the bead starts where you aimed. Separate gas management gives you pre-flow and post-flow control: gas before the arc so the pool never sees air, gas after it so the tungsten and the weld cool under shield rather than oxidizing. On stainless, post-flow is the difference between a silver bead and a black one.
The 2T/4T switch is the ergonomic one — in 4T the trigger latches, so your hand is not clamped for the length of a seam.
No duty cycle at a stated temperature, and no AC balance or AC frequency range. The first means 200 A is a ceiling of unknown duration; the second matters once you weld aluminum seriously, because balance controls how much of each cycle goes to cleaning rather than to penetration. Machines further down this page publish both. At €300, their absence is the trade.
At 12.7 kg (28 lb) it is also the heaviest machine in this bracket here — a bench machine rather than one you carry.
Current, processes, arc start, trigger modes, gas management, weight and part number come from the manufacturer’s published specification. Market availability was verified per market on the EAN; the reference was not live on the American store at the time of checking.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 2026-08-13. The live price is at the top of the page.
| Current | 200 A |
|---|---|
| Processes | AC and DC TIG, MMA |
| Arc start | HF, contactless |
| Trigger modes | 2T / 4T |
| Gas control | Separate gas management (pre- and post-flow) |
| Weight | 12.7 kg (28 lb) |
| Part number | 6918 |
| Amazon reference | B0G8HHSGZY |
| EAN | 4262452499184 |
Aluminum grows an oxide skin that melts at roughly three times the temperature of the metal under it. On direct current the arc simply sits on that skin. Alternating current reverses the polarity many times a second, and the reverse half of each cycle blasts the oxide apart — the « cleaning » action. Without AC, aluminum is not weldable by TIG at any setting.
Yes, and it costs nothing. In 2T the arc runs while the trigger is held. In 4T you press and release to start, weld, then press and release to stop — your hand is free during the bead. On a long seam that is the difference between a controlled run and cramp, and it is the mode most people use once they know it exists.
7.8/ 10
The entry point to aluminum, at the price other brands charge for DC only.
A reference exists on these Amazon stores: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom. Listed is not the same as in stock — availability changes daily.
Details checked on August 13, 2026.
A first AC/DC machine, bought because aluminum is somewhere in the plan
Here because the consumable states this machine by name.
Amazon reports what buyers took in the month before this page was last checked: at least 50.
The figure is a floor, rounded by Amazon, and read through Keepa — it says what buyers picked, not what a maker claims.
Specifications: the manufacturer sheet for welding and metalworking machines and the matching Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure on this page names its source.
180 A AC/DC · 32-bit control · 7-year warranty · €380
A fully digital AC/DC machine with adjustable pulse, from an importer that publishes an address and a seven-year term.
Best for: Someone who wants aluminum capability and an importer who answers letters
200 A AC/DC · fully digital · 7-year warranty · €570
The top of this page: a fully digital 200 A AC/DC machine with stick as well, and seven years behind it.
Best for: Regular aluminum and stainless work, where the machine has to be right rather than adequate
200 A AC/DC · AC frequency 20–100 Hz · spot 0.01–9.99 s · €459
The first machine on this page that publishes its AC frequency range and pulse frequencies — the controls aluminum actually needs.
Best for: Aluminum work where the arc has to be steered, not just switched on
