Control, and aluminum · review
A DC machine that offers both start methods, which is rarer than it sounds — and a spot mode for tacking thin sheet.
Where we come out Two start methods and a timed spot function, for the price of a plain AC/DC machine.
At €300 the WE 201PW sits alongside the cheapest AC/DC machines, and spends its money differently: it stays on direct current and buys flexibility in how the arc starts and how a tack is made.
Almost every machine gives you one. HF start jumps the arc without contact, keeps the tungsten clean and is what you want at a bench. Lift start touches and lifts, makes no radio-frequency noise, and is what you want when there is sensitive electronics within a few meters — a vehicle with its battery connected, a workshop attached to a house, a control panel on the machine you are repairing.
Having both, switchable, means the machine never decides where you can work. It is a small thing on the specification sheet and a large one on a Saturday.
The spot mode delivers a tack of a set duration on each trigger press. On 1 mm (0.04 in) stainless, that is the difference between eight identical tacks and eight different ones — and the second case is how a panel ends up pulled out of shape before you have started the actual seam.
VRD, hot start and arc force are all listed as adjustable. VRD holds the open-circuit voltage down until you strike; hot start gives a brief current boost so a cold electrode lights instead of gluing itself to the plate; arc force stops it stalling as you push in. Adjustable rather than fixed is the useful part — the right hot start for a 2 mm (0.08 in) rod is wrong for a 3.2 mm (0.13 in) one.
No such listing: the American Amazon shop answers the reference with a search box rather than a page.
Read from Keepa on the day this page was last revised; stock and price both move without notice.
Current, processes, start methods, modes, MMA features and supplied torch come from the manufacturer’s published specification. Market availability was verified per market on the EAN.
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 | DC TIG, MMA |
| Arc start | HF or lift — both, selectable |
| Modes | Pulse, spot, 2T/4T |
| MMA features | VRD, hot start and arc force, all adjustable |
| Supplied | 4 m (13 ft) WP17F torch with flexible head, 4 m (13 ft) earth and electrode leads |
| Amazon reference | B09K7RHD74 |
| EAN | 4251314288080 |
Because the right choice changes with the job. HF gives a clean, contactless start and keeps the tungsten sharp — the default in a workshop. Lift makes no radio interference, which matters when you are welding next to a controller, in a house, or on a vehicle with its electronics connected. Having the switch means the machine never dictates where you can work.
Timed tacks. You set a duration — a fraction of a second to a few seconds — and each trigger press delivers exactly that. On thin sheet, tacking by hand gives you tacks of wildly different sizes and a panel that pulls as it cools. Repeatable spots hold the work square before you run the seam.
7.8/ 10
Two start methods and a timed spot function, for the price of a plain AC/DC machine.
A reference exists on these Amazon stores: Germany, Italy. Listed is not the same as in stock — availability changes daily.
Details checked on August 13, 2026.
Repair work where the job dictates the start method rather than the machine
Here because the consumable states this machine by name.
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
