An inverter tig welder is a new type of welder that can do Tig welding using a much smaller unit that only needs 110 volt household power! You can get the same amount of welding power in a dramatically smaller unit that’s easy to carry around and can be plugged in anywhere. This is really a welding innovation that can be of great benefit to people who do a lot of tig welding.
These new welders use an inverter which allows them to connect to household current instead of 220 volt current and are much more efficient than standard welders. This means that they have more delicate electronic components than older style welders and you will need to treat them a bit more carefully and expect a slightly higher chance of maintenance needs over their life. The benefit is that you can plug in anywhere and can actually save on your electricity bill since the same welding job with the same amount of output power can actually cost a lot less.
Another bonus with an inverter welder is that they are less sensitive to the bad power that you can typically get from a generator that causes problems in a standard welder. The process used by the inverter welder can even out the problems with bad power and help you use a generator which has been causing problems with a normal welder.
You’ll also appreciate that these tig welders can be a lot more portable. For the same amount of power output, you may able to carry the welder around in one hand instead of pushing a heavy unit around. This can simplify getting into tight spaces and give some additional flexibility to your rig. They even have completely self-contained units that have a small canister of gas stored inside the welder for the ultimate in welding portability.
The downside is that this new technology does cost a bit more than older style welders, and they may need a bit more service than older welders: The internals of traditional welders are so simple these days that there is not really much that can go wrong. For many people, the benefits of these new welders can easily outweigh the additional costs. It’s really great to see the technology in our field marching forward so quickly!