Quote Originally Posted by performance View Post
20 amps in reality, really doesn't put you much up on what you can do with the 140 amps. In practical terms, in welding, 140 and 160 amps both are in the 1/8" stick electrode category (or even 5/32), and also any weld you would do in TIG at 140 amps won't offer much more capability at 160 amps, as both will get you about 3/16 of an inch...at best it would buy you .020-.030of an inch additional which falls into never never land on plate metal (unless you find some odd metric sized plate). The 160 does give you HF, but in steel and stainless welding lift arc is acceptable and commonly used in the field. The main advantage (or disadvantage depending on what you are used to) is that it has the built in gas valve, where the torch on the 140ST has the valve on the handle and is operated manually. Both have their advantages to be sure, but the money difference is the real kicker for some.
Hence my current avatar is the 140 and not the 160. Can't seem to bridge the $ gap. One thing though is the 140 won't support a pedal.