Tig consumables question

[breakneckmot]

So I got my first TIG last weekend. It came with a few consumables, but I needed a few more. I started looking online and I was absolutely floored at the prices! I ended up ordering a consumables kit from River-Weld (thanks for the tip Everlastsupport!), but I typically try to avoid buying from China. Do you guys shell out the big bucks for USA made consumables? How "consumable" are they exactly? Are the Chinese cheapo's going to be any better/worse than their US made counterparts?

I also ordered a bunch of filler rods based on the recommendations at weldingtipsandtricks.com, those aren't cheap either! Any supplier recommendations or is it pretty much just shop around and try to find the lowest price?

[Rambozo]

Here is my take on the River-Weld consumables. You will go through tunstens and cups, but everything else should last years and years.

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/fo...5395#post35395

[DaveO]

I've had good experience with WeldingCity.com; I'll check country of origin when I get to the house. Everlast also sells consumables, but I don't know what is the originating country.

I'm shopping for filler rod too, and saw what looked like good prices at WeldingSupply.com, but shipping becomes noticeable because of the weight involved. WeldingCity has filler too, but not steel, for whatever reason.

[zoama]

I like weldingcity.com also, it's the cheapest place to buy 2% lanthanated tungsten that I've seen.

[breakneckmot]

I bought my filler from these guys on eBay. http://stores.ebay.com/arczoneweldingsupplies/ It seemed like the cheapest way to go. I think I bought my tungsten from weldingcity. I didn't see it on riverweld or I'd probably have ordered it from there. I got one of their 53 piece kits and a set of gas lenses, so I should have enough to last me awhile. I ordered 2 new 3m speedglas helmets, one for me and the other for my wife.

Good review Rambo, I've been really nervous about having bought the Chinese stuff. I know some things are ok, but I've also seen spectacular failures. I just couldn't believe how much the comparable American stuff was. The cheapest I could find the WC stuff seemed like $130 and it didn't have nearly the variety/amount of the parts riverweld's did.

Anyone got advice on a regulator with a flow meter? The regulator on my machine just has an open/closed knob and a pressure gauge. I don't want to waste a lot of gas because it's expensive.

[Rambozo]

What you want is a pressure regulator, a needle valve, and a flow meter. Usually these are all combined into one unit. My favorite is the TIGmaster by Profax. Everlast has something similar, but calibrated in LPM instead of CFH. Maybe you just need the flow meter part for your setup, do you have a picture?

[zoama]

Anyone got advice on a regulator with a flow meter? The regulator on my machine just has an open/closed knob and a pressure gauge. I don't want to waste a lot of gas because it's expensive.

How would the flowmeter that came with your machine waste gas ? Your new machine has a gas solenoid doesn't it ?

[youngnstudly]

Weldingcity.com is a great place to shop online if you want a good deal on quality products! I spent around $50 in the past month there (shipping included) and ended up with a nylon zippered jacket for my torch leads, 2# of stainless 309L filler rod, and 17 or 18 ceramic cups for my gas lens setup (a few long nose versions included) with misc insulators thrown in for backups. Shipping was fast and inexpensive too. I also like arc-zone.com, but I have only ordered from them once and it wasn't a welding item, per se, but rather a Ron Covell DVD on metal working.

I only have one high quality American made kit of consumables (I think they're from Miller), but I have no idea where I got them from and I have never used them with my tig torch. I suspect they were purchased by me when I was using the Miller tig welder at work (years back) and I didn't have the correct supplies to weld the aluminum project I was doing. My (what I assume are) Chinese made consumables from weldingcity.com don't appear to be inferior in any way though. Keep in mind that many of the items from the big "name brand" stores are cheap consumables anyways. I even found some that were thrown in with the name brand ones at Airgas.

[DaveO]

I'll check country of origin when I get to the house.

No marking for country of origin on my consumables from Welding City.

Can you describe your regulator, or give a part number? It should have a gauge to show cylinder contents, and a glass or plastic vertical tube with a ball in it to show delivery pressure. Is yours different?