New to the forum, and new to welding in general

[turbotom1052]

Welcome. The MTS series does everything quite well. Yes, you need a water cooler with a water-cooled torch. Anything over 200A will require a water cooled torch anyway because the largest air cooled torch made is only 200A rating. Never run a water cooled torch without water or it will burn up quickly.

Thanks for the quick reply Mark. What if I were to purchase the MTS 275 along with an additional air cooled torch and just kept the amps down below 200 or even say 175A? Then as soon as I was ready to dive seriously into TIG I purchased the cooler? My plan was to not even attempt serious TIG welding until I gained enough proficiency at MIG which could take awhile from what im understanding.

[performance]

That's what I'd do if I wasn't sure.