Are transformer welders going the way of the Dodo?

[Tom O]

I was just on a British forum and found this little gem about future welders.

Aye, it's true. They can produce transformer based machines until the end of this year, and we can sell any stock of transformer based machines for the foreseeable future.
We're planning on buying up a decent level of stock of transformer based Oxford MIG welders as we believe the demand will remain steady.

I've spoke to Richard, the MD and owner of Technical Arc, and they're going to be producing the same high quality machines but with an inverter base rather than transformer. I believe we should have more information on the new range within the next month or so.

Thanks @Tom Orrow L , I will be sad when no more transformer based welders are available.
Lots we can fix for ourselves on them, not many of us have the knowledge required to work on
these inverter based units. I have nothing against inverters, just so much more to go wrong on them
and most I know have been told they usual needs a new board line, which is usually followed by
the not financially viable to repair line, which is in turn followed by the better off buying a new welder
line, followed by the as the board is so expensive line, and all of this renewing of equipment over and over is somehow better than making something more reliable in the first place, that does not require
replacement repairs and journeys to and from in the gas guzzler ambulance for broken electronics.

I suppose they need all the copper and metal to make our new battery powered vehicles that will
also cost so much to repair or replace with new batteries we will be cheaper buying a new battery
car, rinse and repeat. making the whole process more expensive to the environment and our pockets.
But who would ever notice a little flaw like this in their plan.

 

[phaxtris]

Ive gotta chime in here

Your hanging on to a dinosaur, transformer machines have been outdated for over 20 years, to big, to heavy, need to large of a breaker, no one in the commercial market is buying them (for...20 or so years).....lots of reasons to stop producing them

Inverter machines are reliable, boards going in a plug in machine is not actually that common (though it does happen)....And the price of the control board is usually the same for 1000$ machine to a 5000$ machine, so it's only not viable for smaller units...kinda like everything else...

i think the only reason they have continued to produce transformer based machines (incl. Mig) is because there was a market for the garage/farm people as they were cheaper than an inverter...that gap has been narrowing fast with offshore units

It's has been the times for a while now....the inverters beat out transformers in every category other than arc quality (on DC stick, and it is slim)

 

[Dabbler]

I really love my transformer welders, but I do envy all the neat bells and whistles on the inverter machines.... not that I'm good enough to take advantage of all that. A foot pedal for the TIG would be very nice - mine is a fixed unit - so no foot pedal ... (yeah, it is that old).

I think if I could I'd upgrade the TIG one day, but I really love my MIG, which is a large transformer unit, and would resist the temptation... -- however using John N's Lincoln inverter was a real eye opener. -- That arc is stable, and it lays down a perfect bead!