Acquiring a pulse arc welder

Hi orchideans fellows !

I’m ressearching for a pulse arc welder, and I’m between Orion 150i
and 200i2.

My first step was to desconsider laser, since is much more expensive
and I don’t need a mass production.

Appreciate opinions from who uses it.
Vlad

I have had the Orion 100c for almost 2 years now. It is more than
adequate for my part time needs in making jewelry and the price was
almost reasonable. I weld silver jump rings, jump rings and bails to
pendants etc. Haven’t tried it with precious metals. I have welded
titanium rings and fixed titanium eyeglasses. The best part is that
the cleanup is easy " no pickle " just buff. The new Orion 100c now
has a tack weld capability that mine does not have. That is the only
thing that I think I miss " not sure because I don’t have it. Make
sure you buy the model you think you will need as the company
wouldn’t take my 100c as a trade in for another model. They suggested
I sell it on ebay and buy the other model. Get a good argon regulator
that doesn’t leak as I wasted a lot of gas. The welder doesn’t use
much. I just kept turning it down until I found the minimum that I
could get away with. Keeping the electrode clean and sharp is the key
to a good weld " experiment and see how the different sizes and
configurations of electrode work " I like the thinner electrode for
most of my work. The Orion documentation is pretty good and their
tech support is also pretty good. But you basically need to practice
and see what works for you and your projects. Write down the settings
that work for you so you have a starting place the next time you use
the welder. The 150i would be my choice if I decide to upgrade " the
articulated microscope arm would be a vast improvement over the fixed
microscope stand of my 100c.

Scott

Hello Vlad and other Orion users!

My name is Bryce Bytheway, and I’m a consultant with Orion Welders.
Both welders that you are considering are excellent options, and
which welder you choose would really depend upon what type of work
you will be doing. The most important thing to consider would be
precision; the Orion 200i2 is by far the most precise Pulse Arc
Welder on the market and is also suitedfor high volume work. It also
has a much newer interface, is faster, and takes up less space on
your bench. The 200i2 does have a higher learning curve than the
150i, but the results are much better.

The Orion 150i is also a fantastic unit and has been one of my
favorites for years. Most jewelers are perfectly happy with the 150i
as it does performquite well. However, please be aware that the
Orion 150i has recently beendiscontinued by the company and will no
longer be made. If this is the unit you would like to go with, we do
have a handful of refurbished units in stock that we can sell at a
great discount.

Feel free to call up Orion’s sales team at 877-786-9353 with any
questions. We are happy to discuss in detail the difference between
all of the Orion Pulse Arc Welders and answer any questions that you
have.

Bryce Bytheway
Welding Consultant

You might look at the PUK series welders. My experience is that they
use much less argon than the Orion series. I’ve had both.

Judy Hoch