What does that mean Cal in regard to strength, durability and quality with that type of weld in comparison to Tig?
The process was probably TIG. It was just whether or not they sealed the pipe up, then filled the interior with Argon, and welded it. This purges all the oxygen from inside the tube and prevents these "icicles" from forming. Its not a strength issue really as these pipes are very thin walled anyway, and not structural.
It just speaks to the difference between a time-consuming, professional weld or a welder doing a good job and not understanding the difference. It may have been MIG welded, and the guy may have run a continuous straight bead. That is not "the best way" to do tubing.
If it was TIG welded, then TIG is best performed "uphill", so a round tube gets tricky. You start at say, 8:00, weld to 12:00. Stop, rotate the pipe/tube, then begin again at the new 8:00. At a minimum, you'll have 3 sections if you're really good.
Me, I'd have about 8 as I can only do about 8:00 to 10:15. It requires a very skilled TIG guy to push the puddle from 10-1:00 even. Can be done, but not by
this hack.
Is it an issue? Nope. Its nit-picky only, and doesn't really effect the performance of their product or the incredible value of what they do/offer. A true race only system would only be done with Argon filled tubing and would not have an internal obstructions to the air flow. A street bike? You'll
never notice.