Chinn


For me, fingertip controls are a "second best" measure. They allow control but are bulkey and difficult to get into tight places. For jobs where a foot pedal is impractical they are sure better than the alternative of a scratch start and no amperage adjustability with the arc on.

There are many types of rheostats which connect to the handle of the tig torch, some that vary the current and others which simpy turn the current on and off. To me, they are difficult to use when connected to the torch, but, if you remove it from the torch and hold it in your wire feeding hand, with a little practice, it becomes second nature and is way better than a foot operated rheostat.
There is a type of torch-operated rheostat that is a dial (meant to be used with your thumb) which turns on your current (High frequency start if you have it) and adjusts your current. This (for me) is way cool because you can crank up you amps (higher than which you actually need for welding) and you only need to move the dial an eighth to a quarter turn on the dial to get the current you need for welding. This makes it simple to use while holding the wire in the same hand as the remote. When welding statinless steel, I sometimes use the hand remote as a "kill-switch" where I adjust the current for welding and when I am ready to stop the weld, I turn the dial to the closed position where the arc is out, but I can keep the gas (argon) on the weld as it cools (for a few seconds) to prevent oxidation and thus you have a very clean finished weld.
With some practice, the hand remote can be quite useful. I have had foot problems using the foot remote because one foot is always higher than the other while standing, plus you always have to move the foot pedal around on larger weldments. For me, I 'll take the hand remote over a foot pedal any day.