why buy green instead of red or blue?

Hey guy's,new member here needing an ac/dc tig to repair flat bottom aluminum boats.I've been making do with my Miller 212 and spool gun butit's a PITA on the thin ones where I can't use a backing plate, so I'm shopping. I've got the money for the 185 micro now but a little hesitant to spend on anything that ain't blue or red but at the same time I can't really afford them. All I want is a basic machine,and the green one fit's the bill and pocket book. I quess I'm asking to be convinced, now let me hear it!

Read through the forum, check out the vid reviews on weldingtipsandtricks.com that combo was enough for me (soon as $$ is available anyhow) I'm not even looking at red and blue anymore. Another thing, check around on service and people's thoughts on service for all three, I'm beyond impressed with what I've seen and frankly, scared to look at red on that note.

Hi, welcome to the forum.

Best thing I can say is that if you're reluctant to go Everlast green, and not in a hurry to get the welder, just hang out on the forum for a while. That is what I did. I found that there were a lot of happy Everlast users, and yes problems creep up, but the staff seem to do everything you could expect to rectify the situation. I have never heard anywhere of anyone having problems and not getting it worked out by Everlast.

When I got my 250EX, the entire shipment was sold before it even arrived in port. All of the new 250EXT's were sold before they arrived too. I can only imagine that Everlast is doing a pretty good business, and I've never seen a used Everlast machine for sale. They work. If they don't it will be fixed. Then why sell? You just paid 1/5 of what you would have to blue or red.

Check out weldingtipsandtricks on youtube (link)

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eta; darn, beat by one minute.

Welcome, Backhoe!

For me one of the big draws for Everlast is the positive reviews and comparisons done independently at WeldingTipsAndTricks.com. The guy that runs the website is a no-nonsense type, knowledgeable and funny to boot. I was looking for a used Red or Blue when somebody pointed me toward Everlast, and then I found WTandT.com, and that and the 5-year warranty clinched me.

Another selling point for the 185 Micro: it's available in a dual voltage model for true portability. That may suit your kind of work very well. And btw there's a 185 Micro video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fguSYx-gjjg

So again, welcome to the forums, and let us know what you decide. Can I ask, what town are you in, and are you welding exclusively on alumnium boats?

Ya I'm hearing ya just keep on talking. No ,not a full time welder,it and blacksmithing is apaying hobby.

The machine works great. Good luck if you have a problem
and need to deal with sales. I've had my machine for
6 months and my issue has yet to be resolved.

I've only dealt with Mike R. in tech support
and he has been outstanding.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brianscott

The machine works great. Good luck if you have a problem
and need to deal with sales. I've had my machine for
6 months and my issue has yet to be resolved.

I've only dealt with Mike R. in tech support
and he has been outstanding.

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What would it take to solve your problem ?

A new machine. I was told 4 months ago
a new one was coming soon. I guess I don't
know the definition of "soon".

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brianscott

The machine works great. Good luck if you have a problem
and need to deal with sales. I've had my machine for
6 months and my issue has yet to be resolved.

I've only dealt with Mike R. in tech support
and he has been outstanding.

---

Brain ... you the one who WANTED TO WAIT FOR NEW 2012 LX units to come in
we already set up exchange you. This is same Brain with Solenoid not shutting off automatically .

if you not happy with us still , i will offer you full refund on unit that been used for 6 month. I think you told me you were using for all this time but had to shut off the welder to get the Solenoid shut off.



.

@Brian, I would wait on the new machine if I were you. No one likes to wait but you know the old saying about good, fast and cheap... you can only pick two.

Practically no one ever mentions the 200DX. This welder is a great performer and is practically bullet proof . I do not know of any common issues or problems with this Weder as i have never had a complaint about one.
The US Office may have had one or possibly two units in for warranty work , but here in Canada i have not seen one issue and i have carried them for close to 3 years now.

I am leaving on Monday for the Factory and without letting to much information out before we are ready i will say there are a couple of new products that we are working on . Amongst these is a new 200 amp AC/DC Tig.
We will also be having a new portable ( similar carrying case to 140ST ) 160 amp dual voltage stick with tig in both lift and HF start that we are very excited about.
The dual voltage 185 units ( only a limited number came in shipment ) will be put through there paces during the next 2 weeks and then full production will begin in january
.

I can give you this information,,, I have a blue, red and brown. Miller, Lincoln andHobart.
Last year i started looking around for a used inverter tig for portability, I ran across the everlast site and did some checking and reading, My friends all cried JUNK, But with too many positive posts i purchased a 200 dx, I was hesitant to purchase but decided to try one out figured witha 5 year warranty they cant be junk or they would be doing warranty work on all the units, Which in the business world is not profitable.I know I have a product that i warranty for 5 years to my customers,WHY?? Because i dont have much problems so it is easy for me to do. Anyway on to the welder,, I AM QUITE SURPRISED ,it is an excellent machine for the $$$$. I think it welds as good as my blue one, My nay sayer friends also surprised. One year trouble free so far, Matter of fact just rcvd my pp50 plasma this evening, Looks like a great unit for the money, We will see, It did arrive with the back panel cracked/ damaged , but that is a shipping issue,, Go for it, i think you will be happy.

Bobkat and Titan Winch, thanks for bringing the thread back on topic. I was wondering if Backhoe might consider the 200DX, since it would give the capability of DC stick welding. It's a touch more, and I understand about tight budgets, but might be worth thinking about!

I agree with the 200DX being probably the best value out there for 90% of the users. I bought one and it works great.

Good morning guy's, I put my last post on the tig thread, sorry. I have a stick welder, mig and plasma so I just want a tig,but wondered if the dx200 might be better just for the pulse and foot pedal. I'm just conserned with thin like .095 aluminum on the worn out flat bottom's I patch up. I figure it's got to better than my spool gun as for as burn through. Thank's again and have blessed day.

You can use the pulse to reduce the effective output of eh welder as well. For .095, you will still need a fair amount f current to weld it. Aluminum typically takes more current then steel due to the high thermal conductivity of aluminum. You will probably between 70-100 amps, depending on the type of joint you are working with.

i was hesitant about buying green as well, but for the price, you cant even look at red or blue. so far the service has been great to me and i havent even got my machines yet. i use blue all day long and really i love them. i wasent even going to look at anything else, but like i said, for the price i couldnt buy what i wanted from blue. for the home shop, i believe this is a great purchase.

I am an Engineer that works with a design / prototyping / fabrication for a variety of things from Large Art Sculptures to Unmanned ground combat vehicles to ship hulls, etc...

Our machine . weld shop manager used to be a full time welder, and is a die hard US made kind of guy. Whe looking at welders last spring, he was showing me Miller and lincoln, and I showed him the everlast welders. He, even being anti chinese-import as much as possible (as am I honestly), said, might as well give it a shot. As most know, you cannot even get remotely close to a Miller or Lincoln unit with anywhere near the features for the cost of an everlast.

After talking with Oleg, I purchased a 200 DX. I could have gone bigger, but I made my decision based on 2 things. The first was the availability of the guys at work to weld anything that was too big for the 200dx. I can layout, prep, and tack, then bring to work to get it welded. (quite frankly, if it is too big for the 200DX, I probably shouldn't be welding it anyway as I am far from a great welder and in my case, that woudl mean a major structural component of a Motorcycle frame or swingarm modification on my race bike.)
The second reason was the input power / current requirements. I am currently operating my 200DX at full power with a 100+ ft 10 gauge extension cord off of my dryer plug. I was going to wire in a 40 or 50A 240v outlet in my garage, but that would have added almost the cost of the welder to do so. My house only has a 100A service and the box is pretty much full at that.

Once I received the welder, I took it into work, and the shop manager was quite impressed with all of the features (of which he admittedly noted that they really aren't needed most of the time anyway). the only deficiency we could find as compared to the Miller syncrowaves was the max power output (which we knew going in). We have a Miller Aerowave welder int eh shop as well (while we don't usually use most of the features either)

I think the 185 is a good welder for most, but quite frankly, I wold go with a 200DX. If the 110V option is of benefit for you, then the 185 (dual voltage) may be the way to go, otherwise, go with eh 200DX.

John

I don't have any issues with people buying foreign products, only when they bitch about jobs in America not being here anymore. When I first started in the trades it was all about quality of tools. If your tools couldn't make it to the end of the day it meant loss income. Money is tight when you first start out and can remember buying a lot of black n decker until I saved up for craftsman tools. I am a Retired UAW Electrician now and have the Samson 510 Plasmacam table with a Hypertherm 1000. I purchased a Supercut 50 2 years ago and right out of the box it never worked? I spoke to many in support and finally was told to return it for repairs. They had it for almost 5 months before i finally got upset and asked to upgrade it to trhe Powerplasma 50 so it could be used with my Plasma table. I got it early this year 2011 and right out of the box....it didn't work!!! I called support and was told the solenoid sticks and if i felt comfortable I could take it apart and slightly stretch the spring out. It worked! Then it didn't, and then did, etc etc. I just bought Hypertherms Powermax 85. It works awesome and so does the 1000 still to this day with all day cutting. I just saw a youtube video of a newer PP50 that has push on air lines inside the box where mine has this chep thin black tubing with pinched hose clamps that are always coming loose. So maybe the newer units are made a little better now. ( I have only had this one for 8 months so why wasn't it built better)
I should do a youtube video with the PP50 and Powermax 1000 or 85 cutting side by side all day and see what happens? Oh yeah, I forgot! My PP50 hasn't worked from day One!
Two units, brand new and right out of the box they didn't work! Could you imagine explaining to my customers I can't do the job because my brand new units don't work? And it might be 5-6 months before I get them back from warranty repairs! The 5 year warranty was what eased my mind also, but if it is in the shop more than in the field what good is it?
I still have all my emails and calls from support and many talks with Oleg!
So if its about money than buy what you can afford! But that old saying always holds true...you get what you pay for!
And with this being my second unit that hasn't worked, and two different models, you might say I am not a happy camper.
Ironically I am set up here as a Dealer. When people come to my shop and see the PowerPlasma 50 sitting there besides my two Hypertherm units and say they came to purchase a unit where they saw my name listed as a Dealer, I show them how it works. Remember, word of mouth is your best sales, and quality is #1!
I have videos of my testing and working on my original Supercut 50 until I returned it for warranty and show them that along with this unit not working, and they usually end up saving for the Hypertherm. And replacing the solenoid for the same solenoid? Just comparing Hypertherms to Everlast internal parts shows so much more quality just in the air lines used, the thickness of metal in parts and quality of soldering boards. Oh yeah, and that 5 year warranty? I had to pay for shipping both ways and to upgrade from the supercut to the PP50! Even though they had my unit over 5 months and I finally said if you can't fix it send me another one! I can understand paying for an upgraded model but fo shipping? When it wasn't my fault and right out of the box? For anyone who does have an issue I would recommend you sending it right back for repairs and don't attempt the repairs yourself. That way, if its broke right from the start, it will be thier responsibility for shipping

Ron,
As far as I know I have never heard from you, or of you in the part of tech support I work with. I checked all my emails searching for your name and NOTHING appears. You don't even mention what was wrong with the unit....You just blast away. It sounds as if you have a hidden agenda of promoting hypertherm, more than anything here...you are comparing apples and oranges on units that are much larger and MUCH more expensive than the PP 50. How can anyone take that seriously? I can't remember a PP 50 that didn't cut right out of the box. I know we have had a torch issue or two, but its usually easily resolved. Again, not even trying to logically discuss the issue with the unit, and just blasting away smells fishy. You might be legit, but you need to know when to quit. There are far better ways of approaching this, as in pm'ing us. One thread you posted on, another customer had an issue, you apparently didn't do your homework because customer service got what he thought was a previously nonfunctioning unit cutting to his satisfaction so far. You missed all those posts in your short spamming spree.

As we have proven here time and time again, you typically don't get two non functioning units (if any at all) without it being an issue with operator error. It's rarely happened...I mean rarely.
PowerPlasma 50 799.
Hypertherm PowerMax 85 3G.

If you want to discuss these issues, contact me, Mike or Ray, otherwise...one post is enough. No more spamming if you want your posts to have any impact...because the more you spam, the more it seems like you have something a little off about your report of the "issues".

I am sure Oleg will make a reply, as I am sure there are two sides of the story. In fact, I am betting the fact that you have your unit still is a sign that there is.

Ron Catchpole

I slightly remember your case but i do not think you emailed after Mike helprd you with silinoid issue...You do have warranty and this time i will exchange the unit at our expense but shipping for warranty does covered by the buyer. Current PP50 has MANY updates since the one you have now. I am not sure why you didn't post anything on our forum since you are a member since JUN 2010.

Feel free to call the office tomorrow or just email me with your info.

i just checked our system .. i don't see your set up as a dealer. Who set you up ?

Dealers/Distributors fill out paper work and a distribution contract, which I think is listed online, and have since I can remember.

Based on all the input that this thread has had so far, It's obvious, whether you go for the 200dx, or the 185 micro, you will be getting a unit that will fit your needs. I discovered EVERLAST 1-1/2 years ago, shortly after I made the decision that AC tig was the next step on my quest to become proficient at all phases of metalworking. The first thing I saw was a big poster for the Miller Diversion in the door of the Local welding store. They were running a sale for the diversion 165 for $1495 or the 180 for $1999. A little more research into the used tig welder market got me into an old Linde UCC-305. 1000 pounds, power hog, but cheap. The quest was on for an inverter unit. The LWS where I got the big Linde at was big into one of the other big brands, maroon in color and was offering me a 185 amp unit for $2550, which was half of what I could get a full featured blue or red unit for, but still out of my budget at the time.

Along comes Everlast. First I saw some listings on e-bay, then all the (ridiculous and unjust)hate being spewed at the time on one of the big welding forums. My underdog mentality led me to more investigation, I found Jody's video's on youtube, and I was sold. I've probably done more research relating to small inverter welders (I'll define as 250 amps and down) than 99.99% of the population of people in the market for one, and I'm firmly, totally sold on Everlast. In fact I have my order in for both a New 250EXT AND a 185 micro, The EXT will be in my shop for the main work that I'm aiming to do, and the 185 micro will go with me, when I need to make repairs on-site.

In your situation, I think that while the 185 micro will have you grinning from ear to ear with it's AC balance and frequency controls, the extra couple hundred bucks a 200DX costs is getting you the pulse feature, which in your situation, could prove to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. On one of the welding tips and tricks videos, Jody uses the pulse function while running beads on the bottom of pop cans. Looked to work pretty good. In your application, where a boat bottom may be worn such that the thickness of the metal may vary due to wear, and pulse may save you a headache or two. But then again, I was able to weld pop cans with ease with that big ol' linde too so...Either way you go, you'll be getting a unit that should fit your application perfectly.

Look at the price, the 5 year warranty, and the enthusiasm of the actual owners and users of Everlast welders, your main application, and the decision to buy Everlast should be easy, which model is up to you.

As far as Ron Catchpole, The fact that he only has a couple of posts, and Everlast's responses to him, he just sounds like a disgruntled guy who will never be satisfied. My opinion is that they have done everything reasonable to make things right, and he's still not happy. And, as someone who is currently exploring the option of becoming a dealer myself, him calling himself a dealer is NOT TRUE. There's no way that he could be. My advice would be to ignore the guy.

Best of luck to you!!!

I say go green too. Its a chance that everyone here has been willing to take and majority say it was a great by. Im one of them. As they say majority rules. I done have a tig but got the powerarc 200. It was VERY cheap and i will say works great. I have never had a problem with it and as everyone says the service is great. May have a wait every once in a while if you prepay before the units are in but thats all I had. For the money you cant go wrong. Since then my plan is to save up for a powerplasma 50. Im a believer now along with many other people on here.

I'm completely satisfied with my two Everlast units as well, Powerplasma 70 and Powertig 200DX. You hear lots about them being 'great for the money', but I think the quality is top of the line, regardless of the price. I have been investing in tools for around 40 years, and these are in no way disappointing.

People must understand that even Everlast tech support, Mark, Ray, myself. We all started somewhere. Crack on ESAB and Mark will crack you on the head probably. I to was Red (plasma) AND Blue (MIG/TIG) at one time. When a red machine died and it was $2400 to fix it and a new one was $2600+, I felt a little duped.

I went to the internet, saw lots of hate mail on Everlast, I took the plunge/chance. It was much worse back then. Funny thing, I got cold feet and canceled my order, Alex said no problem unit had not shipped. I thought if that easy to get my money back, I called back again and re-ordered. I could tell he was a little ticked. :D

Months later I start working in tech support for Everlast, all this MANY years ago... So for me it's all green. My units are used about everyday including Sat and Sun (MIGs for sure). I have sons that bring in projects, and buddy's everyday. Today, Sunday, is a trailer axle chop and golf cart rear seat frame.

I own a couple shades of red and blue. My new baby is a blue everlast. My company units are all Miller, 6 total. I can say now after 20 years of being paid to weld and cut steel and all the dealings with various companies that Everlast has the best customer service. Going off costs from everlast for torch's I'm guessing the parts are cheap enough to make me want to repair rather than replace. If a company is willing to replace or repair your welder until it works thay are well worth dealing with. My first unit lasted a couple minutes and Mike helped me through the weekend and Ray after only a few minutes on the phone gave me intructions and it was heading back the next day. My new unit after a tiny manual issue is working good. I have a total of 8 days without my everlast since purchase. My doa miller... 4 months! AND!!!! The dealer is 6 miles from my door.

It is just my opinion but if a company will hold your hand, not treat you like your stupid, and stand behind their product with a 30 day money back and 5 years why not try them. I'm sold on everlast based mostly on what I have seen as far as prices, the help I got, and help I have seen people get here.

I will say that I was about to quit making smokers (never heard of plasma cutters 2 years ago) because cutting propane tanks for smokers and grills I was about to quit because my hands would hurt for days after cutting for doors and other openings with cutting wheels. Moving forward 2 years and several plasma cutter because of problems, now a PP50, I will have to say that for sure there's issuses they are dealing with.their machines . Of coarse I'm not talking about all there machines now, just my PP50. Mike and Ray as Tech's have worked with me over the phone tirelesly to try to get the machine up and not have to send it in. I have told them they are treating me like a real costomer with a problem and have stood by the warrenty 100%. They sent me a replacement machine but recalled it back last month before it got to my home because a modification had not be put in. It would not have lasted very long they said with the factory part there R and D dept. had said. They work with me on my machine issues. I can't afford the Hyper, etc. priced machines and there repair costs which are a lot more. I can't ask for a better caring customer service people than the people at Everlast. A little trouble understanding them sometimes but I've had too many rivet guns in my ears also. Thanks again for the support and I know I will have a machine once the bugs are worked out that will last. In short, the customer service, price, warrenty, the products and tech support you can't beat it. Thanks Mickey

There is now way I could afford all the machines I own in red, blue, maroon, or yellow!

Hey Murph- you should have panned out your photo on your website a bit more and showed the Green Machine. We should promote these things if we are happy with them. I talk about them on most sites that I am on. I believe that more of an installed base would mean more possibility of dealers being interested in stocking and servicing them. One day i might be able to go into my local welding supply shop and look at the latest models.