MTS 200--Some Comparisons with Thermal Arce 181i Fabricator

[jerky]

my buddy just took a small plastic roll, and cut the outside around so that the whole small roll fits inside the big rolls hole. then he taped it. its a nice little adapter. cheap too.

[jackw19]

Thanks very much for the small spool adapter idea--that's definitely one of those Why Didn't I Think of That ideas. Most xlnt.

Mark, you're just never going to convince me that not following US color codes is a good idea. I'm getting the idea you've never sat in a war room with really good attorneys, and I mean guys from ivy league law schools, trying to figure a way out of an accident liability case. Let me mix you a little more fruit salad involving a breast-implant liability case I worked on a few years ago. Our unfortunate client made silicone gel--didn't package it into implants--just manufactured the stuff and shipped it out in 55 gallon drums. I heard them saying, "Well, those guys who made implants, they were on their own. We had nothing to do with how they used the stuff. It's not on us." U-huh. The jury came back in about 5 min with a $37 million dollar judgement, and that was just for the first plaintiff. The line stretched for as far as you could see.

Well, who knows, maybe you guys will get lucky and no one will make a mistake.

Now, I gotta find a friend who wants to pop the front cover off his MTS-200 and have a look at those encoders.

Thanks again, gentlemen, for the wire spool adapter advice.

[zoama]

fruit salad involving a breast-implant

Electricity and just don't mix.

[67cudafb]

Lawyers are the biggest problem in the world today look at the morons in Washington most are lawyers. I still say if you don't read the instructions you brought that s**t on yourself. These dumb ### jurys that award big money for being stupid just don't get that it cost all of us money, you think that company went and picked it off money tree out back, no they just pass it on to consumers or go belly up and lay people off. I guess thats why when I go for jury duty they tell me your excused because I don't believe you should be paid for being stupid. Lawyers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bobwills]

The colors are just fine. Acually the acual "welding plug" i got from Orschelns, the only plug in the welding section has wire colors marked on the plug and what do you know they are white green and black. So if the only "welding plug" they have is that then i think everlasts wiring is just fine.

[Oleg]

update:


jackw19 called today , after 28days (i think i counted right) he decided that he needs more power.
sending unit back.

[Gerry]

update:


jackw19 called today , after 28days (i think i counted right) he decided that he needs more power.
sending unit back.

Oleg, did you sell him a bigger unit ? Or is he going with another Brand.

[Oleg]

Oleg, did you sell him a bigger unit ? Or is he going with another Brand.

He went with 400a used unit from other brand
Big difference from 200a

[jbirdlebough]

My comments were mostly leaning towards the oddity of doing all of this research AFTER you already made a purchase. Just doesn't seem like a logical thing to do.

I can assure you, Everlast machines are not suitable for everyone or for every application. The features of the machines seem to be adequate, but some of the other details of teh company and methods of purchase, are bit different as compared to other companies and suppliers. Sometimes going with a bigger company is suitable. That said, for a home user or light commercial, there is not alot out there that compares with Everlast as far as features / performance / cost. There also seem to be some machines geared more toward heavier commercial applications.

Why would you purchase a 480V 3 phase, 400amp machine and then complain that it doesn't use 4" spools of wire? If you are using teh machine to take together a few plant hangers on teh weekend or are you using the machine to do heavy commercial work. 300amps for a gmaw welder is quite alot and will burn threw a little 4 lb spool in no time.

As for your academic standing, don't worry, we won't hold your Ph D against you.

Cheers all from Cloudfather@DELL. Dr Jack I liked your comments. Lets talk about pots vs encoders.

Pots are much less expensive, have three or more tapers available, are susceptible to dirt and grime. But generally durable if the housing they are in is mechanically sound.
Encoders are more expensive, are sealed from dirt and grime much better than pots, they are very precise in their increments improving repeatability of settings and have been thermal stability (pots can drift if warm) and are much high precision than Pots.

Functionally they do the same job, they take input from the user and change a parameter on the welder in real time. The detailed method while interesting is irrelevant.

Can you convert, of course. There are multiple vendors of both options. The key is characteristics of the original component must be identical including taper, wattage rating etc.

I can support the 4" as well. In some instances its much easier to work smaller spools.

Enjoyed the discussion.

J B Chief Engineer, Master of Masters HPC and Cloud Computing

PS you must know our neighbors the Flowers Racing Team. World record holders for HD.

[jbirdlebough]

Thanks very much for the small spool adapter idea--that's definitely one of those Why Didn't I Think of That ideas. Most xlnt.

Mark, you're just never going to convince me that not following US color codes is a good idea. I'm getting the idea you've never sat in a war room with really good attorneys, and I mean guys from ivy league law schools, trying to figure a way out of an accident liability case. Let me mix you a little more fruit salad involving a breast-implant liability case I worked on a few years ago. Our unfortunate client made silicone gel--didn't package it into implants--just manufactured the stuff and shipped it out in 55 gallon drums. I heard them saying, "Well, those guys who made implants, they were on their own. We had nothing to do with how they used the stuff. It's not on us." U-huh. The jury came back in about 5 min with a $37 million dollar judgement, and that was just for the first plaintiff. The line stretched for as far as you could see.

Well, who knows, maybe you guys will get lucky and no one will make a mistake.

Now, I gotta find a friend who wants to pop the front cover off his MTS-200 and have a look at those encoders.

Thanks again, gentlemen, for the wire spool adapter advice.

Cheers all from the Cloudfather@DELL

Mark, the color code is extremely important. Liability aside, and the breast implants. I was nearly killed because of a improperly wired system. I still have burn scars from 35 years ago. I was working next to a piece of equipment that had not been wire correctly and touched it, 3 days later I woke up in the ICU. Ground and hot were swapped in the unit next to me putting 240VAC through me and the properly wired unit I was working on.

Might consider posting a wiring guide by country. And put reference in manuals.

One of the interesting things about China units is they were built to run 50 HZ AC, in US on 60 HZ they run much cooler.

J

[jbirdlebough]

There's a reason for natural selection, let it be...

DARWIN AWARD WINNERS and that looks like UK power strip so they are sitting on 240V 50HZ. Ever used a hot dog roaster and left the dog in to long, that's the result when flipflops dump the power bar in the H2O.

[aaxiss]

Well,I don't know about all this comparison crap, I have an MTS 200 and love it. As far as using the smaller spools, if you have half a brain you can make them work just fine in about 5 mins. I had to weld up some stainless and didn't want to spend the money for a 12# spool when I rarely use the mig on stainless (usually I tig it) . Took me 5 minutes to make a plastic adapter on my drill press, big whoop.

Love the ability to save my settings and with one press I am ready to go. Just made a bumper/pushback and winch mount for a Kawasaki tyerex? . Had to switch between 3/16 and 1/8 a number of times and being able to have my settings remembered and go back and forth at the push of a button is great.

Only gripe I had but want worth calling about was no consumables. They may have fallen out through the hole in the box I'm assuming UPS made or the were left out by mistake. The mig gun had a .035 in it and that is what I've been using. Going to order some this week as I also want a .023 roller.

Great product, just as happy with it as my 250EX

DON

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[zoama]

Well,I don't know about all this comparison crap, I have an MTS 200 and love it. As far as using the smaller spools, if you have half a brain you can make them work just fine in about 5 mins. I had to weld up some stainless and didn't want to spend the money for a 12# spool when I rarely use the mig on stainless (usually I tig it) . Took me 5 minutes to make a plastic adapter on my drill press, big whoop.

Love the ability to save my settings and with one press I am ready to go. Just made a bumper/pushback and winch mount for a Kawasaki tyerex? . Had to switch between 3/16 and 1/8 a number of times and being able to have my settings remembered and go back and forth at the push of a button is great.

Only gripe I had but want worth calling about was no consumables. They may have fallen out through the hole in the box I'm assuming UPS made or the were left out by mistake. The mig gun had a .035 in it and that is what I've been using. Going to order some this week as I also want a .023 roller.

Great product, just as happy with it as my 250EX

DON

What gas mix did you use to mig stainless ?

[aaxiss]

90% helium - 7.5% argon and 2.5% CO2. If you use a sheilding gas with more than 5% carbon dioxide you will no longer have stainless.The weld pool will pick up carbon from the gas.

98/2 argon / c02 will work fine also.

My main bottles are a 336 c.f. argon and a 250 c.f. C02 with a Y adapter set to supply 80/20 this mix is for general steel. If I need to tig I just turn off the C02.
I have 3 small 20 cf bottles that I have my special mixes in. Argon, stainless ect. That way it's cheap and if I have to change mixes in a bottle and have it purged I'm not wasting a lot of money.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[DVA]

90% helium - 7.5% argon and 2.5% CO2. If you use a sheilding gas with more than 5% carbon dioxide you will no longer have stainless.The weld pool will pick up carbon from the gas.

Where the literature on this, CO2 is makes Stainless steel, not stainless steel if the shielding has more than 5% CO2. Although stainless may not weld good with a high amount of CO2 because the oxygen will disassociate in the arc and interact with the chromium preventing a good weld.

Anyway, stainless steel is typically steel with over 10% chromium by weight. The CO2 will not change this but may add some carbon in the weld. This may make the stainless more susceptible to stress corrosion cracking or interactions from chlorides or halogens but not change it to a non stainless material.

[aaxiss]

This may make the stainless more susceptible to stress corrosion cracking or interactions from chlorides or halogens but not change it to a non stainless material.

I love people who answer their own questions

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[DVA]

I love people who answer their own questions

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Thank you.

[Jason]

I too have the MTS200s and only had a couple of problems at first but they ironed themselves out. I have also used a Lincoln for a long time and I have to say it really wasn't quieter than the Everlast. The comments about the phD and then the comments about not thinking of the simple ideas to adapt a smaller roll make me laugh. I have found as I am sure many others have, someone saying they have this much education means crap. I personally have multiple degrees but I graduated with people who got the same degree but know jack #### in the actual field. I wonder how some of them even made it through a few classes let alone the entire program. The judgement thing also shows nothing. Look at the lady who sued McDonalds for a crap ton of money because she spilled hot coffee on herself... Duh its hot... She won because the cup didn't say caution.. HOT. Some of the lawsuits out there are a joke and some people need more common sense. To do a valuable comparison, you need to have both machines and I would say at least some experience and knowledge when it comes to welding.