Hi everyone. My name is Ralph. I live in eastern Missouri, I'm a hobby machinist and fabricator. Been running my own lathes and mill for about 15 years, welding for only about 10. I've been lurking on the welding forums for a few years now and thought it was time to jump in. Bought my first Everlast product a couple of weeks ago. Ended up with a 250EX. It's been a very nice machine so far. I've been using a Longevity Super 160P for all my tigging since I picked it up in 2007. It has been worth every penny, especially for the plasma. I guess I've been one of the lucky 10 percent without any failures on that machine. The 250EX sure makes welding the thin stuff like beer cans easier than the 160. I don't have a water cooler yet, so I haven't been able to crank it up. I'm really liking it so far. Hope to start posting and maybe get a chance at one of the contests.