New PowerTig 250 ex owner

[ironnut]

Hi,

I just got a PowerTig 250 ex last Friday. So far I managed to un-box it, fit a plug to it, power it up, no smoke, and burn a stick each of 6010 and 7018. This week end I intend to try the TIG side of things, some steel and aluminum.

I am strictly a hobby welder, a mechanical engineer by degree, a software engineer by vocation. Early years, stick AC, then stick DC, followed by MIG. I did some tig welding on aluminum a significant number of years ago using a beast of machine, I am thinking a Miller, though it may have been a Hobart. It had high frequency start for steel and continuous HF for Aluminum plus a water cooled torch. Before my wife bought me the Miller Thunderbolt for my birthday, I used a home brew portable engine driven alternator welder for stick and Tig. I got an air cooled Tig torch and made a foot control pedal for the unit and did scratch start steel welding. It actually works pretty good. I even managed to Tig weld copper tubing (a 2 inch diameter chunk). Copper was really pushing my rig as it was only good for around 110 amps. Copper is a tremendous heat sink. No I didn't have to tig weld the copper, mostly I wanted to see if I could. Later I bought a Lincoln SP-130T Mig welder. It is the 220 volt version of the Lincoln portable stuff you see at Home Depot. I think they are up to a SP-180T model as its replacement.

I have built and fixed a lot of stuff with the Mig unit. Lately I have been wanting to do some tig welding on steel and aluminum and I really don't like all the noise and fuss of running my portable engine driven rig so I started looking at Tig welders. I started with the Miller Diversion 185 trying to understand how Tig welding has changed over the years and adjust for the price heartburn. I spent some time on weldingTricksAndTips and liked what Jody said about the 250 ex. Assuming it works as advertised I think it will be more welder than I will ever grow into.

gordon

[undercut]

Congratulations on your new purchase! By all accounts, the 250ex is a very capable machine. I'm certain you will be very pleased. Welcome to the forum and I hope you enjoy your stay. A lot of great people and information here. Cheers!

[Winky]

Congratulations on your new 250EX ... if you like it half as much as I like my 200DX you will be thrilled with it.

[Slartybartfa]

Geez, did you say your wife bought you a welder for your birthday? You've got a GOOD one! Buy her a nice cordless drill and an extra battery so she can help you with your projects.

[CGCINC]

The 250ex is a Wonderful welder!! I love mine!!

Welcome to the Everlast...growing family!

[ironnut]

Geez, did you say your wife bought you a welder for your birthday? You've got a GOOD one! Buy her a nice cordless drill and an extra battery so she can help you with your projects.

Yes she is a good partner in life. I didn't have to buy her a nice cordless drill, we have a wheel barrow load of them already. At the moment she wants to get a new weed wacker. She maintains our Oleo ranch (one of the cheaper spreads), 55 acres of sage brush and pasture. My wife and I built our own home so she is no stranger to tools and projects. She even has done a bit of welding, not her thing, though she said she wanted to try the 250 ex.

gordon