Purchase 250 EX

[Rocrat]

Hi All,
I've been lurking for a couple years now on the site and have finally decided to pull the trigger on a unit .
I'm looking at the 2013 250 EX tig along with the cooler and wanted to know the price and availability .
Also for you folks out there already owning this unit , what would you suggest on aftermarket options and setups , ie foot pedal and torch setup .
Thanks

[Rambozo]

Hi All,
I've been lurking for a couple years now on the site and have finally decided to pull the trigger on a unit .
I'm looking at the 2013 250 EX tig along with the cooler and wanted to know the price and availability .
Also for you folks out there already owning this unit , what would you suggest on aftermarket options and setups , ie foot pedal and torch setup .
Thanks

Call Oleg to talk pricing.

As far as torches and accessories, that is very much a matter of personal taste. If you have experience, you will know what you like. If you don't, use what comes with it for some time and then decide based on your style and the kind of work you do.

[Rocrat]

Hey Ram ,
Thanks for the headsup , I have PM'ed Oleg ,but haven't received a reply .
I have done only heavy fab work with 300+ tig machines and everything was rated so ,with the 250 EX I'm planning on having it to round out my shop aboard my sailboat for my sail around the world . I have a LMS mini mill and lathe as part of the tool inventory for occasional fab work but more for general repair to help out fellow sailors and keep me from going stir crazy with the cruising life .
I figured the guys out there with the same machine could give me a good start point , I know I don't like large torches for doing delicate work on 0.083" 316L tubing which most boats use ,but not sure where to start size wise . I know there is a formula the industry uses that says use this size torch with this size machine on this size material , but usually the folks that are doing it find an item that really works . I like the Weldtec torches in the heavier uses , but not sure in the smaller department.

[Rambozo]

Hey Ram ,
Thanks for the headsup , I have PM'ed Oleg ,but haven't received a reply .
I have done only heavy fab work with 300+ tig machines and everything was rated so ,with the 250 EX I'm planning on having it to round out my shop aboard my sailboat for my sail around the world . I have a LMS mini mill and lathe as part of the tool inventory for occasional fab work but more for general repair to help out fellow sailors and keep me from going stir crazy with the cruising life .
I figured the guys out there with the same machine could give me a good start point , I know I don't like large torches for doing delicate work on 0.083" 316L tubing which most boats use ,but not sure where to start size wise . I know there is a formula the industry uses that says use this size torch with this size machine on this size material , but usually the folks that are doing it find an item that really works . I like the Weldtec torches in the heavier uses , but not sure in the smaller department.

Sounds like a lot of fun. Since you have a cooler I would say that a WP-20 would give you the small torch and it could still handle 250 amps. It's one of my favorites. You might look into the flex-loc by CK (also available from Everlast) It's a different take on the adjustable angle torch and looks pretty neat. Depending on the kind of shipboard repairs you might do, you might want a long air cooled torch to get into tight places or up on the rigging or something.

Those little machine tools can be fun, too. I have a couple myself, for some future CNC projects.

[Kempy]

Hey Ram ,
Thanks for the headsup , I have PM'ed Oleg ,but haven't received a reply .
I have done only heavy fab work with 300+ tig machines and everything was rated so ,with the 250 EX I'm planning on having it to round out my shop aboard my sailboat for my sail around the world . I have a LMS mini mill and lathe as part of the tool inventory for occasional fab work but more for general repair to help out fellow sailors and keep me from going stir crazy with the cruising life .
I figured the guys out there with the same machine could give me a good start point , I know I don't like large torches for doing delicate work on 0.083" 316L tubing which most boats use ,but not sure where to start size wise . I know there is a formula the industry uses that says use this size torch with this size machine on this size material , but usually the folks that are doing it find an item that really works . I like the Weldtec torches in the heavier uses , but not sure in the smaller department.

When I bough my 250EX I ordered the WP20F25 torch because it is light and water cooled and is 25 foot line comes in handy I use it almost every day you will like the 250EX machine good luck on cruise.

[Rocrat]

Hey Ram,
That's a good idea on the long air cooled torch , see I knew I could count on this forum for some good intel . If you're into the small machines , LMS does a full package CNC mini with a 15000 rpm spindle , it is complete with software and the works . I was thinking about it with a 5-axis rotary table before getting my lathe and mill , it was real tempting , but had no easy way to do quick manual work ,often needed when doing boat repairs .

[Rocrat]

Thanks for the reply Kempy ,this is what I want ,info on what really works well with the machine . Put a call into Oleg , but had to leave a message , hope to chat with him on stuff like this , but I am sure he is a busy man .

[Rambozo]

Hey Ram,
That's a good idea on the long air cooled torch , see I knew I could count on this forum for some good intel . If you're into the small machines , LMS does a full package CNC mini with a 15000 rpm spindle , it is complete with software and the works . I was thinking about it with a 5-axis rotary table before getting my lathe and mill , it was real tempting , but had no easy way to do quick manual work ,often needed when doing boat repairs .

Once you get comfortable with the MDI, you can do manual machining just fine on a CNC. It's just a machine with a DRO and power feeds for all axis. Many controls can even add pulse generator handwheels to make it feel manual. But you can also do arcs and other things you would normally need a rotary table for, too. I have a knee mill CNC, but the little one is more of a fun project than something I need to have running right away.

[Rocrat]

Hey Ram ,I hear you on the controls , but I have never used before and don't want to spend time learning a new machine when I need to do a quick job . Guess I'm old school in a way .
Just ordered a 250 EX , W300 cooler , WP9F aircooled torch for lite thin jobs ,SSC pedal from Oleg ,he also swapped out the stock torch for a WP20F flex head , he said new stock in 2 weeks , so I'm hoping he is right , can't wait to see what you guys are raving about after using blue and red for years I want to play a bit . Got some 1/8" 316L stainless to stitch along with some bright polished anodized 5000 series aluminum tube so will get straight into the machine .
Thanks to you guys for the info tips , if you have any more intel it would be appreciated .

[DaveO]

Congrats on the new machine, looks like you got hooked up. Post up some photos if you can! Do you mind me asking, what's your location? Just curious to know where you're sailing

[Rocrat]

Hey DaveO ,
Thanks , will do some pics when I get it , Oleg said Two weeks till the new shipment comes in .
We are prepping the boat in Florida then will do a season in the Caribbean before heading into the Pacific .
I gotta get outta here , it's brutal hot already and it hasn't even started to get hot according to locals , not the weather a California boy is used to . Have resorted to laying low during the day and working through the night .
Already got a bunch of projects for the machine . It's weird not having my fab shop at hand with all the tooling ,so I can't wait for the new machine , hopefully all will be good with the shipment .

[zoama]

What size boat ?

[Rambozo]

What size boat ?

It's not the size of the boat, it's the motion of the ocean.

(I couldn't resist)

[The4th]

Yea Im really hoping my 250ex and cooler are in the june shipment. Im going nuts waiting for it.

[Oleg]

Hey guys,

We have two containers on the way.

1st should be in stock in about 10 days, ALL TIGs, and the 2nd in 20 days mostly plasma cutters and TIGs.

All will be taken care off.

[Rocrat]

Hey Zo ,
The boat we are heading off cruising on is a 45' catamaran , we also have a 50' round the world single handed race boat which is on the market to sell ,planned on racing around the world when the old lady dropped the bomb on me 7 years ago , so I had to change the boat and take the wife and kid .
Figured I needed to take some fab tools with as this is a 5-10 year sail and I know I will go stir crazy without building something so I figured a good small tig , a mini lathe and mill , I think I will be able to build something somewhere outta something , would dig to get a wood welder as well ;-) ,but haven't found one yet .

[Rocrat]

Hey Oleg ,
How far down the line am I ? Would hate to miss out on getting my order filled as we are getting close to sailing off into the sunset , and I'm not throwing off the dock lines without a Tig machine .

[Rocrat]

4Th ,
When did you order your gear?
I hope Oleg's got enough gear to go around , I don't want to go and throw a bunch more bones down for a Blue 200 DX that doesn't have the specs of the 250 EX ,but I can't hang round to late into Hurricane season before heading South .

[zoama]

Hey Zo ,
The boat we are heading off cruising on is a 45' catamaran , we also have a 50' round the world single handed race boat which is on the market to sell ,planned on racing around the world when the old lady dropped the bomb on me 7 years ago , so I had to change the boat and take the wife and kid .
Figured I needed to take some fab tools with as this is a 5-10 year sail and I know I will go stir crazy without building something so I figured a good small tig , a mini lathe and mill , I think I will be able to build something somewhere outta something , would dig to get a wood welder as well ;-) ,but haven't found one yet .

Sounds like a wonderful life... you're a lucky man.

[DaveO]

sailing off into the sunset , and I'm not throwing off the dock lines without a Tig machine .

"Whose turn is it to stand watch, and whose turn on the welder?" Tough life, good on ya.