Got my new PM256, few issues, all sorted now

[toolman_johnny]

I received my PM256 about a week ago, and had a few issues...all of which have been previously experienced by others on this forum. So nothin new here. Just thought I'd share my story.

First, the unit arrived damaged (broken cover/face plate). Because this unit is so heavy, UPS will typically place this box on the floor of the truck, so lots of other parcels (i.e. - lots of weight) gets stacked on top of it. All of this weight gets transferred though the top handle, and onto the end face plates, and something's gotta give. Anyway, no biggie, Oleg is sending me a replacement cover. Given the repeated damage to these cover plates, I do think they should consider modifying the packaging a bit....perhaps a few strategically placed pieces of wood inside the cardboard box to support the weight of stuff stacked on top (which is inevitable). Sort of a wooden crate frame inside the cardboard box, if you will. Albeit, this would add even more weight to the already heavy box.

The next problem that was giving me fits was that I could not, for the life of me, get a stable arc when using the Tig welder. After some research here, I quickly learned that it might be due to the quick connect gas (Argon) fitting being installed on the wrong tube. Yep, that was it. The manufacturer installed the coupler on one of the water cooler lines, instead of the air line. An easy fix, but it does make me wonder....this seems to be a known defect, yet the torches are not being inspected before being sent to the customers. Seems like somebody ought to pop these boxes open and have a quick look, before shipping them to us. Anyway, this too has been fixed, the they are sending me a replacement ceramic cup that got severely fouled.

For those who are purchasing (or thinking about purchasing) an Everlast tig machine (especially if it comes with the water cooled torch) I would advise that you conduct a very easy test before connecting your tig torch to the machine. Simply blow into the line that has the quick connect coupler on it. If you feel air coming out of one of the other two lines, it's wrong. If the air comes out of the torch tip, it's ok.

With the gas line connector now on the correct line, the machine is welding beautifully. Welds great with stick (SMAW/MMA) too, but I haven't yet tried the plasma cutter. Looking forward to making lots of nifty projects and repairs in the future.

Throughout this process, the Everlast support has been great. I've always received a response within a day (thanks Oleg and Mike), and they have been most helpful. As such, I've no regrets at this point. I need to put some mileage on this machine, and I hope after doing so, I will still be singing it's praises.

Cheers, Toolman_Johnny

[everlastsupport]

Hey John,

We always like honest input and leave it up as long as needed/related to an issue.

First on the torch, that has be corrected. We had a lot of units in the queue, but it is resolved. The manufacture screwed up, we do test the units with our test equipment, but not the actual TIG torches.

Anyway, unless someone bought a welder and does not open it for a month this issue will be gone in the next week or two.

On the shipping side of it and the broken front panel, never thought about it. Do you work for UPS/Fed-Ex? We do not get a lot of them, but during the Christmas holiday we had much more. Stacking the boxes on top of the bigger ones and the our new handle. Great logic and we can test that pretty easy here.

Thanks for your input

[performance]

The torch is manufactured by a separate factory, so many of the torch issues are a separate issue that has to be addressed.

The packaging has been upgraded and we will continue to improve it as we have already added a couple of extra inches of soft foam to the units coming shortly.