New Customer...(Maybe..!!)...Looking for 300 amps

[A-T-O-M]

Hello all...
Just shifted over here from the "howdy/intro" thread. Probably will have several questions over the next days (and weeks..??). To start...I am looking for an AC/DC machine...Tig/Stick probably. I have a perceived need to be able to weld fairly thick Aluminum so the smaller machines like 180's and 200's probably won't do the job. I already have a ThermalArc Fabricator but no AC. After spending some time on this web site and looking up Everlast around the net, I am just wondering what you folks would recommend. Like I said I already have a 200 amp machine (DC..) that is a good performer. What I need is a heavier machine that is AC/DC.

I started by looking for a machine around 300+ amps...Only one here (that I could find..) and it requires 3ph. power. That is a non-starter. So, does anyone know if Everlast has an updated 300 amp machine that runs on 230V 1ph. supply?? That would probably be ideal. Other than that I guess a 250 of some sort might work. I am also considering a plasma cutter although that is not certain at this time. Also, I am an Amazon Prime member---so are the machines sold by Amazon the same ones sold here on this site?? Obviously shipping issues would be an Amazon problem, but I assume the warranty stuff is still handled here by Everlast..????

Tell me anything/everything that I need to know!

[Rambozo]

At this time the two single phase big dogs are the 250EX and the new 255EXT. The 255EXT has more wave shaping, so it will do thicker materials, even though they are the same amperage. If your heavy work is only occasional, 250 can do quite a bit. You can even extend that through the use of preheating and helium.

Amazon will often have slightly older models than what is current. It all depends on if it something stocked by Amazon or coming right from Everlast. Everlast sells through Amazon as well. Warranty can also be either or, Amazon will do replacements for some things, while repairs go through Everlast. Also you can't always count that Amazon has the correct picture and description for everything. Of course with them, you can always just send it back. If you buy from Everlast, be sure to call to get the most current pricing, and shipping depending on where you are located, and what they have in stock. Some models are often on backorder until the next overseas shipment. They also have a return policy if you are not happy, so check that out. In the end it will depend on the model you want, where you are, and any sales, as to who will give you the best pricing and service.

[geezer]

If your are staying with single phase then the max will be 250 amps,,,if you can master the 250EX and all it's potential then you will have your own website,,,the 255 is nice but cost more,,,are you that skilled,,,and need all of those different wave forms,,go for it,,,personally the 250EX is hard to beat,,,money wise and what ever...it's a proven machine that can do just about everything..

[DaveO]

Welcome, ATOM, I recognize your handle from over at weld.com. Here's a link to a thread from just the other day, showing pictures of what thickness aluminum the 255 EXT will weld.

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/fo...tional-machine

The photos show the machine welding every thickness literally from razor blades to 11/16" aluminum... I'm sure anyone reading this thread is curious to know what you have in mind to weld that is thicker than that- if you don't mind telling!

As Geezer mentions, the 250EX is the workhorse of the Everlast line at a great price point. And I think every TIG machine also has stick capabilities, so you're covered there too.

[performance]

Actually, that's 3/4" aluminum, not 11/16!

[JimMinKent]

Actually, that's 3/4" aluminum, not 11/16!

Thank You Mark, it is indeed 3/4" 6061 Plate.



It mic's out at 0.7586", a few thou over 3/4"



The razor blades are 0.0095"



On top of the autogenous weld it measures 0.0114"



Here is a face on view.


A-T-O-M, Welcome, and prepare for a little change in what you might have been used to thinking about welders.

There is NEW performance data coming in, almost daily, that will not be found anywhere else. NONE of the other usual manufactures provide the capability that we can have today. Perhaps Fronius or Kemppi, but nobody we have access to.

I am referring to the new EXT class of welders from Everlast (no, I am not staff, but they have treated me very well, and I can now return the favor in demonstrating some amazing capability).

It is the EXT class ONLY, that can do what I show in my EXT thread, the one DaveO directed you to above, Thank You, DaveO. The 210 EXT and the 255 EXT are single-phase, and have the unique required capability to go thick. I even think the 210 will push through 1/2" plate, but I have yet to test it.

It is now obvious that a single-phase, 250-class machine is ALL a guy would really ever need. The other main players' 350-class machine will not do this, it would take their 700-class machine to come close. Now I say this a little out of school, because I have not had access to these elite machines, but they DON'T have the FEATURE.

3-phase is NO LONGER the ruler to measure performance, although sure it does put out more welding current. "300" amps is No Longer the measure of what a machine is capable of.

The feature, we alone have is the ADVANCED PULSE, which alternates between AC and DC. That is the very special feature that I use (now the cat is a little more out of the bag!) to go deep into thick plate.

Everlast is the ONLY guys that can do it. The other guy has "Amplitude", that is not even close, not even in the same league.

Don't be nervous about buying a Green machine, I am glad I did. Check out my other thread, and watch for More Coming Soon!

[DaveO]

Yup, dang it, misread the scale. Still want to know what ATOM wants to weld on!

[A-T-O-M]

This forum just dumped me out and made me log-in again....Apparently lost my post with a lot of information....upset right now. Maybe later....

[JimMinKent]

When you log in, select "Remember Me", it will put cookie on your machine and not boot you off every 5-10 minutes. I took me a while to figure that one out. Stick with us!

[performance]

Hey, I understand. Working on the new website, we're hopefully, (said with fingers crossed) going to have up and running soon and got dumped out of it, mysteriously, and lost a day's work. Then lost again 3 hours work, even though it should have been autosaved.

[A-T-O-M]

Exactly....Well, off to the word processor to try again...

[Rambozo]

Hey, I understand. Working on the new website, we're hopefully, (said with fingers crossed) going to have up and running soon and got dumped out of it, mysteriously, and lost a day's work. Then lost again 3 hours work, even though it should have been autosaved.

The autosave has saved me a few times, but not always. So for longer posts I compose in a text editor, then cut and paste.

[performance]

Not as bad as when they went and erased a whole section, and days of work, without any possibility of restoring. Some of these units have 80 or more lines of information that need to be entered, plus "blurbage" that needs to be composed, and then pictures, manuals etc that need to be loaded. It can take a long time to just get one product into the site. So, you can imagine the aggravation I was feeling. That's why I sympathize with ATOM. Just re doing a post isn't easy...because certain thoughts strike you and inspire you in the moment, and well, unless you have a carbon copy memory, things just don't sound the same the second time through.

[Rambozo]

I hear that. Sounds like your CMS blows. There is a lot to be said for the more oldschool approach, creating everything offline then just FTP it all to the server. The web based stuff makes it easy to fool around, but for an initial loading or a major rework, they are often much slower and prone to failures like you mentioned.

[A-T-O-M]

Thanks for the understanding guys...You are correct, recreating a long post is impossible. You know what "they" say about your memory being the second thing to go.....Uhh, sh*t, I forgot what "they" say...

I just started over and this time will post it in several installments...maybe that is the best way.

[A-T-O-M]

Well, Okay....Now in text editor to circumvent the issues here on the forum. Maybe its for the best. This post will undoubtedly be shorter than the one that was dumped.!

First, thanks to all who have entered here and posted words of wisdom. I appreciate the time and the candor. First, I would like to reiterate that I am NOT a professional welder. However, I HAVE been welding for over 40 years. I started back in the 60's when the earth was still cooling. Since I semi-retired, I now have some additional time for things which interest me. I like welding and I like fabricating----hence the quest. I recently enrolled in a cert. class (at times I think that may have been a mistake..!!) with the intent of learning the "correct" way to do things with a welder. It has been enlightening. I currently own a ThermalArc Fabricator and a AC buzz box as well as Victor 350 series OxyAcetylene. The ThermalArc is DC only and functions well. Feeder and Mig torch work well and DC Tig is very smooth with a 26 series torch. The stick capacity is a little on the low side when duty cycle is considered (as it is with almost all inverters..). Sooo, with a stick capacity somewhat lower than I would like, and no AC for Tig, I am now looking to add to my inventory.....That's the long and the short of it....

So, "...why 300 amps..??" Well, it is easily answered although it may only make sense to me! First, I wanted some additional capacity to handle heavier stick rods with a decent duty cycle. Second is the desire to be able to weld thicker aluminum plate. @DaveO asked "...11/16" aluminum... I'm sure anyone reading this thread is curious to know what you have in mind to weld that is thicker than that- if you don't mind telling!" I don't mind telling at all....its just that there isn't much to tell. I don't have a REAL IMMEDIATE need at all. It is more a PERCEIVED need! I have been approached about welding some relatively thick plate which I cannot at this time even consider. So, if I am going to do this, I want to have the option of accepting a commission like that. This cert. class has also added to my perception problem. The welding lab is outfitted with Miller 304 inverters with feeders and pulsers for every station. In addition, there are three larger more antiquated Millers for AC Tig. What I have learned is that the Miller 304's are NOT overpowered for everyday tasks....And you really need to stand on the big Millers to weld heavy aluminum.....Hence my starting position for looking at 300 amp machines....As the saying goes.."It is better to have something and not need it, than to need something and not have it.."

To be continued...

[A-T-O-M]

...Continued from previous post.

@geezer said "...if you can master the 250EX and all it's potential then you will have your own website..." . That's just great, just what I need, my own website! Really...?? Seriously, that will have no impact on my decision at all. I am not interested in feeding my ego...I am much too old for that. I readily admit that I know little about the abilities of the newer IGBT powered inverters and the plethora of AC waveforms. I guess that is something I will need to consider. BTW, @geezer, I like your "handle" although I seriously doubt that you are as senior as I am, yet I am NOT a geezer...Oh well, maybe some day..

@DaveO and @JimMinKent both alluded to the capability of the EXT machine...and posted photos...Thanks for taking the time to find those and post them. In reality though, a lot of what is shown there is a testament to the welder's ability as well as the capability of the machine. The razor blade thing has been around for a long time. You are correct that not everyone can do it.....but not everyone wants to... . The heavier aluminum plate images are more interesting to me. However, they would be a lot more impressive if they were sectioned so we could see the root penetration. Still, the heat is apparently available to melt the plate at least on the surface...so that is a good start.

So, just a couple more questions for now if you guys don't mind. If we now are looking at only the 255 EXT and the 250 EX...Would you say that it would be reasonable to assume the ability to weld 5/8 thick aluminum plate if both sides of the weld are accessible?? Second, since I am not particularly enamored with the digital ability to multi-task as displayed by the EXT (ie: many functions available with few physical controls...forcing one control button or knob to do many things depending on the mode selected or switch positions, or..whatever...??)...Would you say that the EX would function well, without the advanced AC waveforms, on that 5/8 aluminum plate as described (both sides accessible..)???

And last question for today...Can someone detail for me the differences between the machines sold here and the ones sold on Amazon. @Rambozo started it (THANK YOU.!! ). Specifically, how can I determine if a 250 EX is an updated machine, or not??....When was the last update??....What features were improved or changed??....Is the warranty the same (ie: 5 yr warranty on 250 EX sold by Amazon----Yes or No..???). I realize that Everlast is treating Amazon as a "dealer" and Amazon is responsible for their own shipping issues and freight damage etc., but the actual machine warranty is still the domain of Everlast. So, Why the concern?? Why not just purchase direct from Everlast?? Well, ultimately we are all consumers. It is unwise to pay more than is necessary. If the product is equipped the same, the same accessories, the same leads, the same torches, etc., etc.,......Right now, I can save about $150 on the machine (maybe more..) and another $80 on the 300 cooler, and at least $50-75 on shipping (Prime member..). That is $250-$300 dollars that can be spent on supplies.....

Okay, this has gone on long enough for now. I want to thank everyone for taking part in this discussion. I appreciate the opinions and recommendations. All feedback welcome. Open invitation to Everlast to participate here and answer some of the questions...especially the ones that ONLY Everlast can answer!!

Thanks again!!

[performance]

You can get a good deal if you directly with someone at Everlast (like me).Our warranty is the same for all products sold through authorized distribution centers/dealers. Amazon is one. We, of course are another, which is direct from the source. The last major update was earlier this year...but we always are making additional improvements we don't publicize...same as everyone else.

If you look at Jim's thread, (use new posts button to check for the most recent update tonight) you will see cut away images that shows the penetration.

The 250EX has one waveform: Advanced Square wave.

The ext has been carefully laid out and worked through so that the basic controls are easy to access, and little or no bottlenecking occurs with the selection/adjustment procedures.

[zoama]

The heavier aluminum plate images are more interesting to me. However, they would be a lot more impressive if they were sectioned so we could see the root penetration. Still, the heat is apparently available to melt the plate at least on the surface...so that is a good start.

The plate sectioned > Attachment 11150 Click the image for a larger view.
Source: http://www.everlastgenerators.com/fo...0589#post50589