Potential new customer

[nitris223]

I have been in the market for a Tig welder and started looking around the net for something at a reasonable price. I just can't justify $3500 for a Miller. That is nuts for something the size of a 18pack of beer. Kept seeing this Everlast name pop up so I dug a little deeper. From what I have read elsewhere , the good and the bad, bad being the na Sayers mostly because of the color. I am one of those guys the realize a good majority of stuff is made over seas. There is good stuff and there is junk. There is also good stuff that is painted a different color and jacked up in price also. Found that crap out when I bought my lathe and milling machines.

Any way I am a self taught person, I have no one around to teach me anything on these tools I buy. Always wanted a Lathe and milling machine so eventually I bought a 12x36" lathe and a 2hp mill. Threw the chinglish manual away because it didn't make any sense and proceeded to figure it out. Long story short and a few crashes latter I will never be without one again. Same thing with a welder, I taught myself how to weld. Bought a Lincoln mig pac 10 when they first came out about 15-20 yrs ago, loved that little buzz box but soon found myself needing more juice. After 10 yrs of use I sold it to a friend and bought a used Acklands Classic (miller 210 basically) and I never did get to like that machine , always thought it was not as usable as the small welder I had , but I needed something bigger at the time working on trailers. Now things have changed again and I think a new small welder is what I will be going back to.

Then the Tig issue always pops into my head. More so for aluminum projects and it was always the cost of having a second gas contract plus the over priced tig welders is what kept me from buying one. Now I am more into fixing snowmobiles and more and more a Tig would be really handy. Now comes the process of picking one out.

What do some of you guys recommend. I work mainly on snowmobiles and small trailers but I will be advertising that I do have a lathe and milling machine so I hope to pick up some extra work for those tools and even the welders. I don't know how many times I needed something tig welded and not have access to one or not be able to get the item to a shop that had one or what the welding shops were going to charge to do the little welds that were needed always seemed to cause issues. I know there are guys out there like me that would gladly pay $25 for a weld fix over $100 per hr shop rates at welding shops.

So what I am looking at is a Tig that can weld all metals. 110/220v not a problem , I have both in the shop. I have always liked to have welders with digital readouts on them, but they were always out of my price range until now. I have been looking at the Tig 200D or DX and also the Mig 205 I think or is it the 200. I could use the smaller 140v mig but no digital readout. Never tig welded before so I have to teach myself. Is there one that is better to learn on but still not something I will be looking at in a yrs time and want something bigger. Defiantly want a foot peddle model. What am I going to need for consumables , tig rods, etc.

Biggest complaint I read is the size of the Tig torch, is there a smaller one that would be better. I know I will be in some tight places and not really sure how big or small some of these torches are.

[joshuab]

Check out this thread on Everlast's new 255EXT. I think you may find it will do everything you will ever want to do.

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

Regarding torch size, it all depends. Water-cooled torches are smaller and have much higher duty cycle than air-cooled torches, but of course you need a water cooler to run them. Smaller torches typically have lower output ratings. Torches with higher output ratings are typically larger. And if you are willing to spend money, you can get specialty torches to fit most needs.

[nitris223]

I will check out the 255 ext. Forgot to mention that I only have a 60 or 70 amp main breaker in the shop. It is fed of the main house panel.

What are the thought on the multi process units. Never really liked the idea of 3-1 units of any sort but having a extra tool with plasma might be handy. I have a used miller plasma that I got from a place where my wife works. It is 6 yrs old and they were replacing it because the guy using it said the bearing was starting to squeal , but for what I would use it for it would be ok.. Not sure what he was talking about but for $100 I figured it was worth a shot.

[nitris223]

Not seeing the 255 ext on the Canadian website. Is there a reason for that. Also anyone know why the threads when I check them out I have to scroll all the way to the bottom to see the first post and read up from there.

[nitris223]

Just tried calling the Canadian store and no answer. Left a message for them to call me back. 12 o'clock my time so they could be out for lunch or just on another call. I will wait to hear back from them.

[joshuab]

I will check out the 255 ext. Forgot to mention that I only have a 60 or 70 amp main breaker in the shop. It is fed of the main house panel.

For some reason, the 255EXT doesn't list max inrush current, and I don't see a manual for it on the site either. This is probably because it's a brand new unit, and that's probably why it's not on the Canadian website yet either. My hunch is that the 255EXT will draw less than 60 amps at full output, just based on other similar units.

... come to think of it, the specs on the web site for the 255EXT don't seem to jibe with what is in the thread I linked to. For example, the table on the web site doesn't show the 255EXT as supporting advanced pulse, but the review thread mentions that as being a key feature of the unit. I'm not sure what to make of that.

What are the thought on the multi process units. Never really liked the idea of 3-1 units of any sort but having a extra tool with plasma might be handy.

When I was first shopping with Everlast, I asked about a 3-in-1 unit, and was told that they were more for specialty circumstances, and that the individual units were more robust. For general-purpose, Mark sort of seemed to steer me towards a dedicated welder vs. a 3-in-1 with a plasma built in.

Also anyone know why the threads when I check them out I have to scroll all the way to the bottom to see the first post and read up from there.

You can change the order of posts in your forum control panel. I think maybe they default to newest-at-top, when you want oldest-at-top.

[zoama]

I will check out the 255 ext. Forgot to mention that I only have a 60 or 70 amp main breaker in the shop. It is fed of the main house panel.

What are the thought on the multi process units. Never really liked the idea of 3-1 units of any sort but having a extra tool with plasma might be handy. I have a used miller plasma that I got from a place where my wife works. It is 6 yrs old and they were replacing it because the guy using it said the bearing was starting to squeal , but for what I would use it for it would be ok.. Not sure what he was talking about but for $100 I figured it was worth a shot.

You have plenty of service amps for the 250 amp machines. The only bearing in your plasma cutter is in the fan. You should be able to replace the fan yourself for under $25.

[JimMinKent]

Welcome nitris223

You have plenty of service amps for the 250 amp machines.

Indeed you do, the 255EXT single-phase I-max inrush current is 33.6a, operating current I-eff is 27a.

The web page for the 255EXT is not yet updated, data from the Legacy 250EXT is still in there. New stuff in work.

Now that I see what can be done with one, I would not hesitate to recommend an Everlast EXT-class machine. It will certainly cover your tig/stick needs, and actually help you grow your business.

Lastly, the torches that are provided are very useable, nothing clumsy about them, in fact I am still using the original factory 250EXT torch, a water cooled #20 Flexhead.

[DaveO]

Welcome to the forums, Nitris!

What are the thought on the multi process units. Never really liked the idea of 3-1 units of any sort but having a extra tool with plasma might be handy. I have a used miller plasma that I got from a place where my wife works. It is 6 yrs old and they were replacing it because the guy using it said the bearing was starting to squeal , but for what I would use it for it would be ok.. Not sure what he was talking about but for $100 I figured it was worth a shot.

The conventional wisdom on the board here is that multi-process units are great, but in a production or business environment you may want to keep the functions/processes separate. The thinking is, if a machine goes down for whatever reason and has to be sent off for repair, then you've lost the other functions as well. How did the Miller plasma work out? (I'm interested to know what bearing the guy was talking about.)

[nitris223]

Welcome to the forums, Nitris!





How did the Miller plasma work out? (I'm interested to know what bearing the guy was talking about.)

To be honest with you , I have no idea how the Miller plasma is. I got it a year ago and haven't even plugged it in. Mostly because I was waiting for a air dryer system that I am going to have dedicated to the plasma. Got that finally , just need to install it. I get so busy at times , it's nuts. Found a unopened box the other day from Princess auto. Opened it up and thought oh ya I ordered that 4 months ago for some spare trailer lights. Shows how bad I needed it .

[nitris223]

I was talking to Duncan at the Canadian Store and after a bit of yakking he was thinking the Imig 200 and either the Tig 185 or 200. With never using a tig machine before I don't want something that is to overwhelming to get going with, but I don't want something that is not enough. For right now and probably the last 10 years I have never needed to do anything over 1/4" thick. If I thought it was to thick I always maxed out the little Lincoln and did multiple passes. The tig I am mostly interested in aluminum for sleds and such which is mostly very thin material. Most of the steel that I use is 1/8" to 3/16". I have plans for some mini sandrail project that I would like to build some day and this is where the Tig is really going to come into play.

What is this gas lens I hear talk about.

[nitris223]

Which foot pedal comes with these Tig units. Is it the one that looks low profile or the shoe box size one. LOL

[Rambozo]

The pedals vary between models, but are all on the large size. (For a GIANT pedal, look at the older Miller or Hobart versions.) The low profile ones are a US made upgrade, that can also be ordered direct from Everlast. Honestly, I've never seen why people are all hot and bothered over how tall the pedal is. What is more important is that the pivot is in a good place and the action is smooth and linear.
I would say to look at the 200DX. It will have all the features you are likely to need, and you shouldn't out grow it. Aluminum is what will suck up the power, especially things like castings. Another option is the 210EXT. But you might find that a little more complicated for just starting out. Analog machines like the 200DX have a knob for each setting so you can see all your settings at a glance, where the digital machines like the 210EXT will require you to go through menus to see each setting one by one. It just depends on what you want and what fits better for you.
A gas lens is a type of TIG torch front end that smooths the flow of gas, giving you better coverage with less gas. Think of it like an aerator on a water faucet.

[performance]

The new Miller Wireless pedal is HUGE. It's not any smaller than an Everlast, yet people seem to be raving about it.

[sportbike]

Welcome nitris223
the 255EXT single-phase I-max inrush current is 33.6a, operating current I-eff is 27a.

Is that correct? If so, that is excellent. That is 10awg territory for an extension cord and probably operable off of a conventional household dryer outlet.

[performance]

We've fine tuned it to be even lower, with pfc.

[nitris223]

Hey Mark. Do you guys ever put on any sales or make any better deals when purchasing a couple of machines. I am still trying to decide on what 2 machines I want to get plus some consumables, then there is probably another $150 - $200 in shipping cost .

[performance]

It appears you are in Canada. Pricing in Canada is different than the US. Here' we flat rate the shipping on most units...so it's relatively low. But if you are in Canada, you'll have to play by their rules. If not, give me a call, and we can make a package deal.

[nitris223]

Thanks Mark. That's kind of what I was wondering if the Canadian site(store) has any wiggle room on their prices or is it set by head office. I have seen some ads when a new machine is arriving that they give a discount for a little bit. Just didn't know if there was any sales promo's coming up or anything. The more I read about them the more I am leaning to them, just need that push over the edge I guess to make it a done deal.

[nitris223]

Trying to decide over the tig 185 and 200. Don't really need a stick welder on both the tig and mig machine. Just not sure if the 185 is enough. Pretty sure the I mig 200 is the one I would get. Only thing I would have a use for stick right now is hard surfacing on ski wear rods. Other then that haven't used a stick in years. See if I can find some other reviews on those items.