Dead 250EX, Help Please

[performance]

The new synchros are now inverters...many of the old transformer tigs have been dropped, or are in limited circulation, or soon to be dropped in many companies lineups.

One consideration I would suggest is the 255ext. It has a much simpler internal structure and a solid state HF design.

[Paul Moir]

inverter-based welding machines still have a considerable road ahead of them in order to compete with transformer-based welding machines in the durability arena.

This will never happen for the same reason that the Space Shuttle won't be as reliable as a wagon, despite excellent design and manufacturing. Complication adds failure modes faster than reliable manufacturing can counteract them. Sort of a square-cube law for systems. However you can't play if you don't play, and if you need reliability then you need redundancy in complex machines.

Performance: I didn't notice any vacuum tubes in my 225LX's HF section! Or is it the points?

[Coventry]

I bought a 250 EX direct from Everlast and the water cooler from Amazon back in early September- I used it for roughly one week and it died. The good news is I was able to sell the system to a neighbor so I didn't have to mess around with a warranty return. I am going to buy an Everlast's MIG 250 and I am hoping it will not fail. In fairness I should also say that the people at Everlast are very helpful and provide good customer service. I simply lost confidence in the product and decided to move on with as little pain as possible!

[Oleg]

I bought a 250 EX direct from Everlast and the water cooler from Amazon back in early September- I used it for roughly one week and it died. The good news is I was able to sell the system to a neighbor so I didn't have to mess around with a warranty return. I am going to buy an Everlast's MIG 250 and I am hoping it will not fail. In fairness I should also say that the people at Everlast are very helpful and provide good customer service. I simply lost confidence in the product and decided to move on with as little pain as possible!

ok .. let me get this straight .. you paid 2K for 250EX and cooler then week later unit "failed" and you sold none working unit to a friend. Now you want to buy a MIG250 for another 1700$ . I am sorry but something doesn't make scene here . Please PM me your fist an last name , i will contact my Amazon manager and have him pull up you order.
you been a member on this forum since 2013 have one post and didnt even said anything about wasted 2k

please help me understand ... please

[tom_tom]

Everlast made good on the warranty and refunded the purchase price. After coming full circle, so to speak, the only things I would have done differently are:

1. Save the original box and styrofoam packing -- could have saved me 50 bucks. Then again, I overpacked the return to make sure it would arrive in the same condition as it left me.

2. I regret not pulling the cover off the machine and inspecting. If I know myself, it would have turned into a project unto itself so I decided not to undress her.

3. I didn't have a chance to try out the SMAW function, unfortunately.

So from the vantage point of a regular guy, I was bummed that the machine failed but Everlast took care of me. I got some good practice on a great machine and I wouldn't hesitate to order from Everlast in the future if it comes down to their warranty. For now, I slowed myself down and am checking craigs list, ebay, HTP and others regularly. I'm also going to be checking in with Everlast's new products occasionally and test the waters. I'm not in a big hurry so I can weigh the options and order when the time and deal are right. A 200DX is within my budget but something tells me to avoid Miller inverters. So many decisions but no need to be hasty.

Tom