"Older" PP256 Dissatisfied, Disappointed

[Effinay]

Purchase my PP256 in 2010 and have been "challenged" with it since day one. My original reason for purchasing this machine was to have the ability to plasma cut parts for snow plow frames, and to repair and refurbish buckets on my small loaders. When I learned of the Everlast Multi Process machine through Welding Tips and Tricks, I thought it would be the answer to the antique tombstone stick machine, and graymarket mig welder that I had been struggling along with. The TIG feature was just an added bonus. Let me tell ya.....My first impressions with the inverter itself were good. A little overwhelming with as many settings and controls for all of the features, but I figured, I'll learn. My first impressions of the accessory items included were dismal and disappointing. Very typical of the cheaply made, poorly assembled imported crap that you commonly got from overseas tool distributors back in the 80's. Assembled the equipment with the painfully translated and difficult to follow instructions that were included, but my perservearance paid off and I was successful in my efforts. The plasma cutting functions were impressive for a very short while, as was the TIG functions. The stick welder performed like a champ, and I was thrilled at the prospects of having these welding/cutting functions available in my very own shop. Not to mention the unlimited possibilities that lay ahead as my skills and abilities improved. Sadly, that didnt last very long as the only portion of this machine that remains useable is the stick welder. It seems as though plasma cutting and tig welding was just a tease. In order to do anything else with this equipment it has required constant troubleshooting, endless freakin' around with those ridiculous contact points, hours of time in forums and chat rooms looking for solutions, replacing torch heads so I could buy consumables from a local distributor, and then still getting the same dismal friggin' results. I didn't buy this to have to "tinker" with it every time I needed to use it. I bought this equipment to solve a problem, but it's turned out to be nothing but a whole other problem in and of itself. I would like to know what the policy/procedure is to have this shipped to somebody that will fix this. Preferably here on the East coast. Damn thing is heavy, and shipping costs are nuts.