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Thinking about a new TIG welder ...
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<blockquote data-quote="patooyee" data-source="post: 605686" data-attributes="member: 483"><p>I hadn't updated this thread because I didn't want to get a new machine and just be enamoured with it and post an overly-exuberant review. But since you asked I got an Everlast 255EXT. I really was only after the 250EX but they were out of stock at the time and gave me a great deal on the 255EXT so I went with it. I'm still an ameteur TIG welder and still learning the machine, but so far I love it. Under relatively ideal positions and settings I can lay very nice stacks of dimes and I trust my welds with it. The settings layout is a bit complex and the polarity percentage readout is opposite most other welders but it has 9 or 12 programmable memory settings that, once you get something dialed in, you can program and come back to any time. It's also got a generic dummy setting for both AC and DC which is just a set-it-and-go that works well 80% of the time.</p><p></p><p>I wasn't able to find many negative reviews about it online. Most of the negative comments were about the stock foot pedal and the stock torch being POS. I can attest that the torches are absolutely terrible. I ordered mine with Everlast's brand 9-series flex-head water cooled torch. Within the first few hours of low-amperage welding the internal liner had broke and it was spraying water out of the tip. I called them about it and they waranteed it without question. The next one did the same within about 1 hour of welding at 120 amps. They waranteed it as well but I don't use the replacement. I got a CK that I use instead. (Ironically, the CK arrived with a leak in it to start and also had to be replaced under warranty!)</p><p></p><p>The more I use it the more I can see the complaints about the pedal, too. It seems kind of clunky in its control of the arc. Sometimes it is very smooth in its modulation then other times it wants to jump randomly in increments wherever I am going. It also doesn't seem to be very fine control of the heat. Instead of infinite control it seems to have 20-30 plateaus that it wanders between as I push the pedal. I don't even know if that is why people hate the foot pedals but I do plan to someday get a better foot pedal because of this.</p><p></p><p>Mostly Asian people work at the company. Dealing with ESL-people for sales is somewhat annoying and I never knew if I could trust them. They said they could have the welder to me in 5 business days and it was on my doorstep on the fifth business day. They said the water coolers were on a 4-week backorder and exactly 4 weeks later to the day I received a tracking number for the cooler. They gave me a free 17-series air-cooled torch to use in the mean time in case I wanted to do high-amperage welding above the capacities of the stock air-cooled torch. Their tech support guy is a good ole American guy though and his posts on the welding forums go back a long time. So he has been with the company for a long, long time and he knows his stuff. It is a relief to know that, fi I do have to trouble-shoot something someday, I won't have to do it with the ESL-folks.</p><p></p><p>All the electrical cables are fairly cheap Harbor-Freight-ish winch cable-like cables. If you've ever owned a HF winch you know what I am talking about. I'm not exactly sure what makes them feel cheap but they do. I've never had issues with HF electrical cables though and haven't had any with the welder either.</p><p></p><p>So yeah, that's where I'm at right now. I can't give a long-term review since I haven't owned it even a year yet. But I'm happy with my purchase so far. I have a buddy who welded with it and owns a Dynasty and he says it feels just like his Dynasty. Weldingtipsandtricks.com says the same thing in one of his reviews.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="patooyee, post: 605686, member: 483"] I hadn't updated this thread because I didn't want to get a new machine and just be enamoured with it and post an overly-exuberant review. But since you asked I got an Everlast 255EXT. I really was only after the 250EX but they were out of stock at the time and gave me a great deal on the 255EXT so I went with it. I'm still an ameteur TIG welder and still learning the machine, but so far I love it. Under relatively ideal positions and settings I can lay very nice stacks of dimes and I trust my welds with it. The settings layout is a bit complex and the polarity percentage readout is opposite most other welders but it has 9 or 12 programmable memory settings that, once you get something dialed in, you can program and come back to any time. It's also got a generic dummy setting for both AC and DC which is just a set-it-and-go that works well 80% of the time. I wasn't able to find many negative reviews about it online. Most of the negative comments were about the stock foot pedal and the stock torch being POS. I can attest that the torches are absolutely terrible. I ordered mine with Everlast's brand 9-series flex-head water cooled torch. Within the first few hours of low-amperage welding the internal liner had broke and it was spraying water out of the tip. I called them about it and they waranteed it without question. The next one did the same within about 1 hour of welding at 120 amps. They waranteed it as well but I don't use the replacement. I got a CK that I use instead. (Ironically, the CK arrived with a leak in it to start and also had to be replaced under warranty!) The more I use it the more I can see the complaints about the pedal, too. It seems kind of clunky in its control of the arc. Sometimes it is very smooth in its modulation then other times it wants to jump randomly in increments wherever I am going. It also doesn't seem to be very fine control of the heat. Instead of infinite control it seems to have 20-30 plateaus that it wanders between as I push the pedal. I don't even know if that is why people hate the foot pedals but I do plan to someday get a better foot pedal because of this. Mostly Asian people work at the company. Dealing with ESL-people for sales is somewhat annoying and I never knew if I could trust them. They said they could have the welder to me in 5 business days and it was on my doorstep on the fifth business day. They said the water coolers were on a 4-week backorder and exactly 4 weeks later to the day I received a tracking number for the cooler. They gave me a free 17-series air-cooled torch to use in the mean time in case I wanted to do high-amperage welding above the capacities of the stock air-cooled torch. Their tech support guy is a good ole American guy though and his posts on the welding forums go back a long time. So he has been with the company for a long, long time and he knows his stuff. It is a relief to know that, fi I do have to trouble-shoot something someday, I won't have to do it with the ESL-folks. All the electrical cables are fairly cheap Harbor-Freight-ish winch cable-like cables. If you've ever owned a HF winch you know what I am talking about. I'm not exactly sure what makes them feel cheap but they do. I've never had issues with HF electrical cables though and haven't had any with the welder either. So yeah, that's where I'm at right now. I can't give a long-term review since I haven't owned it even a year yet. But I'm happy with my purchase so far. I have a buddy who welded with it and owns a Dynasty and he says it feels just like his Dynasty. Weldingtipsandtricks.com says the same thing in one of his reviews. [/QUOTE]
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