Millermatic 180 vs I-mig 200

[Mark @ Everlast]

Some of the circuits on some models are built by hand until they are incorporated into a completely new board. But there are no issues with failures or problems. We redesigned the internals of the units to lighten them up by simplifying and changing to some new circuitry. We have done this and increased performance, and componentized the system by making more things plug and play and modular, in preparation for some changes to come such as full cnc readiness etc. Eventually when the transition is completed, they will be added and built by machine. As I posted the other pictures of other products, they are up to date, machine built, potted and coated fully.

 

[crazyal]

i know that the everlast units use a lot of industry standard parts, but for the homeowner/weekend warrior there is certainly a perk to having easy part and consumable availability. i'm not going to knock everlast here, but it's a plus for the red and blue fans that you can get a lot of parts for the smaller units at your local big box store. walmart, hd, and lowe's carry some lincoln components, and tractor supply has some miller/hobart stuff. i went to tractor supply and picked up a flux core nozzle for my 211 when it arrived. add this to the fact that ebay lists tons of drive rolls, liners, and such then there's certainly no issue getting anything you need in a hurry for the major brands. i have no personal experience with everlast, but i have read where everlast parts have been backordered. again, this can happen with any brand, but with a large name with a national dealer network, you're less likely to see it.

What your missing is for the weekend warrior the choice isn't do I save a few bucks or do I buy one of the big brands. It's more a case of I just can't justify spending the money that it costs to buy a welder from one of the big name brands. I know I never would have spent $2400 for a HyperTherm plasma cutter. Sure I would like to have a large dealer network so I could jump in the car and buy parts but all that stuff costs money.

 

[lostcause]

What your missing is for the weekend warrior the choice isn't do I save a few bucks or do I buy one of the big brands. It's more a case of I just can't justify spending the money that it costs to buy a welder from one of the big name brands. I know I never would have spent $2400 for a HyperTherm plasma cutter. Sure I would like to have a large dealer network so I could jump in the car and buy parts but all that stuff costs money.

i understand the cost difference can be staggering, especially as you go with bigger sizes. i looked at plasma cutters earlier this year, but didn't end up buying one - yet. the hypertherm 45 was around $1400 then, and with the powerplasma 50 at $800, it would be a hard thing to swallow a $600 difference. if you're looking at a $2400 hypertherm, i assume you're looking at the 1000, and the closest everlast ones are $900-$1000. you're looking at nearly $1500 more, so yes, it is a lot to swallow for the weekend warrior.

as i said in my post, in june, mark quoted me $1049 for the i-mig 200 and the matching spool gun. i ended up getting the miller 211 and spool gun for $1040 a month and a half later. maybe at that time there would have been a better deal on the everlast, but i am pretty sure it wouldn't have been enough to make it worth gambling on. at the time i end up buying a plasma cutter there's a much better chance i may end up going with an everlast. the cost difference on them is much higher than the welder i bought.

i'm not saying that there is anything wrong with everlast gear, i'm just saying that it's going to be some time before the masses will place any validity on claims that they are equal or better to the industry standards. it's a fact of life - even if they are in fact as good or better, they have to pay their dues before being recognized. also, like it or not, until the time they have a presence in the retail world that the masses can see, they will have a hard time validating a lot of those claims. let's face it, were it not for mark being here, there are a lot of you who would not have looked at everlast.

 

[crazyal]

I set the minimum thickness steel I wanted to cut and then looked at what could cut it. The HyperTherm 65 was the size that was listed that could cut it. The price was over $2400. I ended up getting an Everlast PP60, just recently Mark was selling them for $765 shipped ($899 with a 15% off).

At first I wasn't sure about it because they weren't name brand but after doing some searching and watching some videos of it cutting I decided to give it a try. I did see people using the HT 45 cutting beyond what it was rated for that did meet my requirements but it was about $650 more than I paid.

I don't think I would have spent $1000 on a plasma cutter. I just don't have the uses so it's not like HyperTherm (or any other big name brand) lost the business. I see Jim post here every so often about how much better the tech is on their units. I've never said it to him but if they could come up with a value line, maybe with less bells and not the latest tech and get close to Everlast I may have decided differently.

If you can get a Miller for the same cost as the Everlast I would go with the Miller without thinking twice, before I bought my PP60. Now I'm not so sure. My Lincoln 255 has a problem they never could fix. The fan is only suppose to come on when the temp reaches a set point and then shut off when it cools off. It comes on as soon as you strike an arc and stays on until you shut the power off. Not a big deal but it's a giant name brand and they never got it fixed.

 

[Chilly807]

In my opinion, Lincoln/Miller/ESAB/HyperTherm etc are building machines as good as they have to be to keep their market share.

It's a case of demographics, like any marketing strategy. Miller et al pay someone well to determine who's buying their welders, then decide how much they can/want to charge for those machines. If the majority of buyers in the "consumer" market, which is the one we're discussing here, are mid-forties with at least some disposable income, they can afford to pay more for their weekend warrior tools. They like pro-quality gear, but most won't quite pay for the jump to true commercial quality.

So, Miller (for example) sells their Millermatic line-up as being the little brothers to their pro equipment, backed by the Miller name and product support. They use the same blue paint, so Joe Consumer smiles whenever he walks into his garage.

Like someone said earlier, you won't find many 180's or 211's on job sites. I consider them high-end consumer welders for the weekend warrior crowd, myself included. You're paying more for the name and local customer support, plus a nationwide dealer network.

I do think their build quality is above average, as are the Lincoln Power Migs that are sold by welding supply shops. The Home Desperation , Canadian Tire, Walmart versions are usually a bit lower cost with less features and maybe a few corners cut where they can be to get the price down.

Same marketing strategy applies. The buyer that decides he wants a "decent MIG welder" to use on weekends and goes into the dealership welding supply shop knows he may pay a premium there, he who needs one to "weld the quarter panels up on the ol' lady's Buick" will go to the box store.

Where Everlast fits into the picture I don't really know. The price is certainly attractive. To me a lot depends on whether the price was achieved through cheaper labour and parts or by a reduced profit margin to establish a market share. Either is possible, it's not fair to Mark or anybody else for me to speculate without knowing for sure.

Sean