Spend my money on a welder.

[wvpolekat]

Ok folks. Time do something everyone loves to do. Spend someone elses money.

I am going to buy a welder today and I have narrowed it down to 2 choices.

A Lincoln AC tombstone from Lowes for $269.00 +tax= 285.14:
220-Volt AC-225 Stick Welder

• Output Range: 40-225 Amps AC
• Welds metals 16 gauge and heavier
• Welds steel, cast iron, and stainless steel.
• 3 year part and labor warranty.

Everlast Power Arc 160 for $299 delivered.

• Stable, smooth DC arc
• Low Power Consumption
• High commercial 60% duty cycle
• Portable with over the shoulder carrying strap
• Easy Hot Start for reduced electrode sticking
• Adaptive Arc force control
• Special 6010 port for better arc stability when welding with E 6010 electrodes
• Digital Display for precise current setting
• DINSE style connectors for easy connection
• Simple easy to use
• TBN sponsor and confidence I will get GREAT service after the sale.

I am not going to say which way I am leaning, but I would like feedback from everyone (including Mark@Everlast) on my choices. I do not want MIG right now. Novice welder who just needs to stick metal up to 1/2" together sometimes.

 

[gauthier]

I got a miller.:laughing:

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

The PowerArc 160/200 can seriously out weld the Lincoln,(or miller for that matter) I can promise that. I have one Miller dealer who is selling these units and replacing one of his customer's fleet of Maxstars and CST's. Now, the weld quality of these entry level transformer machines from either company is okay, but not what an inverter is. Its not that the old buzzbox isn't a great and famous welder. I have used them myself. They work and get the job done, but there is a lot of difference in the arc qualities and weld results. Plus the PowerArc can be used for DC tig if you desire with only the addition of a readily available gas valve torch such as a WP17V. The hot start makes a lot better start for the tig as well. The buzz box cannot be equipped unless you have an engineering degree in electronics and some more money. Don't forget about the 5 year REPLACEMENT warranty of the Everlast.

I don't think the maximum amps is going to be an issue, compared to AC and DC amps. Most rods will be 1/8" and the PowerArc 160 has plenty for that. You'll only be welding in the 60-125 amp range usually anyway. If you need to go larger, then the unit maxes out at 160 amps, but at a serious 60% duty cycle. The Lincoln, if I recall is only about 20% duty at full amps and you have to drop way down on amps to get to the 60% level. 70 amps is about 100% duty cycle.

The PowerArc can be slung under your arm like a satchel/purse, and carried. It weighs a little less than 35 lbs according to my scales. The Lincoln.....well, don't expect to pick it up, and be sure you get the wheel kit if you don't like hernias. On the PowerArc,if you need more cable, the dinse connectors make it easy to add longer cables as well. If you are interested, I can see what I can do for you.

Instead of presets, like you have on the Lincoln, with gaps in amps, you can infinitely control your amps up and down through out the range.

 

[rhett]

Kind of a thread Hi-Jack, but maybe not so?

A question for Mark.
What are the weights and diminsions of each unit (PowerArc 160 / 200).
Please respond with SAE measurements, I still refuse to assimilate to the metric system. Also my British Standard wrenches don't work so well around here either.

It would be nice if that information was on the site.

Thanks

 

[user.69169]

Well now, sure ain't my money you're spending less you work for the government, but I'll tell yyo my thinking since you asked.

I ain't ever in my life bought much of anything I didn't test out myself first. I can go over to the local wekding supply company and sit down in their lab as they call it and test any dang machine they have, and them fellows who work there will coach me along if I don't know what I'm doing which I generally don't. I sure can't do that on no dang internet!

Then there is the matter of warranty, shoot the government just took over GM & Chrysler do you really think the warranty on any of the cars people bought back before the government took em over amounts to squatt now? Warrantys are nice, and they sure do sound good when you're buying something new, but you gotta sit back and ask what's your experience been when you tried getting warranty service from anybody in the past. I can't say I ever been satisfied. When you buy something on the internet you generally don't even know where it came from so where you going to take it to get fixed if it needs fixing. Shoot, a salesman can promise you anything but when the rubber meets the road and you're paying the bills that salesman who sold you a Ford is today selling Chevys and he can't remember your name less you want to buy a Chevy.

I been doin a lot of reading up, and seems to me like a lot of welder machines from China look to be wonderful deals in 2007 turn out to be fatherless children in 2010. I read where one man who was in the TV business one day was in the welder machine business the next day and now he completely out of business and all the welders he sold are sitting on shelves wanting to be fixed. I figure these welder machines are what the computer generation calls Plug, play and throw away. Then theres the Rieland welder machines that 3 or 4 fellows were selling heck out of a few years back. You look around and first thing youlearn is nobody can service them machines cause the fellow who was importing them disappeared. So you got your money tied up in a machine that you need a 2 dollar part for and there ain't any parts. What you supposed to do, learn to write Chinese and send a letter to China?

Someplace back a while I saw a sign in a store said "The joy of a low price is forgotten long before the life of a poor machine is over" or something to that effect. I been riding the Earth around the Sun a good number of trips now, and what that sign said sure holds true in my world.

Another thing, when you got a problem with one of these mailorder machines, and even if the company who sold it to you still in business, where do you walk the machine into for service? If you gotta ship the machine across country whats that going to cost and who pays the freight BOTH ways? You looked at a freight rate chart lately?

Some things a man should buy local so he can get help from the seller when he needs help, and from this chair I gotta say a welder machine is one of them things. I sure wouldn't be looking to buy no welder machine from some kid in a red apron either. Shoot that kid probably knows less about welding than I do, and I bet a whole dollar he will be working in windows & doors 2 weeks from now when I need welding rods for the machine and some other kid will be the welding expert.

 

[wvpolekat]

I hear what you are saying (removed). But, do you really think that Lowes is going to stand behind that welder in a year? Nope. They are going to tell you to take it up with the mfg. Which means, I have to find a service center, which is probably at least a 2-3 hour drive in either Pittsburgh or Charleston. I promise you, taking the welder there and back to get serviced will cost me more than buying another.

 

[Danno1]

.


I've never used an Everlast, but having said that, I wouldn't buy an AC only machine.


.

 

[Scooby074]

get a miller lincolin or hobart from a local dealer (not lowes)

Id also get a DC machine. Those ac dc `tombstones`have reputations that are among the best out there. They run for years and years. way more than everlast`s 5 year,assuming everlast will be still be here in 5 that is.

as posted earlier there has been many burned with these chinese welders. many are unable to get repairs done as the importer or dealer has gone under.

Its hard to get a honest representation of problems out there with these machines, as everlast (and the other chinese importers) have a tendency to become the fourm`s sponsor then the complaint threads magically disappear.. Weldingweb was one place i remember complaint threads disappearing.

Just a heads up.

I should add im a proud Miller user. And my machines were made in the US, not china:thumbsup: Ive had zero issues in over 10 years of use (and abuse)

 

[W7XYZ]

I would not get the Lincoln AC-225 tombstone stick welder. If you really want one, they are available on the used market for $75-$100, and they're tough and last forever. The Lincoln AC/DC would be a better choice, but more expensive. AC welders aren't popular or as nice to use as DC units. I just sold my (1983) Lincoln AC-225 and plan on getting a DC inverter type. eBay has a Lincoln/Century 260 amp inverter type with free shipping for $275. That's what I'm planning on getting. I think there is also a Lincoln/Century unit for $250 that runs about 180 amps. I would avoid all imports. Stick with a big name US brand.

 

[wvpolekat]

Used is not really an option. If I found one, it would cost me as much as I am saving to go get it.

The main problem with Miller and such is the cost. They simply are not competing in the low cost/entry market.

The fact of the matter is that the only realistic options are more than likely going to come from China. Regardless of what brand they are. This is going to get occasional weekend use and it is just absurd to spend nearly $1000 on something that gets that kind of occasional use.

I need something that will go sparky-sparky and make metal stick together. If I have to buy a new one every 3 years at $300 a pop, I am still ahead of the game after 6-9 years. If I find that I am welding more, then that may cause me to look into a different class of welder.

There is a reason I didn't put this out there in the form of an open discussion about which welder of all the welders in the world I should get. Running to the welding shop from where I live just isn't an option. It would be an all day affair and cost me as much as the welder by the time I was done. The only reasonable options are Lowes and something that I can get shipped to me.

You guys can bash Everlast all you want. But, at the end of the day, the fact that they made even a small investment here puts them head and shoulders over the typical ebay seller or random website I find. Yes, it is possible that they will not be around in 3-4 years. Possible I won't be as well. When in the big picture, we are talking about a relatively low cost item of less than $500, that just isn't a huge concern to me. If it makes you guys feel better to spend 2-3 times as much to have a particular name on your welder, rock on. I don't roll like that. I look at ALL the factors and try to get the most bang for my buck. Just like there are people that will only buy JD stuff because them pesky Kubota tractors just may not be around in 5 years.