Last Friday afternoon I called up Mark and ordered a Powerarc 300. He was very helpful in answering my questions. My machine showed up today. 3 business days California to Texas ain't bad. The machine was nicely packaged and the first thing I had to do was install the power plug as it does not come with one because it can run on single or three phase. I don't know if it was just the 15 degree weather or what but the power cord was very stiff and kind of difficult to work with putting the plug on. Not a big deal but I wire up a lot of things and this was the stiffest cord I think I have messed with in a while. The leads included are heavy duty but short. I did not measure them but maybe ten foot each. I have 100' leads on order but they are not here yet.
Maybe you guys up north can handle it but 15 degrees is darn cold for a Texas boy. My shop heater crapped out on me last week so it was cold and I didn't spend a lot of time with the machine but I had to burn a few rods before retreating to the warmth of the house. First test was some 1/8" 5p+ at 110 amps. It started easy and ran super smooth. Definitely better than my thunderbolt and even better than my trailblazer 302. I then welded a bead with a 5/32 7018 at 180 amps. Again super smooth. Aside from the smooth welding the machine runs smooth. My old thunderbolt was loud and when welding at higher amps it sounded like I was firing up an electric chair or something. The powerarc just purrs along and does not seem to be working hard at all.
I have not used it a lot but definitely am impressed and feel this was one of the most bang for the buck welding purchases I have made.
Maybe you guys up north can handle it but 15 degrees is darn cold for a Texas boy. My shop heater crapped out on me last week so it was cold and I didn't spend a lot of time with the machine but I had to burn a few rods before retreating to the warmth of the house. First test was some 1/8" 5p+ at 110 amps. It started easy and ran super smooth. Definitely better than my thunderbolt and even better than my trailblazer 302. I then welded a bead with a 5/32 7018 at 180 amps. Again super smooth. Aside from the smooth welding the machine runs smooth. My old thunderbolt was loud and when welding at higher amps it sounded like I was firing up an electric chair or something. The powerarc just purrs along and does not seem to be working hard at all.
I have not used it a lot but definitely am impressed and feel this was one of the most bang for the buck welding purchases I have made.
