Picked up my first welder today

[Mark @ Everlast]

I love how people without throw around the word "copy" when referring to non US "assembled" machines...and then deny jealousy, after making a reference to an arc quality and then one about parts availability when they have no experience or real knowledge about it whatsoever. Just use fear mongering and hearsay to try make an obtuse point. Every company has its weaknesses and problems and when the so called US built machines aren't any longer US made, but "assembled". I've seen my share of broken synchros sitting in the corner (and have sold a number of welders to replace them too!)...because of the cost to repair them exceeded the value to buy a new unit and expense it off taxes. You couldn't even begin to buy parts and pay labor to repair one of the mentioned Miller units for 300.00 for most any single breakdown.
Edit: case in point just posted:http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?380221-Syncrowave-250-1991-model-(guess-what-failed)

 

[joshuabardwell]

I'd hate to see the arc quality on a $300 220 amp inverter.

The typical complaint about budget inverters is that they break down and are difficult to get parts for and/or repair. Every single person I know who has actually welded on one has said the arc quality is amazing. And these are people who own high-end Millers and Lincolns too, so they know what they're comparing to.

 

[Arc weld]

Shield Arc has a collection of some of the finest welders ever made. He also has a $300 Everlast inverter. When he says his "cheap" inverter welds every bit as good as his short hoods, Red faces and V-350 Pro, you can take it to the bank!:thumbsup: He even states it is the best arc for the money bar none. How can you argue with that?:confused3:

 

[Jim Timber]

TIG Welders Compared: Miller Dynasty 200DX vs Everlast PowerTig 200DX - LostGarage

Ok, so they bought a $300 machine and immediately want to put $500 into new controls/torch. Not exactly a glowing review.

 

[Arc weld]

A pretty biased review though. From the outset they referred to it as a China welder. Even went on to say "if you don't mind having a made in China product." Put the same torch and foot pedals on both and then do a blind taste test. Who cares where it's made. I'm sure if you spent enough time you could find reviews skewed which ever way you wanted to support your claims.

 

[Jim Timber]

It was literally the first review I saw. They said things like the arc quality was poorer on the Everlast. Everlast's 13db louder than the Miller, which is actually an astronomical difference, since every 9db is a perceived doubling to a human ear, which means it's 2.4 times louder as heard by people. That actually is a very important metric, as it means I need to crank my tunes up that much louder to hear them over the machine. Arc starting and smoothness sucked in comparison - that must be a biased review metric too?

As I said, not exactly glowing. In fact, the only thing they praised about it was that all the features had their own switches. Every other aspect was tempered with the purchase price as the justification for why it was ok to suck. "The torch sucked, but the machine was cheap." "The foot pedal was worthless, but we only paid $300 for the whole thing." "Every accessory that came with it is junk." Those aren't the words of a happy customer.

Yes, you do pay more for a Miller or Lincoln. If enough people didn't think they were worth it, they would be selling for $299 too. Try finding one used for that price. Even their 15 year old 120v migs sell for more than that.

All of which is no reason to crap on this guy's thread for spending $180 on a Lincoln he's happy with!

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Duty cycle on the Miller at 200 amps is 15-20% duty cycle. On the Everlast 200DX it is 60%....a very important metric YOU missed when it relates to fan noise. And it can vary where they measured the sound level since the construction is different...Yes, though I agree they are louder, but performance difference in duty cycle is significant. The fact they upgraded the torch is a non issue, since Millers do not come with a torch and their foot pedal was an aftermarket for comparison... ( which we offer an upgrade as an option as well as the torches...but the fact remains all the Miller components and accessories were not OEM as you buy them separately) You also missed: "In terms of price for performance, it can't be beat". Sounds like you picked what you wanted from that to prove your point. You also missed: " Both units perform essentially the same..." You also may have missed their recommendations about it being a good welder for an import later on too. You also missed the statement about the arc quality was subjective, not objective. And many other videos online where the arc quality is broken down side by side with a MIller and the capability is either the same or better with the Everlast for low end work. These guys wrote a good review. This is an older model unit review as well. We've changed torches, cables, covers, and foot pedals as well in over all response to demand....but still these are "bonus" items you don't get with a standard Miller. No where did they say arc starting sucked in comparison. They said they were similar as there "wasn't a big difference between the two..." Oh, and you missed where they said the Everlast seemed to put out more amperage than the Miller...which indeed is possibly true since measuring amperage can be done differently in welders. Geesh.

The only reason I answered in this thread was the obvious, uniformed jab made at imported welders. Not to mention that Miller is importing these days too...but still charging the same prices if not more.

On the one hand for the OP the price was fair, and did not get overcharged. On the other hand, it is a light duty cycle machine, particularly on DC, which limits you to 125 Amps...which for 75.00 more you can have a new 140 amp DC machine with a full warranty for 5 years. But to each his own on that. I"ve used a buzz box exactly like this for years. They work fine, but arc isn't the same for sure.

 

[Shield Arc]

Shield Arc has a collection of some of the finest welders ever made. He also has a $300 Everlast inverter. When he says his "cheap" inverter welds every bit as good as his short hoods, Red faces and V-350 Pro, you can take it to the bank!:thumbsup: He even states it is the best arc for the money bar none. How can you argue with that?:confused3:

If I didn't see and hear it for my self, I would call BS. When I started out all we had on jobs were Short hoods, and Red face machines. Latter SAEs, Big 40s etc, etc. First time I ever ran an inverter was at Miller's testing facility in North West Chicago. We got to run any machine Miller had there, including engine drives. I fell in love with the Dynastys. Latter bought my Dynasty 300. The sad part, I paid $6,500.00 for the Dynasty Tig runner, my $300. 00 + Everlast PowerArc 200 will weld circles around the Dynasty 300 on SMAW!:confused3:

 

[CNC Dan]

If I didn't see and hear it for my self, I would call BS. When I started out all we had on jobs were Short hoods, and Red face machines. Latter SAEs, Big 40s etc, etc. First time I ever ran an inverter was at Miller's testing facility in North West Chicago. We got to run any machine Miller had there, including engine drives. I fell in love with the Dynastys. Latter bought my Dynasty 300. The sad part, I paid $6,500.00 for the Dynasty Tig runner, my $300. 00 + Everlast PowerArc 200 will weld circles around the Dynasty 300 on SMAW!:confused3:

Me too. I have the miller 200DX for TIG, but found I use it more for stick.
But at $4,000 I don't like to take it out of the shop.

So I got a PA200ST and now it's my favorite welder. Smaller and lighter and dual voltage input.

I still love my Dynasty, but if I had known about Everlast when I bought it, I would have tried one of theirs first.

 

[arrow]

All of which is no reason to crap on this guy's thread for spending $180 on a Lincoln he's happy with!

I noticed no one crapping on his welder at all. I do not believe anyone stated "you bought a ****** welder" I did notice someone exclaiming that for similar money that one could get an inverter. At that point , the typical "mine is better than yours" type guy immediately disparaged the inverter arc and probably did so with no experience of ever having seen or used one. No one talked about , durability or parts or quality of accessories... you brought that up simply to justify your blind predjudice. So yeah "really". The arc is fabulous. Also, do you realize you are doing the exact same thing as what you are railing against and that is disparaging (or what you see as disparagement) of guys who decided to buy inverters? You could have said "so the arc is that good? Good to hear"