If all that was run was blue, Lincoln, ESAB, Thermal Would not be in business. Lincoln has a real racing program and some of the best speed shops and racing owners use them. Just because you see a lot of something doesn't mean it's the best....just that the sales team in that area did the best job. Look at any area of the country with tractors. You'll see large pockets of green, red, blue or some other color...not because it was the best tractor, but because it had the best sales/service team. Even in those areas, you'll find plenty of other colors. But you'll always think that someone will think whatever color they see the most of is the best one out there. One of my favorite "incidents" was when I was in farm equipment sales and working for a smaller tractor company. A young guy walks into our booth, obviously full of himself and something else, said, "If you ain't John Deere, then you aint ****!" very abruptly. I asked him of course if that is what he used, and he said something to the effect that "real farmers use them". I then asked him if he ever went to farm sales, in particular Bankruptcy auctions. He said, "yes, several". I asked him which color tractors he saw at those sales...and if he ever saw much of anything else. He hung his head, then nodded, and then quietly walked off.
Point is, I am not dogging on the Dynasty, but when you say it is the platinum standard, that is really like saying Ford or Chevy is the best because that is all you see...and ignoring real features or performance and a host of other things that may be of interest.
As far as duty cycle and power of the Dynasty 200DX that is a real issue,( again it's not saying the unit is bad or trashing it....just a fact that people often feel buyers remorse over), and one of the motivating factors for Miller bringing out the 280. It was a huge price gap and performance problem between the 200 DX and a 350. It was a real issue because of the limited duty cycle of the 200DX. A lot of the smaller guys do run up against the wall with these units and it does cripple them. And they were complaining they needed something in between. And a lot of guys do buy the number, not the performance, and expect to run it at that often...at least from the people I talk to everyday and what I've heard from them over the last 6 years about their plans for use. They always expect to use it near the max for a good bit of time. For aluminum, it is good for 1/4". And in the world of aluminum, that is not an uncommon thickness for a small fab shop. But here's the thing: The duty cycle where it reaches any real world use figures is around 150 amps. That's not quite good enough for serious 3/16" and any serious welding, but people will accept it because they don't know that they have options. They see the blue and think, well if they have it, it must be good! But the V205 lists 40%@200...and touts that as the "highest" in its class, which I am sure they don't take into account anyone but Miller in that statement. Then, when people see that they say "Huh..." and begin to realize that there is more and better out there. In reality, when you go into your local welding supply store and see nice shiny blue, the sales man is going to try to tell you horror stories about another brand, and will push their product. Same thing when you go into a store and see nothing but Lincoln. What is happening though is that the local salesman doesn't tell you if he sells so many of X brand, they get a nice free trip or some big spif at the end of the quarter...and maybe the brands regional rep takes them out for lunch at their favorite local hangout once a month when they stop in. And guess who pays for it? YOU do in the purchase price. There's a lot below the surface when you say something is a Platinum standard...and is the reason I asked people to qualify that based off of performance, actual use or something tangible other than seeing them in use somewhere. I know from customer testimony that Everlast has replaced or is slowly infiltrating fleets of other colors in factories,fab and speed shops because of our performance, price and capabilities. That is why I am not worried about the price point of the 200DV.
Without going into all the details, The Ahp is definitely better in my opinion than the other units made in that same factory...because there is a higher level of product support and involvement in production and long term plans for AHP. If people want to buy one, it is fine. It reinforces the need for a well priced product. But the PowerTIG 200DV is by no means overpriced. There are always people that want price over other functions and that is what the 200x unit delivers.
