LWS - can they survive

[Arc weld]

Welding supplies used to have very knowledgeable people, not all of them but at least someone they could go to. Demo rooms were common too. I consider myself to be reasonably knowledgeable with respect to welding and I've also been the customer. The last place I worked had 3 people come in wanting advice on welding up there own ultralight aircraft and had no welding experience at all. :shocked:

The one thing that really annoys me with any salesperson is someone who pretends to know what they're talking about (or what you're talking about). I will give the most honest answer I can. I might occasionally be misinformed but it's not intentional. If I can't answer a customers question because I don't know the correct answer, I will either tell them that or try to find the correct answer or someone that knows the correct answer. Had a customer wanting flux-core wire for T-1 steel. They were 3/4 finished a project and asked for the same 70,000 tensile wire like they had purchased from another welding supply. I didn't say the other supplier was blatantly wrong but I did say they should be using 110,000 tensile wire. I sent them the correct wire along with the spec. sheet and parameters figuring they might be better informed. They were a specialty machine shop building a hydraulic tensile testing machine. I don't know what it was for but it's kind of scary to think what would happen if it broke. As far as someone building their own airplane, the first thing I'd recommend is to get someone with considerable welding experience. As a salesperson, sometimes you get customers coming in that have no clue what they're talking about too. You try and gently steer them in the right direction but if they don't want to listen, there's nothing you can do to convince them. Tungsten's for an inverter is a good example. At work we printed off an article on tungsten's to show customers. Interestingly enough the sales manager wants me to read up on the latest technology but had no clue an inverter didn't need continuous high frequency on AC. :ashamed: He tried to back track after I said an inverter is a higher frequency to begin with. I guess you get it all forms.:laughing:

 

[muddstopper]

What really p'ed me off was the salesman telling my buddy I didnt know what I was talking about, right in front of me. This in itself wouldnt have been so bad since I dont claim to be an expert, except he didnt know what he was talking about either. Now if he had said I was wrong and he had knew what he was talking about, and he could have offered up some useful information, I would have been all ears and been glad he was able to teach me something. That was not the case.

 

[ENC]

I think LWS's are invaluable. A fee year ago I was Lowes for some lumber or something and there was a Lincoln Power Mig 175 (220v machine about $700 new) looking like it fell off a pallet still in the box. Marked down to like 550 and said regulator damaged. I looked at it and the regulator needed a new tank gauge and stem going towards the machine. But the front plastic cover of the machine was also all banged up with pieces missing. I called the manager and pointed this out and asked what he could come down to. While he was thinking I said No returns if it doesn't work I won't bring it back. He said $235.

When I got to looking for Lincoln parts and service online it directed me to the LWS a couple towns over. I called them explained what happened and what I needed and he said he would have the parts in a few days and I could pay when I picked them up (offered a CC over the phone). Went to get the parts and mouthed off that I was wanting a torch but didn't like the China made stuff or the worn out pawn shop stuff and he said can I quote you a Victor set up. He did but I didn't have the $$ that day and wanted to price check anyway.

Got the Welder parts for about $40 bucks and wound up buying the torch from him. I own the bottles but choose to exchange with him and I like his wire bett rbthan the stuff I can buy at Lowes also.

He also said he can beat anybody else's prices on portable propane bottles refilled also.