Has anybody tried Everlast TIG welders? 180 amp, 35% duty cycle for $950 seems like a bargain....Thoughts? Pat
Take that $950 and set it aside. Then when you have another $950 to add to it get yourself a real TIG welder, buy a Miller Diversion 180. When the Everlast is ready for the scrap metal heap the Miller will still be welding. Not quite twice the price for the Miller, but way more than twice the machine.
Sometimes it is tough to spend about $ 2,000 on a piece of equipment, but I agree with the comments about saving up and buying a Miller or other name brand welder. In the long run you will save money and have a better piece of equipment. We have a Miller Mig that has been in operation since about 2004 and the only thing we have done to it has been to replace the wire liner. That welder has laid down miles and miles of troublefree welds. We also have a Miller Tig that is just starting to be used, and I suspect it will give us the same great service as it's Mig Brother. If you are stepping up to a Tig it means you are serious about your welding so investing is something that will give you pleasure and reliability for years and years is the thing to do IMO. As was mentioned, you can find some real deals in the used market right now due to the economy. I would not be afraid of a preowned Miller, Lincoln, or Hobart as long as it looked good and test welded good. Don
As there are Ford and Chevy people, there are Lincoln and Miller people. We tend to favor the brand we learned on but in reality there are very few differences with brand name equipment. Shop around and look for a good used machine. Check with your local welding supply and ask them to let you know when they get something in on trade that you can afford. Sometimes the local tech schools sell of old equipment too. You will never regret buying quality.
Bought a diversion 165 (Miller) around christmas and paid about $1300 and bought an aftermarket foot pedal for another $150. This made my purchase about $400 less than the diversion 180. It is easy to learn on and should last my lifetime. Mike
I agree about the entry level Hobart, Miller or Lincoln.....Just stumbled across the Everlast ad on Craigslist. I agree with the statement of "buy cheap, buy again"
I own an Everlast tig. it's an LX225 and a purchased a cooler to go with it. I've owned it for a couple years now. no problems with it, but there are people i've read about who have had issues with welders. The big problem here is if you own lincoln or miller you can take it back down to your LWS and have them fix it. with an everlast you have the option to ship it back to them to fix or you can have them ship you the part they think is wrong and you get to replace it yourself. the tig itself seems to be a pretty nice quality unit. the torch and pedal that come with it are nowhere near on par with a good CK torch setup or anyone else's pedal. you basically have to spend 2-300 right out of the gate for a new torch and pedal. (this is really no different than a miller/lincoln because they don't include them with the welder generally)
I don't know anything about the welder asked about. What I can tell you is that I learned(could already gas and stick weld) to TIG on a cheap crappy machine. With no basis for comparison I didn't realize it was holding me back. When I switched jobs and started using better equipment my welding improved a lot. Once you are a decent welder you can do an acceptable job with a low grade machine. But, you will notice a big difference in how good and low grade machines weld. Not long ago I sold a Miller 250 Dialarc for less than you are prepared to pay for the machine you asked about. Point being, as others pointed out, a good deal on the right used machine would be the best value. Obviously, as with any used purchase, it's important you know what you are getting
Thermal Arcs are also awesome machines IMO. Thats mostly what I have been learning to TIG on and I really like them.
Ditto, ditto, ditto,.... When the inexpensive (aka cheap) item fails, you have to replace it...and have then spent more than the "pricier" name brand item was , to begin with...... False "economy", I've heard it called..... 4TTRUK
Like a good share or newer welders, those are inverter machines. Most of the welders I know and have worked with prefer inverter machines. Maybe because most of my experience is with traditional transformer type machines, I like those better. Either works fine, but the two types do behave differently.
i`ve got a everlast power pro 256, I tried to find a used miller or lincoln in my area for 2 years and couldn`t find anything, i did have a problem with my first machine, they replaced it free of charge, the new machine has worked flawlessly, welds beautifully, plasma cutter cuts like butter, works good for my application.
Too bad your in wa. I have a super clean Lincoln squarewave 175 pro with cart for sale in so-cal. $1200 small ones....deal.
Just remember a 35% duty cycle is 21 min out of an hour. It has been my experiance that once the duty cycle is hit it doesn't take as long to hit it again. You really have to let them cool to get that time again.
I could see spending the extra $$ when buying a piece of equipment that will be used in a production facility welding many hours a day, everyday, all year long for multiple years. For the hobbist or person that wants to TIG in their garage for small projects, I'm all for the cheaper machine, especially when you're learning, and may not be sure if you want to get a bigger machine. No one ever said you couldn't sell it to get a big name machine in the future...
I bought the Diversion 180 for $1800 and am very satisfied with it. Its 50lbs and an AC/DC unit. The Diversion 165 isn't to much. Finally started welding aluminum, its fun!! If you have the money I'd get the diversion. I love mine.
Years ago I bought a Miller 330 A/BP TIG used for $300. You can weld thin sheetmetal all the way up to heavy plate. You can stickweld,TIG and arc gouge with it. It's big,old and ugly but still works great!
The best machine ever made. I missed one a short while ago, it was a brand new one from the navy shipyards in norfolk. Just the machine, no cart, pedals etc and i bet it went for a couple hundred. I'd like to have one for parts if i ever need them.
Watch some of the videos on youtube with the Everlast equipment. Some of these guys have been welding for years professionally and they seem to love the Everlast ones even when the weld with Millers also. I don't think they are as bad as some people think they are. I got an Everlast plasma and it kicks ass. Look up Everlast plasma on Youtube also. It's a pretty impresive machine. I think that most all circuit boards are overseas makes now. Even in the American models. Go figure. I bought a 180 Syncrowave off of Craigs list with a ton of consumables. Like 5 tubes full of Stainless, Aluminum, steel etc and talk about collets and all different kinds of tig rod for $1200. The only thing about this machine is that it's heavy and takes at least 50 amp circuit. It's not an inverter but it is all digital.
Well i can say this, I have a shop and have a miller, hobart and lincoln units. About a year and a half ago i was wanting something more portable so looked around and did not want to spend 2k for something that wasn't used all the time.Did some research and found that a lot of units guys are talking about on here when it comes to inverter tech, have the boards manufactured in China. So i took a chance on a Everlast 200dx half the price of anything else with the same features. Has a 5yr warranty. I most likely weld more than the average home guy, I can say i have had both the hobart repaired and the lincoln. The everlast is still going strong and have not had to repair anything on it.Because of its size and weight i find myself putting it in the back of the truck or trunk of the car and using it at the house or someone else's . I am pretty impressed with the thing for the $$$$. Ck out welding tips and tricks .com, Jody did a test on one , a professional welder and had only good to say about it. Maybe i was just lucky but i would not hesitate to buy one again.
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