Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello to everyone who knows these machines better than I do. I need an affordable, probably imported machine to teach myself to tig aluminum tubing. Looking for a machine with similar specs to a miller dynasty 200dx. By similar I mean "kinda" .I certainly understand that I get what I pay for, and import machines don't stand up to the gold standard of miller and Lincoln, but my budget is way less than a premium machine. All that said, its kinda between a thermal arc and a everlast. Please give me your opinions. thermal arc seems to come with nice (tweco and victor) acsesories which semms appealing but everlast has a little bit of a following. what do yall think?

Everlast PowerTig 200DX
I have one. It runs great. I have used the Dynasty 200DX a lot and
Everlast had the Dynasty in mind when they built their unit.

would you improve on the components like torch or pedal? anything you don't like? does it make much difference welding aluminum at 200 hz versus say the thermal arc seems to only go up to 150hz?

Yeah the torch it comes with is a club.
I use my WP-9 for most of what I do.

The foot pedal it comes with is okay but they sell an upgrade pedal that I hear is a lot smoother.

The HTP 221 is going to be my next machine. Last year they did a 10% off Black Friday sale. I'm hoping they do the same this year. Regardless, that is what I'm saving towards. I really like that it comes with an SSC pedal and a CK torch. At $2500, it has a lot of capability and range of adjustments. I wouldn't feel a need to upgrade unless I was looking at a dynasty 350. Just all my opinion of course.

The Everlast tipped in at $1200.00
That leaves a lot of do re mi to upgrade accessories with.

ok, so where is the most reputable place to buy an everlast or htp machine? is the htp worth twice the money as everlast machine. what im asking here is, there must be a quality difference. I think htp uses better parts, maybe a longer lasting machine. so far lots of people seem to like the everlast. I assume since the price point is less that larger numbers have sold and therefore the machines are widespread. im thinkn maybe buy the green one with the dials, since it looks like an idiot like me can figure out the settings. I don't mind buying some upgrade components. or should I get an htp and call it good? one of my local shops wants to sell me a thermal arc 186 which I don't think has as many features as say the evrlst or htp. ie it only welds up to 150hz. any opinions? since there isn't as much chatter about the thermal arc machine, im kinda straying away from it

At the end of the day, only you can decide what to buy with your money.

STORY; Years ago, I traded a $150 used dirt bike for a motor boat. The bike had lots of issues and I didn't want to deal with them. The boat worked fine but I didn't want it either. I only wanted my $150 back. So, I took the motor off and put it in the shed, as the motor was worth at least $500. I tried to sell the boat for $150, but several months went by and nobody wanted to buy it. I stopped to think about the problem for a moment, and changed the price to $850 and the boat sold the following day. BTW - I also got $500 for the motor.

The moral of the story is that sometimes when things are priced very low, people feel that they are either stolen or complete junk. Nothing can be further from the truth. I own the Everlast PowerPro 205 and love it. I bought it for $1500 including taxes and delivery. It is a stick, plasma cutter and AC Tig machine. Best money that I ever spent. So, if you strongly feel like you should pay more money for a similar machine, go for it. At the end of the day, only you can decide what to buy with your money.

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/dealer-locator.php

+1

WerkSpace wrote:At the end of the day, only you can decide what to buy with your money.

STORY; Years ago, I traded a $150 used dirt bike for a motor boat. The bike had lots of issues and I didn't want to deal with them. The boat worked fine but I didn't want it either. I only wanted my $150 back. So, I took the motor off and put it in the shed, as the motor was worth at least $500. I tried to sell the boat for $150, but several months went by and nobody wanted to buy it. I stopped to think about the problem for a moment, and changed the price to $850 and the boat sold the following day. BTW - I also got $500 for the motor.

The moral of the story is that sometimes when things are priced very low, people feel that they are either stolen or complete junk. Nothing can be further from the truth. I own the Everlast PowerPro 205 and love it. I bought it for $1500 including taxes and delivery. It is a stick, plasma cutter and AC Tig machine. Best money that I ever spent. So, if you strongly feel like you should pay more money for a similar machine, go for it. At the end of the day, only you can decide what to buy with your money.

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/dealer-locator.php

100% agree

It can either do what you want or it can't. spending more can make you feel better, but more money in my pocket always makes me feel better.

zank wrote:The HTP 221 is going to be my next machine. Last year they did a 10% off Black Friday sale. I'm hoping they do the same this year. Regardless, that is what I'm saving towards. I really like that it comes with an SSC pedal and a CK torch. At $2500, it has a lot of capability and range of adjustments. I wouldn't feel a need to upgrade unless I was looking at a dynasty 350. Just all my opinion of course.

These guys are local to me. A couple blocks from of my customers. I was more interested in their cooler than a welder. I called them and was told I could just stop by. I met with Paul. He showed me the cooler. We talked about hooking it to my current machine and how it would be ready to hook to their machine when I purchased the 221. The have an area set up for demos and instruction, IIRC. Told me I was welcome to try out a machine. THey have a 90 day money back gaurentee. 3 year warranty. I don't work for them, but I was treated right, even though the only thing I bought was a tig torch holder. I like the fact that they are local. I especially like the fact that It's not chinese. I priced a dynasty when I was at a trade show last year. Over 10K. I'm welding with a 55+ year old P&H tranny now and it does everything I need it to But I sure do need a new cooler.

Only 3 years on the HTP?

The Everlast has a 5 year warranty.

Aside from the extra $1000 for the HTP 221, I'm not fond of the 20% duty cycle.

The PowerPro 205 has a 60% duty cycle and comes with a 50 amp plasma cutter and stick holder.
It also has the foot pedal, tig torch, spare consumables, regulators, etc, etc.
My main reason for choosing the 205 over the 256 was because I didn't have to rewire the garage.
The standard 240v-30amp breaker works fine. The duty cycle is very reasonable.

Compare the statistics for yourself. It's your money, spend it any way that you want.
http://www.usaweld.com/TIG-WELDER-Inver ... 1-12.5.htm
http://www.everlastgenerators.com/Power ... 79-pd.html

BTW - Most electronic components are made in China or India. It's a global market place.

Alumike, you must be local to me, I'm just north of the airport. HTP has also treated me right in the past. I'm very close to getting one of their 130amp MIG's dedicated to .023 wire for auto body work. My PM300 is just too much.

How did you like their cooler? I'm also interested in that for my Syncro 250.

I've had good luck with my Everlast 160STH, haven't played with any of their AC stuff. Most of their issues seem to stem from shipping and handling, with cases being brutalized and components knocked lose and so forth. Before I lucked into my Syncro 250 on C/L, I was close to getting their DX200. I may still do that for my house unit since the Syncro needs at least a 70 amp circuit, with 90 or 100 being better. But as it stands, I keep the STH160 at the house and any aluminum I just bring to work. S/F....Ken M

this past summer i had to re-qualify for my nyc building dept welder's license. the testing lab had racks of everlast machines similar to the lincoln 6 packs you see on every new hi-rise erection site. i burned 5/32" 7018 rods steadily for about 3 hours and that everlast welder was running great. no tripped breakers no voltage or amperage drop in either the overhead or vertical positions. afterwards i was talking to the owner and he had nothing but good things to say about them.

thanks for the input. I think its gonna be an everlast 200dx. sorry I havn't been around for awhile.

rafter aron wrote:thanks for the input. I think its gonna be an everlast 200dx. sorry I havn't been around for awhile.

I think you'll be extremely satisfied. Solid machine.

I picked up the Everlast 200DX-D from Everlast Canada last week. Played around with it all night and found it easy to use. Very versatile machine. I've played with the Miller Synchrowave 200 and a Dynasty 185. A friend of mine has a Miller DX200 that he swears buy. Even he was impressed by how smooth the Everlast was. Everlasts after purchase support is pretty good too from what I've read. Yes, they are made in China but so are most of the components of the Millers and Lincoln's. Thermal Arc is made in China. It's the way things are today. Talking with Duncan at Everlast, he explained why the torch that came with the unit is a bit clunky. They have to sell a torch that will carry the full amperage of the unit. Otherwise people will complain of how they sold it with a cheap torch. Most of my welding is on light stuff for now so I picked up a WP9. I may just pick up a W17 too. For now I'm happier than a schoolgirl on prom night with my purchase.

Congratulations on your purchase.

MrBoiler wrote:I picked up the Everlast 200DX-D from Everlast Canada last week. Played around with it all night and found it easy to use. Very versatile machine. I've played with the Miller Synchrowave 200 and a Dynasty 185. A friend of mine has a Miller DX200 that he swears buy. Even he was impressed by how smooth the Everlast was. Everlasts after purchase support is pretty good too from what I've read. Yes, they are made in China but so are most of the components of the Millers and Lincoln's. Thermal Arc is made in China. It's the way things are today. Talking with Duncan at Everlast, he explained why the torch that came with the unit is a bit clunky. They have to sell a torch that will carry the full amperage of the unit. Otherwise people will complain of how they sold it with a cheap torch. Most of my welding is on light stuff for now so I picked up a WP9. I may just pick up a W17 too. For now I'm happier than a schoolgirl on prom night with my purchase.

Being an old TIG welder and retired, I purchased the 2013 Everlast PowerTig 200DX 200AMP 110/220 DUAL VOLTAGE PULSE ACDC WELDER about 5 weeks ago. I purchased this machine as a toy for myself, but another objective I have is to pass on some skills and knowledge to a local kid or two, teaching them how to Tig weld pipe, since I have experience teaching welding in a VoTech School. There is big money to be made for those that can pass the tests required for pipe welding in the Nuclear and Petro-Chemical Industries, and I enjoy making some of these kids competent enough to become employable in those fields. I've used a lot of Red and Blue machines and Shorthoods, and I'm thrilled with this "Green" one!
It is an excellent machine. I like quality, and I really don't care where the machine is manufactured.
You can read my review on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Everlast-PowerTig ... ewpoints=1

Welcome Mate,

Glad to hear that you are keen to pass on skillls, some younuns need all the direction they can get.

Mick

my everlast 200dx 110/220 unit is in the mail. got a good deal I think. $1250 no tax no shipping with deluxe torch n reg kit, and consumable kit. CANT WAIT!!!

Congatulations!

Keep us updated!

Steve S

MagicHat wrote:Being an old TIG welder and retired, I purchased the 2013 Everlast PowerTig 200DX 200AMP 110/220 DUAL VOLTAGE PULSE ACDC WELDER about 5 weeks ago. I purchased this machine as a toy for myself, but another objective I have is to pass on some skills and knowledge to a local kid or two, teaching them how to Tig weld pipe, since I have experience teaching welding in a VoTech School. There is big money to be made for those that can pass the tests required for pipe welding in the Nuclear and Petro-Chemical Industries, and I enjoy making some of these kids competent enough to become employable in those fields. I've used a lot of Red and Blue machines and Shorthoods, and I'm thrilled with this "Green" one!
It is an excellent machine. I like quality, and I really don't care where the machine is manufactured.
You can read my review on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Everlast-PowerTig ... ewpoints=1

Thanks for adding your review,

Thanks, also for being willing to pass on some skills in a trade I find poorly lacking these days. The industry is suffering from a combination of skilled hands retiring and taking up fishing (rather than teaching), trade schools that barely make their students "literate" in welding, and headhunter/temp agencies staffing serious industrial jobs with low-dollar undertrained workers.

I don't have the luxuries of a home shop or the time retirement provides, but at work, when I find someone who really wants to learn, I will take the time to teach.

Steve S

Thanks Steve for the nice comments, and also to Mick. (Welding Mike) There are not enough "qualified" pipe welders in many places, and if we can't pass knowledge and skills on to other interested folks, what does that say about us?