I bought an Everlast PowerArc 200 last year. The machine is great and the customer service (In Australia) I got was spot on.
However what pissed me greatly was the cheap arse stinger/electrode holder. It was the first thing I noticed and turned out to be crap. Rather than grip the rod it sort of jammed it in the side.
Any I was given a brand new (all be it old) one from the wife of an electrician mate that died. A good quality heavy duty tong type one, so I bunged it on straight away. Time will tell when I try it out, if its any good. I reckon it'll be alot better than the original.
Both kinds have advocates that swear by them. It is what ever makes you comfortable.
My PA200 came with a tong type clamp (like the lower one). Your old one doesn't have much insulation around the jaws so you'll have to be especially careful not to short it while getting it into tight spots.
Here in the USA those tong clamps with insulation that runs the length of the holder is about $15US. I'm cheap and burn the rod right up to the insulation. Eventually, it gets dried out, cracks, and needs replaced. Not sure if the last 1/2" of rod is worth what it costs me in clamps.
If you had to "jamb" the rod in the holder in the first pic, it was defective. That style has a "twist-lock" mechanism, that loosens and tightens the jaws like a vice, and is sometimes preferred by folk who like to bend the rod to their desired angle.
Throw it out! I got the same one on the Everlast 250Ex I purchased. Buy the same style Made by Bernard from your local weld shop and put it on. Better yet put on a regular spring clamp type on your machine and take the new Bernard, add 6' of cable with a heavy copper flat lug wrapped with a piece of rubber for an insulator on the opposite end to clamp into any spring type holder and you'll have a great whip line for any machine your using when you need to hold a rod good and tight. Not as fast as changing rods in the spring clamp type but I bet you use it 90% of the time your stick welding, especially when you have to bend that rod to get into an odd position. Been using mine for over 30 years. Ed
