Anyone Have Any Experience with Multiplaz Welder/Cutter?

That looks pretty cool. There's a dealer about a half-hour's drive from me. When my work settles down in a week or so, I'll get in touch with them for a demo - they say they have open house demos Monday - Friday. This could change my TIG buying plans.

I paid about that price for an Everlast EX 250 amp TIG/stick/spot welding machine . Inverter machine , all the bells and whistles - pre&post flow/pulse/variable freq/AC balance/AC-DC/2T-4T and came with a water cooled torch and foot pedal . I placed my order on the phone , ended up getting a slightly used air cooled torch too . I broke my foot pedal shortly after getting mine , they sent a new one when I asked for just the repair part . Check them out .

When you see the demo ask them if thier machine has any problem with hydrogen embrittlement. Afterall that thing uses water and alcohol. There is a reason the major welding machine manufactures haven't jumped on that technology. Welds that crack can be costly.

Best Regards Tom.

Wouldn't work for me, I'd be way to busy buying "fuel" for the torch... Wonder if it likes scotch or vodka better???????

Doug White wrote in news:XnsA35A7ADB0DC30gwhitealummitedu@69.16.179.43:

exploded.

I waded through the whole thread on the welding site (15 pages worth). The one guy who has one is very happy with it. There are lots of usual jerks who insist on carping about anything that isn't what they are used to. They keep complaining about it, and then wondering why everyone isn't using one. Given the number of knee-jerk "it can't be any good" reactions, it's no wonder it isn't more common. I think it's a combination of poor marketing & all too common resistance to change. It _would_ be nice if someone could do a head-to-head comparison, with bend tests & sectioned welds, but the guy who has one is a hobbiest & isn't interested in taking the time & energy to placate the naysayers. I think his welds look OK, but lots of the pros on the forum insist on nitpicking about the weld quality in photos he posted when he had just started using the machine.

I can see where a pro would be leery of using it on a paying job with laywers hovering around. Especially if they already have a suite of conventional, accepted machines at the ready.

I don't have a welder or a OA torch at this point, and don't have room for tanks & a big welder. Given that it can cut, braze, heat (for bending), and weld a variety of materials, all in a compact package, it sounds like it would work well for my hobby needs. For the amount of welding I might do, I'd probably have to pay for hydrotesting with every fill. Aside from storage issues, that makes welding with tanks all the more expensive.

The last time I did welding, it was with an OA torch in junior high school shop (about 40 years ago...). It sounds like this thing welds more like a torch than an arc welder, so that could be another plus (for me).

I'm not about to dash out & buy one, but I'm still intrigued. Once I'm fully retired, I plan on taking a welding course at the local vocational high school. From what little I know, I can't cut or braze with TIG/MIG. In theory I can weld aluminum & stainless with OA, but it sounds tricky (aluminum especially), and there's still the tank storage issue. Ideally, I would have a plasma cutter, TIG, MIG, and OA. That ain't gonna happen.

It IS disconcerting that after all this time there aren't more dealers listed. The web site _claims_ they have plenty around the US & Canada, but they only have ONE listed. I may send them an email & see if they actually have more they aren't listing (who knows why..?).

Doug White

Not sure where you are but I was browsing the various hackerspace type organizations near Baltimore and found one that lists a multiplaz on their list of equipment. If you are close, visit, otherwise maybe call or email and see what they think.

This surfaced here a couple of years ago:

There was considerable skepticism at the time. They still seem to be in business, although their network of US dealers hasn't exactly exploded. There's a lengthy thread here:

with some actual user feedback, and as far as I read, the guy who bought one was pretty happy.

Just curious if anyone here has had any first hand experience with one, or has seen one in action by now?

Thanks!

Doug White

"Carl Ijames" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news3.newsguy.com:

Interesting. I'm in the Boston area. I bet a hackerspace shop would put one through a solid workout. If nothing else, I could contact them & see what they think of it.

Of course, they may also have one because someone gave it to them when they discovered it didn't work very well...

Doug White

A couple of years ago my boss bought one. it was for a project we were doing as a full service commercial remodeling company. Nobody had any w3lding experience in my company so I asked to be the one to work with it. Within 20 minutes of watching the inclosed indtructional video i successfully welded my first 2 pieces of metal tubing together (by successfully I mean a good weld, first attempts were still decent) this was aluminum by the way, sopposidly one of the harder metals to weld. Never used another welder, but a great product in my opinion. Looking to purchase one in the near future for home projects. Any questions about it i would be happy to answer to the best of my knowledge.

Jay

From what little I know, I can't cut or braze with

Tig works great for brazing, but you need to use silicon bronze filler. It is too hot for filler with zinc in it.

Dan

The hydrogen embrittlement question will need an answer on this unit. I'm only a hobbyist doing TIG/OA but a friend of mine is interested in this welder.

e. When my work settles down in a week or so, I'll get in touch with them f or a demo - they say they have open house demos Monday - Friday. This could change my TIG buying plans.

OK, responding to my own post (but it's almost a year later), Banquer be da mned.

My work did not settle down as I had expected, and I actually got busier, w hich, I guess, is a good thing. I'm just finishing up a job (I'll be done h ere today, and will install on the customer's machine next week), and I'm p utting this back up on the upper part of my to-do list.

me. When my work settles down in a week or so, I'll get in touch with them for a demo - they say they have open house demos Monday - Friday. This cou ld change my TIG buying plans.

which, I guess, is a good thing. I'm just finishing up a job (I'll be done here today, and will install on the customer's machine next week), and I'm putting this back up on the upper part of my to-do list.

So now I'm REALLY treading on Banquer territory, responding to my own post within a half-hour...

I just got of the phone with the US headquarters. The dealer that was locat ed a half-hour from me is, sadly, no more. They don't have ANY dealers clos er to me than Kentucky, and honestly, I'd rather go to the manufacturer in Switzerland. I'm going to try to get them hooked up with a tool dealer near by, but there's no way that's going to happen overnight.

I asked if there's anything like a money-back guarantee, and there is not. There's a 14-day return with a $300 restock fee (if it's returned in brand- new condition). I'm not sure I have that level of confidence that this is t he right tool.

She's going to take a look and see if they have any customers in my area wh o'd trade a six-pack for a demo.

Meanwhile, besides their web site, they also have a facebook page

I haven't read it all, but there's lots of st uff from real people, not just from the distributor.

The one thing that I did get from the conversation is that this is a give & take vs TIG. On the plus side, there's no gas bottle and it works well out side in the wind. On the minus side, there's no electrode to extend to reac h into tight spots.