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:
formatting link
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
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.
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.
formatting link
-----
Regards,
Carl Ijames
This surfaced here a couple of years ago:
formatting link
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:
formatting link
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
formatting link
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.
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