Quote:
Originally Posted by Schumi
I have an older Everlast machine, a model that I think they do not make anymore called the 200DX - it had analog knobs for controlling everything: gas pre and post, AC bias, pulsefreq, pulse widths, everything. I really liked the 'knob-factor' over other machines that are the dome-button digital type.
I should preface this by saying I spent years using a Lincoln TIG doing things like 4130 sheet weldment fab and tube frame construction and also have had a fair bit of experience with the most modern, high end Miller machines more recently.
I bought the Everlast when I started on a 914 racecar build and used it for lots of varying jobs- from thing steel weldments to welding cage tubes to welding custom aluminum catch cans and think end tanks. I would say that overall I haven't put tons of hours on it, but for a time the hours that I did put on it were heavy.
I had zero complaints. For the money (I remember I paid something like $1200 for my model) I was more than happy. It blew the ~12-year-old basic Lincoln square wave TIG I had previously been using out of the water in terms of features, arc-start repeatability, tune-ability, everything.
Now I bought this welder almost 7 years ago, so I do not know if the company's quality has changed since then. I also have not put tons of hours on it since moving a few years ago, but actually this week I fired it up and did some passes on some steel shelf frames and no issues. It took being shipping 6000 miles across an ocean in a pelican case and sitting in storage for 2 years just fine.
I also have a friend who has a 250 and uses it for hobby work and also has zero complaints.
From my comparisons to the Red and Blue machines which I saw used extensively in industry.... those machines are under-featured and over-built for most hobbyists. They are meant (or at least were, my welding world knowledge is getting a few years past current now) for heavy duty work in environments where time = money, and they are expected to work in high temp, high duty use cases for long, long periods at high output. They carry a price tag to suit. For a hobbyist, with normal demands (fabbing car parts here and there) the Everlast was a no-brainer to me.
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IDK exactly when Everlast and other imports left the MOSFET and entered the IGTB world but it was pretty much a universal move for all manufactures from what I learned following along. Apparently the IGTB units are much more reliable.
But, if you can change out MOSFET transistors you might be able to get a
'smokin' deal for an older welder.