illuvplanes
07-19-2009, 04:15 PM
I just thought I would give my impressions of the Everlast Mig 200 that I bought last month. I have been welding almost 50 years. Have gas and stick welded since a teenager. I purchased my first mig, a Lincoln SP135T, almost twenty years ago. I can't begin to tell you how many rolls of wire have gone through that wonderful little welder. It was absolutely trouble-free all those years. A couple of months ago the gas valve quit. When I pulled the trigger no CO2 would come out of the torch. I replaced the valve but wondered if this was going to be the start of trouble. I started looking for a welder to replace my time-tested one.
One of my current projects is converting a Peterbilt semi into a Toter-home to pull a large
5th wheel camper. I needed more welder than the Lincoln 135 could provide. I made a
decision to buy the Mig 200. It arrived a few days later, I set it up and guess what--I hated it. I more than hated it; I despised it. I called Everlast and told them the welder was coming back to them. Alex told me to talk to their professional welder and get his input. I didn't. I figured I could figure this thing out. The instruction book that comes with welder is the WORST I have ever seen. I went to the Miller and Lincoln websites to get some preliminary settings for a inverter welder. Fired the Everlast welder up the next day and started to experiment with it. I started laying a pretty nice beads on some heavy material. I have run almost a 10lb. spool of wire through it in the last two weeks. Been welding on the Peterbilt almost every day. I guess I could say I really am enjoying a machine that, at the first, I vehemently opposed. I lay consistently better beads than I did
with my old Lincoln. I use CO2 most of the time. I used an Argon mix and got a little better appearance but like the CO2 cost. The torch is much better than the new 180 Lincoln torch. The things that need improvement-the manual and how spool fits in welder.
There is a little too much play in spool mounting. Other than that- I like it very much.
One of my current projects is converting a Peterbilt semi into a Toter-home to pull a large
5th wheel camper. I needed more welder than the Lincoln 135 could provide. I made a
decision to buy the Mig 200. It arrived a few days later, I set it up and guess what--I hated it. I more than hated it; I despised it. I called Everlast and told them the welder was coming back to them. Alex told me to talk to their professional welder and get his input. I didn't. I figured I could figure this thing out. The instruction book that comes with welder is the WORST I have ever seen. I went to the Miller and Lincoln websites to get some preliminary settings for a inverter welder. Fired the Everlast welder up the next day and started to experiment with it. I started laying a pretty nice beads on some heavy material. I have run almost a 10lb. spool of wire through it in the last two weeks. Been welding on the Peterbilt almost every day. I guess I could say I really am enjoying a machine that, at the first, I vehemently opposed. I lay consistently better beads than I did
with my old Lincoln. I use CO2 most of the time. I used an Argon mix and got a little better appearance but like the CO2 cost. The torch is much better than the new 180 Lincoln torch. The things that need improvement-the manual and how spool fits in welder.
There is a little too much play in spool mounting. Other than that- I like it very much.