Tig vs multi-process Mig/Tig/Stick

[ttoks]

Holy spelling horror field batman...

Edit to add: I think I had to pay shipping when I returned a defective welder that was 6 months old, but they gave me full purchase price credit towards another welder and took off about $100 from the list price as well as upgraded to the better torch sets...so it seemed like a fair deal.

Holy english lesson batman, you want perfect spelling dont go looking at us idiot welders, we to stupid to finish school and know what we do.

If you're gonna be a dick at least do it properly and and correct every single spelling and grammar mistake I made.

[FlyFishn]

I think I had to pay shipping when I returned a defective welder that was 6 months old, but they gave me full purchase price credit towards another welder and took off about $100 from the list price as well as upgraded to the better torch sets...so it seemed like a fair deal.

Was that an Everlast machine? I see in your sig you have a 210EXT - the next size down from the 255.

On the point of the different model welders - is there much you can offer on how that 210 performs on aluminum? It seems to be a very similar machine (lacks sine wave for AC, but has the other waveforms), just lighter on the amps and duty cycle compared to the 255. That's where I think the 255 is the contender over the 210 but I'd be curious on your experiences, if you've done any aluminum to get a decent run with the 210.

[Kelvin]

If you want an aluminum welder, I'd look for a used transformer machine ala Syncrowave 250 -- or even a straight sine-wave 330A/BP -- long before I'd spend as much (or far more, if it's a 330A/BP) on a crap-shoot Chinese inerter...but that's just me. Your need to stack them in like cordwood to replace them like toilet paper would probably be next to nil.

[G-ManBart]

Was that an Everlast machine? I see in your sig you have a 210EXT - the next size down from the 255.

On the point of the different model welders - is there much you can offer on how that 210 performs on aluminum? It seems to be a very similar machine (lacks sine wave for AC, but has the other waveforms), just lighter on the amps and duty cycle compared to the 255. That's where I think the 255 is the contender over the 210 but I'd be curious on your experiences, if you've done any aluminum to get a decent run with the 210.

It was an Everlast....meant to say that. It was a stick welder that worked fine, but the display developed a gremlin where the numbers would change drastically, but the welding performance stayed the same. They sent me two different boards to change and the issue didn't go away. Set it at 120A, run a bead and it would display 80, run another bead and it would display 140....stuff like that...all while having the exact same bead characteristics, so same output. At that point they offered a replacement unit or full purchase price credit towards another machine.

I think the 210EXT does a really nice job on aluminum and the owner of Everlast told me he used the Dynasty 210 as a model when he worked up the specs....on paper it looks pretty close. To be fair, anything in the 200A range is probably best limited to 1/4" aluminum or thinner as a general rule. Yes, you can push a bit farther...might have to add some pre-heat or even some helium, but most of us probably don't want to mess with that regularly. For a long time I only had the Everlast set up air-cooled, and that kept me from using it a bunch on aluminum because I had the Miller set up water-cooled....much nicer to run on higher amps.

I'm sure it's me, but I get slightly better results on aluminum with my Syncrowave 250DX or even an older Syncrowave 250 than I get with any of the inverter machines....and I've used several other brands. I've spent time with two machines hooked up next to one another trying to get identical results and haven't been able to quite get there. It's really a minor difference, but I can see it. It's been a while since I tried that, but I have a suspicion that I need to dial back the amperage on the inverter machines a bit more...they tend to run a bit hotter. I was getting identical bead profiles but couldn't quite get the mirror finish shine I can with the transformer machines and that means the bead isn't freezing as fast, so probably just a bit too hot. I recently added a cooler to the Everlast so I plan to play around with settings on aluminum more and see if I can't get that last little bit. I tend to set up and run, run, run when i do stuff like that so it just wasn't going to happen with the air-cooled torch setup...now I don't have an excuse!

[robertstevenbk]

I Robert Steven would say just buy a welding machine and stick to it for atleast 4 to 5 years, have your hands on it and then go for anyother thing, there are alot of things that gets involved in tig welding, there are also much complications in tig welding gases, alot to discover yet. Good Luck mate

[smcclain]

I agree, multi-process machines do a few processes and can be conveinient, but you sacrifice quality. You may be able to weld tig, stick, mig, fluxcore, etc. with one machine but you wont be able to get all the features that come with single process machines. Save up and buy multiple quality machines, or you'll only wish you had downthe road.

[danielplace]

I think the 210EXT does a really nice job on aluminum and the owner of Everlast told me he used the Dynasty 210 as a model when he worked up the specs....on paper it looks pretty close.

Interesting as well as just a tiny bit fishy.

I bet it does look really close on paper then. Hmmm.

I have to wonder though if actual factual independent testing of those specs would tell the same story. Be nice to know if you really can get similar performance at 1/3 the cost of a blue one.

They are pretty good looking machine I recon.

https://www.everlastgenerators.com/p...owertig-210ext

[robertstevenbk]

[COLOR=#333333]I Robert Steven would say just buy a welding machine and stick to it for atleast 4 to 5 years, have your hands on it and then go for any other thing, there are kinda alot of things inside a [BLOG-SPAM LINK REMOVED] and in machines of tig welding, there are also much complications in tig welding gases, alot to discover yet. Good Luck mate

[robert-r]

I have an Everlast 255EXT. Bought it new about a year and 1/2 ago. I have had zero issues with it. Recently added a cooler. I'm a hobby welder of 2 years tig experience and use it about 4 -5 days a week anywhere between 1 to 3 hours per day. I'm still learning/practicing tig welding. Finally getting to where I can make things with it and be happy with the results. For the money, I could not find a better a better machine with similar features. A Dynasty 280DX is the welder of my dreams or maybe a HTP. Just can't justify the price as I have no plan for welding professionally.

I'm aware of what has been written regarding warranty issues with Everlast. I think some of it is unwarranted as it comes from non-owners bashing the product. I've read more than one post where someone has been upset with Miller, too. In my case, I'm not located all that far from Everlast's repair facility and shipping would not kill me. That was a factor in my purchase decision. Would I buy another Everlast machine? Right now, I would say yes. Give me a few more years... and that could change. Time will tell.

[INXS2]

I bought a Everlast MTS 251 Si about 5 or so years ago and have had zero problems with it, except for the first worthless manual(new online manual is very good). I bought a Everlast MTS 221 STi about a year to a year and half ago because I wanted an AC/DC multi purpose welder (manual was very good!). I would like to see a chart on voltage/wire speed put on these welders but it's a learning curve for me. I'm a retired aircraft mechanic and I needed the welders just to putts around in my garages. The only problem I've had has been getting answers from one tech which I've taken care of. I've had no problems with either machine and being a hobbyist they work great for me. I'd buy them again. If I was a full time 40 hour a week I'd give some consideration to buying something from a local shop just for service (in case it were need).

[FlyFishn]

I have an Everlast 255EXT. Bought it new about a year and 1/2 ago. I have had zero issues with it. Recently added a cooler. I'm a hobby welder of 2 years tig experience and use it about 4 -5 days a week anywhere between 1 to 3 hours per day. I'm still learning/practicing tig welding. Finally getting to where I can make things with it and be happy with the results. For the money, I could not find a better a better machine with similar features. A Dynasty 280DX is the welder of my dreams or maybe a HTP. Just can't justify the price as I have no plan for welding professionally.

I'm aware of what has been written regarding warranty issues with Everlast. I think some of it is unwarranted as it comes from non-owners bashing the product. I've read more than one post where someone has been upset with Miller, too. In my case, I'm not located all that far from Everlast's repair facility and shipping would not kill me. That was a factor in my purchase decision. Would I buy another Everlast machine? Right now, I would say yes. Give me a few more years... and that could change. Time will tell.

Thanks for the feedback.

Can you give any more detail on how the machine handles tig welding thicker metal? If you have the current cranked up pretty high do you find it hits the duty cycle at all? I'd be curious on your cooler experience also - I assume you weld enough to make the cooler worth-while.

Have you run stick with it at all? What can you say about it on stick if anything?

I picked up a PowerArc 210STL stick machine and got a bunch of tig stuff for it also just to mess around with. I am not planning on getting gas for a while, so I won't be trying tig with it (DC machine only) for a while. I need a compact/portable stick machine so I figured I'd go with an Everlast to give them a trial run. I've only burned about 4 6010's on it so I know it works, but don't have much experience to speak much about it yet.

[FlyFishn]

I bought a Everlast MTS 251 Si about 5 or so years ago and have had zero problems with it, except for the first worthless manual(new online manual is very good). I bought a Everlast MTS 221 STi about a year to a year and half ago because I wanted an AC/DC multi purpose welder (manual was very good!). I would like to see a chart on voltage/wire speed put on these welders but it's a learning curve for me. I'm a retired aircraft mechanic and I needed the welders just to putts around in my garages. The only problem I've had has been getting answers from one tech which I've taken care of. I've had no problems with either machine and being a hobbyist they work great for me. I'd buy them again. If I was a full time 40 hour a week I'd give some consideration to buying something from a local shop just for service (in case it were need).

Thanks for the post. I was warned about the lack of substance manual with the PowerArc 210STL I bought. I had already downloaded the PDF though so it is a non-issue. There isn't much in there I will need to reference, its pretty easy to navigate the controls - not much compared to the EXT's (tig machines, 210, 255, etc).

[robert-r]

Thanks for the feedback.

Can you give any more detail on how the machine handles tig welding thicker metal? If you have the current cranked up pretty high do you find it hits the duty cycle at all? I'd be curious on your cooler experience also - I assume you weld enough to make the cooler worth-while.

Have you run stick with it at all? What can you say about it on stick if anything?

It handles thicker metals quite nicely. Made some new suspension links for my Jeep out of 2" diameter .25" wall chromoly and had to weld in the bungs for the rod ends. No problem - 190 amps or so. Have welded some 3/8" thick metal tabs onto 1/4" plate for a buddy. No problem - 210 amps, iirc. Welds 1/4" aluminum just fine (6" coupons) - fillet and outside corners - 180 amps. Have never hit the duty cycle. Can't say that I've pushed the machine that hard - I don't do production work with it.

The cooler is a nice thing to have. Welding at 145 amps will get a #9 torch pretty hot real fast. 200 amps will really start to cook an air cooled torch and my fingers quickly.

I've never run stick with it - not my juju.

[Danialtmrc]

I am also confusion between TIG vs MIG welding, which is more stronger and efficient. I have read in some other article that TIG is more stronger and more strength. Can you clear my Confusion. Thanks

[danielplace]

I am also confusion between TIG vs MIG welding, which is more stronger and efficient. I have read in some other article that TIG is more stronger and more strength. Can you clear my Confusion. Thanks

Many writeups online already.

Search,
https://www.bing.com/search?q=streng...e1417c45f2483f

Examples,
https://weldersmen.com/tig-welding-v...ding-strength/

https://skilledwelder.com/tig-vs-mig-welding-strength/