Everlast Welders? Anybody have one?
 

Looking for a welder to upgrade my crusty old Mig/FC box. Plenty of options locally, but all of them are pricey and just beyond what I want to pay for a welder that will really only get periodic use.
Lincoln, Miller, ESAB, all good no doubt, just expensive.
I had my eye on an ESAB machine which all sounded great until I got into the specs and found out it would not do AC Tig, so no weldy aluminum. Which is kind of the only reason I want a tig machine.

I came across the Everlast brand, and they seem to have some great options for machines, including a few with a built in Plasma cutter, which is now the one I have my eye on.
Now it stands to reason that a $1500 machine that does 3 different processes is not likely going to be excellent at all three, but it could very well be an upgrade over the machine I have which is not even all that good at the one function it's supposed to do.
Seems like they're made overseas somewhere (but isn't everything these days?) but they provide parts, accessories, upgrades, and support for all of their machines on their website, and all of their attachments are standardized and will swap with parts from other major brands. So if I don't like the mig gun or the Tig handle that comes with the machine I can screw on a Lincoln or Miller or Tweco unit in seconds.

The guys on Weld.com did a review of these and said they were fairly impressed by the features and the weld quality. And those guys actually do real reviews of machines, not just hokey "unboxing" and tell you the specs. They put it to use and try to see what it can do, and compare that through the eyes of their staff who have been in the industry for decades.

Still undecided on it. Thought I would ask here if anybody has one or has used one.
My other option is to bite the bullet and get a $3500 Miller setup. But then I won't have any budget left to buy all the LED lights I want for the shop. :roll:

Re: Everlast Welders? Anybody have one?
 

I bought the Titanium 200 Multiprocess Welder from Harbor Freight and couldn't be happier. If I had it do again I would do the same. I bought the PrimeWeld Cut50 for the plasma cutter because of their superior warranty. They also make a welder/plasma cutter combo. You might research them also and compare them with the Everlast.

Re: Everlast Welders? Anybody have one?
 

I’ve seen/used enough of the harbor fright boxes (friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc.) that I really have no interest in them.
For basic functionality yes they’re fine, but they typically leave a lot to be desired. Very short duty cycle, usually not able to be dialed in for a refined weld, and the equipment that comes with them is often proprietary and can’t be changed out for anything else. Then in a few years the brand is totally gone or has completely changed everything in the design, and repair/replacement parts are unavailable. Seems the same goes for the Amazon machines. Multiple brands that all look and sound like they all come from the same manufacturer. Reviews that are all over the place, although generally good. But about 1 in 10 say they used it a couple times and it just blew up. Granted, a lot of people don’t leave reviews, and often people will only leave a review if there’s some problem or total failure. The basic/entry level machine is not really what I’m after.

I pulled the trigger on the Everlast PowerPro 205Si Tig/stick/plasma machine.
The stick function I don’t really need, but the Tig/Plasma combo will work out nicely. It will tig 1/4” aluminum, and cut up to 1/2” aluminum and 3/4” steel.
They also have a separate Mig machine I will pick up early next spring. The cost of the combo vs the power output of the machines works out so it’s less expensive to buy the Mig separately, so I get the power level that I need. Every other machine combo I looked at in this price range was either lower on power output or didn’t have the right functions (mainly no AC tig). It’s actually lower in the price range that I was looking for, and has more features.
I’ve got a few projects planned to break it in on. And further down the road I’ve got some bigger projects in mind that will give the thing a workout and really see what it can do.
I’ll put up some pics of stuff after I get it all set up and have a chance to put it to work.

Re: Everlast Welders? Anybody have one?
 

I have an Everlast 250 EX, and I really like it. I had a hard time deciding between the 2010 EXT and the 250 EX for about the same price. I went with the 250 for the extra amperage, but if I had to do it over again, I would go with the 210 EXT for the digital controls.