# New Tig Day - Everlast Powertig 255 Ext (18 Pics)



## coolidge

Gunrunner you need to order a set of these for the Z axis hand crank. Bill did you just spit coffee on your monitor? :rofl:

View attachment 253356


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## Tony Wells

Nice looking rig. You'll have to show us your learning process.

That ground clamp may grow on you. That's a very old, proven design. Looks a bit modernized, but not much. I put one on my TIG, and have them on both MIGs. I like em.


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## sgisler

Sweet Coolidge!
I do like that ground clamp better than mine, (the cheap folded sheet metal type) thought about replacing it with that type. 


Stan,
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Franko

I replaced both my welder's ground clamps with those. They seem better. If nothing else, they look old school and cool.


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## coolidge

LOL well maybe that ground clamp will grow on me, at first glance it looked old, I thought what did they find this out back of Jim's barn in a scrap bucket?


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## tertiaryjim

Looks like a normal ground clamp to me.

The only hand amp control I've used had a sliding control.
To keep a steady arc length while using the same hand to slide the control was difficult for me.
The good thing about it was that once it was adjusted it stayed in position.


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## brino

My ground clamps are all the other type(cheap folded sheet metal). I have heard this type is better.

Congrats, I'm sure you'll be happy with that machine.

-brino


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## Silverbullet

Good luck with that baby ,sure looks like its a well made machine, using it will tell. Let us know  I'm envious ,I want to get a tig too but , ya know money's tight. Have fun and make lots of good things.


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## tmarks11

Nice.  Like the water cooler; wish I had one.  Air cooled Torch + steel 1/4" plate = very hot hands after a brief amount of welding.

Where did you buy from?


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## RJSakowski

I have that ground clamp on my Miller Thunderbolt.  It can carry a lot of current.  It works OK on flats but not great on rounds.  It tends to slip off at the slightest bump.  I have gotten to the point of clamping a pair of vice grips to the work and attaching the clamp to the vice grips.


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## coolidge

tmarks11 I purchased it direct from Everlast. I had called just to ask a couple of questions. Then they offered me a $148 discount plus no sales tax plus free shipping, they pressed the trifecta of my 'buy it' buttons.


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## coolidge

RJSakowski said:


> I have that ground clamp on my Miller Thunderbolt.  It can carry a lot of current.  It works OK on flats but not great on rounds.  It tends to slip off at the slightest bump.  I have gotten to the point of clamping a pair of vice grips to the work and attaching the clamp to the vice grips.



That's what I was concerned with, the thing slipping. The clamp that came with my Lincoln has way more bite.


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## coolidge

Gunrunner you need to order a set of these for the Z axis hand crank. Bill did you just spit coffee on your monitor? :rofl:

View attachment 253356


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## coolidge

Gunrunner you need to order a set of these for the Z axis hand crank. Bill did you just spit coffee on your monitor? :rofl:

View attachment 253356


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## churchjw

If I ever get where I stop dipping my tungsten in the puddle it will be a happy day.  The welder looks great.


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## Cactus Farmer

Puddle dipping is a rite of passage, isn't it?


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## zmotorsports

Nice welder.  I have seen some reviews on the Everlast and they appear to be a quality unit.

Couple of things you mentioned in your posts, first off, that ground clamp is about the best on the market.  Much better than those cheap stamped steel ones.  I have them on both my MIG and TIG setups and they provide a good ground connection.

Dipping the tungsten in the puddle will happen less and less as you progress with your time behind the hood.  It helps to do a "dry run" on various joints prior to striking an arc as it will alert you to where you may have a potential contamination issue and may let you know where will be a good place to stop and re-start.

Folding up a glove works well but I would recommend in investing in a TIG Finger from Jody @ Welding Tips and Tricks (WeldMonger store).  I have a couple of them and they work great.  They also are slick enough that you can slide your hand along the joint and it doesn't catch like just using the glove.  He has them available in XL size now and they are great for those of us with larger hands.  His standard size I could barely get my pinky finger in.

I also like that torch mounted switch.  I have the Miller version that is a rotating potentiometer that velcros to the torch handle for my Dynasty.  I don't use it often but there are times when lying in a chassis and having no other option.  For the most part I absolutely LOVE my cordless foot pedal and can usually find a way of propping it to use either a knee, elbow or some other extremety if my foot is unavailable.

Mike.


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## Firestopper

Exciting to get a new shop addition. 

For the gas inlet, you could use a 90* fitting  facing up. 

Your flow meter is great upgrade as well.


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## Junior

the tig finger is a good idea but, you can also go to an auto part store and get a spark plug boot insulator and save a few bucks.


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## Franko

I have a couple of Jodie's Tig Fingers. I don't always have to use them, but when I do, they are great.

Everybody dips tungsten. You'll touch it with your rod, too. It takes a while. It takes a while for holding the nozzle over the hot weld for post flow to be automatic, too.

A good trick when you really screw up a tungsten (need to grind a quarter inch to get to clean material). Rather than grinding that much, clamp it in a vise just below the contamination and give it a tap with a small hammer (contaminated part up). It will snap off clean so you can grind a new point. It is much easier and better than trying to cut one.


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## coolidge

Franko I have been breaking tungsten's with a hammer but they sometimes shatter jagged with shards flying off. With the new diamond wheel grinder I don't believe grinding off the contamination will be an issue.


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## mike837go

Loved you description of going from MIG to TIG!

With TIG,  you are part of the welding process. MIG is a glue gun.


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## melsdad

I have been reading reviews on the Everlast machines and am close to pulling the trigger on the 250ex model. Thanks for this thread!

By the way nice strong hand table you have there! That is also on my wish list.


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## Grumpy Gator

_Nice looking rig. If you go to the next size larger cup you can ride the weld and use the gas flow to push the impurities to the sides of your weld....If you use Thoriated  Tungsten wear a dust mask when you touch up the tip....That grinding dust is real bad Juju._
_When I weld Al and smoke the tip I just reverse the polarity and clean it on a piece of scrap.Just a quick one second arc should do._
_If you do a lot of position welding the button on the torch head is a must. _
_***
	

		
			
		

		
	



	

		
			
		

		
	
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## melsdad

So Coolidge how do you like the machine so far? I ended up ordering the 255ext with water cooler also. I also upgraded to a SSC foot pedal and a CK 20 series torch with superflex cables. My welder should be arriving on Monday 1-11-16. I am really excited to start TIG welding! Today I picked up my Argon cylinder from my LWS. I decided to go with the 300 size cylinder.


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## coolidge

Love the 255ext, it makes welding so easy. I did pitch the Everlast regulator/flow meter and hose and replaced it with an industry standard Radnor/Harris and hose from Airgas. The machine is pretty tall and long, the cooler is also a behemoth are you making your own welding cart? Pay VERY close attention to properly connecting the hoses on the water cooled torch the knuckleheads did not follow the industry standard color coding, I had coolant shooting out my Argon hose (face palm).


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## melsdad

Thats funny in the manual they tell you blow compressed air through the lines to make sure you hook them up properly.  Why not just mark them  properly from the start.

Brian


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## CraigB1960

How are your Everlast PowerTIG 255 EXT TIG's holding up?  I am getting ready to pull the trigger on one.  Also,  I am pricing a 150 cf tank,  I see one of you got the 300cf (large!) What cf/hour flow are you typically using?


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## melsdad

So far so good for me. I have burned about 5# of filler metal so far. The only issue I had was a fitting failure on one of my water lines. Noticed the line leaking one day. Never seen a fitting fail like this before. 
	

		
			
		

		
	




Brian


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## CraigB1960

melsdad said:


> So far so good for me. I have burned about 5# of filler metal so far. The only issue I had was a fitting failure on one of my water lines. Noticed the line leaking one day. Never seen a fitting fail like this before.
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> Brian



Brian, Thanks!  I am torn between the Everlast 255 and the HTP 221.  The Everlast is less and perhaps has more features.

Have you had your cover off of the welder?  I'm curious how well built it is.


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## melsdad

I haven't.  But there is a guy on YouTube that tore his apart but I didn't watch it.

Brian


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## coolidge

Brian that is freaky.


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## coolidge

CraigB1960 said:


> Brian, Thanks!  I am torn between the Everlast 255 and the HTP 221.  The Everlast is less and perhaps has more features.
> 
> Have you had your cover off of the welder?  I'm curious how well built it is.



Check the amp draw the HTP its an amp hog. My 255ext seems quite happy on a 30 amp 220vac outlet. I chopped the stupid drier plug off my 255ext and installed a 30 am 240vac  twist lock plug, and use my existing extension cord and outlet. I have had the 255ext cranked up pretty high welding 3/8 inch steel but not to the max, still no issues with the 30 amp circuit and a 25 foot extension cord. I'm not sure I could own the HTP, it really is that ugly. lol


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## coolidge

I have had several in depth discussions with forum members via PM on the 255ext over the past few months with people who were considering buying the Everlast. There are pro's and con's, here are some of my posts in no particular order...

***  I'm just about to leave the house but here's something quick to consider. If you call Miller as I did and question them you will discover just how much of that $7,000 Dynasty 280 is now made in Asia same as the Everlast. That let all the air out of my balloon in terms of buying the Miller. There are pro's and con's to both we should discuss. Here's a sample...the Everlast has some features the Dynasty doesn't. The Dynasty has a billion local service centers where Everlast service sucks pretty much, there's only 1 repair center in Idaho and you have to ship the machine on your dime. But you can purchase 2.5 Everlast machines for the cost of a single Dynasty. The lower cost Dynasty Miller torch cooler has many report problems vs the Everlast torch cooler is bad ass. More later this evening, in the mean time go find the 255ext post on a welding forum where the guy is melting holes in like 3/4 inch aluminum plate with the Everlast hybrid aluminum TIG feature wow!

*** Okay I have had several people ask me about the Everlast welder so I have several responses which I can copy and paste over for you, see below but first lets have a look at some stainless tacks and beads. In contrast this was my MIG experience. I purchased a Lincoln MIG/stick/TIG multi process machine. The new 210MP on sale for about $1,000. I practiced welding with that thing for weeks and never really got decent results. It was loud, difficult to control basically grip and rip it and hope you get a decent bead. Lots of fumes lots of sparks and spatter. I found out the TIG feature of this machine was a joke and would have required me to purchase another $600 TIG kit. As I already didn't like the machine I decided to purchase a proper TIG machine that had all the features.

See these tacks and welds, that's after only 30 minutes of practice and never having TIG welded in my life. The higher end TIG machine makes it easy for even a beginner to do decent work.


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## coolidge

*** This was in response to a question where someone said, "_I have never welded in my life but I have soldered"..._

So you are similar to me, I have lots of soldering experience from building tube guitar amplifiers, I'm a surgeon with a soldering iron, I had done some brazing but no welding. TIG welding is very much like soldering which is why I like it so much. TIG is much slower than MIG, you strike an ARC and you get (what looks like in your helmet) a small little arc about the size of a sharpened pencil, even smaller at lower amperages, you apply some heat and a small puddle forms within about 2 seconds then you dip the welding rod in the puddle much like you would dip solder in, you move the torch forward a bit, the puddle follows, you dip the rod, and this repeats. I was getting pretty nice TIG welds after only about 30 minutes of practice that's because its so much like soldering.

Now in reality that TIG arc while it looks small and comfy in your helmet is actually hotter than hell man you can turn thick steel red in no time flat with a TIG torch they are hot hence the use of water cooled torches. They don't actually use water they use a special type of anti-freeze made for TIG welding, you cannot use automotive antifreeze. It wasn't that expensive, I think I bought 2 gallons. Without a water cooled torch your torch can get hot in your hand to the point that you have to stop welding and let things cool off.

Here's how its NOT like soldering and the things you will initially struggle with most likely. Unlike soldering you can't put the TIG tungsten tip into the puddle, that's called dipping your tungsten into the puddle when you do that welding stops and you have to put a new tungsten tip on or go re-grind the tip you just ruined by dipping it into the puddle. In soldering you put your tip right into the puddle and your soldering iron on the component so you have to break that habit, trust me you will soon tire of having to grind tungsten tips and learn to keep your tip out of the puddle lol.

Keeping your tungsten tip out of the puddle, but also keeping it close to the puddle, not too close not too far away, while moving along welding a bead, with only one hand on the torch, while feeding welding rod in with your other hand this brings us to positioning. TIG welders frequently perform dry runs the length of the bead they are about to weld, they frequently rest/slide their hand/finger on the part or rig something up to guide their hand to help them control the torch one handed. What you are welding can put you into awkward positions and force you 'out of position' as they say in TIG welding. The welding itself is fairly easy, its the positioning, moving, playing a game of Twister with what you are welding that warrants some dry runs and creativity. Add the TIG foot pedal. The foot pedal is basically a variable torch temp control. You step on the foot pedal full blast to strike an arc and generally keep it to the floor, but if you sense the part/puddle is getting too hot you can back off the pedal a bit to reduce amperage, get things under control, then go full bore again. Guys who are good with a foot pedal can do all sorts of things with them. But its one more thing you have to coordinate. They do make TIG torches with on/off switches right on the torch, that requires a bit of coordination, its easier to control the torch without also having to work the switch with the same hand, but it does eliminate the foot pedal. They make some torches with sliding switches allowing you to control the amperage like the foot pedal but that requires even more coordination. So far I prefer the torch with the on/off switch on the torch maybe 70/30 over the foot pedal. Sometimes I'm out of position and I just can't get situated to use the foot pedal but both have their uses and with more practice I may prefer the foot pedal as most TIG welders do.

TIG welder features...so the machine I purchased has pretty much every features available on a TIG welder. Less expensive TIG welders have less features, the fewer features the more difficult TIG welding is imo so TIG is easier with a more advanced machine. Mine has HF (hi frequency) start, you put the tungsten tip close to but not touching the part and a HF arc reaches out an initiates the arc. Less expensive machines have scratch start or lift start which takes more practice, HF is simply easier. I can setup basically everything, starting amps, ramp up amps, welding amps, ramp down amps, end amps. Most of it is preprogrammed and there is an easy to understand display. Similarly for the gas mine has preflow and post flow. In TIG your tungsten tip and weld need to be shielded in gas otherwise they get contaminated. A few seconds of preflow to get coverage before you strike an arc and several seconds of post flow to keep the weld and tungsten shielded until they stop glowing red. This was another thing I had to unlearn vs soldering, I was used to pulling my iron out right away when soldering, in TIG you have to keep still and allow the post flow gas to do its job. Its pretty easy on mine to select the right amperage and settings for a given material, steel, stainless, aluminum. There are a bunch of features specific to making aluminum TIG easier because its the more difficult.

So in summary I think its definitely worth buying a more advanced TIG welder vs a less expensive machine where its all on you and your skill.

His response to my post was, "_Your description of how TIG compares to soldering is absolutely invaluable to me, so thanks so much for taking the time. At this point I must have watched 40 hours of videos on YouTube about TIG welding, and thus have heard "scratch start", "preflow", "postflow" and gotten a vague sense of it, but in those 40 hours NO ONE has described it as simply as you just did. So much for Mr. Tig and WeldingTips.com !!_"


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## coolidge

*** At this point he was still trying to decide which welder to purchase, he spoke to this Mr. TIG guy on youtube who was pushing a CK welder he sells and bashing the quality of Everlast accessories vs the CK machine which of course included CK torches. But he was missing the much more important issue, the duty cycle on the CK machine really sucked compared to the Everlast. You can buy higher end accessories, you can't upgrade the duty cycle on your machine or add/change features. He ended up going with the Everlast after this post.

The duty cycle on that CK machine kind of sucks especially for $2,150. I recommend you research duty cycles of like priced machines further. CK makes fantastic torches but man they need to improve the duty cycle. The .5 second pre-flow seems weird to me, this would be unacceptable to me as a noob. Maybe its a misprint? My pre-flow is adjustable from 0 to 25 seconds. I typically use 2-3 seconds, I mean I pull the trigger and this gives me a bit of time to settle and get ready for the arc and to make sure I got argon flowing. Maybe the pro's only need .5 seconds but as a noob a bit more pre-flow is helpful imo... I can upgrade my TIG setup with a CK torch, a Radnor/Harris/Victor flow meter/regulator, a wireless foot pedal those things are within my control. I can't however add features, duty cycle, and adjustability to the machine if it lacks those. So the quality of accessories are less important to me than the features and specs of the machine.


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## coolidge

*** A series of tips I sent him...
*
Wireless foot Pedal* - I might consider buying one of these. My foot pedal cord is really annoying. I'm already managing the torch cable and ground cable, it seems like I'm frequently having to bend over and reposition the foot pedal and cable, one less cable would be great.

*TIG Mistake Eraser* - One thing you will love about TIG is if you mess up, dip your tungsten and flame out, lay an ugly bead, forget to put your ground clamp on (face palm) hahaha I have made all the rookie mistakes. Whatever mistake you can weld right back over the top of your mistake, wet it out, dab a bit of welding rod and its like it never happened. See these beads, each of those beads had sizeable tack welds but you would never know it. I put those beads down after maybe 1 hour of practice TIG is that easy at least with my machine.

*Shrinkage/Movement* - Metal will move, shrink, warp towards the heat and this is especially true with TIG. With the machine making TIG welding so easy I think you will find managing and designing for the metal moving to be the biggest challenge. I was talking to a pipefitter about this and he said that's the difference between a 2nd year welder and a master welder, they know how the metal is going to move and adjust for this before they weld. These pro's will setup the parts intentionally out of square knowing the heat is going to draw them back into square as they weld. I saw one video where the guy was using a can of compressed air to cool the joint to pull it into square so there are tricks and techniques. But managing the movement extends all the way back to your design even. See the pic above, there is a design flaw that resulted in about a 1/16 inch pull out of flat, had I designed it just a bit different it would not have been an issue. And I had methodically tacked welded this up to limit movement and it was fine, and its very heavy 3/16 inch wall 3x3 tubing, but the full beads pulled it out of flat.

*Welding Helmet *- I started with a $99 auto darkening helmet but it had limited viewing area and no matter how tight I adjusted it it kept falling off. So I purchased a Millar Digital Infinity helmet, it has a huge viewing area and a new design head gear that was a big improvement. A skull cap helps further with the helmet slipping and protects your scalp. https://www.weldersupply.com/P/1066/NEWMillerDigitalInfinity

*UV Light* - FYI these TIG welders put out serious UV you have to keep everything covered up including buttoning the top button of your welding jacket. They will give you quite a sunburn.

***
Another post...

Word of advice regarding welding forums since I'm providing links to them...there isn't a bigger group of opinionated and frequently rude people on the web, don't take it personal when these people start in that's just how welders roll.

Also there are a bunch of knuckleheads who run to the forum to bash their machine and the company when sometimes the issue is user error. Here's an example regarding Everlast...there are quite a few threads on issues with Everlast failing to strike an arc. I myself had this problem with my machine, you hit the switch no arc forms and the machine throws an error code. So is the machine malfunctioning or is it that the users tungsten is contaminated or the area they are trying to strike an arc on is contaminated e.g. oxidized? In my case it was the latter not the machine.

IMPORTANT! When I first got the machine I had a buddy come over who had some welding experience. At first we didn't have any problem, but of course the several tungsten's I had ground were all brand new. It was only after we had dipped them in the puddle and started regrinding them that we ran into the issue of failing to strike an arc. It seemed random at first but wasn't, I figured it out in short order. You grind these tungsten's electrodes to a pencil point but not to a needle point, close but not that sharp. On some of these tungstens I had not ground the contamination off the very tip of the tungsten, you are talking maybe .010 to .015 diameter of the tip but it was still there. I noticed this when the machine failed to strike an arc on a tungsten I had just re-ground. I happened to look at the tip and saw that it was still black not shiny. So I swiped the end with some 600 grit sandpaper and bang she struck an arc no problem. We confirmed this several more times and once we made sure to grind off the tip when re-grinding we had no further issues. There was a couple of times when things went wrong during welding and the shielding gas didn't have a chance to keep the part clean, well same deal it doesn't like to strike an arc on contaminated material. I moved to a clean area of the scrap we were running practice beads on and it struck an arc no problem. So I hit the contaminated area quick with a wire brush, bingo. So TIG likes clean electrodes and clean materials, and clean filler rod for that matter. Maybe the Everlast is more picky about this than other machines I don't know but if I just keep things clean I never have an issue striking an arc.

***
Another post...

Final thoughts on tungsten. They come in various alloys, I have been using the Airgas brand (Radnor) purple tungsten which they recommended. They said local shops have been telling them those have been working well on both stainless and steel. I have had no issues with them. They come in a few different diameters, 1/16, 3/32, and 1/8. I have been using the 3/32 with good results on say .090 to .180 thick stock. You would go with the 1/16 for thinner stock at lower amperages and 1/8 for thicker stock at higher amperages. Similarly filler rods come in a few diameters. I have been using 1/16 with but its too thin for the 3x3 3/16 inch wall tubing I have been welding, in that poof and you have used up the rod, fillet welds on that tubing take a lot of filler. If you don't feed in enough filler, fast enough it will melt it off the side of the tubing above the weld bead, they have a term for that but I don't recall what it is. So I'm moving up to 3/32 rod and 1/8 rod. The 1/8 may be too thick in that it melts too slow at the amperage I'm using we'll see. Finally the filler comes in different alloys, I have been using 308 for stainless but they sell 316 also but I think they said its more difficult to work with. For aluminum I have no clue I have yet to even attempt TIG welding aluminum.

Metal Moving - I did tack weld that stand with substantial tacks, moving around to different joints not letting any one joint get too hot. And that would have worked fine for when I did the full beads, the metal moving was a design error on my part. That stand has 4 legs, I cut two short legs 12 inches in length and for the other two legs I just used a single length 24 inches long and welded the two short legs to that, this was the design error. If you weld the end of the tubing you get minimal movement, but if you weld in the middle of the tubing watch out, no matter how many tacks you use its going to bow towards the heat. I found this to be true not only on some flat 3/8 thick cold rolled steel but incredibly on this heavy 3x3 3/16 wall stainless tubing. I thought no way the heat could bend it but it did. It bent that tubing about 1/16 out of flat, I ended up having to shim one of the casters to compensate. Had I cut all 4 feet to 12 inches and welded them to the end of the center pole the movement would have been minimal.

Clearly I need to learn more here because when they weld up frames, bicycles, motorcycle, race car frames they are welding tubing in the center all the time so I clearly don't know the technique for doing that without bowing the tubing towards the heat. If you watch welding videos you will see that they use blocks of aluminum and other methods of wicking the heat away. Bottom line there is more to this welding stuff than first meets the eye. UPDATE: I saw on an episode of How its Made they were welding up bicycle frames out of aluminum tubing, here's how the dealt with the welds pulling stuff out of alignment...they heated the entire frame up in an oven to anneal it to make it soft, then knocked it back into square with soft blow hammers and stuff, then heat treated it again to strengthen it. So metal moving, that's going to be a learning curve.

The switch on the torch is the bomb for tacking, no way I'd use the foot pedal for that. Another example of advantage TIG over MIG. When I was tacking with the MIG after each tack I had to snip the end of the MIG wire clean and to length before I could make the next tack weld. That's why they sell those MIG welding wire cutters. Man I had those snipped off ends flying all over the place which WILL by the way puncture a tire, I never had an issue but my brother had gotten some flat tires from MIG wire cutoffs, the steel MIG wire is pretty stiff. With TIG you can just go to town tacking like crazy, just like soldering.

I had wired up a 30 amp 220 twist lock outlet for my Lincoln 210MP and have been using that for the Everlast with no issues. I have not run it at max amperage but I have had it cranked up pretty high with no issues, welding 3/8 thick cold rolled steel. Both Lowes and Home Depot carry the outlets, cord plug ends, and power cord. I cut the clothes dryer style plug off my Everlast cord and installed a twist lock. I considered making a short adaptor cord with a dryer plug end on one end and a twist lock on the other but decided that was silly. I used 10 gauge 300 volt flex cord, a 25 foot length. Nothing even gets warm let alone hot. These inverters are not like the amp sucking old buzz box transformer style welders. If ever the day comes when I need a 40 amp circuit I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Perhaps when welding thick aluminum I don't know.


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## coolidge

*** Okay so back to your particular situation, buy the Miller Dynasty or Everlast 255ext. There's no one size fits all answer to this question. I could go either way depending on the particular needs of the person. In my case I am not welding every day or even every week. Its strictly hobby use for me and infrequent. I could not justify buying the Miller but I didn't want some lame entry level TIG welder so I went with the Everlast. I took a risk, while Everlast has fewer owner complaints in the last couple of years they still only have a single service center which is one guy in Idaho. Repairs can take a long time and you have the shipping expense there and back. 5 year warranty so there is some comfort there and I could afford to be without my welder while it was being repaired. Worse case if the thing was a total failure I'd go buy the Miller.

So that was my situation. But if I were using the welder more frequently, daily, weekly, trying to make a living with it or supplement my income I'd pony up the money for the Miller no question. The reason is Miller has a vast support network. Hell I think I have 4-5 different Miller dealers within 30 miles of my house. I could get a Miller repaired much more quickly. They will have some parts in stock. Some will give you a loaner machine while yours is being repaired. Someone using their welder to earn a living needs that level of support as time is money and customers don't really care if you have issues with your machine. At $7k for the full package about half that is for the machine and half is for the support imo.

Another post...

*Welding Cart* - This is the BuildPro welding table of welding carts. Its a Metal Man UWC3 and by far the most heavy duty stand available that I have found. All the rest are really thin gauge sheet metal. Those rear wheels are large, have metal hubs with bearings and there is a substantial solid axle, I think the thing was over .800 in diameter. The front casters are heavy duty and locking. The top shelf is thick gauge steel. The front handle is worthless I took mine off. As carts go this one is one of the largest yet the Everlast 255ext barely fit front to back. These larger inverter TIG machines are large and long. The Everlast torch cooler is also a behemoth, I had to take the top of the cart off and set it down in there it was too large to load from the front. I picked up some rubber sheet from a local hardware store to keep the welder from sliding around. Most of these welders have hard plastic feet that slide around.


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## coolidge

***
Another post...

The Everlast has its warts, I posted a detailed review of my 255ext. I don't pull any punches. First off they put the gas inlet in a retarded position, smack square in the center of the back/bottom of the machine which is where...yes where the argon tank is located (face palm). I actually had to modify my welding cart to move the machine forward so it would clear the inlet fitting and hose. The Everlast flow meter/regulator is also retarded, the industry standard gas hose has two male fittings. Because Everlast chose some oddball flow meter with a male fitting they had to supply a non-standard hose with one male and one female fitting. I purchased a Radnor 355 flow meter/regulator which came with a heavier duty hose, a bit pricey but cry once right. The final issue I had with my Everlast was the color coding of the torch cable/hoses good lord. Their is an industry standard for color coding these, with a water cooled torch you have cold water coming from the cooler, and hot water returning to the cooler, and a gas hose for the argon. I connected the hoses per industry standard color coding then spent 15 minutes blowing the coolant out of my dang torch argon line(face palm). So pay particular attention to the instructions when connecting the torch hoses to the machine.

***

Another post...for a guy that was going to go with the EX vs the EXT thinking the EX was analog and the EXT was digital...

As for the EX vs the EXT you are going to laugh, basically the control panels are exactly the same analog control panels only you get a few more advanced features with the EXT machine and the ability to save multiple setups to memory which is quite handy. But the controls are pretty much the same on both machines. If anything the EXT is more intuitive. Lets have a look at the control panels for each and discuss...

So how would I explain this, basically the Everlast engineers asked themselves how do we get rid of the EX 13 knobs and 5 toggle switches to reduce cost, improve reliability, and free up more space on the control panel for additional features. The EX user interface is not easier than the EXT to understand, and its not more complex the two user interfaces are pretty much the same from a user perspective because the vast majority of the functions are exactly the same on both machines. The EXT does have a few more features that you don't get on the EX, the ability to save multiple setups for example which is important for us noobs, more on that in a moment. The EXT is more precise in its adjustment in that your adjustment is displayed as a numerical setting where on the EX you twist the knob and kind of guess at what the setting is based on the printed scale around the knob. If anything I would give the EXT the advantage in intuitive user interface design. They have drawn a diagram right on the panel that is a visual of welding a bead or tack from start to finish and where all these settings apply during the welding process. Argon Pre-flow, Start Amps, Up Slope, Welding Amps, Pulse settings if you are using pulse you don't always, AC frequency if you are using that feature its only on Aluminum really, Spot time which I think is the EXT's tack weld feature I have yet to use it, then down slope, end amps, and argon post flow. When I first looked at his diagram I said ah I get it. You use that green arrow on the left to select the knob for each of these settings e.g. move the LED light from setting to setting along this diagram then use the one red knob to adjust each. The setting value is displayed on the big Amps/Function display. The rest of the settings around the screen are mostly on/off switches except for the Memory feature which lets you save I think up to 8 different setups.

So both control panels are really analog interfaces. The Lincoln 210MP in contrast has a digital interface with a small computer screen, computer software, and umpteen software menus to navigate.

Memory Saving Settings Feature - You will fine tune your settings based on the type of metal and thickness. Not enough amps and your weld doesn't wet out, too much and you get burn through or it melts out material from outside the bead, this can be the difference of just 15 amps from one extreme to another on 1/8 stainless and probably narrower for thinner material. On the EX I would have to take pictures of all the knob settings so that I could reset the knobs the next time I was welding a particular metal and thickness, that would be pretty annoying. Its not too bad when you are not using the Pulse feature but when you do or you are welding aluminum there are even more settings to remember. So here the EXT has a real advantage. The Lincoln 210MP has even more advantage here in that you can save more than 8 or 9 setups vs the EXT and you have a computer screen so you can name the setups vs the EXT is just setup 1-8.


----------



## CraigB1960

Coolidge, thank you for the posts and information.....a lot of great stuff there.  I learned stick welding on a Lincoln and Mig on a Miller Heliarc in the 80's. We had a TIG, but for some reason it was off limits to most of us.  I've owned several electronic manufacturing companies and as a result have engineered, designed, and soldered 1000's of prototypes.  Watching TIG back in the 80's, I always thought it closely resembled soldering.  It also provides the cleanest weld, bar none.  I don't care about production speed, I want quality, clean welds.

You are 100% correct on the need to protect yourself from the UV on TIG...it is intense.

I too feel like MIG is a glorified glue gun, where as TIG just seems the right way to join metal.  (JUST MHO.....no flaming please)  I have a cheap MIG and it does just fine.

I did look seriously at duty cycle and is another reason I like Everlast 255, it has an excellent rating.  What attracted me to the HTP is build quality.  The tear down of the 221 shows a very well designed and laid out machine.  The Everlast tear down I saw was their 201 TIG and I was not impressed by the quality.  This is one reason I wondered if you had taken your cover off?   I talked to Mark at Everlast and he encouraged it as well as tout this is a user repairable welder if you feel up to it.  Basically all modular.

The input current requirements are all over the place on most of these machines.  The Everlast is one of the most efficient.

I am also a big fan of  Infineon (a German company) for their IGBT module.  I have used their products in many designs.


----------



## coolidge

Craig you are on point, TIG is clean, really clean, low fume heck less than soldering, no spatter, no sparks. I'm not welding boat trailers or farm equipment that's MIG territory or stick. Instead I want my beads to be artist quality. Another reason I like the 255ext is that its quiet, I have not measured it with my decibel meter but even with the fans running its super comfortable from a noise perspective. So TIG welding its quite enjoyable and relaxing, completely opposite the Lincoln 210MP which fans blast WHAAAAAAAAAA at some god awful noise level.

One more thing to watch out for while shopping machines, how low can it go on amps for thin materials. The 255ext can go as low as 3 amps.


----------



## CraigB1960

I certainly appreciate the input, it made my decision easy.  I plan to go with the Everlast 255EXT.  I plan to order it in the morning!  Thank you for all your input!


----------



## Sandia

For what its worth, I decide on the 255 EX after some research including Coolidge review on his Everlast. Really like the machine although I am new at tig welding. Having welded with oxy/acet, it does not seem unnatural. The tough part is dipping the tungsten, that is the learning curve.
Pretty sure you will like the Everlast.


----------



## CraigB1960

Well, I have an Everlast 255EXT with water cooler, cart, and flex torches coming this week!  I will take some photos as well as removing the cover to look at the quality of the machine.

Thanks for all the helpful information all of you posted!


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## Sandia

CraigB, if you don't mind me asking, which torch did you order? Mine came with the 26 and I really don't like it, too big and bulky. I would like to buy something smaller and a lighter hose as well, just haven't decided which one at this time.


----------



## CraigB1960

Sandia said:


> CraigB, if you don't mind me asking, which torch did you order? Mine came with the 26 and I really don't like it, too big and bulky. I would like to buy something smaller and a lighter hose as well, just haven't decided which one at this time.



I upgraded to the  WP-9F 25FT  and WP-20F 25FT.  They are their flex heads and are suppose to be lighter.  The hose is also more flexible than the ones that come with the machine.  Mark gave me a good price and upgraded me to 25' hoses for no charge.


----------



## coolidge

Craig did you remember to buy antifreeze for the cooler, you can get that at your local welding supply. Along with tungsten's, filler rod, gas lens and cups, argon tank, TIG gloves, heck you may as well order a Strong Hand Buildpro welding table while you are at it.


----------



## CraigB1960

coolidge said:


> Craig did you remember to buy antifreeze for the cooler, you can get that at your local welding supply. Along with tungsten's, filler rod, gas lens and cups, argon tank, TIG gloves, heck you may as well order a Strong Hand Buildpro welding table while you are at it.



No, I discussed with Mark and we concluded in Tucson, I only need to run distilled water.  (My shop does not freeze).

I purchased a 150cf Argon tank today, along with filler rod at the LWS.  Ordered the Tungsten, gas lens, and cups through Everlast.  Already have good gloves, hood, etc...and I will build my welding table.

Absolutely never ends though...just like machining and tools.

Just don't know how I will hide the goods from the wife!


----------



## Sandia

Last question.  Did you buy your torch, hose, accessories from Everlast?


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## melsdad

I bought my CK flexhead water cooled torch and SSC foot pedal from Everlast.


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## CraigB1960

Sandia said:


> Last question.  Did you buy your torch, hose, accessories from Everlast?


Yes, water cooled and air cooled flex torches, went with the supplied foot pedal.  I purchased their Gas Lens TIG Kit.

Mark (Lugweld on the weldingweb forum) gave me a good discount.

 Note: Everlast is coming out with a newly designed pedal in June that is suppose to be a better design than the SSC one.  They also will be releasing a rotary torch head too.

Consumables I purchased through my LWS.


----------



## coolidge

Its worth mentioning the CK torches from Everlast come with the Everlast specific connectors.


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## Sandia

Thats good to know Coolidge. I  am going to give them a call tomorrow, plan buying the cooler as well. Which torch do you use most Coolidge.


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## CraigB1960

Got my Everlast 255EXT with WC-300A yesterday.  (Two days after placing my order!)

Took a lot of photos of the packaging and accessories.  Will post them when I process them, but everything was well packaged and packed.  I plan to shoot a video of the insides in the near future.

The cart had zero instructions (not a problem) but the diagram was wrong.  Their on-line manual for the 255EXT has technical errors as well...... it seems to me that it just would not take anytime to clean up their documentation.

Water cooler is well made.  I have not hooked up the WP-20 yet, will be doing that tomorrow.

If anyone is new to TIG like I am, a good on-line resource is Miller's gtabook.pdf  and guidelines GTAW. pdf.  CK has a technical specifications.pdf that is excellent as well.  These references provide the details on tungsten use, torch setup, gas cf, and amperage for different materials , thicknesses, and processes.

My unit was shipped with standard WP-9 and WP-20 torches instead of flex heads.  Called Everlast and they said shipping was suppose to put a note in my box stating they would be sending the flex heads out within the next 2 weeks at no charge.  So I guess I will have a couple of extra torch heads!  BTW, their customer support is excellent. 

The pedal is redesigned this year, I found it worked well.  The torch hoses are very flexible.  The cart leaves a lot to be desired, but is a step up from HF.  Though not in the same class as "professional regulators", I found the one supplied is adequate.  I was able to set my flow accurately and it maintained it spot-on.  The equipment clamp is heavy duty, what I remember on the Miller's and Lincoln's I operated in the past.  So far, very pleased with the unit.

The unit is quiet compared to other welders I've been around.

Spent most of my day practicing on steel (DC).   Found it very natural and easy, just like soldering.  I really liked the pulsed DC settings and HF start.  I've figure out the gas lenses and tungsten sizes after reading the references listed above, so tomorrow I will try aluminum.

I had planned to weld my own welder's table, but found this company today, CertiFlat welding table kits.  http://weldtables.com
I could not build one as nice for the price they are selling theirs for.  I will be placing one on order as soon as my cash reserves allow!

Again, thanks for all the information provided here!  Made my decision easy.


----------



## coolidge

Sandia said:


> Thats good to know Coolidge. I  am going to give them a call tomorrow, plan buying the cooler as well. Which torch do you use most Coolidge.



I use the included water cooled torch that came with the 255ext that has the on/off switch on the torch. Especially when doing tack welds. I also favor the stubby tungsten end cap vs the end cap that can hold a full length tungsten, you have to snap your tungsten electrodes in half to fit but its much easier to get the torch into tighter positions with the stubby end cap. I also prefer the gas lens vs just the cup which lets me have more tungsten stick out for getting into tight spots and inside corners.


----------



## coolidge

Speaking of welding tables...and tmarks  This is what precision CNC machined/drilled 5/8 inch thick welding table looks like. I had to lift it with my engine hoist to move it ahahaha!


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## sgisler

And here's the home brew version. Yes, you too can build one for almost what it costs to buy! But at least I get to say I made it myself




Stan,
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Morgan RedHawk

I have also recently purchased the 255 EXT.  Although I have only run it for a few hours, I am impressed with it.  For the price, it is a very good deal.  There does not seem to be much I can add to this write up...it is very complete, however here is a bit of info that yall might find useful.
I had the same problem with the gas inlet in the back of the machine interfering with my cylinder.  Instead of modifying my cart I used a Western AW-407. CGA "B" (032) male to female elbow.  I ordered mine here: https://weldingsupply.com/cgi-bin/ei...UNDEF:X:AW-407
It did the trick.  
As far as welding helmets, I bought one of those Lincoln Viking 3350 helmets with the new 4C lens.  All I can say is wow!  The 4C gives a nearly full color view of the action.  The difference between my old helmet and this one is amazing!  It is well worth money.  The window is nice and large, and with a cheater lens, you can see the arc change to green when you dip that tungsten with remarkable clarity!

Thanks, coolidge, for the great write up!


----------



## TOOLMASTER

what is the duty cycle?


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## CraigB1960

Morgan, thanks for the tip on the fitting.  I did not have to modify mine to fit a 150cf cylinder, but did have to offset it a little.

I'm glad to hear about the Lincoln Viking 3350 helmet.  I've been using my 255 almost daily with a cheap HF helmet and finally decided last week to get a better helmet.  I found a really good price on the 3350 and pulled the trigger; it arrives Tuesday or Wednesday.

Toolmaster, the duty cycle for TIG is:
120V: 60% @ 150A/16V 100% @ 120 A/14.8V
240V: 60% @ 250A/20V 100% @ 200 A/18V

I have mine running on 240V and usually welding below 200A, so I don't stop for anything, except for grinding tungsten and running out of filler rod!  The WP20 water torch helps a lot.

The only complaint is I am still waiting on the Flexhead torches to be sent from Everlast.  I believe they are coming out with a new version in June, so perhaps I will be getting that one.


----------



## Morgan RedHawk

You have a chance to try out your new helmet yet?  Just curious what you think about it.


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## CraigB1960

Morgan RedHawk said:


> You have a chance to try out your new helmet yet?  Just curious what you think about it.



Yes,  got the Viking 3350, shipped from Baker's Gas (great price...no affiliation with them).  My first impression was as you said...Wow!  What a difference it makes.  Can clearly see the puddle, helmet is very sensitive and reacts extremely fast (40 microseconds).  Good adjustment on shades, has a very large view, and excellent color rendering.  The comfort of headband is good as well.  Have no desire to use the HF one now, simply keeping it as a backup.

My welding has improved with the helmet.

I plan to order a x2.00 cheater lens so I don't have to wear my glasses.


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## silverwilt

Craig, have you had a chance to open up your welder yet? I am looking into getting a tig welder and the the Evelast has an attractive price, but that 201 teardown video has me a little worried. Thanks for the info that you have already provided, it has helped me consider some alternatives.


----------



## CraigB1960

silverwilt said:


> Craig, have you had a chance to open up your welder yet? I am looking into getting a tig welder and the the Evelast has an attractive price, but that 201 teardown video has me a little worried. Thanks for the info that you have already provided, it has helped me consider some alternatives.


No, I shot the packaging and such, then got to using it.  I will try to open it up tomorrow...Wednesday the latest if that works for you?


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## silverwilt

Yes, that is fine. Thank you. I look forward to seeing what they are built like.


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## GA Gyro

EXCELLENT thread!
Thx to all that contributed... especially the details from Cooledge.

I probably will be in the market for a TIG this fall...

Good reading!


----------



## CraigB1960

Okay, pulled the cover off and took some photos.  I did not see anything that gives me heartburn.  All screw connections have Loctite type compound, control module is well build with good components and connectors.  Looks like everything is modular for easy replacement.  When I purchased from Mark at Everlast, he stated this.  Makes warranty repair easy with part(s) replacement done by owner if desired.

For the cost of the machine and its features, I feel that I received value.


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## silverwilt

It looks better than was worried it might, but not as good as I was hoping. Reasonable for the price though I guess.  The board support is improved over that older and smaller one from the video review, and all the capacitors that I can see Are 105° rated. A few of those capacitors are right by the heat sinks though.

In an earlier post, you mentioned a background in electronics that is better than mine. Would you mind sharing a critical opinion on any possible failure modes and their likelihood? Also, are those black epoxy packages on the big board the IGBTs, or is there a module in there somewhere?

Thanks for the photos!


----------



## CraigB1960

silverwilt said:


> It looks better than was worried it might, but not as good as I was hoping. Reasonable for the price though I guess.  The board support is improved over that older and smaller one from the video review, and all the capacitors that I can see Are 105° rated. A few of those capacitors are right by the heat sinks though.
> 
> In an earlier post, you mentioned a background in electronics that is better than mine. Would you mind sharing a critical opinion on any possible failure modes and their likelihood? Also, are those black epoxy packages on the big board the IGBTs, or is there a module in there somewhere?
> 
> Thanks for the photos!



Everlast continually improves this welder, here is a photo of the 2013 model:




Clearly the 2015 version has made improvements and added features.

Capacitors are always a concern.  105c caps are okay, I would be more concerned about the voltage margins on them.  In a perfect world, all the components would be a much higher rating than needed....but then the cost would be higher than I would be willing to pay for in my hobby.

It has a 5 year warranty.  I figure if there is a design flaw, it will show up by then.  I am using this in a home shop as a hobby, I suspect it would outlast me.

Not enough data available to me to hazard a guess on failure modes and probability.  There are a lot of these welders out there and I simply have not read of any serious issues or failure modes.


----------



## GA Gyro

Thx for the pics CraigB...

Complicated gadget...


----------



## TOOLMASTER

Apparently they have diversified.

who knew...;-)


----------



## FOMOGO

TOOLMASTER said:


> Apparently they have diversified.
> 
> who knew...;-)



    Funny stuff. I just sold my old heavy bag a while back. Seems the rumors of my big return to the ring were somewhat over blown.  Mike


----------



## mmprestine

I'd like to see a good over head shot of the top board.  I am interested in what micro processor they use to control everything.


----------



## CraigB1960

mmprestine said:


> I'd like to see a good over head shot of the top board.  I am interested in what micro processor they use to control everything.



I don't have one over the top since I set the unit up on a table to shoot and I'm short.  I suggest give them a call, they are pretty much open to answering questions.

Just to add to this thread and since I was initially drawn to the HTP due to the youtube build quality video.   The comparison of this welder with HTP (from a mechanical build) is one thing.  The feature set is a whole different ballgame.  What sold me on the Everlast 255EXT was the specs. and feature set that was better in several key areas from the HTP Inverting 221.

First is warranty:
Everlast 5 years...HTP 3 years

Duty cycle:
Everlast -
250A/20V @ 60% Duty Cycle/ 40º C
200A/18V @ 100% Duty Cycle/ 40º C

HTP -  (notice no ambient temp. given)
20% @ 220 amps
60% @ 165 amps
100% @ 145 amps

That is a big difference in useable weld time in my book......100% @ 200A versus 20 or 30%.  As well as being able to go to 250A versus 220A.


Maximum input amps is about the same but the Everlast is outputting more amps.  I can run it at full output of 250A on a 30A circuit.  The Everlast at full output 220A @ 26A versus 250A @ 27A....Everlast is more efficient.

Another difference is the quality of the ground clamp.  Might seem trivial, but a good ground clamp is important.  The Everlast is very heavy duty compared to HTP.

I looked for complete specs. on the HTP and could not find them...even in their manual.  Everlast supplies them on they website and in their manual.

From a user standpoint, all info is displayed on Everlast's front panel, the HTP is through menus and reading the digital display.

The only thing that the HTP seems to beat out the Everlast is weight...41lbs versus 62lbs.  Not sure if that is a good thing though.

Another deciding factor is cost.  By going through Mark (Lugweld on Everlast forum) for my purchase, I received a significant discount and saved *$800* over the HTP.  In fact, I was able to purchase the 255EXT, water cooler, upgrade to flex heads with 25' leads (both 9 and 20 torches), welding cart, and gas sense kit for less than the HTP air cooled unit.  (I got both the air cooled and water cooled torches, HTP only supplies one or the other depending on model purchased)


(Not affiliated with Everlast, just a happy customer)


----------



## CraigB1960

I had a problem with my welder on Saturday, July 30.  So I ended up taking the cover off.  I will do a second post on my Everlast 255EXT problem.

Here's a shot of the top board that someone wanted.


----------



## CraigB1960

My Everlast 255EXT experienced a failure on Saturday, July 30 a little after 6:00pm PST.  I purchased the Harris flowmeter/regulator, gas hose, and 90 degree elbow that I had just installed on my 255EXT and was getting ready to TIG a project I had.  Turned the machine on, adjusted my gas flow, and then the back breaker on the welder tripped.  My wall breaker did not.  Reset and the unit tripped again.  Since I'm running 240Vac, I decided to see if it would trip on 120Vac so I used the pigtail and plugged her up.  She held just fine.  So I figured I had an issue with the power board  (the large board on the left side as you face the front of the machine).

I removed the cover and found this capacitor had failed:


I've been in electronics all my life, with extensive manufacturing experience...industrial and mil spec.  This is infant mortality of a component.  You can predict how many units of a component will fail early, but you cannot identify which specific component will fail.  You can burn them in a specific amount of time and under stress, but you cannot catch all of these failures without wearing out the product.

Some might say that Everlast should use better components.  However, it is challenging to find a 2200µF 250V Aluminum Capacitor with a better rating than 3000 Hrs @ 105°C.  There is indication that the one Everlast uses might be better than 3000 hours (possibly 5000 hrs), though it is hard to find the exact specs.

I ending up opening up the unit by removing several boards.  There is nothing that gave me heartburn from a build and component perspective.

*Now on to the customer service aspect:*

After finding this, I decided to call Mark (Lugweld) that sold me the unit.  I'm on PST this time of year and he is on EST, so it was almost 10:00pm his time.  He picked up immediately (I was surprised, expected his voice mail).  Anyway, we walked through the failure and what I found.  I asked if it would be possible to get a replacement board instead of shipping the unit back.

He asked if I could send him some photos and he would email them to Everlast first thing Monday.  I did this Saturday evening.  Monday morning at 10:00am I receive a call from Oleg (owner of Everlast).  He was going to send me the power board until we both realized this is not just a plug in replacement.  I told him I did not mind desoldering the board's wires (I had already taken out the capacitor and located a suitable replacement just incase).  He said no....the unit is too new to have problems (I purchased this in April of this year).  He asked if I could wait until later Monday evening, but he would arrange a new unit to be shipped to me.

That evening I received an email from Katya (Customer Service Rep. Everlast) stating that Oleg has a new 255EXT to ship me and asked that I use the UPS return label they supplied to ship my unit back.  I then received an email from Oleg saying the factory had just completed a run of 255EXT's and I would be receiving one direct from the factory.

I had to go to Phoenix on Tuesday August 2, so I dropped my welder off at a UPS store on my way.  (I did pay the UPS store $20 to package my welder properly.  I had just used the original 255EXT box to ship a bunch of stuff to my daughter....never fails!)

Today, August 3 I receive a message from DHL that I had a shipment arriving on Friday, August 5th!  The package had been picked up on August 2 and was in route to me!

Wow, if that is not customer service than I simply do not know what is.  Not only did the Rep. take my call late on a weekend, he followed it through to the HQ and the owner intervened on my behalf.  He made it happen fully at his expense.

Customer service is everything.   They have earned a customer for life.


----------



## Morgan RedHawk

Glad to hear they got you squared away.  I agree, customer service is everything.


----------



## VA-Sawyer

So, what happened with the replacement welder?


----------



## CraigB1960

VA-Sawyer said:


> So, what happened with the replacement welder?


Replacement welder is new from the factory.  Works perfect.  Here's the factory new box that arrived that Friday by DHL with new 255EXL welder in it.







Everlast has earned my business from this point on.  I will not buy another welder from anyone else but Everlast.


----------



## Riotwarrior

I have read this thread through and as such am sold.

My friend iz looking at the 185 for body work. Seems like a decent starting unit.

When I can afford it I will step up to H2O cool and a 255.

Might take a year but I am sold.

Thanks for all the fantastic pics and descriptions.


----------



## GA Gyro

There is a HOST of things on my fall catch up list...
And at this point a new TIG is pretty close to the bottom.

OTOH... If I can get a few major things off the top of the list...
The TIG may well find its way under the tree in DEC....
Or, being green, it may BE the tree...


----------



## dogma

I'm on the fence between ordering a 255EXT and a 350EXT as the cost difference on AMZ is currently $550.  The 255EXT is dual voltage (which is nice to have but not a requirement) and goes lower on the amps 3A DC / 5A AC vs 5A DC / 10A AC .  The 350EXT has a 30A higher 60% duty cycle and, obviously, higher max amps.  I suppose the 350EXT probably has higher startup inrush current, which might be an issue on a generator (not a concern for me either).

I do occasionally want to weld 1/2" SS and mild steel plate but most of my projects are in the sheet to 1/4" plate range.  Ignoring cost, if you could have only one, would you choose the lower minimum amps or the higher max amps?


----------



## VA-Sawyer

Well, I finally went and pulled the trigger on a 255EXT with a water cooler. It should be here next Tuesday. Now I need to find $3K of Tig work, so it can earn its keep.


----------



## VA-Sawyer

30 day review on new welder.......
I have had this welder about 5 weeks, and am quite happy with it. The only complaint so far, is a slow internal Argon leak between the rear fitting, and the solenoid. Not big enough to make me open the welder yet, but enough that I turn off the bottle valve every time I shut off the welder.
This welder is much better at welding than I am. It helps make my welds better than my limited past experiences. 
My only regret, is waiting so long to buy it.


----------



## RonRock

Bringing up a Zombie Thread I know. 

I recently received an Everlast 255EXT. So far it's been great, not much time on it yet.

But one thing that I did not notice, and never saw mentioned in all of my pre purchase studies is that the power switch is actually the breaker switch in the rear of the unit. Awkward PITA to reach. Also limits where I can place the machine. Never seen anything with the power switch in the rear like that, so that never even crossed my mind as a possibility. 

Not sure if this is a deal breaker for me, but I thought that someone might happen to see this and consider it.

Why no front panel switch?


----------



## cathead

When ordering some tungsten for my TIG, I noticed that the red tipped ones are thoriated.  They contain thorium which is
a radioactive alpha emitter.  For that reason, I went with the lanthanated(blue) tungstens.  Grinding points on thoriated tungsten
would be hazardous not only by inhalation  but by ingestion.  Alpha emitter radionuclides  are biologically the most hazardous to health.  
I won't be using the red tipped tungstens in my shop.


----------



## VA-Sawyer

RonRock,

I don't find the power switch in the rear to be a problem. My welder is mounted almost chest high, and I can reach over it if needed.  I just find it easier to walk behind the cart and flip the switch. As I am back there, I also get the gas valve on the bottle..


----------



## rwm

RonRock said:


> Bringing up a Zombie Thread I know.
> 
> I recently received an Everlast 255EXT. So far it's been great, not much time on it yet.
> 
> But one thing that I did not notice, and never saw mentioned in all of my pre purchase studies is that the power switch is actually the breaker switch in the rear of the unit. Awkward PITA to reach. Also limits where I can place the machine. Never seen anything with the power switch in the rear like that, so that never even crossed my mind as a possibility.
> 
> Not sure if this is a deal breaker for me, but I thought that someone might happen to see this and consider it.
> 
> Why no front panel switch?



I have a Miller Dynasty. The power switch is also on the rear and mounted sideways so you can't obviously tell which way is ON. It should at lease be mounted vertically. I am not sure why the manufacturers do this?

Robert


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## VA-Sawyer

Problem with 255EXT

 I bought this welder about 18 months ago, after reading about the great customer service that CraigB1960 recieved after having a problem.

NEVERLAST  ( I joined the club today! ) did not give me the same kind of support.  Mark finally called me back today.  He was less than helpful at solving the problem. He spent most of his time either making BS excuses about how the problem is NOT the welder, or going on about what an expert he was .  Bottom line is their 5 year warranty is a joke.  My unit works perfect on DC, it now has problems starting the arc on AC.  I thought it had mis-cued once or twice in the last six months, but then it seemed to be OK. Two days ago it started acting up too often to ignore.  As it appears the warranty is useless, I will have to open it up and see what I find. I have the skills and equipment to stand a fair chance of figuring out what is wrong and fixing it. One thing you can be sure of...... I will never buy anything from NEVERLAST again.


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## RonRock

Well that sucks. Please follow up with any findings. 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## DAT510

Not specifically N'Everlast..... Could it be an issue with the HF Start?  The video below is for a guy who's AHP AlphaTig had the "spark gap" in the HF start mechanism bridged (from the factory) with some adhesive, preventing the HF start from working.  Once cleaning the spark gap, it worked..... Though why DC starts well and AC doesn't, it might not be the spark gap.


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## jwmelvin

I think the EXT doesn’t use points for HF start; instead it’s all electronic? Hard to know where to start debugging.


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