General welding questions that dont fit in TIG, MIG, Stick, or Certification etc.
PeteM
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I look at duty cycle. It says 40%. Thats light/med. duty. If you look at real commercial duty machines, they rate at 100%.
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PeteM wrote:Just my opinion- You can't just run a business on a hobbyist/light duty grade machine. I know people love them for what they are, and they are super cool for a home owner, but they just aren't up to snuff for commercial duty.

That being said, sorry to hear that it happened.
JD Brewer, Apexish welding, uses a Lincoln MP 210 daily in his business. Just say'n
Lincoln MP 210, Lincoln Square Wave 200,
Everlast 210 EXT
Thermal Dynamics 25 Plasma cutter

" Anything that carries your livelihood wants to be welded so that Thor can’t break it."
CJ737
Ryan
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I dont really have to have an "industrial" machine. I also didnt purchase the Esab with the intent to be welding around the clock. Sometimes the welder sits in the corner and collects dust. Winters are real slow around here. Especially as of late. I know I cant take a Synchro into a horse stable to install custom CNC cut signs onto stall doors. Yeah this is East KY. Quite a bit of that kind of work here. But I cant take a machine to a multi-million dollar facility to have it poop out on me. Good way to lose some big customers. And I dont need a full blown mobile rig with all the trimmings. Heck, the Bobcat is not mine I just get to use it whenever I need it.

Before I bought the Rebel 235 I talked to Esab about all my needs and they assured me that what I do is exactly what the machine is intended for. Meh. Like I said I just want the thing to do what it is supposed to do. Esab reached out to me and Im supposed to be getting a call from the tech manager at some point. As I think about it more and more, getting into a different machine doesnt really dazzle me either. They are all made with components of Asian origin. Unless I spring for one of the euro machines. Lets see what Esab says about it I guess. Heck, maybe tomorrow the machine will magically start working again :lol:
Semper Fidelis Ooh Rah!
PeteM
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Ryan wrote: Heck, maybe tomorrow the machine will magically start working again :lol:
I know that tech support doesn't recommend it, but have you tried smacking it? :D

That is my default maneuver.

I don't mean to come off as coarse. It sounds like you've got a good thing going and hope this works out for you.
Ryan
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I usually go for the boot stomp :lol:

Brought the welder to the LWS today. They wanted to charge me $50 to ship it to their "shop" and $80/hr to diagnose and fix. WTF?? Called Esab tech and he says they are sending me a new machine. So hopefully this works out. Heck, if they told me that to begin with I would have just ordered it off the net. My LWS is only good for bottle exchange. I ordered a 10lbs can of Lincoln Excalibur and got a $10 Hazardous surcharge on top of paying for the rod. Its highway robbery!
Semper Fidelis Ooh Rah!
PeteM
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Those guys definitely play hard ball. Once upon a time I worked at a LWS and would try to soften the hit on little guy/one man operations. There's a good bit of room to move on those prices if you find someone who is willing to work with you a little.
aland
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Ryan wrote:I ordered a 10lbs can of Lincoln Excalibur and got a $10 Hazardous surcharge on top of paying for the rod. Its highway robbery!
Hazardous surcharge is for gas, so I thought...Lincoln Excalibur is in a sealed tube... :?

I don't get charged by my LWS for electrodes, but do for gas. Only $5, in one of the highest cost of living areas. Is your LWS an Airgas or Praxair ?

Alan
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Hopefully you will have better luck with the replacement machine, I don't don't care what machine you buy none of them are perfect or service free. Some of the old time transformer based monsters were and are pretty darned reliable, inverters don't seem to be as robust has the older gen machines. But some of the bells and whistles sure are nice to have, not to mention their lighter weight and Amperage draw.
Pete



Esab SVI 300, Mig 4HD wire feeder, 30A spool gun, Miller Passport, Dynasty 300 DX, Coolmate 4, Spectrum 2050, C&K Cold Wire feeder WF-3, Black Gold Tungsten Sharperner, Prime Weld 225
clavius
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No machine that you buy will run forever without failing. Nine months use is not a lot, but it does not mean that every copy of that machine is unreliable junk. Sometimes, you just get unlucky. The real proof is how the manufacturer deal with you and it sounds like EASB tech support is trying to make it right for you.

It also sounds like you LWS stinks. I hope there is another one around.

It may not sound like a good solution, but if your customers are picky enough to look down on you because one of your tools failed on you, the best thing for you to do is to always carry a backup. Sounds expensive, but you gotta have a plan B if you operate in that sort of environment.

I have a friend who is a professional photographer. He gets paid a lot of money to shoot weddings and other such events. He has a $2K camera with lenses and flashes that cost much more than that. He has a complete second setup in his pack when he shows up to work. Pricey, but you can't predict when a piece of gear will fail and sometimes, "failure is not an option".
Ryan
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Thanks for all the great insight everyone.

My LWS is Scott Gross. I am pretty much done with them. Unfortunately, my only other option is Radnor(AirGas). I turned a torch into them for rebuild and they lost it. But their hazmat fee is $5. So what do ya do?

From now on all my consumables will be ordered elsewhere. I will only use the LWS for gas. Im going to keep extra consumables for everything. Though it is expensive to do with all the different plasma consumables I gotta have. But it's a 30min trip to either place and they have said over the phone they had something and when I get there they dont. That has happened a handful of times with both places. And when you lodge a complaint with them you pretty much just get an "oh well". They dont care to lose my business. Even after buying the Rebel and HT Powermax 85 from Scott Gross they rake me over the coals every time i go there it seems like. Im even thinking about driving further to get better service.
Semper Fidelis Ooh Rah!
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That's to bad, that attitude will catch up with them sooner or later. Good luck! ;)
Pete



Esab SVI 300, Mig 4HD wire feeder, 30A spool gun, Miller Passport, Dynasty 300 DX, Coolmate 4, Spectrum 2050, C&K Cold Wire feeder WF-3, Black Gold Tungsten Sharperner, Prime Weld 225
aland
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Ryan wrote:My LWS is Scott Gross. I am pretty much done with them. Unfortunately, my only other option is Radnor(AirGas). I turned a torch into them for rebuild and they lost it. But their hazmat fee is $5. So what do ya do?
My $0.02...just buy your gas from them, buy your consumables online.

Don't cut your nose off despite your face, you will need gas from either Scott Gross or AirGas. For other stuff you can buy most all of it online if you had to. ;)
Ryan wrote:Even after buying the Rebel and HT Powermax 85 from Scott Gross they rake me over the coals every time i go there it seems like. Im even thinking about driving further to get better service.
Could be worth investigating, but remember, you don't want to be driving too far to get gas, the gas in your car adds up also...

Good luck, we all fight this same battle...I feel your pain, but have a good LWS. Problem is there is only one left, and the rest are AirGas and Praxair... :roll:

Alan
MarkL
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Ryan wrote:Unfortunately, my only other option is Radnor(AirGas). I turned a torch into them for rebuild and they lost it. But their hazmat fee is $5. So what do ya do?
I know that fee drives me nuts every time I buy something. My Airgas gives me 15% off because I went through the welding program at the local community college. And they're really helpful. But every time I pay that $5 it makes me grit my teeth.
Lincoln Square Wave 200
Lincoln 225 AC/DC
Harris Oxy/Acetylene torch
jerje
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Have you considered a Lincoln 210mp? Jody and his buddy JD Brewer really like it and JD uses it in his business running dual shield almost exclusively. You may have seen it but it is in a number of Jody's videos.
Antorcha
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I'd send it back and roll out one that will work ;)
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Antorcha
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jerje wrote:Have you considered a Lincoln 210mp? Jody and his buddy JD Brewer really like it and JD uses it in his business running dual shield almost exclusively. You may have seen it but it is in a number of Jody's videos.
Womb Broom® :mrgreen: runs the 210 mostly out. He has a monster in his shop. There's a dude that can gidder done !
Great fabricator.No wonder he and J.C. are tight.
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Dual shield flux core is one of the most productive processes there is. TIG welding is one of the least. If time is money, I wouldn't replace a MIG/wire feeder with a TIG. Go find a deal on either a Miller 252 or a Lincoln 256. Heck, maybe even buy used and buy more than one so you have a backup. Either that or invest in your own engine drive with a suitcase wire feeder.
Multimatic 255
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