4/23/09 The machine came in well packaged. No Manual.
6/13/09 I haven't had much time to use the machine but had to throw together a jig to do some guided bend tests. I used the Plasma Cutter to cut some 1/2" plate. With the amperage all the way up the 1/2" cut was difficult. I cut about 30" altogether and it took two ends of one electrode. Didn't have time to figure out the problem and the cuts were pretty rough. The digital readout on the dial showed 33. The amperage knob did not go all the way to the maximum reading on the dial.
After the cutting was done I welded 2 pcs of 1 1/2" round stock to the plates. I left the machine turned all the way up (150 amps) to see if I was getting full amperage. It did not appear I was as 150 amps should have seemed a bit high for a 1/8" 7018. Below are some of the welds made. The machine welded VERY well. The arc was stable and never cut out. Slag peeled off by itself on the horizontal fillets. I Welded flat, overhead, and vertical welds and the machine performed well.
6/18/09 I had a little project I wanted to make for my daughter. The plasma cutter worked fine on the 1/8" flat bar I used to cut the notes from. I did notice quite a few times in which the arc would not strike. Spoke to Simon and he gave me some things to look for but I haven't opened it up yet to look. Below is a picture of what I did.
19 October 09
It has been a slow summer and I haven't had much opportunity to review the machine. I used the machine for a few short cutting jobs and had some issues with getting an arc started. This seems to have been caused by air pressure too high. I was told to reduce the pressure to 65 PSI. I have done that and arc starting seems better but 1/2" capacity as done by the Everlast machine seems hard to obtain. I have to do some more testing.
27 January 2010
I recently loaned my machine to one of my students to practice for a welding test. He has absolutely no prejudice to any company brand. He indicated that he liked the way the 416 stick welded as compared to the Miller XMT 350 he used during school. I thought that was interesting. He said the arc was smoother. The machine is being used for GTAW root passes and 3/32" fill and cap on 6G tube coupons similar to the Boilermakers Commonarc test.
1 March 2010
The machine is still running. Welded a few little items around the house. Used the tig feature with remote for some jewelry I made my wife. Been a good value. It could stop running today and I would be pleased.
I have had the machine for over 3 years. The warranty is out but it still works. I has been in use by one of my welding students for practicing at home and I got it back today to fix a trailer jack.
I used the plasma function to gouge the existing jack from the trailer. At 1st it worked really well but the torch did begin to cut out after about 6" of weld. The machine, torch, and tips are not advertized as being able to gouge. I do this by leaning the torch back and pushing the metal out of the way. This requires the arc to be nearly 1/2" before getting to the metal. But regardless, it worked faster than a metabo. Also, I had to run the air right to the machine without the filter as no air would go through the regulator. (The only thing that doesnt work besides the high frequency arc starting for the plasma and tig.
I swapped it back to stick, tacked the new jack on, and put a pass around with 1/8" E6010.+++ running at about 100 on the dial.
I then cranked it all the way up to 140 and finished the weld with a pass of 1/8" E7018.
While welding the machine never cut out or was difficult to control. The 6010 did not run quite as smooth as with the machines I use at work. The main thing I noticed was a tendency for arc blow as the electrode got shorther.
Overall I still have a great machine. I got it at a discount (for doing the initial reviews) but knowing how it has lasted would be glad to get another at retail price if I needed one.