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Hi,
I am more or less curious about the multi machines. Ive heard horror stories in the past about combining machines. I was curious if anybody has owned any of these for awhile and if they could tell me the pros and cons. I went ahead and got a 250 tig because I didnt want to risk it while trying to learn. Be a pain not knowing if something is right or wrong when you dont know any better.
I have one of the small multifunction units, a Power Ultra 205. The advantages of this unit over any other welder I've used, most of which were heavy transformer units, are:
1.Very light and easily portable. It has a shoulder strap so that it can be carried very comfortably.
2. The obvious advantage that it can tig weld, cut and stick weld all in the same little machine.
3. The stick weld function will start and run smoothly at a much lower amp setting than any Miller or Lincoln welder I have used(mostly transformer units).
4. In spite of the fact that the machine is so small and is 3 in one, it still has all kinds of power. The Lincoln Precision Tig I sometimes use only has a 15% duty cycle @ 185 amps compared to 60% @ 200 for the Everlast. Equal settings on the Everlast also seem a little hotter than other welders, so the 200 is more like 225 on my Miller.
5. The plasma cuts made with it are as smooth as those done with my friends expensive Hypertherm 30, except his machine is all done at 3/8" thick steel whereas this machine will cut 3/4" steel quite nicely.
6. The tig function, which is the main function for my use, is excellent. I find that ,as with the stick function, it is better at low settings than the Lincoln 185 I also use.
7. Can be plugged into 240 or 120 volt with auto current sensing so that all functions can be used wherever there is a wall plug, great for away from the shop use.
The only disadvantage of this machine (the 205)over owning separate machines is the time taken to change leads. With the 250 vs 256 there is also a disadvantage in duty cycle for the 256 plus no spot weld function.
I'm now in need of a new AC machine so I will likely get the 250ex and keep the multifunction machine for plasma use and away from shop use as a multifunction unit.