New 225LX first impressions
Got my new 225LX delivered yesterday. First impression as I unpacked it from the box is the machine is much nicer than I expected. Got it assembled and welded a few pieces with it today and got a good feel for it without messing with too many of the functions and all I can say is that I am officially done with transformer machines. This machine has a very smooth very stable arc on DC, I haven't tried the AC yet which is where it should really really shine. The variable AC frequency is the big draw for me on these inverter machines. The machine did show up with broken to hell front plastic bezel and cracked rear plastic bezel but no further apparent damage. from everything I have read on the forums this is almost expected and it seems like Everlast is pretty Johnny on the spot about getting the replacement bezels out to their customers. Now the down side, which I completely understand to keep costs down, but the accessories for these machine kinda suck. The torch is actually nicer than I thought but still very stiff, very heavy and BIG. Its nice that they come with a flowmeter instead of a regulator but the flow meter is just kinda hokey with the barb fittings and the clear/white hose and worm clamps. The grounding clamp is just cheesy. Now with all that being said these are typical upgrade items on nearly every welder that i have ever bought including Miller and Lincoln machines. I bought the machine expecting to buy a new CK flexhead torch and I replace the grounding clamp with tweco solid copper units on every machine that I use, totally worth the 20 bucks. Again I understand this is where they save money in production and I have ZERO complaints about any of it. I would like to see maybe the option of buying just the base machine and shave maybe 150 bucks or so off the price of the machine. Oh and I have read lots of complaints about the foot pedals on these machines, in actuality I really like the pedal, at least its not plastic crap like you get with some of the higher dollar machines. The spring is a bit stiff but all in all it reminds me of the Miller aircrafter 330s pedal that I cut my teeth on at my very first welding job many years ago. A suggestion for some, try placing a tall block of wood to rest your "non welding" foot on. It helps balance you out and takes stress off your hips/back by having the offset of the taller pedal. It works nicely and makes it much more comfortable to weld 10/12 hours a day everyday. In conclusion my opinion is job very well done Everlast. Thank you for making a quality, affordable machine.
