Where are the negative reviews?
OK, I hate to sound like the guy who brings a party to a screaming halt but I came here to get an unbiased opinion of the products offered by Everlast. What I find rather unusual are the lack of negative posts. Now I could be wrong but I would think that someone out there has had a bad experience with one of these units. It is typically those that have bad experiences that tend to post. In this forum the opposite seems to occur. I have spoken to many guys who curse the Miller name brand and they vocalize their opinion loudly with facts to back it up. Now if a mainstream, high quality company like Miller can piss off welding professionals then where are the dissenters on this forum. I hope the moderators are not selectively purging threads. Don't mean to offend anyone. Just trying to do my homework before I drop my hard-earned money on that green beast.
Just a Note from a Lurker
Well I thought I’d weigh in here, I’ve been selling Everlast products for about 6 months here in Alaska, like Duncan I did some research prior to investing my retirement into my company. I was also a bit apprehensive before buying by first Imig200 back in 09, but was impressed with both the machinery and the company, I think we all share the same values and understand what good customer service is, from being on “the other side” of the issues. I have sold a few units (less than 100) and have had a few issues (very few) but am proud to say have maintained 100% customer satisfaction. There are guys that will not even consider an “Off Brand” unit and will not even bother to look, if it ain’t blue. However I have put several units in shops right next to the blue and red ones and so far have received nothing but praise, seriously.
Most issues I’ve encountered have been, I think, related to being hand assembled rather than using robotics, US made stuff used to be a lot like that back a few years, it took a bit to “work out the bugs” in almost anything you bought for shop (or farm) use. At least that’s the way I remember it. So far things like hose clamps, loose screws, stuff like that.
I also have given quite a few suggestions to Mark and Mike (most good I hope) and they are reactive and I have seen improvements put in place a lot faster than any other company I’ve dealt with in the past.
Yea, I know it seems to good to be true, but so far so good for us.
And the web site stuff, I have been trying to put together a web site, strongly considered out sourcing it, but opted to do it in house for several reasons, it takes a lot to keep up on it and keep it polished looking, I hope to get there soon.
My advise, buy with confidence, the problems are few and are usually resolved quickly and result in satisfied customers anyway.
Ray
Everlast Alaska Co.
www.everlastalaska.com
My green money just purchased the green machine
OK I have read your comments. Considering that I have a 100% satisfaction guarantee I took the chance and ordered a Pro 205. For the skeptics who thought I was just trying to stir up controversy....surprise!
I already know myself well enough to know that I am very critical of performance, fit and finish. So if your device is as good as you claim then we will have a harmonious relationship. However if this thing starts giving me headaches or making me feel as though I own an inferior product then you will be getting the green machine back with the quickness.
I will patiently be waiting for it to get here within the time frame proposed.
Oh and as a side point: I still think it would be a very, very responsible thing for Everlast to provide service documentation and schematics for their products. As far as anyone stealing or copying you technology; a competent engineer can easily reverse engineer that machine by simply opening the covers. So unless you plan to start potting the entire machine in black epoxy I think your secret is already out. As for me I am inclined to feel better about a company that supports its customers in every degree. Sony delivers new products to the market all the time and the technical drawings are always available. I work with laser gimbals that cost in excess of $10,000 and I get drawings for their proprietary circuitry. I don't expect the manufacturer to provide the software code or algorithms they developed but it sure is nice to have drawings when troubleshooting a complicated device. Please consider that for the future and longevity of your products past the 5 year mark. Sign me up for drawings the day your fears come to pass.
Are there little kids reading this???? Come on lets grow up..
Zeroman: I believe you are reading a little too hard and I think you need to hold your mouth right. I never said I expected or demanded perfection. What I did say is I expect for Everlast to deliver what it claims. If Everlast fulfills its claims to offer the best value, performance fit & finish for the price then we will all live in harmony, if not then there will not be harmony. Hell, you never know, I might apply to be the next Everlast dealer for the East coast. Furthermore you seem to be adding attitude to my statements and writings. Sit back and read my postings again but this time read them calmly. You seem to be getting defensive for no reason at all. My attitude sucks? Dude I just dropped some serious money on a machine I cannot see, touch or smell so don't try to put that guilt trip on me. I am the customer now and I will be the customer 5 years from now (and maybe longer if it all works out). Lets not lose perspective.
As far as the schematics; It was a suggestion not a demand. There you go again adding attitude to my post. Have a beer and go do some welding. In fact why don't you tig all those empty beer cans sitting in your pickup truck into the shape of a big fluffy bunny rabbit. (OK so that last part may have had a little attitude this time). Hopefully I may never need the schematics. I hope I never do. But let me tell you the type of man I am. When I get something new (car; electronics or whatever) the first thing I try to do is examine the inner workings of it thoroughly. I don't do this to expose secrets; I do this to fully understand how things work. I have a basic understanding of electronics and I enjoy messing with electronics for my own enlightenment. I don't like relying on anybody to keep my stuff operational. For every car I own I have the proprietary software to interface, diagnose and repair that car. If the car has a warranty failure I don't worry about it. But what will happen when that car is out of warranty? I don't want to rely on a dealership to make things right when I am quite capable of doing it myself. Most guys who are into welding are usually self sufficient mechanically. So why is it so alarming to want to be just as sufficient with the tools that you use. Like I said before the schematics will not give a competitor the ability to magically clone these machines. A lot of time and money is needed to do that. If someone has those resources the lack of schematics will not stop them. Lets face it, Everlast will produce more advanced machines in the future with even better technology. Is it so insane to release the drawings once the current technology is a little dated. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but hey it would be nice if I could have them before my warranty period is over ( this is why I stated earlier "once your fears come to pass" ) I worked as an engineer for Xerox Corp. for 12 years. Xerox had some really cutting edge technology at the time. I mean some serious stuff. And you know what? Anyone looking to buy the technical documents could. Did Xerox provide the value and location of every component inside some of those massive machines? No but they did provide concise block schematics that helped anyone capable repair the machine on their own. Were the documents meant for the general public? No way..too technical but nevertheless they were still available.
Dude I am never going to apologize or concede for my stance. This is an open forum. I asked questions and made comments. Nothing was meant to be disparaging towards Everlast. Everything I said was there with a purpose and that purpose was to protect MY investment in this product. You should really look at this another way. What is a new prospective customer going to think about these posts? Do you think your aggression is going to win over a new customer when I am making simple and innocent requests? Come on man!!
Now you can either welcome me into this forum with open arms and an open mind or just say nothing at all. That may be the best way to salvage what civility is left in this thread. I was really excited when I ordered that new gear but you guys are killing my high.
Thanks for the useful input
"Thank You" to the folks who took the time to post useful input. Like I said earlier I was just sitting on the fence and I needed some coaxing to make the purchase. Without the feedback I would still be sitting on that fence. I look forward to actually working with the equipment. I will post my findings once the unit is here.
In the meantime I will probably fabricate a jig for my CNC machine. It would be nice if I had some dimensional drawings for the torch. Has anyone done any precision measurements of the torch?