255 EXT review

This is a quick review on the 255EXT. I ordered mine Jan 3 and finally received it the 17th, through no fault of Everlast. Storms in California.

I ordered the machine with flex head 26 and 9, and the upgraded pedal. The first day i tested it on steel and Aluminum all the way to 250 amps and was pleased with the results. I had a cross member peice from a trailer that was 1/4” thick. Penetration is great and advanced AC pulse blew it right out. The HF starts are solid, and to me as good as a dynasty. Did some light steel work with the #9 yesterday and functionally the unit is great to use. The only negative is this welder is my home use welder and the machine is outside when I use it. The display is unreadable in sunlight. Cup your hand over it and you can get by. Put the machine back in my shed and you can read it perfectly normal and its bright. Talked to Everlast yesterday and aparently this is normal “depending on lighting conditions”.

Torch quality…
The flex hoses are comparable to CK. The torches however are not as good. My #9 separates between the head and the body separate. The quality just isnt quite there.

The pedal is great, (I have the upgraded pedal).

All in all, for less than a quarter the price of a Dynasty 280 DX this thing is awesome. It seems to weld as good as a Dynasty and for what you get with it its a great deal. Im not replacing the torches, we’ll see how long they last, but I’m not concerned.

Background:
Farm boy that started welding at 12. Now a merchant marine that works on oil tankers. We weld pipe pretty constantly, I-beams and stanchions on deck regularly andplay around with aluminum for fun. Machine on the ship is a Dynasty 400. While I am not an expert with the AC stuff, from what I have seen the EXT is comparable (obviously not amps).

If your like me and tried to watch every video you could find and read every post, dont hesitate. Its a great machine.

Yeah,

The advanced-featured, 255EXT AC/DC TIG unit at around 250 amps, has no real competition, until you spend three or four times more.

Even then, the competition won't have that Advanced Pulse (MIX-TIG) feature that can weld aluminum with 50/50 AC and DC (if the DC half is set to 100%), which does get a lot more penetration on larger aluminum stuff, e.g., auto transmission castings.

My 210EXT has virtually all of the same features as the 255EXT, but not the spot-tack and a couple others. I've had my 210EXT for over 6 years (actually 7 now, as it was made in late 2014, and I bought it in early 2015), and undoubtedly still has no peer, until you spend at least twice as much, and more.

Thanks for your opinion on the units.