Everlast 210EXT review and pictures

[todmorg]

Todd, I like how you get right into things. Great pics.

That black "structure" at the base of the unit is kind of interesting... I wonder what it is.

I'm curious to know how the dual pulse AC feature works, and whether that could be an effective substitute for the machine lacking an AC bias adjustment. For example, if you put the machine into "dual pulse" mode, with the background current being the same as the welding current, then varying the pulse duty % could effectively allow you to vary the effective AC bias. e.g, pulse duty at 0% = 50/50 bias pulse duty at 100% = 100/0 bias

Todd, I'd like to see you try some experiments with using the dual pulse feature at various pulse duty %'s with the balance set at the min 20%EP(80%EN), and see how the "cleaning etch width" on aluminum reacts. ...see if you can make the cathodic etch cleaning width completely disappear.

I plan on doing all kinds of aluminum testing in a coupe of days, I have a few jobs to finish before I'll be switching to aluminum. The double pulse does seem like it could have a lot of uses.

Also, "structure" is a good word for the black thing on the bottom, it runs the full length of the welder and is bolted down very secure. There are 2 small brass holes on each side with tiny brass screws recessed, I have not tried turning them, so I dont know if they are an adjustment of some sorts, like an arc gap, or if they are just holding something in place, like maybe the IGBT's like kenwhite mentions.

[todmorg]

Todd did you take all your toys apart as a kid? I'll bet you did and do you know why I know this? ----------------------------> Because I did as well and we've just about done everything else the other has in life so far that we've spoken about..

The 210 looks a lot more tidy inside than the 250 did.. My 250 was a mess inside and when I originally opened it up to change the pig tail I also found a broken connection on a wire as well. I fixed it and never even mentioned it..figured it was a small thing.. This machine looks well put together though. Sounds like it's a pretty good piece from what I've read of this thread so far.. It's late though and I've had a long week so I'll try and read more over the weekend. I promised Oleg I would check it out and I don't want to lie to da man!! He shoots me strait so I will do the same in return. Glad it's working out Oleg needs a winner after the 250 nightmare the first quarter of this year has been for him.. I hope this one is a winner!

Gunner, you kill me, YES, I did rip all my toys apart! ( I'm sure you were refering to the picture of poor 210 on my bench, looking like some kid just ripped it apart!!! )


The 210 and the 250 seem to be 2 different types of welders, the 210 is very small, very portable and very capable. The 250 is a larger, heavier, stronger, ( noisier ), water cooled unit that you are going to park under your welding bench and rarely move around.

The 250 has more wires, but it has large discrete industrial sized components, the cooling blocks on the 250 are 1/2" thick machined blocks of aluminum over a foot square with 3" high fins, they are massive. This is what gives the high duty cycle at high amperages.

The 210 is much more unitized, therefore less wires. it still has a very large cooling block, but all the components are reduced to fit into a smaller lightweight package.

Oleg sent me the 210 as a loaner to use until the 250's are fixed, but I'm pretty sure I'll end up buying it from him. The 250's have had more than their share of problems, but once they are ironed out it should be a very nice heavy welder.

In case anyone is wondering, I am only a consumer of everlast stuff, if something works good or bad, I will tell it either way. The 210 has been pretty nice so far, the 250's problems should be solved with the new board that is supposed to be here soon. I will post up just as soon as the new board arrives.

[todmorg]

Todd,

Since you have a 250EX and both EXT's, Could you check and adjust them out on AC with red tungsten to see which ones will hold a sharp tip or hold a very small cap and what is the smallest diameter of cap they will hold at 200 amps? Do they weld without getting dingleberries or split the tungsten. And what are the best settings?

I may be interested in a 250 after the fix is finalized. I am curious to how it welds with the electrode negative amperage cranked up and how stable the arc is at very low amperage's, Like 10 amps.

The 250 is water cooled, so it may have a slight advantage due to the water sucking the heat out of the tungsten ( just a theory ), but I'll try it out. The gas cooled torch is going to heat up kind of quick at 200 amps.

The 210 can be used with a water cool torch, but it is not supplied with one. The 250 has a water flow sensor built in, you can set it to stop the welder if there is no water flow. The tiny #20 torch would melt down quick with no water flow.

[GUNNER]

Gunner, you kill me, YES, I did rip all my toys apart! ( I'm sure you were refering to the picture of poor 210 on my bench, looking like some kid just ripped it apart!!! )


=

I knew it !! I can remember my daddy coming home from work and walking out to the metal building where we kept our first little dirt bikes he had given us as kids and my brothers and me having them torn apart figuring out how they worked....... If I try and post the exact words that came out his mouth this post from here forward will have every other word shown as blanks!!! Let's just say he explained exactly what the Japanese workers that had built the thing was going to say if he had to take them to the shop to get them put back together and today it's one of my favorite funny things I remember my dad saying in his life time to me...... On that particular day I was terrified to say a word !!!!! I'm laughing hard thinking about it now !!!! My pops was a funny man at times even though he wasn't trying to be...... What I wouldn't give to have just one more day with him now...

[redbeard]

I know everyone like pictures, so here's a few more...

Ed, I think the processor is the tiny thing that I'm pointing at with a philips screwdriver. It's Very small with no markings.

If it is the chip with the most leads, it probably is. That board sure has a whole lot more SMDs than the 250.

Attachment 6110

Are the bright spots in the 7 segment displays that noticable in real life or is it just the camera?

[Rodsmachineshop]

I like the welder only turn off for me i like knobs not all the sensor push pad stuff . like to just reach over and turn a knob and not have to turn a knob to get to what mode you want to adjust . that's why i like my 250ex so use to it now can reach over with out look to adjust stuff lol when dieled in almost never have to do any change when welding aluminum

[todmorg]

If it is the chip with the most leads, it probably is. That board sure has a whole lot more SMDs than the 250.

Attachment 6110

Are the bright spots in the 7 segment displays that noticable in real life or is it just the camera?

It's very easy to read, the camera makes it look bad

I like the welder only turn off for me i like knobs not all the sensor push pad stuff . like to just reach over and turn a knob and not have to turn a knob to get to what mode you want to adjust . that's why i like my 250ex so use to it now can reach over with out look to adjust stuff lol when dieled in almost never have to do any change when welding aluminum

I have a 250EX also, I agree, the visible knobs can be great for quick adjustments. Where the digitals are nice is if you want to flip between programs ( there are 10 stored programs ) and have the exact settings every time. Different strokes!

I knew it !! I can remember my daddy coming home from work and walking out to the metal building where we kept our first little dirt bikes he had given us as kids and my brothers and me having them torn apart figuring out how they worked....... If I try and post the exact words that came out his mouth this post from here forward will have every other word shown as blanks!!! Let's just say he explained exactly what the Japanese workers that had built the thing was going to say if he had to take them to the shop to get them put back together and today it's one of my favorite funny things I remember my dad saying in his life time to me...... On that particular day I was terrified to say a word !!!!! I'm laughing hard thinking about it now !!!! My pops was a funny man at times even though he wasn't trying to be...... What I wouldn't give to have just one more day with him now...

I thought I would outgrow the ripping things apart stage, but I just seem to get worse with time.

[GUNNER]

I thought I would outgrow the ripping things apart stage, but I just seem to get worse with time.

Todd...... No matter how old we get, or how fast we run-------------------------> You can't out grow or out run who you are !! Some day I need to put all these quotes of mine in a book and try to sell it... My wife tells me at least a few times a month every month I need to write a book because it would sell... It's all just a little strange for me to think about because the things I speak about are actually stuff that's happening or has happened in my life on an everyday basis.. I guess a lot of people lead a boring life compared to some of this stuff? Kinda like my resume as an example.... I look at it myself and think " There's no way one person has done all this stuff!" But it's true I have. From submarines to the International Space Station I've worked on it and just about everything in between the two! I've never drilled for oil and at this point I'm just too old and broken down to work an oil rig but I won't say it can't happen some day...

[Rodsmachineshop]

lol its funny everything i get i have to open it up to see whats inside lol . A thing i would like is some inside circuit diagrams for these welders , be nice if they included them in there manuals

[sportbike]

I thought I would outgrow the ripping things apart stage, but I just seem to get worse with time.

Me too....now I am a Mechanical Engineer and get paid to design and build new things in addition to tearing them apart...

[Rodsmachineshop]

have to agree the storing of programs is nice if you switch from different metals . I am sorta old school like a seperate machine for each typ of metal i weld , been checking out the mig welders like the everlast migs what they have for add on"s . have a 180 mig by Lincoln but would like to get a bigger mig welder for heavy stuff . Everlast company got me sorta hooked since they always stand behind the welders and care about there customers , that's what sells a product .

[Brian Ski]

Todd...... No matter how old we get, or how fast we run-------------------------> You can't out grow or out run who you are !!

There you go... My neighbors all have a saying... What the hell is Brian doing now?!?! From running the go cart around in the yard... Ford 4 cylinder with straight pipe exhaust... To who knows what vehicle or toy will show up. 3+ garages and still not enough room. And we park outside!!!!!! But they always show up for the entertainment. I remember the day I brought home some old computer equipment for the kids to take apart. These were not your ordinary PCs. These things where heavy... Main frames. Platter drives. Tape drives. Boy how computers have changed!!!

BTW I have one quote for the book... For all the guys that don't listen... "Don't stick your di** in crazy!!!"

Good way to hijack a thread!!!!

[Rodsmachineshop]

lol My son was worse than me when he was 12 and i was at my shop all day with wife got home and he had ripped the hole home alarm system down and moved it to his bedroom , god was i pissed . wife said son like father lol what amazed me my wife told him put it back were it belongs he put it all back and worked like it never had been removed lol

[Rodsmachineshop]

i can remember computers that just had 2 huge floppy's and no hard drives god i am old lol

[JBnID]

I still remember the first computer I ever saw. It was 1959 at Oak Ridge Atomic lab in Tennessee and it took up most of a basement.

[GUNNER]

I still remember the first computer I ever saw. It was 1959 at Oak Ridge Atomic lab in Tennessee and it took up most of a basement.

Just down the road from where I live... The stories that the old hands have to tell about that place back in the day... They done some CRAZY SH*T out there and today they're trying to figure out how to clean it all up..... Just about a lost cause...... Some of the craziest stuff was flooding whole work areas filled with people with different kinds of radiation without them knowing it just to watch them and see what happened to them over time... YES they did this !! and yes it altered a lot of innocent lives and changed whole family histories !!!! And YES they pretty much got away with it.... Our fine Government at it's best !!

[JBnID]

The (new) government would have changed even more lives by requiring us to learn German and Japanese.

[todmorg]

I was running the 210EXT off a cheap 6500 watt generator today, and it really worked nice. was only running about 80 amps DC, but it didn't load the generator bad at all. I did set the upslope to 2 seconds, it seemed to let the governor ramp in smooth. I didn't have time to try stick using the generator, but I will try it soon.

The welder is very easy to move around, there is a quick coupler on the gas supply ( nice! ) and the torch and cord just roll up under the handle. That's all you need to weld, you carry everything except for the generator and argon tank with one hand.

The adjustable torch is pretty nice for field work, I didn't use the torch amptrol as an amptrol while welding, instead I just used it as a remote knob for adjusting amperage between welds, it saves going to the welder for amperage adjustments. I have been looking for a small rubber tire, like off from a toy to push onto the remote knob and make it a little bigger.

[Oleg]

Guys ,I have moved all none related comments from this thread here. http://www.everlastgenerators.com/fo...m-210EXT-treat

[todmorg]

I had a chance to start messing with the double pulse. It's pretty cool, it really seems to lower the amount of heat being put into thin aluminum. I started using the wave forms a little bit, you can see and hear the difference in the arc, but I'll have to spend some time to really see how these different wave forms perform.