Where are the negative reviews?

[generatorlabs]

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.

[Zman0690]

I think that your perception of what really occurs in technological copying is very diluted. Sure it would not take much for an EE to come in and reverse engineer this welder. However you are talking about companies who may not necessarily have an EE on staff or be willing to hire an EE to do so and then have to keep them on staff to ensure that it is built correctly and functions as it should. Not to mention all the troubleshooting that is required once distributed. All this reverse engineering can go into a universal case and have generic knobs and look attractive to buyers as it is just a welder. The same cannot be said of electronics made by Sony/Pioneer/Samsung etc as the user interface and functionality is what normally sells consumer electronics.

Also, to be perfectly honest, your attitude absolutely sucks. As a business owner if you were to come to me with this "if anything goes wrong" attitude then I would tell you to take your money elsewhere. People with your requirement of perfection have NO business in business. Perfection is unattainable and an illusion, thus the reason that EVERY major company has a tech dept., warranty, and the ability to fix problems once they arise.

But hey, what do I know? For all I know "Generator Labs" has never had any problems with anything they have ever done, if that is the company you own/work for.

[performance]

Zman,
Your statement about copying is exactly right. The point is we are not going to give our competition a blueprint to build these welders in other factories in China, which I can promise you has already been attempted, without much success thankfully because of the issues you just cited.

Don't be too hard on our latest customer, seriously. I have, and others in the company face this daily. I did have issues with one guy who told me he was lawyer and if we had any problems we'd hear from him about it, all in the same breath...That kind of statement makes one suspicious.

[generatorlabs]

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.

[Zman0690]

You're absolutely right you're not negative, which is why I was the only person to notice your negativity, oh wait, never mind.

I also didn't realize I was throwing a guilt trip out to anyone. Guilt is a voluntary emotion that is felt when YOU realize something. Someone cannot force you to feel guilt.

It's ok to admit you had a pessimistic attitude in your apprehension because the two almost go hand in hand.

Now its one thing to be skeptical, its another all together to state that Everlast will hear from you if you're not satisfied and you won't have a good relationship with them. I mean, is that really necessary? Throwing out ultimatums will normally get you nowhere. You might want to try a little self reflection. A confident consumer would purchase an item and not need to tear anything apart until it was broken. He may take a look out of curiosity but should have the confidence to repair it if he tore it open when broken. A skeptic would tear it open and take a negative attitude towards what might break and look at the worst part of construction/componentry. Open your eyes, the world is a beautiful place. Most companies aren't out to get you and maliciously cause you grief.

BTW, way to keep it civil with the feeble attempt at name mockery. I hope you have a better attitude the next time you post needing help from the people who visit these forums. If anything this thread will easily let future customers see a slew of testimonials in one thread and show that even people with skepticism and initial negative attitudes come around to see what great machines Everlast actually sells. You got the answers you were looking for this time but I assure you there is a bad taste in the mouth of most people who have read your comments whether you realize it or not. Lastly, welcome to the forum fellow welder. (Arms wide open)

Comence with the civility, nothing to see here.

[performance]

One thing that will warm up the editing eraser is disrespect here. There is plenty of room for disagreement without hostility and disrespect among board members.

This country was founded by people who disagreed but maintained mutual respect for each other. It is now being torn apart by people whose parents forgot to teach them about respect for others and only caring about themselves and their egos. We won't let this forum be a point of derision, hate, disrespect, or name calling to others.

I believe that apologies are warranted, whether or not they are issued I will let the participating members decide for now. But I am strongly suggesting it. Everyone has to play nice in our sand box, for all concerned. Apology is a art form. Apology does not require a retraction of beliefs, only of rash or insensitive statements. Don't get me wrong, mercurial personalities are welcome, but we have children and a whole host of others from different countries and backgrounds on this board and that should always be kept in mind. This board is for helping others, chatting with others, and working through questions and issues, with welders from Everlast and other brands, and even sharing opinions, personal activities of leisure and lifestyle. If it gets derailed from those central themes, then it will collapse and lose the purpose for why it exists. Even Mike and I don't always agree on everything, but we keep it respectful and friendly, even if there is a bit of good natured ribbing between us. All members of the Everlast family, employees and customers should be able to find a common green thread around which they can harmonize their opinions, and that is the purpose here.

[worntorn]

With regard to my purchase and use of an Everlast multi-function PU 205 I just can't come up with any negatives to satisfy the title question, "Where are all the negatives".
I could mention the small problem I had with a too short spring in the original gas solenoid, but that comes out as a positive for the company.
Alex told me how to fix it (took about 15 minutes to fix) and then sent me a new gas valve with correct spring just to be sure the problem was dealt with.

For the money the machine is downright amazing. The ability to start and maintain an arc at low amps is something I do not have with my trusty Miller and P+H machines, good old rigs that they are. This Everlast will weld circles around them when doing that type of welding, which I seem to encounter quite often now. I noticed Jody Collier said the same thing about his 250Ex and he is someone who was a staunch Miller man until recently.

The tig is great, especially now that I have fitted a small WP9 torch to the unit. It is as easy to make a nice tig weld with as the Lincoln 185 I have been using. I can't really say one machine is better than the other in tig function. I can tell you that my experience with Everlast sales department is 100 times better than dealing with the local Lincoln dealer (Linde) Last time I went there the counter sales person was so rude that someone should have filmed the ordeal as a sales training video, like the "how not to" ones that John Cleese made way back when.

I put up photos of plasma cuts I've made with the machine using a few different methods. You can see the latest result in the thread "smooth Plasma cuts" in the Multi-function section.
My friend Murray with the Hypertherm 30 is a bit gobstruck by an $800 tig/ stick welder that can switched over to Plasma and make cuts that are smoother than any he has made yet, plus cut through 3/4" where he is all done at 3/8".

Now it just needs to last, but at least it has a long guarantee and a company behind the guarantee that understands how important it is to fix any problems that arise.
I really haven't encountered this kind of philosphy for some time now. Often times the attitude is "if a machine we sold is not working it must be your fault, period"