i would stay away from everlast. even tho i know the owner lol, but in all reality, a chinese welder is well... a chinese welder.
same for their plasma welders... and titan winches...

anyways, i'm not here to bash duncan's products, but hey, it is what it is.

i have the thermal arc fabricator 210 (tweco) and it is a kick *** machine

 

Haha you see the list price on that? $131,000 and you save $128,000.

 

LOL that's funny nice catch! You think if I bought the machine they'd put $128,000 back on my debit card? Haha!

 

When it comes to me I'm definitely a miller guy but this is for my dad who just wants a decent machine that can do all processes for around $1000. Cant buy miller that cheap. I personally bounce around using a dynasty 350 or a thermal arc arc master 200 AC/DC all day so by no means do I like using crap lol. I just thought that the everlast seemed good plus it has awesome reviews. Maybe I'll re think it on the everlast.

 

yeah. that's why i posted that one and not one from the granger site. i was gonna add that is a bit pricey tho. lol.

but mine was something like 4200 canadian with a free bonus tweco spool gun with case.

i love it. it's a beast compared to my old lincoln wire matic 255.

 

Ya that's just more than he wants to spend. That's why I've been looking for a cheaper option

 

Check with your welding supplier. I see a lot of great deals on trade-ins being offered.

 

Heres a crap weld i did with a Lincoln tombstone 6013 rod. I've come along way from last year when I started but still not great

 

Stick welding is by far the hardest technique to master and it looks like you are off to a good start. 6013 is pretty ideal for car work also. You know if your gloves are in good condition you can hold the electrode between your spare fingers to stabilize the rod when doing shorter welds. It took me a while to figure that out.

 

Thanks I'll have to give that a try sometime!

 

You must be the worlds greatest tig welder if you think stick is harder to master. In my opinion, I believe there is a reason that the majority of people that "know how to weld" stick weld, and that's because its cheap and easy.

 

You may be correct about the popularity of stick machines. Also, you can weld in bad weather, on rusty metal and string cables out for hundreds of feet. I welded stick on structural and pressure vessels for may be 10 years or so but I don't feel like I really mastered it. I do OK with TIG but if I ever was great it was a few years ago.

Here is an example of my aluminium TIG. Ill admit it looks pretty good but if you look closely you can see a lot of small errors. I just can't do better any more and I forgive myself.


Untitled by barnstormerbikes, on Flickr

 

^ That frame is nice! All it needs is a clear coat and I would ride.

 

Got my new gloves in. Mechanix Fabricator gloves. First impressions;




Right outta the bag, super stiff, very limited finger dexterity.

Tough as nuts, no worry of cuts from freshly cut metal.

All leather, no fabric panels to burn through.

Nice half-gauntlet size, really could do without the adjuster Velcro strap.


Been using em a couple days now, and they're slowly breaking in a bit, though I imagine they'll never match the dexterity of my SnapOn gloves. But they're meant for protection in heavier work, so that's not really an issue. Not as bulky as my welding gauntlets or as flimsy as my SnapOn gloves, undecided on whether they're a great mix, or a pair of gloves that doesn't really do any one thing well.

Here's the issue;

SnapOn gloves;
The fabric outer panels keep your hands cool, but burn through very easily, even when just showered in sparks from a grinder. The palms are thick and reinforced, flexible and damn near indestructible. The leather in the fingers, perfect for everything but red-hot metal. Impervious to even the most ragged cut metal, and fingertip feel is amazing, changing drill bits, manipulating small screws nuts & bolts is no problem. General purpose glove, great for everything except high heat; welding/heavy grinding/etc.

Traditional welding gauntlets;
Obviously, nearly indestructible, protects your hands/forearms against pretty much everything. Minimal dexterity, but can be shaken off easily if your other hand is holding something in place. Great for welding/grinding/cutting... fairly useless for anything else.

Mechanix Fabricator;
A bit more dexterity than the gauntlets(may improve as the leather breaks in), and far less bulky. Have to get a snug pair to get that dexterity, and getting em on and off is a workout that requires both hands, even when not using the Velcro strap. Half-gauntlet size is great, covers up past the wrist. I'm currently on the fence about these gloves, will report back when they've broken in a bit more, but the panel-stitched fingers mean flexibility will never be as good as a wrapped around finger design.

I have a feeling my search continues for the perfect heavy-work gloves.

 

Keep us posted, I'm interested to hear how they work out long term. I use regular old leather gauntlets. Cheap, long lasting, but as you say, not very dextrous. I've tried other gloves but they just don't last, and can't justify the extra cost over good old leather.