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Just wondering what the general consensus was on this machine.
Thanks.
Thanks.
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Your asking here,boy you are asking for it.I will let the other experts answer first.Then I will be back with the correct answer.
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SIRSPEEDY..........WELCOME ABOARD............. I PRINTED THE INFO OFF OF THE COMPETITIONS WEB SITE..............WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU ASKING ABOUT.............I'VE NEVER USED ONE BUT I'M SURE OTHERS HAVE..............DURABILITY, COST, ALL ARE FACTORS I WOULD CONSIDER LET'S SEE WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY... WE HAVE NEVER TALKED ABOUT THIS ONE I DON'T THINK....?..... SO LET THE DISCUSSIONS BEGIN FOLKS.................WHAT SHALL WE COMPARE IT TOO......................?.................LET'S HAVE SOME FUN NOW.................. ...........ROCK...............
[email protected]Comment
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SirSpeedy,
Rock, you know where I'm headed with this but... Have never used nor owned a Esab 161 so can't comment on their quality or durability. As far as value it was a machine I considered before buying a T/A Prowave 185. The Prowave is 185 amps and has a little slicker digital readout with touch pad control panel. Little more bang for the buck or so I reasoned with a price difference of about 150.00 or so. I have no regrets.
HTH,
EdComment
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Ed,I talked to my friend today at the welding store,and he has finally welded with both those machines.He is kind of like me in the controls he likes,but he said the Thermal is better than the esabs arc.It's like most of the rest of their tigs,outstanding.Now he has welded with almost all of them except the 200 dynasty.He has used the 300 though.The one thing he did say about the 200 dynasty is you really pay the big bucks for the option of running it on 120 power.I could live without that for about a difference of about a grand.
So I guess Ed has the answer the whole time.It's the one I would of picked.I did look under the cover of the esab,and it looks just about like any computer I have seen.same type wiring.I don't know if that good or bad,but I didn't like the looks all that much.
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Scott,
The Dynasty 200 will also work on up to 460 three phase . This might be important in some industrial environments but not to a redneck like myself working in his garage.
Haven't pulled the cover on the Prowave but I'd guess it would be pretty much the same as you described in the Esab. Inverters are just a bunch of circuit boards. It's all 'tronics
EdComment
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Bob,It might be handy for plant maintenance type work,but seems the 300 would be a better pick for production?Lets put it this way,if Miller made a machine close to the cost of yours,with the same voltages as yours would you buy one over a Thermal-arc?
Bob,The low end Swedish esab stuff is not all that impressive,but I would say it fine for the price.I bet the layout of the Thermal is a whole lot different.That little Esab kind of forced everybody else to get on the small ac/dc bandwagon.So it has helped everybody in the long run.
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Scott,
Bob? You know my brother in law?
Anyway, I probably would have bought a Miller had the two machines been closely priced. I considered the Dynasty 200 DX but besides the price dif there was the question of availability. If you're asking would I now if a new model were offered, then no.
You've got my curiousity up so I may pop the cover on the Prowave and take a look.
EdComment
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Ed,Bob,and I have this memory deal going one that is catching.
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HAHA....It drives my wife nuts. She thinks I forget stuff on purpose...lol.Originally posted by Scott V
Ed,Bob,and I have this memory deal going one that is catching.
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Hello all,
I posted this question after my first 161 died...it got to the point where it would only produce a small arc - 10-20A at most. I owned that one 2 weeks.
They 2-day UPS'ed me another one...it lasted all of about 1hour. Got it around 5pm yesterday, died late this afternoon when I finally got around to catching up on my work.
I was welding alumium brackets....1/8" at around 120A output. I laid the torch down, picked it up to go again....nothing. The second one has lost all arc. It only has the high-frequency start arc.
I was looking for any similar stories.....Comment
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SIR SPEEDY IT LOOKS LIKE NOT TO MANY PEOPLE HAVE USED ONE HERE.......... I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO TELL YOU, WHAT DOES THE MANUFACTURER HAVE TO SAY........... SOME THINGS THAT EFFECT INVERTER DEPENDABILITY ARE VOLTAGES, IS IT ON AN EXTENSION CORD, WHAT IS YOUR ACTUAL INPUT VOLTAGE, ARE YOU ON THE END OF A POWER LINE, WHAT AMPERAGE ARE YOU RUNNING AT IN YOUR CIRCUIT BREAKER BOX?.......... THE PRINT OUT SAYS 208 TO 230 VOLTS IS YOUR INCOMMING POWER HIGH OR LOW.......... YOU HAVE AS I RECALL A 10% TOLERANCE ON INVERTERS THEY ARE KINDA SENSATIVE (SOME OF THEM)..... THEY ALSO SELL A 25" EXTENSION CORD AS AN OPTION, THAT IS MY GUESS AS TO HOW LONG YOU CAN RUN ONE OUT.........GUESS... IF YOU HAVE A METER SEE WHAT YOUR OPEN CIRCUIT VOLTAGE IS IT SHOULD BE 50VOLTS.................. YOUR CALL................ROCK..... [email protected]
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Sir speedy,Some of those 161 had a problems.There were certain # that did stuff like yours.Since they sent out another one I kind of doubt that is the problem.Send me the S/N of your latest one,and I will asks my friend on monday for the # of the bad batch of them.Esab is aware of the problem with them,and will replace them with one that works.I think you should also do what Rock said,then when you upgrade to a Thermal 185 you are good to go.
Use the Netzero Email.
ScottComment
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Inverters / durability? are you kidding?Comment
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Just a little update for your enjoyment.
ESAB ended up 2-daying another machine to me...it last all of 2 hours. That is correct 150 minutes would scare it to death. Machine #2 just died. No amperage output.
The distributor, Toll Gas Company, sent me a T/A 185 the next week. They did this, since ESAB would not send me another, until they decided exactly what the cause of the problem was on the first two machines. The only problem was, they never contacted UPS to pick them up! I had 2 ESAB's boxed up in my shop by the door for nearly a month! They finally came and got them, and the T/A 185 has been humming along nicely.
BTW Rock, I wanted a 200DX, however the distributor would not front me that machine ($$) without getting credit back from ESAB.
The Thermal was priced similarly, so they agreed to send me one of those.Comment
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