[ogorir]

just make an offer. I got my I-MIG200 for $675 shipped (650+$25 shipping). also, they do big deals on pre-orders. contrary to what GWD said, I wasn't offered any discount for already owning an everlast welder when I called for a price check on a 250ex.

and, FWIW, I wouldn't ever buy a transformer stick welder again. even with the rudimentary stick outputs on the I-MIG, it runs SO much smoother than the old craftsman 250 dual-range I've got, which runs pretty smooth on the low range as far as buzz boxes go.

the biggest benefit to the inverter is it's QUIET. like... hardly know its on. I've got a WP-9 I've been using for scratch start on it and that's even quieter, all you can hear is the shielding gas. works alright, the voltage is about double what it should be for TIG, so the 31A minimum setting is still WAY too hot for 20ga. welds 16ga on up to 1/4" fine, though.

I'd stay away from longevity just because of the douche-ness that started the company. the owner of longevity is the brother or brother in law(there's a thread on the everlast forum that spells out the details) of the guy who owns everlast, who fired him a few years back, and now he just copies the everlast welders. just not someone I want to be supporting financially.

[genesis]

I'm the OP. See this post concerning the welder I finally ended up with, and why.
http://forum.weldingtipsandtricks.com/v ... f=2&t=1395

Don <><

[Otto Nobedder]

genesis,

I saw that post this morning and had to smile. Twenty something years ago I "chose" my first comprehensive set of mechanic's tools in a similar fashion.

The machine you have will be more than adequate for a home shop. There are, of course, certain compromises, but I think you'll be happy.

Don't even look at carbon-arc cutting; you don't have enough DC power to pull it off. You'll probably never need it anyway. (Oh, and it requires a compressor with a lot of CFM.)

You can do most of the cutting a home shop will ever need with a 14" Harbor Freight chop saw and a good quality (I like DeWalt for price vs. toughness) 4 1/2" grinder and some cut-off wheels.

If you get serious, an oxy-acetylene torch (as mentioned above) is the most versitile tool you can add. Don't go cheap-o here, or you'll be frustrated. The Radnor brand is an excellent choice for home/small shop use. It is essentially identical to the Victor (expired patents?) to the point the parts are interchangeable. With practice, you can make complex cuts very accurately, heat metal for annealing or forming, and pre-heat castings for welding. Consider the cost of the bottles, though.

Any DC capable machine can also do scratch-start TIG, if your interest grows. Of course, that's another bottle, etc.

Just pay attention to the duty cycle--It's only 100% to 100A AC and 65A DC. It'll last a lot longer if you don't overheat it.

Steve

[kermdawg]

I cant think of anything you -cant- cut if you have a cutting torch (ferrous metals) and a bandsaw (portaband) /chop saw/cold saw/peanut grinder (pick one, they all have their advantages and disadvantages). My pick is the portaband, due to the fact it -can- cut anything, albeit not the fastest, can be among the most accurate(hell of alot more accurate than a cutting torch), and can cut ferrous and non-ferrous metals.