Lincoln Square Wave AC/DC 355?

[JFW]

Hi guys,

Any thoughts on the Lincoln Square Wave AC/DC 355? There's one for sale over here that I'm considering putting in a bid on.

Cheers,

Truls

[ThomD]

Assuming it was in brand new condition, it would probably be a good bet. The 175 was a good unit. 355 is obviously way more than is needed for bikes, and it will require more input to run at the high end, but presumably if one wanted that, it would be part of your set-up. I know Don Ferris uses a transformer unit in that class, but he runs Miller. One thing I liked about Lincoln is they put a lot of effort into very low start ups.

Personally I prefer inverter machines, and the price on Chinese models has come down to about 1000 dollars. They are now pretty good. They depend on the guy who is bringing them in though, and so it is hard to recommend them out of area. I bought this one, and for a hobby guy it makes sense, unfortunately the offer from Miller, my preferred supplier, is not attractive to amateurs. The extra cost for support, etc... really doesn't help a person who is an occasional user. So when I switched out of my Maxstar for a machine that would also do aluminum, I went with an Chinese machine.

[Jonathan]

it will be interesting to see if this thread goes the way of the welding forums when someone mentions a chinese welder.

[ThomD]

Probably. I bought Miller the first time. But nearly 10 years have passed during which time a lot of stuff has changed. About 5 years into it. Places like HF and Grizzly were selling scratch start inverters, not lift arc, not something I would want. But at the time I went out to buy a DX, these Everlast machines were out. However they should be viewed, they are a quantum leap. According to some who haven't probably used them, they may not be there yet, but it is coming. Any time a technology goes digital it rapidly progresses, and pretty much ends up in China. That is sorta what is happening with inverters and their process controls. If you were adding a CNC capability to your mill so you could knock out head badges or something, it is unlikely the electronics would come from the US, or the computing power.

I met the guy who does the quality control for Everlast, and he checks every machine personally, both in China and over here. Which tells you they aren't quite ready for prime time yet. But since he is local, I have a better deal with him that I would have with Big Blue or Red. On inverters, there have been some pretty nasty fights over boxes that didn't work, over who should bite the rebuild cost. That can be thousands. You end with a this whole bureaucracy that has it's dealer chain, and parts, and policies to protect. Every time I went in to Graingers in Oshawa (good guys) there was a Maxstar 150 waiting for pick-up. I never had a problem, but I am not a nuclear power plant with deep packets either. Since the Chinese guys sell at pennies on the dollar, if anything goes wrong I know that if they are still around, I just get a new welder. It's all a calculation. Pay 1/3rd in the first place, and if something goes wrong, you are probably ahead also. It just works for the weekend guy, the arc is good so who cares. Ask me in a few more years. I have had mine about 2 years now. TIG is really not set up for weekend guys, I probably wouldn't do it again if I had any sense.

Though I am in Canada, I like US stuff. Most of my machines are US. But they were also made 50-80 years ago. A lot of people are proudly about the US stuff, but they aren't actually buying new. So it is kinda a pyrrhic victory for the industrial heartland.

[JFW]

Hi guys,

I never got around to buy that 355, but yesterday I stumbled upon a 255 for 200 dollars!


Guess who just scored a Lincoln Square Wave TIG 255 for 200 dollars? by Johnsen Frameworks, on Flickr

Truls

[Rody]

Wow, congrats Truls, one heckuva price for that machine.

Patience paid off.

r

[JFW]

Wow, congrats Truls, one heckuva price for that machine.

Patience paid off.

Thanks, Rody! Yeah, this was pure luck. One of the big engineering-schools have gone for a full set of modern inverter machines from one supplier, so a lot of tooling was put away. This one have been stored for a while, and a good friend managed to get hold of it for me. Looking forward to get it to Hølen. And to test and compare it to the one I'm currently using/learing on.

Truls