Inverter stik welder problems

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I attempted to avoid bad mouthing any company being advertisers here. But let me say there might be only one of the two inverter companies that really care about their customers. And that company is not Longevity in my opinion.
I have been dealing with them for a month trying to get an answer about one of their inverter stick welders I purchased in 2014. It was used 3 times over a period of a year and a half. It was kept in a Samsonite sealed piece of luggage (the one that the gorilla tried to beat the snot out of) and in the garage. The last time it was used (Sept.), it was cantankerous to start a weld and the output was no where near it's digital read out (this was true from new). I have emailed them 9 times. Have called them 6 times. I have gotten 2 emails back along with the same number of phone calls. All correspondence from them was to the tune of "we need to figure out what we can do since the warranty is up" Apparently this "figuring" is beyond them as 30 days later from my first correspondence, I am in the exact same place as when i started. Today I was simply ignored when I called once more.

Any product can go bad. It is of utter importance for the company however to make an honest effort to resolve customer or product issues. This "effort" to my mind was minimal at best from Longevity.
Customer service is what maintains a company in the public eye of being an entity one would care to do business with. Avoidance to resolve tends to have the opposite effect.

 

[FredH]

I have a Longevity migweld 200S that I purchased a couple of years ago, BUT it was at a 50% discount or similar . It was from a contest on Their website forum , Likely would not of purchased otherwise . Has Been kept in my shop , unheated in the open air without any covering since purchased .

Temp's during winter easily get down to teens many times through out winter months although humidity is lower here than in costal areas . One thing I do though if going to use in winter is to plug in welder , turn it on an let sit for at least 15 minutes before using . This allows things to " Heat " up before use , rather than turn it on and and hit the juice . Did that once with another inverter type machine and it fried several circuits inside and it was not even a welder or cutter !!

If I was to do it all over again , I would most likely of went with a Everlast model from Mark . He Always seem's to be here and His Knowledge / Help is always Appreciated . :thumbsup:

Fred H.

 

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[QUOTE

If I was to do it all over again , I would most likely of went with a Everlast model from Mark . He Always seem's to be here and His Knowledge / Help is always Appreciated . :thumbsup:

Fred H.[/QUOTE]

I feel without a doubt you are entirely correct judging from my experience with Longevity. Heck, Mark went so far as to offer to straighten this out without knowing I wasn't complaining about his welders.

 

[Big Barn]

Just want to add my vote for Mark also. I was unable to purchase from him, but he referred me to Everlast Canada who looked after me well.

Terry

 

[k0ua]

Just want to add my vote for Mark also. I was unable to purchase from him, but he referred me to Everlast Canada who looked after me well.

Terry

Mark is a good guy, always willing to help, even if it has nothing to do with his equipment.

 

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I've gotten to the point of not wanting to even look at anything that says "Longevity" on it's side. The welder was used 3 TIMES and Longevity's attempt to resolve the issue was "it's out of warrantee, it's gonna cost more than the welder to fix". If I used it 3 times a week, dropped it, kept it outside or found some other way to abuse this welder, I would certainly reconcile it was my loss.
I feel to lean on the crutch of "it's out of warrantee" for such minimal use along with such a short time frame and not stand behind their machine for what could be a design flaw, is rather reprehensible to me.

Very irresponsible customer service in my mind. I am thinking they could possibly be over run with welder complaints and have dug their heels in to mitigate the possible money hemorrhage of constant replacement. After all, I did only buy their "least inexpensive" box and not a multi thousand dollar one. I must be like a cockroach to them.

 

[Big Barn]

Obviously I can't say for certain but my guess would be storing in that suitcase was the problem.

Regardless, it seems Longevity's customer service kinda sucks from your experience.

Terry

 

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Obviously I can't say for certain but my guess would be storing in that suitcase was the problem.

Regardless, it seems Longevity's customer service kinda sucks from your experience.

Terry

I cannot say for sure but I was told the machine could be kept in an unheated garage at time of sale. I put it in a sealed suitcase (they're even called "suit case welders") that could float if thrown in water to battle any moisture differences and was offered the option of purchasing one of their cases to keep the welder in. As I thought what I had a more superior encasement, I did not opt for theirs. I think the bulk of the problem has to do with the tech Longevity commissioned to build the welders with. They used mosfets where Everlast uses IGBT connections. The latter being more stable.

It doesn't matter to Longevity that my welder crapped out after 1.5 years with minimal use. That's the most disappointing thing to me: I did business with a company that can give a rat's tail of what happened to my welder. Longevity has started using IGBT technology in some of their stuff but I would no longer consider doing business with them even if they used diamonds and gold inside their machines.

 

[Shield Arc]

When Longevity was more active on this welding forum, there were a couple members who had their Stickweld 250s. Member Furu brought his welder to my shop for some one on one help. The machine ran great, but it took way more amps to run a rod compared to my other welders. Over a very short period of time the welder just kept losing power. Same thing for a kid who lives in British Columbia. Longevity replaced both welders. But Furu's new welder did the very same thing! So he bought a Everlast PowerArc 300.

 

[yomax4]

Higher end and considered " brand " name machines can be a little different in how they dip and bake the PC Boards. Many are to military spec. In that, You can store them like you did and as long as they don't fill up with dirt and mice nests, They will handle it.

 

[yomax4]

As for inverters. Many of the top brands do a much better job on how they dip and bake their PC Boards and seal fan bearings or bushings. Many are to Military Spec and will handle the storage you did with yours as long as they don't fill up with dirt and mice nests. You will pay more but you wont have to buy twice.

 

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As for inverters. Many of the top brands do a much better job on how they dip and bake their PC Boards and seal fan bearings or bushings. Many are to Military Spec and will handle the storage you did with yours as long as they don't fill up with dirt and mice nests. You will pay more but you wont have to buy twice.

Always wondered why main brand companies such as Miller, Lincoln, Hobart, etc. charge over a thousand dollars for their tig/stick inverters of similar or even less amperage. Makes me wonder if there is an inherent thought process to some of the way more cheaply built Chinese stuff that they are simply "disposable" welders that might work from 1-5 years. Sort of like how auto manufacturers built cars from the 70's through 80's. I think it was GM who felt once your 82 Olds Ciera reached 60K, it was considered "done".

 

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When Longevity was more active on this welding forum, there were a couple members who had their Stickweld 250s. Member Furu brought his welder to my shop for some one on one help. The machine ran great, but it took way more amps to run a rod compared to my other welders. Over a very short period of time the welder just kept losing power. Same thing for a kid who lives in British Columbia. Longevity replaced both welders. But Furu's new welder did the very same thing! So he bought a Everlast PowerArc 300.

I wish "hindsight" was more upfront.

Some of our more "resolute' members here on TBN that we sometimes "crack on" for being stubborn, may have more "frontal vision" at times regarding these things.

 

[MMagis]

To play devil’s advocate, what are they supposed to do? The warranty has an expiration date because they don’t know how customers are going to handle the machines. They have to draw a line in the sand at some point, and yours happened to go bad after you crossed the line. It’s seems to be a safe bet that storing in the container played a big role, that really isn’t their fault. They were honest with you that it would cost more to fix than it’s worth, I’m not sure what else they can do. Surely you don’t expect them to pay to fix a welder that’s out of warranty, and that seems to have broken due to a poor storage choice?

 

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To play devil’s advocate, what are they supposed to do? The warranty has an expiration date because they don’t know how customers are going to handle the machines. They have to draw a line in the sand at some point, and yours happened to go bad after you crossed the line. It’s seems to be a safe bet that storing in the container played a big role, that really isn’t their fault. They were honest with you that it would cost more to fix than it’s worth, I’m not sure what else they can do. Surely you don’t expect them to pay to fix a welder that’s out of warranty, and that seems to have broken due to a poor storage choice?

Did you read post 33? You make a large assumption sir. Where does it definitively show that where I stored the welder is a "safe bet for it's failure?" It was an airtight case. No condensation. No temp differentials from inside to outside air, no infiltrating ambient air moisture. The concept of it being better "in the open air" is a ridiculous one to me as this is where the welder would have been subject to moisture way more than in the case. It wasn't anyone's fault except the designer of the welder to a price point.What do I expect them to do? Yes, forego their warranty limit on this one because it is absurd to think that a welder should crap out after being used 3 times within a year and half..To me, it is also absurd for them to lean on the "warranty" as you may think I should forego because of a time date. Perhaps they are the one's who should do that. If you could tell me something about mosfet design and why they might fail, then I'd give your Satan advocacy more weight.

I don't mind someone playing the "devils advocate" but not with unproven assumptions..

 

[STx]

I use a welder every day to make money so it's important to me that it be reliable. A few years ago, I had a need for a Plasma cutter for a job and rather than spending my $1800 budget on a Thermal Dynamics or similar, I purchased a Chinese made invertor based multi-function device that would give me a 250A AC/DC TIG, 50A Plasma and 250A Stick. I've always wanted an AC/DC TIG but never really had a need for one so I thought this would be a good compromise. Well, the plasma worked for the job I got it for but a few months later had lots of problems with both it and the TIG, where they really just didn't work. The arc would die or not strike, it gave me codes, all kinds of problems. It was still under warranty so I called and after close to 2 months, finally got an RMA to send it in for repair. They had the machine for close to 3 months before I finally got it back and it was still doing the exact same thing. So I called, emailed, etc. again and got some response and then just got ignored, at which point I posted some online reviews which were seen by the owner who contacted me and offered me a new machine. By the time I finally got the new machine, it had been close to 9 months from the date of my first call. At this point, I'd lost all faith in it at all so I sold it on eBay for $1500 (losing about $500 on the machine and shipping costs) without ever plugging it in. Maybe the replacement machine would have been bulletproof but I wasn't willing to take the chance. The seller did ultimately do everything they could to solve my problem but since I use my machines to make money, the time it took just wasn't worth the cost "savings" in the end.

Since then, I've only bought name brand stuff with local repair facilities. One of the reasons that the name brand stuff costs so much more is not only that they're built for industrial use instead of hobby use but they also have the network in place to get machines repaired locally with parts support rather than sending them back. When one of my Lincoln welders went down, I dropped it off at my local welding shop and had it back in my hot little hands 10 days later in perfect working order. I still need to keep a backup machine but 10 days is a whole lot better than almost 9 months.

If you need a stick welder, as has already been mentioned, you'd be hard pressed to find anything better than the old Lincoln IdealArc tombstone welders. That's what I learned to weld on 25 years ago with a machine that was probably 40 years old at the time, and I'm sure it's still kicking in that classroom today. Watch your local craigslist, you'll find them on there anywhere from $200 - $500 and I can promise you that other than submerging it in a pool of water or burying it in the dirt, it will work every time you turn it on. Even the AC225 is a good little machine that can be relied on.

 

[drizler]

All this looks like a good reason to go out an hug my Tombstone. Around here it's nearly always damp and or cold and I just cant be bothered lugging my welder into and out of the basement to keep it working. It's not like you can heat and air condition your garage to keep electronics content. Besides, a lick with the grinder and a coat of paint and my welds look good too. That reminds me its about time to put my Handler135 in the basement until it's needed again, winter's a comin.

 

[Shield Arc]

I live in the Seattle area. You guys may have heard, it rains here a bit!:thumbdown: My shop is not heated, all I do with my inverter welders is drop an old shop coat over them. My Miller Dynasty 300 is 10 or 12-years old. My Everlast PowerArc 200 is about 6-years old. They all work like they did on the first day.

 

[Big Barn]

I also live in the Pacific Northwest and have an insulated but unheated shop.

I have 6 inverter welders (5 Miller & 1 TA) , but due to an intimate understanding of Murphy's Law will decline comment.
Terry

 

[MMagis]

Did you read post 33? You make a large assumption sir. Where does it definitively show that where I stored the welder is a "safe bet for it's failure?" It was an airtight case. No condensation. No temp differentials from inside to outside air, no infiltrating ambient air moisture. The concept of it being better "in the open air" is a ridiculous one to me as this is where the welder would have been subject to moisture way more than in the case. It wasn't anyone's fault except the designer of the welder to a price point.What do I expect them to do? Yes, forego their warranty limit on this one because it is absurd to think that a welder should crap out after being used 3 times within a year and half..To me, it is also absurd for them to lean on the "warranty" as you may think I should forego because of a time date. Perhaps they are the one's who should do that. If you could tell me something about mosfet design and why they might fail, then I'd give your Satan advocacy more weight.

I don't mind someone playing the "devils advocate" but not with unproven assumptions..

You said yourself it was your fault, I didn't make one single assumption. Now you’re trying to back out of it. The “airtight” container was the most likely issue, just like you’ve said multiple times. I never said it was a definite, not sure what you’re talking about there. You bought a cheap welder, stored in a way you thought was sealing out the moisture but likely sealed it in, and now you want them to replace it for you even though the warranty expired. I’m sorry, but I think you just learned an expensive lesson.