[farmall]

The MT-200 should have the Euro back end, which means any Euro backend gun will fit.

I'd spend some time on Ebay since there are MANY MIG guns for cheap. A "Euro" search won't necessarily get you there, but browsing different MIG gun brands will.

Anything that takes Tweco consumables will take "generic" Tweco consumables, which are cheap.

 

[diy570]

thanks for that info. i did find a place today that carries the consumables for mt-200. i guess i hadn't looked hard enough in the past.

 

[farmall]

I don't have an MT-200, but other ESAB guns take Tregaskiss-style consumables so I'd compare pics online to see if any match.

 

[mrSpatter]

Kind of an old subject but I just wanted to throw this in. ESAB europe basically took over power source production because US made machines had reliability issues. Now, that was not the only reason but its part of. The new european built machines are absolutely beautiful welding and are far superior in technology compared to the US built ones. We like them so much here at work we all got brand new Mig 6502c power sources along with the origo 3004 feeder with a MA 24 control board. I very nice feature for solid wire welders is the MA 24 has a synergic feature that allows you to set the WFS and the machine will take care of the voltage for you. It will recognize the gas being used and will set the proper voltage. You can actually weld continuously with out stopping and change from say 75/25 to a 100% CO2 and hardly notice a difference in the arc. I wouldn't flinch a bit to buy a swedish built welder from ESAB.

 

[greenbuggy]

The MT-200 should have the Euro back end, which means any Euro backend gun will fit.

I'd spend some time on Ebay since there are MANY MIG guns for cheap. A "Euro" search won't necessarily get you there, but browsing different MIG gun brands will.

Anything that takes Tweco consumables will take "generic" Tweco consumables, which are cheap.

I've had good luck with Abicor Binzel guns that fit anything with a euro mig connector. The local Orshelyns (kinda like TSC) carries consumables for the smaller binzel guns.

 

[padronanniversary]

Any feedback on the ESAB 280 ??? I'm looking to buy one in the next 2 weeks

 

[farmall]

ESAB europe basically took over power source production because US made machines had reliability issues.

One of those issues was case ventilation on some models according to our repair contractor. Waiting for spares from Sweden won't make the US user experience any better, however good they may be.

Any feedback on the ESAB 280 ??? I'm looking to buy one in the next 2 weeks

I like it when other people buy new models so they can beta test them, but I see no point in doing that myself. New models mean a shot at buying older models (refined over years of production) for less money. Let us know how it runs.

 

[Brand X]

I like it when other people buy new models so they can beta test them, but I see no point in doing that myself. New models mean a shot at buying older models (refined over years of production) for less money. Let us know how it runs.
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I think the models like the 275, and 260 are going to hold their value real well, no matter what the Swedish do to the machines. (used market) I sold my almost new 260 yesterday,and the guy was happy to give me my asking price. I now can setup my (new old stock) 350 mpi inverter. I really doubt any of the new machines will match the short-arc, and reliability of that machine. Doubt the newer MTS 350 could match it either. Way less adjustments to the arc.

 

[ESABREP]

One of those issues was case ventilation on some models according to our repair contractor. Waiting for spares from Sweden won't make the US user experience any better, however good they may be.


I like it when other people buy new models so they can beta test them, but I see no point in doing that myself. New models mean a shot at buying older models (refined over years of production) for less money. Let us know how it runs.

I actually work for ESAB. Been with them for a couple of years now. I've seen some of our good machine and some of our bad, and I am normally the first person to tell you if what we have is good or bad. the old heliarc 161 was not one of our good ones. Unfortunatley. The new machines we are getting from Poland. (all power sources now are coming from poland and the wire feeders are coming from Sweden), are outstanding. Also, the 280 has two inductance taps to help with short arc/spray arc transfers. But if I were you I would ask to try one out for myself. I normally let customers see the equipment first so they can test them out. Also, we have a 100 day satisfaction guarantee. You can ask the LWS you work with about it, but pretty much for the first 100 days after purchase if you do not like the machine and the way it performs you can return it for a full refund/credit. We are doing our best to prove our quality to the industry and allow us the opportunities to do so.

So if you have any questions about ESAB you can ask me. I've heard some interesting things on this site about us, and some are true some are not but in the past we haven't done a very good job on communicating with the industry as to our company plans and goals.

Good luck.

 

[farmall]

Good to see an actual ESAB rep on the board.

in the past we haven't done a very good job on communicating with the industry as to our company plans and goals.

That's putting it mildly. It amounts to indifference. Maybe you can help change that.

If it weren't for the Scott-Gross website ESAB marketing would be invisible. ESAB communication is terrible. Have the powers-that-be look at the Millerwelds forum. THAT is a modern design that would do well in Yellow and Black.

The rest of the ESAB North America site is OK, but whoever thought a Facebook page could substitute for a forum was not a weldor.

You could be a hero if you can get senior management to change the way they advertise and communicate with the public.

I reverse my previous position on ESABs survival since they also make Purox/Oxweld torches which they were smart enough not to change much. (Those aren't marketed well either!) Leverage the HISTORY of your torch brands when selling in the US. A Series E from the 1940s is a fine torch, and ESAB still make them along with other great vintage designs.

Florence customer service is worth mentioning because Stan Smith is outstandingly helpful. They should pay him more.

 

[Brand X]

The 280 migmaster might be outstanding but the 275 and older Migmaster 250 plus were proven quality units! Reliable beyond belief. I really don't like the wire drive on the new Esab all in one units. Step backwards if you ask me. I owned two Duridrive 4-30 Esab feeders, so I know they can do better. The 260 mutimaster is still a excellent machine, and i hope they don't kill that one. It's wire drive is also better then the new machines.Pulse is a area where Esab really needed to improve most of their units, but I doubt you will see a better short-arc then a properly setup 350 mpi. If you want to know what a great shorrt-arc is? Load a 350 mpi up with Hobart QA-6 in .035 (C-25) or L-56 in .030. None of the wires like the mig-6 /Aristo types (86 would be the best Esab wire to use) can get close to matching how nice they weld with them.

The 161 was designed for a button control, and never a foot control. So it got off on the wrong foot from the start.

 

[ESABREP]

You are preaching to the choir on our marketing. Unfortunatley I don't have to much to say, but I am having a meeting with them in a couple of weeks and will let your thoughts be known.

I appreciate the kind words about having a rep on board. I am only in central texas, but I want to try and change as much as possible.

It's kind of funny you say about the Purox and Oxweld brands, but beside Smith we are the only other manf. that makes the full line of Gas Apparatus in the states, which is saying alot for us as a company. Since being bought by ESAB in 1989, this company has made a lot of strides forward and backwards. It was a collaborating of Alloy Rods, Airco, Union Carbide/L-Tec, All-State, Oxweld/Purox, Presto-Lite, Alco-Tec (we still are using their name but I'm sure that will change) and now Romar. It is crazy if you look at the history of our companies and the advancements we brought to the industry, but now being that we are ESAB, its a lot different. Not in a bad way, just different.

We are getting a lot of great products from Sweden and Poland and the quality is far better than anything we were getting out of Florence, SC. It wasn't bad, but lets just say I would do a trial run before doing a demo. The product itself when it ran was great, but now the stuff is a lot more reliable.

But I really apprecate your thoughts and will definatley use our history when talking about our Gas Apparatus, but if you get a change try out one of our new 3-Phase chopper designs units, with atleast the MA24 controller. Might be worth your while, but anway I appreciate it and thank you.

 

[DDA52]

Centex, huh? Would you be the rep that hits 3D Welding in San Marcos?

 

[ESABREP]

That would be me.

 

[DDA52]

Kewl. I am mostly at their Boerne store, but hit the SM store on occasion. I was extremely happy there was some yellow in there now. My shop went from blue to mostly yellow in the last few years and its tough to get yellow stuff around here...esp wire. Hopefully that will change now.

 

[ESABREP]

So, no movement so far on the forum on this page, so I thought I would throught some things out there.

You all by now know that I work for ESAB, I wanted to hear about some of the things you have heard about our company. If you could post a couple things I would like to hear what is being said about us and our products. Also, if you use them, and if so why do you use them, and if not why don't you use them?

This site is great because of the wealth of perscpetives you can gain in such a short period of time. Thanks for all your responses. Oh and be honest, don't hold back. I might regret that comment, but speak your mind.

 

[farmall]

ESAB marketing bl0wz.

What ESAB need is a retailer with a complete online store (not too hard since most stuff is drop-shipped anyway) for ALL their brands.

One site, easy to navigate, easy to order, easy to pull up the product, each product having a LINK to the SERVICE and other related manuals/updates.

The Scott Gross site isn't well designed because they are more set up for people who already know what they want to call in orders. Cool with me, but not many people are as into equipment research as I am and they will lose sales to companies like Miller who have vastly better websites.

If ESAB management have a "not invented here' mindset (which would be odd for a conglomerate of companies!) that needs to change so they can copy success.

Miller's site is the best, and includes a good forum.
Lincoln has an acceptable site that takes practice to navigate. The ESAB site for North America is better than the Lincoln site but not remotely as good as Millers.

THEMES:
Make your retailers online store site have the same look and feel as the corporate site. Many weldors and equipment buyers are old and not extremely web savvy.

KEEP a consistent theme. McMaster-Carr (for example) has the best catalog in their industry, and it hasn't changed much in decades except for detail improvements.

Products:
As can be expected from a heterogenous company-of-companies, products vary. It appears to me that many buyers have had good experience with the legacy company brands and go to ESAB for new gear of the same kind and quality. That's GOOD, but to capture newer buyers internet exposure is everything because that's the first place they look (and it should be).

To sell manly testosterrific products in the US, market with image in mind. Note Chevrolet and Ford truck marketing (vast money at stake) techniques. Cool modern tech with a dose of industrial history works across many industries. Customers don't like to ADMIT it works, but that doesn't change a thing! Pull up old Oxweld literature on Ebay for examples, and if the archives don't have it any more, buy some back and scan it. A lot of those ads were surprisingly artistic and well done.

Welding competitions and school awareness programs go a long way in exposing products to new folks forming their opinions. That's one thing ESAB should continue.

Adverts showing weldors with complete multibrand ESAB setups highlighting the unique RANGE of their products (from jewelry torches to heavy industry) would leverage that asset.

None of my suggestions are expensive or remotely radical or unusual. They are as basic as can be, and are proven elsewhere.

 

[ESABREP]

Farmall, Thanks for your suggestions. I have a meeting coming up with our Marketing director and I am taking all ideas I get to them. I can't give them everything, but I'm going to take the best and you had some good ones.

 

[farmall]

I forgot one good thing:

The ESAB North America site IS attractive in composition, content, and low use of excess whitespace. It's readable, so keep that.

 

[Scott Young]

As for your product line, I have used the a few different 250's and one 275. I love them. I can't say enough about them positive for what they are. I wouldn't have discontinued them. I liked that they had one of the broadest ranges top to bottom and performed well all the way through. I didn't have any problem dialing it in for sheetmetal and then turning ut up and pushing the top out of it with .052 dualshield. It would simply cadillac through it all.

They will be sorely missed. At least yall have kept the spool gun.