Topwell ALUTIG200P Now Sold By Amazon Itself at $912.14, Free Shipping.

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Yeah,This may be that proverbial Black Swan event that was unanticipated in the welder marketplace.This is undoubtedly the most full-featured 200 amp AC/DC TIG unit under $1000, or even $5000 from other brands, e.g., includes both wave forms and amplitude control, and is digital.Anyway, now that Amazon sell it directly, maybe someone here on the Forum will be confident enough to buy it and demo it for us all, and also enjoy it well enough to keep it. It seems unclear from the listing what period of a money back guarantee Amazon is offering though.Otherwise, there was a guy on eBay that was selling these for $1399, with almost no guarantee except many back within 14 days, if I recall correctly. And it appeared from the seller feedback that not one of the units was sold under those conditions, understandably.But, now, at just over $900, directly from Amazon, even with only a 30-90 day money back guarantee, or whatever it is, this could prove to be an absolutely brilliant unit and value in the welder marketplace.Of course, as I mention in the other Topwell thread, no foot pedal is included, which is not much of a problem, since the digital units seem to be more forgiving if an amptrol device has a differing pot value, e.g., I happily use a 25K pot amptrol device on my Everlast 210EXT, which ideally calls for a 47-50K device.http://www.amazon.com/ALUMIUM-TIG-20...Topwell+AluTIGLast edited by C. Livingstone; 04-14-2016 at 04:01 PM.
Reply:First of all..it looks like and htp invertig 200. Second..you hurt my head again.Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
Reply:Yeah,The color is a little HTP-ish. The interface is pretty Dynasty-esque.But who cares about that stuff, I'd like to see some good, firsthand feedback, and even some video with the unit.I mean, I'm tempted to get one myself, but I recently got an Everlast 210EXT, which is probably a somewhat comparable unit. And the 210EXT is the only AC TIG unit I've ever used, so it would undoubtedly be a little better for an old pro to put one of these Topwell TIG units through its paces.Last edited by C. Livingstone; 04-14-2016 at 04:34 PM.
Reply:Hell to the NO!Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:Ha Ha! No warranty unless Eastwood agrees to honor it, as stated in the warranty terms. Shipping for warranty purposes on buyer's dime as well. Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:Wow,It "looks" like Eastwood has picked this Topwell to be in their product line, and is even covering it with a good warrantee.I mean, the Amazon listing shows an Eastwood warrantee below.And, that would be a real smart move for Eastwood, as their 200 amp TIG units were too basic to compete well.Rock On, Eastwood and Topwell, for offering value and choice to customers!
Reply:Yeah,Those are not things to cry about, as a DOA unit would undoubtedly be handled by Amazon at no charge. Besides, even my Everlast warrantee, which is better than Miller's, only covers free return shipping during the 30-day, 100% satisfaction period.I mean, as I stated some months ago, in the other Topwell thread on the forum, that if this unit can be gotten for about $900, then it is conceivable that someone could buy two units (like happened with the early Hyundai car models, since they were half the price of others), as a sort of warrantee in itself, and still be way ahead if one later fails. Then they wouldn't even have to ship, wait, or cry about being without a welder, like some guys do when their unit calls for servicing.Ha, ha, ha!So, the Eastwood warrantee and Amazon as the seller is just a double-bonus, on top of the already double-bonus that a unit like that represents at around $900, so long as it performs as well as expected.And we'll undoubtedly know that soon. Wheeeee! Originally Posted by shovelonHa Ha! No warranty unless Eastwood agrees to honor it, as stated in the warranty terms. Shipping for warranty purposes on buyer's dime as well.
Reply:I dont get what your obsession is with this? It's $900 with NO accessories. The pot is on the foot pedal which sucks. Just because you read on the internet that a digital pot valve is more forgiving doesn't mean it's a good idea. Plus you still don't know the pin out. And you have to source a connectorSo figure your $900 into this ****box then add a few hundred for accessories. It's not going to be any better than what you have. It's also prime eligible once it's arrived. So who knows how long that will take.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:The name seems awkward! Either Tigwell or Topweld would attract more attention and generate Sales. IMO.
Reply:Typical broken English Can be carried out the excellent performance.????Millermatic 211Everlast 200DX Thermal Arc 181iKlutch ST80i lunchbox stick welderLincoln Weld-Pak 100Century Stick welderPowermax 30 plasma cutterHenrob 2000 torchLogan 200 lathe (60 years old)Clausing 6339 Lathe (for sale)
Reply:This whole thing sounds fishy.  I bet Eastwood is saying Top who??  I know we tested some demos they sent us as they have pursued us constantly.  Well, we still don't sell Topwell mfgr'd product, for good reasons.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:There's no obsession.It's just a potentially brilliant unit at an impressive value that is emerging into the marketplace.Why is that so difficult to recognize or accept?Why all the cry babies?Goo, goo, ga, ga, me no know da pin-out! Five whole wires! Me afraid!The TIG torch and ground are included, as well as a regulator, I believe. So, there's no "add a few hundred for accessories."Yeah, I'm not looking for another AC TIG unit for myself, but with all of the crying about the Topwell unit, I'm tempted to get one just to prove what a nice value it represents and then watch all the cry babies here.Ha, ha, ha...
Reply:Yeah, Mark,It is curious. I mean, you'd think Eastwood would paste their trade name on them first. Originally Posted by lugweldThis whole thing sounds fishy.  I bet Eastwood is saying Top who??  I know we tested some demos they sent us as they have pursued us constantly.  Well, we still don't sell Topwell mfgr'd product, for good reasons.
Reply:A visibly copied welder would make sense that the company would simply cut and paste someone else's warranty to add validity to their product.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:dude you're the only one making these claims about "potentially brilliant" and "emerging", lol.  Practically No one wants that thing but you.  You just want to make it sound sooooo good that someone other than you buys it and miraculously vindicates your awesome premonition so you can put it on your backburner list for who knows how long, if ever at all.  If it really was THAT awesome, you'd have one by now, plain and simple.  You seem to be the one crying that there's something out there that you want but for some reason just can't have.  That's the vibe I get.  Hardly anyone wants to RISK spending $900+ dollars just to say, "that guy was right!!!".  Even if it did everything my HTP Invertig221 does or what a Dynasty 200 does at 1/4 the price, no one in their right mind would ditch either of those machines for the Topwell piece. I'd be very surprised if someone did. 1st on WeldingWeb to have a scrolling sig! HTP Invertig 400HTP Invertig 221HTP ProPulse 300HTP ProPulse 200 x2HTP ProPulse 220MTSHTP Inverarc 200TLP HTP Microcut 875SC
Reply:Yeah,Over on eBay the pricing is somewhat similar for Topwell units, except that the shipping is around $299, and the seller is around Glendale-CA.http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...l+TIG&_sacat=0
Reply:Originally Posted by C. LivingstoneYeah,Over on eBay the pricing is somewhat similar for Topwell units, except that the shipping is around $299, and the seller is around Glendale-CA.http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...l+TIG&_sacat=0
Reply:Hey, Great, Danny, you've got one coming! Yeah, I saw the 250 amp one too. It looks good.Yes, please do let us all hear how you like it, maybe even include pics and video.
Reply:Christian, a little off topic but speaking of pedals. I bought the Everlast pedal from you and put a 10k ohm pot in it and it works great on my AHP's. Thanks again.
Reply:And for your viewing pleasure   If this doesn't work I'll try another way
Reply:Originally Posted by azsprint6And for your viewing pleasure  If this doesn't work I'll try another way
Reply:Right,Pedals are easy. Originally Posted by azsprint6Christian, a little off topic but speaking of pedals. I bought the Everlast pedal from you and put a 10k ohm pot in it and it works great on my AHP's. Thanks again.
Reply:Hey,Thanks for that, Oscar. I mean, I'm sure that guy's English is better than your Mandarin or Cantonese.The Topwell video is quite informative and may be helpful to many here on the forum. You know, wave forms, amplitude control, AC frequency control, Mix TIG function, and digital too, at around $900.Amazing!Last edited by C. Livingstone; 04-14-2016 at 10:51 PM.
Reply:I had to fast forward to the end because I started to zone out, thought I might get to see some weldin.....nope No Egg roll 200p for me just yet.ESAB Rebels 215 and 235, ESAB HELIARC 281i, ESAB ET 301i, Hypertherm 85 and 45XP, Thermal Arc 185, TD 60i, HTP PRO PULSE 300
Reply:Junk...oh, I gotta use at least 5 letters?It's junk.Gee,I was mistaken, the regulator is not included, only the Torch, Stinger, and the Ground are included as accessories.http://www.cn-topwell.com/machine/overview.aspx?kid=31
Reply:Originally Posted by wornoutoldwelderJunk...oh, I gotta use at least 5 letters?It's junk.
Reply:If my budget was only about $1500 (you have to get accessories), why would I pick this over Lincoln's Squarewave 200?BTW, I have enough projects.  I don't want to add another one to make a new tool workable.Con Fuse!Miller Dynasty 350Millermatic 350P-Spoolmatic 30AMiller Multimatic 200Hypertherm PowerMax 1000G3Miller Maxstar 200DX
Reply:Originally Posted by C. LivingstoneGee,I was mistaken, the regulator is not included, only the Torch, Stinger, and the Ground are included as accessories.[url]http://www.cn-topwell.com/machine/overview.aspx?kid=31[/url
Reply:Originally Posted by Oscarlol.  I've used junk before, admittedly.  But that was before I knew better.  Before weldingweb, I was using chinese tigs.  Then I came here and really learned what's out there in terms of quality. No going back.
Reply:Well,Presuming both perform as expected (the Lincoln is still new and has had problems and the Topwell is still an unknown), but since you asked, not that I'm trying to sell you, but I like Praxeology.1. You'd have around $500 (after garnering a pedal) left over with the Topwell.2. The Topwell has Waveforms.3. The Topwell has amplitude control.4. The Topwell has adjustable pre and post-flow gas.Those are the obvious and significant standouts as I see it.Besides, isn't the Lincoln Squarewave 200 made up of Chinese internals and assembled in Mexico City, for those who are xenophobic or statist trade protectionists? Of course, I'm not one of those. I'm a stateless Christian Anarchist, who's a fan of Free Markets and the Austrian School of economics. Originally Posted by con_fuse9If my budget was only about $1500 (you have to get accessories), why would I pick this over Lincoln's Squarewave 200?BTW, I have enough projects.  I don't want to add another one to make a new tool workable.
Reply:Well, as the eBay guy is in Glendale CA, I just might stop by and check out the whole deal this summer if I have a free afternoon.  Sent from mobile.  Not responsible for TyposTiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawWell, as the eBay guy is in Glendale CA, I just might stop by and check out the whole deal this summer if I have a free afternoon.  Sent from mobile.  Not responsible for Typos
Reply:Originally Posted by shovelonGlenDALE!!!!!!   Armenian capital of SoCal. It's where all the good kebabs are.
Reply:Originally Posted by C. LivingstoneYeah,Those are not things to cry about, as a DOA unit would undoubtedly be handled by Amazon at no charge. Besides, even my Everlast warrantee, which is better than Miller's, only covers free return shipping during the 30-day, 100% satisfaction period.I mean, as I stated some months ago, in the other Topwell thread on the forum, that if this unit can be gotten for about $900, then it is conceivable that someone could buy two units (like happened with the early Hyundai car models, since they were half the price of others), as a sort of warrantee in itself, and still be way ahead if one later fails. Then they wouldn't even have to ship, wait, or cry about being without a welder, like some guys do when their unit calls for servicing.Ha, ha, ha!So, the Eastwood warrantee and Amazon as the seller is just a double-bonus, on top of the already double-bonus that a unit like that represents at around $900, so long as it performs as well as expected.And we'll undoubtedly know that soon. Wheeeee!
Reply:Originally Posted by C. LivingstoneWell,Presuming both perform as expected (the Lincoln is still new and has had problems and the Topwell is still an unknown), but since you asked, not that I'm trying to sell you, but I like Praxeology.1. You'd have around $500 (after garnering a pedal) left over with the Topwell.2. The Topwell has Waveforms.3. The Topwell has amplitude control.4. The Topwell has adjustable pre and post-flow gas.Those are the obvious and significant standouts as I see it.Besides, isn't the Lincoln Squarewave 200 made up of Chinese internals and assembled in Mexico City, for those who are xenophobic or statist trade protectionists? Of course, I'm not one of those. I'm a stateless Christian Anarchist, who's a fan of Free Markets and the Austrian School of economics.
Reply:Originally Posted by C. Livingstone...Besides, isn't the Lincoln Squarewave 200 made up of Chinese internals and assembled in Mexico City, for those who are xenophobic or statist trade protectionists?
Reply:There is almost nothing built or assembled anywhere on this earth that doesnt have chinese parts in it, thats not the issue, its if and when there is a problem, who and where is it going to get fixed and at what cost if any to the purchaser..lincoln/miller..you personally can drop it off at a repair place and get it fixed at 1000s of authorized dealers, can you say that about any of the chicom built stuff?? so you save on the purchase and will spend it on shipping if and when it breaks, and will the chicom sellers give you a new unit if they cant fix or is going to take extended time to get parts to fix it? as many posters here that had issues with lincoln or miller and ended up with brand new welders to replace the problem ones...
Reply:Originally Posted by HobbytimeThere is almost nothing built or assembled anywhere on this earth that doesnt have chinese parts in it, thats not the issue, its if and when there is a problem, who and where is it going to get fixed and at what cost if any to the purchaser..lincoln/miller..you personally can drop it off at a repair place and get it fixed at 1000s of authorized dealers, can you say that about any of the chicom built stuff?? so you save on the purchase and will spend it on shipping if and when it breaks, and will the chicom sellers give you a new unit if they cant fix or is going to take extended time to get parts to fix it? as many posters here that had issues with lincoln or miller and ended up with brand new welders to replace the problem ones...
Reply:warranty is over rated. buy from Home depot and you can return to store in 90 days. if you buy extra home depot warranty you can return to store for 2 years. not much different than HF which offers 2 year warranty for extra too. i do not want machine repaired. it is a new machine or i want money back. i always have extra welding machines. if one fails it is never a problem in the slightest.i got a $200 HF tig/stick machine. still works 5 months later thats already down to $40/month or $10/week which is cheaper than most welding machine rentals. any machine still working when cost down to $10/week is better than wasting on coffee and pop which many people spend over $10/week on..you reach a point where it does not matter. if welder still works you are satisfied customer and if not working you do not buy that brand any more. same as i had a miller welder go 2 times in 3 years 1 month. last miller welder i buy..ultimately companies want you happy with products sold you buy more or are returning customer.by the way miller welder i had fail 2 times in 3 years 1 month did cost me less than $10/week ultimately. just left a bad impression in my opinion when it comes to buying another welding machine. not much different than buying a computer. if it does not last 5 years i do not buy that brand any more. i do not worry if it only lasted 3 or 4 years. it only matters when it comes time to buy the next one.not a chance i want a old fashioned welder. if over 5 year old it is obsolete. i look for 4th generation inverter welders or newer. who want antiques ? not me. i always plan on upgrading every 5 years anyway. even HF welder is more advanced than a welder i bought 30 years ago. i should have got rid of that "boat anchor" years agoLast edited by WNY_TomB; 04-16-2016 at 10:49 AM.
Reply:Well,If you were paying attention, I was posing the question, not stating a fact: "Besides, isn't the Lincoln Squarewave 200 made up of Chinese internals and assembled in Mexico City, for those who are xenophobic or statist trade protectionists?" I'll do it again, as numerous forum members here actually have the new Lincoln unit that is assembled in Mexico City.Isn't it made up of Chinese internals/boards?I mean, there's probably an easy way detect as much if one just carefully inspects inside a SW200. That's about as "black and white" as you'll probably find, as Lincoln Electric will probably never publish those kind of details, besides what they're compelled to, i.e., "Assembled in Mexico", which almost implies that the internals are not US-made, and excludes them from being actual products of Mexico. So, do you really think Lincoln Electric exports US-made boards and other parts to Mexico City, to be assembled there, and then reimports the finished units for sale in the US market?That seems far-fetched, to me. But, I'm just speculating and posing the questions, as I don't personally have a unit to inspect, nor do I have a verifiable source of the manufacturing plant location for the boards in the SW200.Not that it matters to me. Lincoln would be smart to have Chinese boards in their units, and probably smarter still if some of their units were actually assembled on the Eurasian continent as well, without adding a third hostile State jurisdiction and bureaucracy into the equation, i.e., cut out Mexico as the proverbial middle man. And, I've already answered your other question, "Why dont you buy it and let us know????." As, if you were paying attention, in saying that I already have a somewhat newly purchased and comparable unit in the Everlast 210EXT, which is a brilliant Chinese-produced unit, that has waveforms and other advanced features, which I'm very happy with.But, I still like to keep an eye on the welder marketplace, and the Topwell looks like it may prove to be near in the performance and feature-set of a Dynasty unit, yet priced around that of an AHP TIG unit.I'm finding that exciting, especially since Oscar started bragging about how his HTP unit has Amplitude Control, which I wasn't familiar with previously, and noticed that the Topwell unit has it and doesn't charge an extra $494 for it as feature from a 50 cent SD card, like Miller does. So, again, it's tempting for me to purchase one of these Topwell units, since the price is even lower now, sellers are more known now, and some early warrantee/recourse is emerging now. But, again, it would be a redundant purchase for me, and I'm sure some forum members will buy or demo the Topwell unit soon now, and hopefully we'll all see some YouTube video about it in real action, with commentary about it as well.Otherwise, if nobody else does it, maybe I will buy one and do a video demo, to upload to my YouTube Channel, much like I did for my 210EXT. Wheee!Who knows, maybe the Topwell unit will prove to be terrible somehow, and then all the cry babies will stop crying. Of course, I doubt that either one of those things will happen. Ha, ha, ha... Originally Posted by QCTechInspPlease post your source about the SW200 parts being from China. They are assembled in Mexico but the China parts part I am still waiting for a legitimate source to confirm it. Do you have it black and white somewhere that we all can read???
Reply:Thanks for the HU, considering a tigSent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
Reply:"So, do you really think Lincoln Electric exports US-made boards and other parts to Mexico City, to be assembled there, and then reimports the finished units for sale in the US market?"I don't know if Lincoln does, but Thermal Dynamacs did it years ago with the Cut Skill plasma cutters that was made in Mexico. It had a lot of parts made in the USA in it from Miller, GE, Westinghouse and the transformers were made in New York.www.georgesplasmacuttershop.comPlasma Cutter and Welder Sales and Repairs--Ebay storeTec.Mo. Dealer Consumables for the PT and IPT torch's
Reply:Originally Posted by WNY_TomBwarranty is over rated. buy from Home depot and you can return to store in 90 days. if you buy extra home depot warranty you can return to store for 2 years. not much different than HF which offers 2 year warranty for extra too. i do not want machine repaired. it is a new machine or i want money back. i always have extra welding machines. if one fails it is never a problem in the slightest.i got a $200 HF tig/stick machine. still works 5 months later thats already down to $40/month or $10/week which is cheaper than most welding machine rentals. any machine still working when cost down to $10/week is better than wasting on coffee and pop which many people spend over $10/week on..you reach a point where it does not matter. if welder still works you are satisfied customer and if not working you do not buy that brand any more. same as i had a miller welder go 2 times in 3 years 1 month. last miller welder i buy..ultimately companies want you happy with products sold you buy more or are returning customer.by the way miller welder i had fail 2 times in 3 years 1 month did cost me less than $10/week ultimately. just left a bad impression in my opinion when it comes to buying another welding machine. not much different than buying a computer. if it does not last 5 years i do not buy that brand any more. i do not worry if it only lasted 3 or 4 years. it only matters when it comes time to buy the next one.not a chance i want a old fashioned welder. if over 5 year old it is obsolete. i look for 4th generation inverter welders or newer. who want antiques ? not me. i always plan on upgrading every 5 years anyway. even HF welder is more advanced than a welder i bought 30 years ago. i should have got rid of that "boat anchor" years ago
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawYou should have him bring a demo over to the shop. Side by side comparison to the real thing....
Reply:Yeah, George,There are examples. I mean, at the time I was typing, GM came to mind, if I recall correctly, having done as much with some vehicles on the Canadian and Mexican sides of the those hostile political boundaries. Of course, Thermal Dynamics was bought out for $422 million by a private equity firm in 2010 (Irving Place Capital) and is closing US-based plants and laying-off US workers to expand in Mexico. And this may be the opening of the path that Lincoln Electric is on, just as an economic reality to compete and survive as a producer and creator of value for customers in the marketplace. I mean, Lincoln products are some of the best on the planet, along with Miller. I don't care where they're produced, just how they're comparatively priced.Otherwise, George, you have one of those SW200 units, so why not open it up and post some pics for us all to see, so we might detect where the boards were actually produced?Easy, right? Originally Posted by mechanic416"So, do you really think Lincoln Electric exports US-made boards and other parts to Mexico City, to be assembled there, and then reimports the finished units for sale in the US market?"I don't know if Lincoln does, but Thermal Dynamacs did it years ago with the Cut Skill plasma cutters that was made in Mexico. It had a lot of parts made in the USA in it from Miller, GE, Westinghouse and the transformers were made in New York.
Reply:The other thing to consider is design and standards.  A lot of the issues with the Chintastic gear is not necessarily the quality of the build, but the quality of the design . . . for instance, boards that require a thick layer of solder to be able to carry current is not a build issue,  but a design issue.  As such, even if Lincoln has their boards manufactured in China, I guarantee it won't be a corner-cutting Chintastic design - it will be a tested, vetted, QA-ed Lincoln design that they will be expected to build to Lincoln's specifications, which is a huge differentiator.  Heck, most PCB fab these days is automated anyhow, so not sure how much difference it makes who watches the machine *IF* the parts going in are the same, and the QA tests are consistent.  That may well be part of the reason Lincoln may separate PCB fab and assembly - put it all in one place, and there is no "change of hands" for others to verify/QA upstream work. - Tim
Reply:Gee,Here's another Topwell model that looks brilliant too, at 5-205 amps AC/DC, with all the same advanced features as the ALUTIG model, PLUS it has a built-in Plasma cutter, i.e., a 3-in-1 (TIG/Stick/Plasma). I mean, my Chinese CAT520 DC unit was a 3-in-1 that gave me flawless service for 6 years, until I recently traded it away, since my AC/DC 210EXT made it redundant and extraneous.The eBay seller even posts some pics of his self-confessed novice aluminum welds with the unit. So, this is some of the very first examples of Topwell AC welding performance. I kind of like how this unit doesn't have the plastic front faceplate/bezel like the ALUTIG.Wheeee!Last edited by C. Livingstone; 04-16-2016 at 03:32 PM.
Reply:Yeah,The Topwell units imported to North America may not have the Power Factor Correction (PFC) that the EU Superstate demands for electronic goods, and makes costs higher there. Maybe a lot of welder units in North America do also have PFC, even though it's not State-imposed yet, but makes them more costly anyway.I mean, those Topwell units look nice and tidy in their layout and design, internally. Maybe that's because there's no PFC.Less is often more. Originally Posted by tadawsonThe other thing to consider is design and standards.  A lot of the issues with the Chintastic gear is not necessarily the quality of the build, but the quality of the design . . . for instance, boards that require a thick layer of solder to be able to carry current is not a build issue,  but a design issue.  As such, even if Lincoln has their boards manufactured in China, I guarantee it won't be a corner-cutting Chintastic design - it will be a tested, vetted, QA-ed Lincoln design that they will be expected to build to Lincoln's specifications, which is a huge differentiator.  Heck, most PCB fab these days is automated anyhow, so not sure how much difference it makes who watches the machine *IF* the parts going in are the same, and the QA tests are consistent.  That may well be part of the reason Lincoln may separate PCB fab and assembly - put it all in one place, and there is no "change of hands" for others to verify/QA upstream work. - Tim
Reply:Originally Posted by C. LivingstoneYeah,The Topwell units imported to North America may not have the Power Factor Correction (PFC) that the EU Superstate demands for electronic goods, and makes costs higher there. Maybe a lot of welder units in North America do also have PFC, even though it's not State-imposed yet, but makes them more costly anyway.I mean, those Topwell units look nice and tidy in their layout and design, internally. Maybe that's because there's no PFC.Less is often more.