Lincoln VRTEX Welding Simulator Review

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Well the tech school that I'm going to for a diesel program has a fairly extensive welding lab. In one of the classrooms they have a Lincoln VRTEX Welding simulator. We've talked about it some in the past, as many have seen them at trade shows and such. If any of you are welding instructors or adjunct instructors or involved in a welding program, this might help you make a decision if your school is thinking about getting one. The system consists of the computer unit housed inside a case that looks something like a big Invertec unit with some added controls for the simulator, but you could set your welding parameters on the unit itself just like a normal unit. Then you have a stand that holds your coupon (horizontal T-joint in our case, though I'm sure it could be set up for different ones) and finally, the piece de resistance, the helmet. The helmet is a piece of crap. They SHOULD have put the screen in place of the lens but instead they have this little flip down thing that looks like a miniature pair of night vision goggles. It won't stay in one place and sucks to use. And then you flip down the helmet over the whole thing. Basically you select your process- they come standard set up for GMAW and FCAW and you can add a SMAW stinger if you want). No Aluminum mig support. You set up and do your pass(s) and then it grades you based on travel speed, gun angle, weld coverage, etc Ours is hooked up to a large screen TV so everyone else in the classroom can see the weld and the results. I was less than impressed with the display. When you light up you don't really see much of a puddle, all it shows is a hot white area and you kinda just push it along and hope you did OK. Not really impressed with that...actual MIG welding for me is a lot clearer. If they can improve the actual simulation of the weld I think it might be a viable trainer. Until then, in my honest opinion, one is better off with sticking with the real thing. This is also not a cheap machine. I've heard numbers thrown around in the $40-50k range for the cost.Hobart Stickmate LX235AC/160DCRanger 305GVictor 315 O/A rigHope to acquire in the next couple of years: Hypertherm PM45 and Dynasty 200DX
Reply:Great review. Hit the nail on the head. I've looked into them too. I can buy a lot of electrode for $40k. In fact, I bought 10 Lincoln Powerwave C300s for just over what that one simulator cost. I can't imagine the goggle headgear and helmet would last too long in the real world of teaching weldingTeach Ag Mech - Mike At Home:Lincoln Electric AC225Miller Challenger 172Gas AxeWork:eclectic bunch of 90's vintage blue boxes
Reply:I thought the FCAW and GMAW ones weren't terrible.  If you can teach a guy to weld on that equipment, he can lay down an OK weld on the real deal more often than not.  The SMAW, with the retracting plastic stinger rod, I did not feel was even close to the real deal.  You can get by on the fillets, but a 6010 open root simulator wasn't even in the ballpark.