My ct-416D experience

[inot]

My wife just sent me a photo of the package that arrived this morning. More to follow...

[inot]

I placed my order very late on a Friday night, the day after Thanksgiving. Because of the special requirements of the holiday deal there was no e-mail confirmation until the Saturday afternoon. This was spelled out in the terms of the special deal and the delay in order confirmation was expected. There was a second e-mail from Jesse with a copy of the manual and thanking me for my order.

The earliest I could expect the item to arrive from the west coast would be Monday, December 7. I had an e-mail on Monday, November 30 informing me that the order had shipped. It is not clear from reading the UPS tracking, but I think that Longevity entered the shipment into the UPS system on Monday and UPS picked up the package on Tuesday. One business day to process prior to *free* shipping seems reasonable.

The shipping was via ground service to the east coast. UPS delivered the package on the following Tuesday.

From a shipping standpoint the experience has been as good as what I would expect from a major e-tailer like Amazon or Newegg when they ship from the west coast.

[inot]

I managed a small wholesale distribution warehouse back in the early 90s, so I will put on my shipping/receiving hat and critique the packing job.

Based on the photo my wife sent, I assumed that the carton with the welding helmet was bundled to the box containing the welding machine with pallet wrap. I wondered how the bundle made it all the way from California without the two pieces being knocked apart and separated On inspection, I found that the cartons were actually attached with a sh**load of clear tape!

The helmet was supposed to be a "Starter" model, and was included for free. The helmet is in a retail carton that has a generic look with photos of three different styles of helmet.

I opened the carton and found the helmet packed with padded envelopes around the sides to protect it.

I unwrapped the helmet and found it to be a nice purple color. I didn't recall a purple starter model on the website. Based on the photos, I think that Longevity actually shipped an Advanced Purple model!

I hope nobody gets in trouble for the mis-shipment. I haven't actually welded in it or sweated up the headband. If Longevity needs it back I can swap for a starter.

My wife says that the purple goes well with the welding apron.



---------- Post added at 08:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:25 PM ----------

From what I read about chinese welding machines in other forums I figured there was a chance that my welder would arrive damaged due to being shipped in a cheap flimsy carton from China. To my relief, this was not the case at all.

The carton was obviously from China, judging from the carton dimensions in millimeters and the other markings on the side.



The top of the carton was marked "Tested"




The cardboard was dry, thick, strong, and made from two layers of corrugated material.



Inside the carton the welding machine was secured in styrofoam forms on bother ends, much like a PC or other electronic gear is packed.



In addition, there were cardboard flats with bubble mailers on each side for additional protection.

The extra consumables were packed in a small plastic envelope loose in the carton, but everything else was inside a second cardboard carton that was packed next to the welding machine.




I did not inventory every part yet, but it looks like everything arrived in good shape, and I have not noticed anything that is missing.



Judging on what I have seen so far, I would say that Longevity took all reasonable precautions to pack in a manner that would prevent damage due to the normal beating a carton endures as it moves across the country.

[Gadget]

With each evaluation of the product and packaging we get a different point of view. Your shipping and receiving perspective will be very helpful for anyone considering a Longevity purchase. Thanks for your input, I hope the welder exceeds your expectations (I'm betting it will)
Dan

[KHK]

Good write up, Thanks!!

[inot]

With each evaluation of the product and packaging we get a different point of view. Your shipping and receiving perspective will be very helpful for anyone considering a Longevity purchase. Thanks for your input, I hope the welder exceeds your expectations (I'm betting it will)
Dan

I am planning on continuing with the review over the next few days. I might have to try it out on 120 volts since I don't have the new electrical circuit in the garage yet. The electrician is going to be doing the work for free. so I can't rush him.

[inot]

The electrician will be here tomorrow to wire up the garage, so I am still not ready to fire up the new machine.

I will continue today with the visual review. I was impressed with the handle and the case. I have seen welders on display at Harbor Freight with lousy handles pulled off and bent cases. The handle is plastic, but it feels solid and well attached. My cheap caliper measures the case material to be .056".



There are Longevity decals on each side. It looks like there are some air bubbles on the under the decals. Not sure how long they will last, but it's a minor cosmetic point.

I decided to take a look inside of the case. It is held on with screws on each side. I found that one of the screws was in at an angle, because the cover/frame fit is slightly off.

[inot]

On to the visual inspection of the innards of my ct-416d. I am by no means an electronics expert, but I have built a few kits in the past and I am capable of performing basic circuit board repairs and modifications. I have not been inside of any other welding machines, so my thoughts on the ct-416d are based on comparing the construction to what I have seen in enterprise-grade computers and radio gear.

The inside seems to be relatively neat. I did see a few things that might be considered to be less-than-ideal. The top circuit board had a scratch that appears to have penetrated the coating on the board, as if someone had dropped a tool. Not a big deal, but this might be a place where corrosion could attack. It would be easy enough to prevent this with a dab of a suitable coating.



The next thing that I noticed on the same board is a few spots of crud that look like the board was not completely cleaned. It is as if some flux remover was not completely rinsed from the board, or perhaps there was some re-work done that was not properly cleaned. I am probably being too picky here, as I am sure that smoke from stick welding is going to deposit much worse all over the inside after a few months of welding.

Before I purchased, I had read a review that mentioned that the mainboard is forced to flex towards the front of the welder. It looks like this is due to the heavy copper strap conductor being used as part of the support for the board. It is hard to see in the photo, but you can see where the board starts to bend under the relay.



The bits of white stuff on the bottom of the case and the on the hose are some kind of glue that has been applied to the cable connectors, probably to keep things from coming loose during shipping. I wouldn't count this as a problem, unless I was planning on displaying the open case at a trade show or something.

I did not see any obvious cold solder joints, or wires that had become dislodged. The construction looks pretty decent, with the exception of the slight bend in the mainboard. Given the fact that the machine is under warranty for the next five years I feel that I can rest assured that I got a good deal for the money.

[inot]

The wiring was finished this evening. I gave the machine a try and made a few welds with 3/32 rod and cut some shaky lines into a piece of square tube scrap.

The regulator is leaking like crazy. The air seems to be coming from around the gauge. I will need to take the gauge off and see I can get it sealed up better.

The readout on the front panel does not seem to correspond to actual amperage. I think this was something that I had read about before hand but overlooked. I am not sure what use the readout is if the numbers don't correspond to amps, other than maybe saving the user from having to squint to see the relative position of the dial.

[matteh99]

My 520 came with Teflon tape that I used on the threads for the gauge. Once I had that on there wasn't any leaks. The bottom of the regulator has a thing that you can push in to drain any water out or something. That thing can leak usually a small wiggle will stop it though.

The display on mine is also a bit goofy. It is fairly close for TIG and plasma but it is way off for stick. I guess that is pretty much the way the machines are. I think they have the digital display so they can say "comes with digital display".

My board is also a bit bent in the same way yours is. I hope it won't be a problem in the future. I don't think it will be because the board is still fixed that way. If it was getting bent back and forth there may be a problem.

I wouldn't worry about the scratch. There isn't any copper showing and the rest of the board is just basically fibreglass so it will be fine with as scratch. It just took the shiny coating off.

I am not sure if all of the screw on my 520 are straight or not. I got a replacement because of a fan issue and the old one did have one crooked screw.

It seems like from your post that the quality is the same between my 520 and your 416. Both could use some improvement with fit and finish but work fine.

Eric