does it have any issues

[PWTEngineering]

the lp200 , does it have any issues?
Is there anything you dont like about it?
Did it not work properly? and did the company make good on it ??
these are things the company wants to know and so do I before i trade out my trailblazer for one because if its not going to work like they say it will i dont want to waste my time and money on it like i did with my little red one.
and please dont delete this post before i get the answers I'm looking for unless you have something to hide

[Gadget]

Hi Daniel and welcome to the forum.
I can't speak for the 200 but I have the 160 and think it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. The 200 is very similar but has more power. I am sure some of the 200 owners will tell you their machines are super too. The support here is second to none so if you have a problem it WILL get fixed to your satifsaction.

Dan

[HerbD]

Hi Daniel,
You can count me in as one of the VERY happy LS200P users. Rather than recount my initial experience, it would make more sense to just visit a thread that I posted quite some time ago:

http://longevity-inc.com/forum/showt...=5946#post5946

In addition to what I said about Longevity and their great dealers and service, I still subscribe to a couple of other "generic" welding forums. My take on what I read here and on the other forums is that every brand out there has some problems at one time or another. The difference seems to be that the Longevity folks take care of the problems pronto! It doesn't matter if the machine is an import or domestic, one in X machines may have a problem or be DOA out of the box.

It is the same reason I've kept buying LandRovers, my service guy makes the difference. LR's may not have the best reputation, but my experience has been great because of the service.

I would have to say also that if there were bumps in the road with my welding, it had more to do with settings that weren't right for the metal being welded, or using the wrong rod, amps, or air pressure when plasma cutting. In other words, I'm still learning. Fortunately the dealer here in Arizona is very patient and willing to walk me through things over the phone.

The fellow at the place where I buy argon has also been helpful, especially once I told him I was just a beginner. Suggestions on different filler rods, cleaning the metal thoroughly, etc come from experience and he knows how to build a customer base - service. Longevity proves this too.

Hope you have a similar good experience!

HerbD

[Gadget]

I'm pretty sure Simon and Longevity test each unit before shipment now to prevent DOA machines. Of course he cannot prevent shipping damage. Even with that though Longevity now glues all connections to prevent them coming dislodged in shipping. As good as Longevity units were, they are even better now. Quality control and customer service is the emphasis at Longevity and the happy customers here prove it.

Dan

[PWTEngineering]

here it is .I need a tig machine for stainless and aluminum repairs but i cant afford a dedicated machine just for this and a2z had an add online with this machine . now i'm not the only one out there who thinks multi purpose machines haven't been the best of any world in the past but they have come a long way so yes i'm sceptical and i just want to make sure i'm not getting junk. this is just one facet of what we do here most of what we do is finish carpentry and you wont find b&d or ryobe crap in my shop (cheap tools dont work they work you)

[KHK]

Daniel,
No one will delete a post wether it is Possitive or negative, this is not that kind ow welding site... Of corse spam, porno posts never make it to the main site.

I own a 160P and love it!! I looked and looked for a multipurpose welder, and when I saw the 30 day Money Back, and the 5 year warantee I bought the 160P. The service has been specatular!!

The only regret that I have is that I should have bought the 200P

[jbman45]

Well Daniel, not an easy answer! But I have a 200P and am very pleased with it's performance. Probably the key question is would I buy another one, and the answer is yes. I have used other welders, including the miller dynasty which is quite a nice small machine with similiar features, but for what I do the 200P has served me well. I respect those who insist on buying american since I do as well...but Miller; Lincoln and all are all made from components produced in other parts of the world. If you look inside the Longevity unit it has good components, strong circuit boards, good quality chips and all. Nicely put together, good attention to detail on the inside which I like.

I don't care for any harbor freight stuff, it is like you say junk. But they replace it but it's not worth the effort. Longevity seems to have developed a good relationship with a supplier who stands behind their units, that's the key and if you are close to a distributor you're even better off than dealing via mail and all.

The 200P is a strong unit. Although I'm not a "professional welder" by trade, I've been welding as an engineer now for 40 years, all types and all kinds. I was suprised how strong the stick welding was for the 200P, really is hot and does an excellent AC and outstanding DC and DCpulse weld. Definitely need the foot pedal for best control. Now it's not a pipeliner welder! Don't compare it to a lincoln 200sa that will weld all day in the field at 200 amps; but for shop use it's great. I've never had it actually go to over current mode though I have welded for long periods on TIG and stick. But not many of us weld at 150 amps or more so not typically an issue.

The plasma torch is excellent and don't be swayed by those who immediately try to compare the max cut and go right away and try to cut 1"" steel. If you're into highrise building steelwork you need a different welder; but for normal use it's great. It's so handy and cuts very clean up to 1/4 inch even but most of us cut smaller stock. Bigger stuff use an oxy torch as that's what they are for!

I use the unit for stainless and aluminum often and the options are adequate for anyone's typical use. If you are truly a welding specialist then you may want some additional features like offered on a miller dynasty but 99 % of people don't even know what they do or hot to set them up. The 200P has great balance and you can adjust a nice cleaning action on aluminum. The limit on the 200P is probably 1/4 inch aluminum which I have done andit does fine; but over that I would think you need more amperage.

I wouldn't trade in your trailblazer! They are a great unit with dual core generator for weld/generator service. I really like them but they have their headaches as well. Buddy of mine has 3 trailblazers, qualified in all welding and great guy....but he fought for 5 months with miller on his last trailblazer he bought claiming it wouldn't put out hte amperage....finally after months of hassles they replaced the unit! so again there's no guarantees, pick the product you know you can get service on.

too long of a note, and only my opinion of course, but for value for the dollar the Longevity is a good unit. I wish you luck in your decision....

[PWTEngineering]

Unknown person
Well I have told you that I have gone through 3 machines the first one out of the box it ran for about 3 hrs of welding and cutting the plasma torch quit starting and I spent 3 days getting hold of Simon and then spent another 2 days checking things out on the machine and found a bad part which took another week to get I replaced it and things ran fine for about another Mo. then it came on and it would not shut off so another 3 or 4 day to get Simon on the line and another 2 of 3 days checking the machine through all of the things he thought it might be (I think just to stall me) then another week for the shipping label to come with me calling once a day to see why it hadn't come, I shipped it back at the companies cost only after I bitched about it failing when I first got it. I finally got a new machine about weeks after it failed and right out of the box I found where it had been dented in shipping according to them and it would not run, so another two weeks before I got another machine This one had a problem as it would not shut off and through inspection I found one of the boards that was warped from heat or lack of support and another 2 weeks with to get another and now the machine I got is one of the previous models and the switches on the front are cobbled together, like a round switch in a square hole, sires that need to be taped in fear of them coming apart. I am not happy with the machine I got and I wish I had never got involved with these things but I have it now and all I can do is try and keep others form making the same Mistake with the consumables and the machine I have around 1600 dollars tied up. I do not want them to know I have these feeling as I would like to be able to continue getting things fixed but I sure wished I had gone with someone close so I could have better service.
I have almost every e-mail and phone call and conversation documented and if you do buy from them I suggest you do the same.

maybe he got a defective unit maybe the unit just isn't up to standard don't know but it sounds like the company is trying to make good on it .I can go to harbor freight and but a crap tool with a killer warranty but its still a crap tool and I have a problem with that

[LONGEVITY]

Hi Daniel,

This is Simon. I am unsure of the customer who emailed you, but we try to please everyone as quickly as possible. Please understand that there are numerous of circumstances within our business that can hinder our chance for immediate support.

Regardless, Longevity never leaves a customer out of money and we sell a lot of units. If UPS damages an item or our engineer does not respond in time to answer a questions that is out of our knowledge these things can be problematic. However, i can assure that each unit is tested before shipment from our factory and before shipment from our warehouse to you, each sale has a 30 day risk free trial, and each unit comes with a 5 year LEGAL warranty. You can see on here that we have sold many units and constantly improve our technology to insure the product is better with every improvement.

With that said, if you wish to give us a try, I can personally call you if you PM me your phone number.

For the customer that had issues, since they will read this they are welcome to call and receive a full refund if they are this unhappy!

Simon

[jbman45]

Boy Daniel, that's surprising and a sad tale for sure. Don't know what to tell ya but I have been pleased with the power of the unit, cost and service to date. Guess the real issue is it's always hard to work warranty stuff from far away if you're in a hurry; but if you have a local place in AZ that sells Longevity that might be a place to check out any warranty issues now. I have nothing to do with Longevity, just havebeen pleased with the product. I have had it apart and it's built well, but there can always be design issues regardless who it is. The Dynasty is a suite machine, but last I checked it would have put me back about 4500 for what I wanted and didn't come with a plasma. I know they go bad too and their parts are very expensive as is the unit.

Good luck on your decision, let us know how it goes...