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Everlast Super250P stick/tig/plasma welder/cutter combo

I received this crazy combo unit on 1/29/2009; ordering went smoothly and it was shipped next-day. Good communication from the sales reps, thank you. It is the Super250P or EV-Super250P from Everlast Generators aka Everlast Welders. The unit seems pretty high quality, but the documentation is inadequate. Hopefully it will stand the test of time. The paper manual in the box is not even for the correct piece of equipment. It covers similar welder-only units like the TIG250P, but it does not even address the plasma cutter. Also, the specification table in the included documentation is not accurate because it lists the TIG250P as not working with 240V input power. The online PDF manual provided by Everlast also leaves much to be desired in terms of specifications, but it is a helpful addition to the paper manual. Luckily I like to flip switches and test things and figuring out the Super250P is relatively easy; not to mention that the price was excellent. Hopefully some of the stuff I have here will help clear up questions for others.

I will post correct and updated specifications here as I make actual measurements. These specifications are followed by photographs, which are followed by videos at the bottom of the page.


Specification Unit
Supply Voltage Range 208-240V AC 50-60hz (from back sticker)
Supply Maximum Current 28.8A (from back sticker)
Supply Effective Current 23A (from back sticker)
Welding 60% Duty Cycle 250A (from back sticker)
Welding 100% Duty Cycle 194A (from back sticker
Cutting Max Current 75A (indicated on front panel LED)
Cutting 60% Duty Cycle 55A (from website)
Cutting 100% Duty Cycle 30A (from website)


Here is a great discussion on welder power and that mysteriously defined arc force control, aka dig. Basically, it allows you to have some control of welding current by adjusting the arc length when stick/arc/MMA/SMAW welding. It boosts current by the chosen amount when the arc length is below a given level. If arc force is set to 50A, it will boost welding current by 50A when you push the stick electrode close enough to the weld pool. Apparently, this is useful when stick welding deep and narrow to achieve good penetration and prevent sticking. The manuals only mention Arc Force in the stick/arc/MMA/SMAW context and do not explain it.

After testing out all of the basic functionality, which worked well, I measured a bunch of currents using my AC/DC 400A clamp-on current meter in peak-hold mode and live mode. I wanted to make sure the unit was performing close to as many specifications as I could verify. First I measured some currents with my older welder. Then I measured a variety of Super250P currents and I noticed that it was operating considerably below my expectations, but keep reading for the conclusion.

Harbor Freight 80A Inverter Set Point Measured Welding Current (A)
55 60
80 79


Super250P Stick Welding Peak Current Set Point Measured Welding Current (A) Measured Supply Current (A)
50 45
100 60 8
150 85
200 110 18.4
225 125


Super250P Plasma Cutting Peak Current Set Point Measured Cutting Current (A) Measured Supply Current (A)
30 7.6
40 8.2
50 8.6
60 27.2 10.3
70 31


After performing these measurements, which still far outperformed my old welder and hacksaw, I was determined to figure out the difference between the specifications and my measured currents. My first guess was a difference between peak and RMS ratings, but the numbers did not quite add up yet. I played around with many controls and adjusted one at a time while measuring currents. It turns out that the Arc Force control affects stick/arc/MMA/SMAW, TIG, and plasma cutting current!!!

Arc Force affects the output current for all processes!

This makes sense. When stick welding, this setting keeps a 50A reserve for arc-length-controlled welding current. This reserve is also in effect for the other two processes, but the arc-length control seems to be disabled. The following table should illustrate my results.

Super250P Peak Current Set Point Measured Welding Current (A) Arc Force 0A Measured Welding Current (A) Arc Force 50A
TIG, 250 140 180
Plasma, 75 30 40


This is excellent, I was able to get 180A RMS for TIG welding and 40A RMS for plasma cutting, but that is still short of the specifications. The reason is that the Super250P/TIG250P specifications are based on peak currents and not RMS currents. These peak currents occur after the power transformer internal to the welder and they are smoothed out prior to reaching the output leads. Specifically, it is the difference between a sine wave's average value and its peak value, which have an ideal ratio of 0.707. This marketing tactic is used by many electronic products, but this discrepancy in no way detracts from the Super250P's value. Welding and plasma cutting at full power is impressive. I do wonder if equipment from Lincoln Electric or Miller is rated in terms of peak current or RMS current. Assume the worst case and compare the prices and you will still see what a great value the Super250P is. The funny thing is that the main current adjustment is actually labeled "Peak Current" on the front of the unit, but I originally thought that term only applied because of the pulse mode capability.

Process Measured (RMS) Current Specified (Peak) Current Ratio
Welding 180 250 0.72
Plasma Cutting 40 55 0.72


So let's make good use of all of this information. How can we calculate the actual RMS welding current based on the LED readout and Arc Force control?
ActualWeldingCurrent = PeakCurrent/250*140 + ArcForce/50*40
ActualPlasmaCurrent = PeakCurrent/75*30 + ArcForce/50*10

Here is a spreadsheet to do these calculations for you; just pay attention to the maximum setting values depending on whether you are solving for welding or plasma cutting current and make sure you press the foot pedal to the floor if you are setting its limit knob.

I had to drag the tip during my first round of plasma cutting tests because of inexperience. I was having trouble maintaining a close standoff distance and I probably also had a dirty ground connection. After a short time, the cutter would no longer cut because it would never start. I disassembled the torch to find a noticeably worn dirty electrode and a dirty nozzle inside. This was after 10 slices through 3"x 3/16" steel bar and about 10" through a 3/8" disc brake rotor. I soaked them in vinegar overnight and they looked unbelievably shiny in the morning. There was definitely no more black residue anywhere. The premature wear from dragging the tip was still there, but all of the gunk was totally gone. After thoroughly drying the consumables and cleaning my ground connection with a wire wheel, it fired right up. Now, I cut with a welding helmet and a #9 lens, which allows me to keep a much closer eye on things. I have no problem maintaining a standoff now and I have noticed hardly any additional wear after cutting 120" of 3/8" steel. This amount of cutting would have required at least 6 4" cutoff wheels on my grinder. I also increased the gas post-flow to about 5 seconds to help cool off the consumables after cutting.

Everlast Super250P size comparison


Everlast Super250P electrical information


Everlast Super250P back and air filter regulator


Everlast Super250P front panel controls and my 80A Harbor Freight inverter stick welder


Everlast Super250P rebar and recycled shelf cart


Everlast Super250P plasma cutting 3/16" steel at around 20A. This was my first ever successful plasma cut. I had to drag the tip because my skills were weak and I could not maintain a close enough standoff, but I'm getting better. I made about 10 more thin slices off the end after this one for practice.



Everlast Super250P CUT TIG ARC 3/8" steel disc brake rotor. The plasma cutter pierced this with no problem. Two 100A stick welds are on the rotor surface. Three 100A DC TIG and DC pulse TIG welds are on the rotor mount.


Everlast Super250P aluminum TIG first and second tries. I have never TIG welded aluminum before. On the first weld, I think the heat was too low and my technique was poor. I did not get much fusion into the base metal; just melted the top corner of the lap joint. My second try was a much simpler joint to weld and I raised the current from 100A to 130A. I still need to rip it apart to check penetration, but it looks pretty to me. I did both of these welds without the foot pedal.



Everlast Super250P foot pedal. The foot pedal overrides the peak current setting on the front panel when it is plugged in. However, the knob on the foot pedal limits the maximum current when it is depressed all of the way. It ranges 0-10, so 0 would be the 10A minimum and 10 would be the 250A maximum.


Everlast sent me a new plasma torch with a huge set of consumables I asked for. The overall body is about the same size, but the consumables are much thicker and there is less ceramic overall. There is also no separate swirl ring in the new torch. I made a few cuts and it works great.




The Hyosung aluminum passenger foot peg bracket welded with Everlast Super250P. The bracket on the right broke into 5 pieces when a friend laid his bike down on the side. The bracket is still holding together fine on his bike. The handlebar on the left proved too difficult for me to weld because the threads were drooping too much, so I brazed it and it broke when some weight was put on it. Bad design in both cases because of the stress concentrations.


First Breakage 5/22/2009

High frequency start ceased working. I imagine that the same circuit is used to start TIG welding and plasma cutting. The people at Everlast answered my email in a timely fashion and pointed me to a forum thread with photos about how to check the distance between the internal spark gap. I checked the gap and sanded the surfaces, but HF was still not working. I exchanged another email, called the front desk, and they are sending me a new HF board. Four screws and a bunch of connectors and it should be good to go.

Received Replacement HF Board 6/18/2009

I received a replacement HF board on 6/18/2008, but it did not fix the problem. The Everlast people have been nice and helpful via email and over the phone. I am sending the Super250P back to them for warranty repair or exchange.

Received Replacement Welder 7/23/2009

I received a PowerMaster 205 as a replacement welder on 7/23/2009 because they no longer produce the Super250P and they let me upgrade. I unpacked it and hooked everything up. It is about half the size of the Super250P with more features. I got out my clamp-on current meter to do some preliminary testing. I made several 4" plasma cuts and stick weld beads before the new unit died with a loud pop and a puff of smoke. Everlast faxed me a return shipping label the very next day and I brought it to the UPS store on 7/25/2009. Everlast sent me a new PowerMaster 205 and disassembled the old one to figure out what went wrong. The dead PM 205 had shipping damage inside; broken wires and components from high acceleration even though the box did not look bad. It seemed like it was thrown off a truck or fell off a high shelf and it landed completely flat on a side of the box, which damaged the internals, but not the box.

Received Replacement Replacement Welder 8/12/2009

The results of my testing are on my PowerMaster 205 page.

Sold Replacement Replacement Welder 7/20/2010

I sold the PowerMaster 205 because we were moving across the country so my wife could attend law school. My garage full of tools had to be seriously reduced for the move.

The Replacement Replacement Welder Broke 3/10/2011

I got a call from the guy who bought the welder from me asking about warranty issues. He asked me to fill out an Everlast form for him so he could get it repaired under warranty. I hope it works out for him.