Ewm phoenix 355 or lorch s3 xt mobile ??

[funkapotomuss]

Need to buy a new mig asap after my cebora 330 tc had issues... it's pretty much between an ewm phoenix or the lorch s3 .... I'm currently using an old 320 sp that doesn't miss a beat ...only welding aluminium... realistically nothing over 10mm .... will fit an 8m push pull ... beautiful smooth twin pulse welds are what's most important ( the cebora produced beautiful welds) but I had a porosity problem that nobody could sort out ... I noticed a few of the lads on here have experience with these machines.... any advice would be great

 

[matt1978]

Need to buy a new mig asap after my cebora 330 tc had issues... it's pretty much between an ewm phoenix or the lorch s3 .... I'm currently using an old 320 sp that doesn't miss a beat ...only welding aluminium... realistically nothing over 10mm .... will fit an 8m push pull ... beautiful smooth twin pulse welds are what's most important ( the cebora produced beautiful welds) but I had a porosity problem that nobody could sort out ... I noticed a few of the lads on here have experience with these machines.... any advice would be great

The 320 SP is a S3 1st generation. We (Lorch) re-badged that machine for them up with some software differences

If you’d like a demo on the XT version along with the Speed Processes just let me know and I can get it arranged for you

 

[Munkul]

A new S3 XT will run like your current 320SP, but with newer programs, which are nicer to use. How much nicer, only you can say, and only you can work it out.

Bearing in mind what Matt says about the 320SP being 1st gen, I assume it doesn't have speedpulse?

Speedpulse is NICE, it's a noticeable upgrade over the standard pulse program. The Speed-twinpulse is nice too. Once it's dialled, it runs aluminium so nice that the idiot holding the torch doesn't have to do very much. I assume, anyway, that's how I get nice welds... cos it certainly ain't my own skills

Bear in mind you'll have to specify the machine with either an analogue push-pull board, or a digital. The analogue will run any standard push-pull of the right voltage, but the digital will only run a Lorch setup. Or you'll have sync issues.

 

[matt1978]

Ok

A new S3 XT will run like your current 320SP, but with newer programs, which are nicer to use. How much nicer, only you can say, and only you can work it out.

Bearing in mind what Matt says about the 320SP being 1st gen, I assume it doesn't have speedpulse?

Speedpulse is NICE, it's a noticeable upgrade over the standard pulse program. The Speed-twinpulse is nice too. Once it's dialled, it runs aluminium so nice that the idiot holding the torch doesn't have to do very much. I assume, anyway, that's how I get nice welds... cos it certainly ain't my own skills

Bear in mind you'll have to specify the machine with either an analogue push-pull board, or a digital. The analogue will run any standard push-pull of the right voltage, but the digital will only run a Lorch setup. Or you'll have sync issues.

No, the original SpeedPulse, SpeedRoot, SpeedUp, SpeedCold and SpeedUp were unique to the 2nd and 3rd Gen Lorch S Series and never on any European spec Thermadyne SP machines

We did put a version of SpeedArc on some of the later SP machines

 

[Hood]

I have a Phoenix 355 and love it, never had a Lorch so can't comment on that.
My Phoenix is the Progress version and it is very intuitive to set up. Prior to that I had an older Phoenix 330 Expert and it was not as easy to set up as it was all text display and not graphical like the 355.
Here is the feeder panel on the 355.

 

[Munkul]

Speedpulse on the flat, speed twinpulse out-of-position, all 6mm alloy, 5356 wire




After cleaning:

Steel test piece, 6mm, speedpulse

 

[Jim Davey]

I’m experienced on selling/using EWM. My advice to you which I’m sure others would echo is to buy the machine you can get the best local support on. It’s all to easy to run into difficulties when the warranty expires or you need help/support and the backup just isn’t there.

 

[Hood]

I’m experienced on selling/using EWM. My advice to you which I’m sure others would echo is to buy the machine you can get the best local support on. It’s all to easy to run into difficulties when the warranty expires or you need help/support and the backup just isn’t there.

Aye, I think @henry Kadzielski had that issue when he bought, I think, an EWM in Australia and ended up with a Fronius.
I am lucky, I have a good guy for backup, well when I say a good guy what I really mean is I have incriminating pictures of him

 

[matt1978]

Lorch has a quite well established dealer network across most states in Australia now. AFAIK EWM is exclusively imported by BOC/Linde in Australia and sold via the gas and gear centres
Which state are you in?

 

[Jim Davey]

I’m that case I’d go Lorch then. If they are anything like BOC gas n gear in the UK that is.

 

[henry Kadzielski]

Welcome to the forum, I'm in the 'gong'. Yes I did get a EWM 355 Phoneix, and got cast aside by the BOC people, to the point that I asked them to refund my money, then did reluctantly. I ended up with a Fronius TPS320I and she (Francis) is fit for purpose. Can't comment on the Lorch, but some of the welds done in S/S by @matt1978, are spectacular (weld porn) if I can say that. The Fronius will lay a good weld down and keep going. I can consume a 6kg roll of Safra 5356 in a day and have just changed a tip which has done 6 roll of wire. I am using a water cooled torch though. Can't comment on the cost of the Lorch, but surly it can't be as costly as a Fronius

 

[funkapotomuss]

Lorch has a quite well established dealer network across most states in Australia now. AFAIK EWM is exclusively imported by BOC/Linde in Australia and sold via the gas and gear centres
Which state are you in?

Qld , Sunshine Coast... unfortunately they don't have the ewm 2.0 and I had a test and was not a big fan of the control panel... I am always changing between pulse and twin pulse ... the easier and quicker that is , is a massive plus ... unfortunately I'm having to travel quite a distance to get the lorch ... because my local lorch dealer is 2000 dollars more expensive and that just ****** me off

 

[henry Kadzielski]

I am using Francis all the time on double pulse and when welding out of position just varying the material thickness to overcome any melting through. The synergic setting are quite good and am using what has been provided, well that is what I think haven't changed anything for so long can't remember. I welded the previous punt (5mm 5083) with a 6mm setting and currently welding 6mm 5083 at a 8mm setting, also going up to 9mm setting, but just mooooving my travel speed up. When you crank up Francis you can really move along . Don't have a need to swap from single to double, just leave it alone and go for it
I have a guy near me (about 300meters) who also builds boats, he bought a EWM Phoneix 355 and apparently had two power boards fail on him. He talked to BOC and one board got changed but the second he had to pay for. Well now he has an essab. I met him when I was taken to view a EWM operating when I first bought mine, by the local BOC chaps. They had no idea about welding or welding equipment. The problem is mostly trusting the supplier from where you get the machine, and hoping to hell that you never need them. Even with Fronius the local supplier has his nose out of joint with me as I didn't get my machine from him, but 850km away. At least the supplier that i got the machine from will answer my call and give me a response that I can understand.

 

[Hood]

..I am always changing between pulse and twin pulse ... the easier and quicker that is , is a massive plus .....

The older EWM Phoenix I had it was just a button push but the newer it was go through the sequence with quite a few button pushes so was a wee bit of a nuisance. I found a way around that, set up two jobs, 129 and 130. They were both copied from the default Job 76 which is al/mg 1.2. I then modified the settings to suit my preferences and also set job 130 as super pulse. That meant all I had to do was press the job button and then change between job 129 or 130. It still meant I had to go to the wire feeder to change or get someone that was near it to do it for me. I am getting old and sore and having to clamber over things or up/dn a ladder to get to the wire feed was becoming a pita so I now have the PC2 push pull torch and have it set up with programmes so I can change between several programmes via the torch.

Here is how I originally did it.

And here is how I now do it via the new torch.

 

[Munkul]

They had no idea about welding or welding equipment. The problem is mostly trusting the supplier from where you get the machine, and hoping to hell that you never need them. Even with Fronius the local supplier has his nose out of joint with me as I didn't get my machine from him, but 850km away.
At least the supplier that i got the machine from will answer my call and give me a response that I can understand.

This, to me, is most important when buying any of these advanced machines. Lets be fair, they are more computer than machine, and need someone who both understands the machine, and understands welding.