Thanks for your review, i have owned the rebel 235 for about 3 years, great machine, power required on mine is 31.7a on a 230v input, so 230v x 31.7a = 7291watts flat out, my generator at a constant output of 8000w (MAX 8500W) has no problems, hope this helps anyone needing advice.
The generator I have (7500 running watt) can hit about 220-230a at 26 volts before the machine isn’t happy with the input power or the breaker trips. No doubt a different generator could likely hold on for more output. Compared to most 200a class machines without power factor correction that’s huge, most of those would be lucky to hit 180a and 22volts on a 7500 running watt generator. Glad to hear you like yours, I definitely don’t regret the purchase.
I'm going on 5 maybe 6 years with my rebel 285, and I do not regret the purchase one bit. I'm just a home gamer who wants the extra oomph, not that I needed it. But it has never left me lacking for power. I agree with your assessments of the rebel line up. One thing id nit pick would be changing of processes. They put all the fore thought into dual gas ports, why couldn't they extend that into having a second remote port? I find the pin connectors to be a tad on the neary side and am always real cautious that I don't cross thread them. Might not be an issue for most folks but I find myself changing processes multiple times per project. Another thing I don't dig on is that when you go into memory mode all it gives you are 1-4 with no other info displayed. It's difficult to remember what I set for each, so I write them in sharpie on the inside of the door. If I were to REALLY NIT PICK, I would have liked to see the foot pedal work on stick in the same way it works with TIG. Set your amperage and the pedal is a percentage of set point to zero. When in stick mode it's a percentage from zero to full power, which makes it it kinda funky to use. As if that use case weren't already funky and really looking for something to complain about. Thanks for the awesome vids man!!!
Glad to hear you like that 285 machine. The power that has makes quick work of anything, and it can achieve that output on far less power than many units of similar output. Great point on the memory feature, I never use it so I never realized it only has numbers and not names. I definitely hear you on the multiple connector situation. When switching processes you’re stuck unplugging the connectors, which is annoying. Thankfully it’s not as bad as the everlast lightening, you have to switch multiple plugs and control connectors lol. The best I have used was the miller 220, you could swap between mig and tig without doing anything other than pressing the foot pedal or mig trigger. The problem with that machine is mainly cost, at 4200.
I bought a Lincoln 215, and right after saw you bought this and wanted one so bad mainly for the spay arc. The Lincoln is great, but man I really wish I came across the esab 235 or 285
No doubt when you get into a 235+ amp machine the power you have is significant. A couple weeks ago I was running 200-210a of output at atleast 60% duty cycle for a few hours and the machine didn’t even break a sweat. A normal 200a machine would not like that too much. I don’t do a whole lot of spray but it’s nice to have the ability to do it as needed.
Love these Esab machines. I use Rebels at work - A 285 and a 215. I am gonna get one for myself. I lean towards the 215, but the 235 might not be bad for me either. I might end up doing some stuff at the country, so I could grow into the 235. We`ll see, but they are all fantastic machines. Glad they are doing well for you ;)
I really think esab did a great job on the machines. The 215 is hard to beat because it’s small and light weight. The 235 is a harder machine to carry around, but if you have any ambitions on running spray transfer that would be the way to go. For general repair work the 215s smaller mig gun would probably be easier to use.
Thanks for the update Greg, I’m running one in my service truck in Australia 🇦🇺 and it’s been good. Mostly using Esab CorShield 15 wire 0.9mm. The sMig seemed too do ok for some aluminium jobs I have done but I always get better results setting Mig manually. I run 25m leads for stick welding at times and agree a higher open circuit voltage would be appreciated for start ups. Would be interesting to see if a software update/option is available too allow for more voltage. Cheers 🍻
Awesome to hear the machine is running good for you. Based on how they designed it I have no doubt it would last longer exposed to outdoor conditions than most welders. I am not sure what possessed esab to focus on the ruggedness of the machines but I am glad they did. Here in the states finding welders designed with outdoor use is almost non existent.
Glad to hear it’s been a good machine, that open circuit voltage is surprising I’m newer to welding so I could use the extra voltage maybe a 215 would be more up my alley. Good idea on the desiccant packets I’ll have to give that a try. Can’t wait for the engine drive vs generator video! Thanks Greg
I had the 215. It’s a great machine. I gave it to a cousin of a friend when I bought the 205. He has a farm and uses it all the time. He loves it. I really only bought the 205 for aluminum tig.
Any stick welder with 70-85 volts open circuit is a bit easier to start an arc. The 235s is a bit lower than that but it’s still decently easy to start an arc. Where it gets real bad is sub 30v causes rods to stick easily and is super frustrating for beginner welders to deal with lol.
Thanks again for another in-depth video, keep them coming ;) I nearly ended up picking up the rebel 235, I was looking for the 285 but couldn't find a price or availability in NZ. I had decided to go with the 235 instead but the best price I could find it at was just under $8K NZD so I started looking at other options. I ended up with a CIGWELD (ESAB owned now) with pulse MIG for a bit under half the price after my LWS massaged there margins a bit. I'm really happy with my CIGWELD, only thing that not great is its ability to run 6010, every other stick has been great, MIG has been excellent and I've played around with the lift start TIG (DC only) and its been about as good as my stand alone TIG welder. Only thing I wasn't so sold on was my CIGWELD came with LED number display rather than a full colour LCD. It is a brand new 2024 model to, so was a bit surprised to see 7 segment number displays on it(XF252 single phase and xf353 3 phase) Anecdotally I have heard old school LED displays are more reliable, but the convenience of the full LDC seems a worth while compromise. Do you have any experience of the LCD displays on welders longevity vs on older style 7 segment LED control panel?
What I have seen with the rebels is that the screens are bulletproof. Considering they have made the rebel series for over 10 years now, the bugs have been worked out. The older machines are still working well. Based on how they made them I think they are less likely to fail from excessive dust and poor maintenance as well (aka nobody cleans their welders out lol). I do know the 205 rebel had some issues during manufacturing that lead esab to delay its release, but those also have been reliable. I have heard a ton of good things about cig weld, they aren’t available here in the states. Realistically not having a lcd screen isn’t a detriment as far as I am concerned. My favorite welder (miller dynasty 210 and 400, 1st generation) had a very simple 2 led screen setup with just text. They both welded perfect and honestly are better than the newer one with lcd screen like I have.
Hi Greg, just watched your video on monthly costs. I think your channel would really benefit from setting up a PayPal donation link. The community you have developed, I can guarantee would send you money non stop, to help you fund future projects. You set it up in PayPal, and then you put your link in the description of every video. Love your channel. Watch every video.
Very nice review and thorough. Thank you, I have enjoyed watching it. I have always liked ESAB machines, they are well built and cheaper than the other big name brands. I just think in the case of this Rebel 235, one might be served better with the HTP Revolution 2500, a comparable machine in power, price ($500 more) and build quality (made in Italy) but with alot more features, like AC TIG, pulse MIG, aluminum MIG welding, high frequency start, and few other things. The only disadvantage I see is that it doesn't hold the 12" spool even though it's heavier than the 235 but same form factor (I think). I neither work for HTP nor do I get any cuts, just a thought..haha..
So the 2500 revolution is hands down a better tig welder, and the fact it has a/c output gives it the ability to weld aluminum. The main difference between the two (besides the tig end ) is the esab 235 is capable of 250a of mig output (revolution is capped at 220a). The duty cycle of the 235 at 235a is 40% which is substantial in comparison to the revolutions 25% at 200a. For actual use for spray the 235 is more suitable for it because of its duty cycle and output. Weight wise the revolution is 30lbs heavier as well, and will likely run on a generator poorly because I don’t believe it has power factor correction. For the average person the revolution is probably a better option. It has far more capability as a multi process, and it focuses on more of what the average person needs: tig performance and enough mig performance to weld smaller volumes of thicker material. Not to mention the feasibility of using the 235 for portable work is limited as it is (it’s not exactly easy to carry it compared to many other smaller welders) and the 2500s extra weight is of little concern. HTP does make nice machines, some day I might bring one in the shop to talk about them (their store is a hour away).
@ Oh nice! I hope you get to review one of their machines at some point. I did not know it's 220 amp mig, I thought it was 250. Thanks for the detailed reply
I like the fact the air lines run though the open portion of the machine. Lincoln puts them on the closed side of the machine so if you blow an air line off you gotta pop the cover off to fix it. the esab looks like you can just open your wire door.
Esab was definitely thinking on the design of it. A lot of designs for welders make it a major pain to even open the case lol. The 235 is one of the only modern welders I think would be easy to take apart and replace any component. Every other welder I have is almost a lost cause lol.
Hey Greg, check out the specs on the AHP AlphaMig 231ms. I got one when they came out and it’s quite capable for a $700 machine. Takes the big rolls of wire and is a four roller system.
@lee161a Why would you pay that kind of premium for TIG? It does a perfectly adequate job... but for the same money you can get a significantly better TIG machine.
@ do you really weld? Are you aware of how this works? Have you used lift start? It seems you haven’t, or you wouldn’t ask that. HF start is so much less of a bother that, yes, it’s worth it. As for “significantly better TIG”, no, you really can’t get that without paying a lot more. You should look at the pricing on these professional machines. The Rebel line is fine for serious home welders, but they are really for light industrial work. That’s why they’re built so well and cost what they do for what they do. My 205 is much more of a TIG machine than the 235. The 235 is part of what is now, and older generation of multiprocessor welders that are mostly excellent MiG machines with more basic tic and stick built in. The 205 has excellent MiG, excellent TIG, a decent stick. I do a lot of TIG, on very thin stainless, down to 20 gauge and up to 1/2” multipass on a number of materials. It works very well. The HF start is reliable and the arc is very smooth.
@@ShainAndrews Limited space, wanted HF, and AC. Planned to use it for both mig and tig. the multifunction ability and reputation ESAB had was enough to sell me on it. If welding thick aluminum was the primary use, would have gone with something else.
The 205 is the only real option for a true multi purpose machine that’s portable. The one I owned I hauled with me everywhere and welded a ton of aluminum with it. I built 4+ different turbo systems on site with it, two of them on a 20a 120v breaker lol. It’s tig has all the features you want, especially the high frequency start. I found it odd they included separate a/c amplitude adjustment, that’s something that is pretty uncommon on most tig machines. My only real gripe on the tig end was its arc had a bit of a “click” to it, which even the rogue 200 has. It’s not noticeable on a/c but dc it is. There isn’t a better multi purpose machine for portable work, (especially on a generator) than the 205.
Like how you put dessicant packs inside-I've done that for years too on my home feeders. Maybe I'll start on the others,main board burned up on my syncrowave 250dx this week,2k for a new one-ugh!
Man that’s the worst news I heard this week, 2k for main boards 💀. I am not an electronics expert but for that amount I would probably take the machine apart and try to locate components with visible failures (aka popped capacitors, melted wires, etc) and fix them. The syncrowave is complex but I would think it would be more reparable than most more modern machines.
@@makingmistakeswithgreg believe me,I did!-nothing out of place on the board as far as burns melted components. My 80amp Hypertherm blew holes in the board when it went 8 years ago,lucky for me I was using it when I worked for the quarry and they paid to rebuild it.
It is kind of disappointing to hear that the Smig gives you cold welds. It suppose to be the adaptive cruse-control for welding , and Esab should address this with a software update . Happy New year!
It works and I think it will work pretty good for a beginner. When you hit a certain skill level you tend to favor high heat input and smooth controlled travel speed. For a person of average skill the smig will work good to get decent results. It tends to favor high voltage and lower wire feed speed. It doesn’t adjust based on c25 or c100, or based on steel/stainless, or obviously what the joint configuration is. Luckily the chart is easy and is dead on.
I luv the esab machines. Im toying with the idea of buying a 170amp stick machine with a 15amp plug. Wondering if it would work OK if I used adaptor to plug into 10 amp plug socket? In Australia 15 amp sockets are good to 200amp where 10amp sockets 180 amps.
So I am not too familiar with Australia’s power grid. From what I read it’s 230v single phase 10 and 15 amp? When it comes to adapters there is a lot to think about. If the voltage is the same between 10a and 15a then using an adapter to put it to a 10a outlet would work. However you will likely have breaker trips if you run the machine at higher output. Stick welding in particular takes a ton of wall power because if the voltage it operates at, mig is less and tig is the least.
That's interesting. My Canaweld 201 pulse doesn't like 6010 either. It'll burn 5/32, 7018 all day though. I just bought a simple mig/stick version, hopefully it'll burn 6010 better.
Most inverter based welders won’t run 6010 because it needs 30-33 volts to keep the arc lit. 7018 needs 24-26v so that’s why welders tend to run 7018 fine. Whats weird is the 235 rebel can easily hit 30v in mig so it has the voltage capability. It just doesn’t seem to run 6010 as good at stand alone stick welders meant to run it. Maybe I am too particular 😅
That machine is a beast. As long as you don’t have to do portable work, that sucker will last forever and do the job. I like those old school welders, other than the size and weight lol. A lot of those older machines aren’t even broken in at 10 years old lol.
How well does that predator 7700W generator ( well they call it a 9500 but...) run that welder if you were to run at 235-250A? I see it calls for 32.1A, almost every drop that generator can muster. That is a lot better than most without PFC that would hit 40-50A peaks. The predator's start surge Is maybe for a second. I see they just recommended .035 wire for steel and 045 for aluminium. Most pro welders never recommended multiprocess welders, but it is getting harder to find one with a single function, like good old american made ones. I see ESAB doesn't list it as a multiprocess, but a Mig.
So I run the 235 on the 9500 inverter predator. A normal 200amp mig welder without PFC can only hit about 170-180a before the breaker trips. Going to the 235 which has PFC and far better overall power factor I can hit a legit 220-230 amp of output before the breaker trips. Keep in mind the voltage used is the deal breaker. 220a of output at 22volts (4400 output watts) is far easier to keep below 30a than 220a at 26v (5720watt). I have only run the output to 220a running 25volts in spray mode, it would probably hit 230-240 at lower short arc voltage. Almost every 250a capable machine needs a 50a breaker minimum to even break 240a, so it’s quite a setup on minimum power. I generally tell people to buy separate welders instead of an all in one. The rebel series are excellent for migrating and stick, their tig tends to fall short compared to a stand alone machine (as do all multi purpose machines).
Greg , what brand of wire you use? Also I just purchased a Eastwood 250 MiG! Welder! Theirs reviews were pretty decent! What do you think? About there welders! Thanks for sharing! 👌👍
So I have never used a Eastwood 250, I have used their 140. From what I have heard Eastwoods welders are very reliable and weld good. I also know that they don’t lie about capabilities like most of the welders on Amazon. I am sure the 250 will tackle a ton of work without issue. For wire I actually like US forge wire from Menards. They do a real good job of putting it on the spool so it doesn’t have any kinks/feeding issues. I have real bad luck with consumable products on Amazon, often times they get damaged in shipping. So I stick with local purchased wire generally.
The 205 is a newer machine, by at least a couple of years. Progress. Basically, the Rebel lineup is older than other machines they’re being compared to. Even my 2o5, the latest is, what, almost 5 years old, maybe 4? I’m hoping they’re going to replace these before too long. It will be interesting to see what they come up with. It should be good. Their machines are super reliable.
@ no, it doesn’t. But I like to see progress. These manufacturers leapfrog each other. They don’t all come out with new generations of machines at the same time. These aren’t like cars. They last in the lineup for years. But then, there’s progress and we get new things. That’s like me buying the 215, only to replace it with the 205 because it had the features I wanted. No doubt ESAB will have new machines in the next year, or so, with more features. If they are features that will help you do your work better and faster, and you do it for a living, you might want to upgrade. As I mentioned to Greg a couple of videos ago, if they came out with a newer version of the 205 that also had more power output, and possibly pulse on mig, I would get it. While mine has enough power for most everything I do, there are times I’d like an extra 20 amps, or so.
The interesting thing to me is because esab was so far ahead of miller and Lincoln when it comes to their rebels they have almost become “dated” in some respects at this point. Their next generation rebel series will be real interesting. Considering what they offer they are still very competitive and offer things others don’t (resistance to elements, power factor correction, smaller/lighter/more portable). I am sure they will get into something interesting for the next generation. I have a feeling they will be the first to the market with a “modern” battery powered wire machine, or some sort of hybrid design.
That’s an interesting question and I am not sure how much the inductance is really changing. I would imagine it wouldn’t take that much added inductance to make a big change in how it welds. I have been wanting to setup a scope on a few welders to capture their output, I will have to remember to do some testing with inductance controls and see what I can find.
@ that would be interesting. A neighbor was using an AC welder with 75 foot leads which add a lot of inductance because of the leads. Also I am trying to find out what covering gases are produced by the different rods. And why the difference gas types and mixtures effects the arc.
The 190 pro seems like a very good welder. I might end up picking one up for portable repairs. They run far better on a generator than most 200a class machines.
So part of why it doesn’t match the chart is due to how it adjusts voltage. Because voltage is done by a picture and not numbers, it tends to favor higher voltage lower wire feed. It does welding, just not the way I prefer a machine to weld. I think they did that on purpose to give better results for an average person.
do you happen to know how many spools of wire youve ran through it ? or if it has a 'arc on' hour meter ? this gives us a better idea of how much work the machine has actually done
So It saw atleast 4 10lb spools of .030-.035 hardwire, about a single 10lb spool of dual shield, 5lbs of Gasless flux core, and about 160 lbs of rods. Tig wise probably a couple hours. Much of that was ran teaching people how to weld. Hour wise it doesn’t have a meter. It would have a lot more time on it if I didn’t have 5 other welders that I use a lot more of lol. I don’t do much mig welding, mostly all stick and tig.
sounds like you use it a fair amount. and considering its not your only machine. i hear ya ,ive got several machines also. ive noticed some guys like to go as far as bragging how many years theyve had their machine but it rarely gets used (handful of rods or one spool of wire in 5yrs) which they convenietly forget to mention that part lol
@ShainAndrews on my current machine I select material, wire type, wire diameter and gas and the machine preselects the settings. I'm interested in the 215 and downloaded the manuals already but couldn't find clear information on what I was looking for. Maybe you could point out the page? Thx 😊
Smig would operate the gas solenoid and base everything on assuming c25. There is no gas selection choice that would change settings (such as needing higher voltage for c100). The flux core mode simply disables the gas valve and can be set off the chart. I honestly don’t find smig that handy because I find it’s a bit off from how I like to weld on a lot of thicknesses. It can work but the chart is spot on and easy to use.
Regarding the difference in settings on the chart and the smig: from videos and presentation from esab they made it sound like smig is not just a synergic setting but also it adapts somehow to the stickout / arc length of the user. Could it be that or is that just advertising bs?
@@scrapmanindustries Riiiight... ESAB has what... 40-50 years on Fronious? ESAB battery chargers are awesome... Oh wait. They don't make battery chargers. Their only industry is fabrication.
@ShainAndrews can't post links but from their page: Using an exclusive, built-in algorithm, sMIG monitors the operator’s technique and continuously adapts the MIG output to provide a stable arc and superior, repeatable welds. “sMIG takes smart to a level never-before-seen in the industry,” so that's why I'm asking
So the smig when they came out claimed it adapted things on the fly. I do believe that is adjusts things like burnback, preflow/post flow, and inductance based on thickness selected. As far as what it is doing on “the fly” it’s tough to say. Most people don’t know this but mig looses amperage with a longer stickout. It’s possible that it calculates actual amperage (which it does monitor) and adjusts wire speed based on what it should be vs what it is. It’s also possible that it would look at fluctuations in voltage and move the voltage up or down based on expectations vs reality. Having welded a bunch on smig and far more on the normal mode, I believe they function very similar. If it is actually making micro adjustments on the fly they are minor. The hard part is in smig because you don’t adjust voltage directly it’s tough to know what the voltage is and see if it’s manipulating settings actively.
So it’s funny you mention that. For 8 years I didn’t even own a mig machine and only tig/stick welded everything. The main reason I bought a mig machine a few years ago was to do videos on how to mig weld. I wanted to cover how to do spray and dual shield, and the 200a machine I had couldn’t handle those. I also needed the machine to run better on a generator than the previous 200a machine I had. So I bought the esab 235. I have actually used it more than I expected. For example I have built 5 sets of beadlock wheels with it, and that is unbelievably tedious to do with stick or tig. I have also ran a bunch of spray with it on 1/4inch steel to build a trailer, and I have taught atleast 6 people how to weld with it. I still tig weld mostly, but I don’t regret having it one bit.
They are pricey no doubt. The hardest part of mig welding (since I consider the 235 mainly a mig welder) is to get to decent output and duty cycle so you can weld thicker steel, costs a lot of money. It’s very difficult with any 200amp mig welder to get solid welds on steel above 1/4inch. The cost to go above 220a output is very steep with many welders, especially if they have decent stick/multi process capabilities. Fortunately if someone can stick or tig weld it mostly makes needing a more powerful mig machine irrelevant.
You need to sell the rebel and buy a machine with pulse-mig, so you can make more videos! Your heart is saying ‘yes’ but the cheapskate in you is saying ‘no’. Haha.
Pulse mig is definitely handy for welding out of position. At some point I will probably buy a setup that could do pulse mig, but it will probably be a big power source and a separate feeder. The heart says yes, the brain says “absolutely not” 😅😅
Thanks for your review, i have owned the rebel 235 for about 3 years, great machine, power required on mine is 31.7a on a 230v input, so 230v x 31.7a = 7291watts flat out, my generator at a constant output of 8000w (MAX 8500W) has no problems, hope this helps anyone needing advice.
The generator I have (7500 running watt) can hit about 220-230a at 26 volts before the machine isn’t happy with the input power or the breaker trips. No doubt a different generator could likely hold on for more output. Compared to most 200a class machines without power factor correction that’s huge, most of those would be lucky to hit 180a and 22volts on a 7500 running watt generator. Glad to hear you like yours, I definitely don’t regret the purchase.
That machine is awesome!! Thanks for your review I enjoyed it!
I'm going on 5 maybe 6 years with my rebel 285, and I do not regret the purchase one bit. I'm just a home gamer who wants the extra oomph, not that I needed it. But it has never left me lacking for power. I agree with your assessments of the rebel line up. One thing id nit pick would be changing of processes. They put all the fore thought into dual gas ports, why couldn't they extend that into having a second remote port? I find the pin connectors to be a tad on the neary side and am always real cautious that I don't cross thread them. Might not be an issue for most folks but I find myself changing processes multiple times per project.
Another thing I don't dig on is that when you go into memory mode all it gives you are 1-4 with no other info displayed. It's difficult to remember what I set for each, so I write them in sharpie on the inside of the door.
If I were to REALLY NIT PICK, I would have liked to see the foot pedal work on stick in the same way it works with TIG. Set your amperage and the pedal is a percentage of set point to zero. When in stick mode it's a percentage from zero to full power, which makes it it kinda funky to use. As if that use case weren't already funky and really looking for something to complain about.
Thanks for the awesome vids man!!!
Glad to hear you like that 285 machine. The power that has makes quick work of anything, and it can achieve that output on far less power than many units of similar output. Great point on the memory feature, I never use it so I never realized it only has numbers and not names. I definitely hear you on the multiple connector situation. When switching processes you’re stuck unplugging the connectors, which is annoying. Thankfully it’s not as bad as the everlast lightening, you have to switch multiple plugs and control connectors lol. The best I have used was the miller 220, you could swap between mig and tig without doing anything other than pressing the foot pedal or mig trigger. The problem with that machine is mainly cost, at 4200.
I bought a Lincoln 215, and right after saw you bought this and wanted one so bad mainly for the spay arc. The Lincoln is great, but man I really wish I came across the esab 235 or 285
No doubt when you get into a 235+ amp machine the power you have is significant. A couple weeks ago I was running 200-210a of output at atleast 60% duty cycle for a few hours and the machine didn’t even break a sweat. A normal 200a machine would not like that too much. I don’t do a whole lot of spray but it’s nice to have the ability to do it as needed.
Love these Esab machines. I use Rebels at work - A 285 and a 215. I am gonna get one for myself. I lean towards the 215, but the 235 might not be bad for me either. I might end up doing some stuff at the country, so I could grow into the 235. We`ll see, but they are all fantastic machines. Glad they are doing well for you ;)
I really think esab did a great job on the machines. The 215 is hard to beat because it’s small and light weight. The 235 is a harder machine to carry around, but if you have any ambitions on running spray transfer that would be the way to go. For general repair work the 215s smaller mig gun would probably be easier to use.
Thanks for the update Greg, I’m running one in my service truck in Australia 🇦🇺 and it’s been good. Mostly using Esab CorShield 15 wire 0.9mm. The sMig seemed too do ok for some aluminium jobs I have done but I always get better results setting Mig manually. I run 25m leads for stick welding at times and agree a higher open circuit voltage would be appreciated for start ups. Would be interesting to see if a software update/option is available too allow for more voltage.
Cheers 🍻
Awesome to hear the machine is running good for you. Based on how they designed it I have no doubt it would last longer exposed to outdoor conditions than most welders. I am not sure what possessed esab to focus on the ruggedness of the machines but I am glad they did. Here in the states finding welders designed with outdoor use is almost non existent.
Glad to hear it’s been a good machine, that open circuit voltage is surprising I’m newer to welding so I could use the extra voltage maybe a 215 would be more up my alley. Good idea on the desiccant packets I’ll have to give that a try. Can’t wait for the engine drive vs generator video! Thanks Greg
I had the 215. It’s a great machine. I gave it to a cousin of a friend when I bought the 205. He has a farm and uses it all the time. He loves it. I really only bought the 205 for aluminum tig.
Any stick welder with 70-85 volts open circuit is a bit easier to start an arc. The 235s is a bit lower than that but it’s still decently easy to start an arc. Where it gets real bad is sub 30v causes rods to stick easily and is super frustrating for beginner welders to deal with lol.
Great review!
Looks like a great machine! Thx for sharing.
excellent update
Thanks again for another in-depth video, keep them coming ;)
I nearly ended up picking up the rebel 235, I was looking for the 285 but couldn't find a price or availability in NZ. I had decided to go with the 235 instead but the best price I could find it at was just under $8K NZD so I started looking at other options. I ended up with a CIGWELD (ESAB owned now) with pulse MIG for a bit under half the price after my LWS massaged there margins a bit. I'm really happy with my CIGWELD, only thing that not great is its ability to run 6010, every other stick has been great, MIG has been excellent and I've played around with the lift start TIG (DC only) and its been about as good as my stand alone TIG welder.
Only thing I wasn't so sold on was my CIGWELD came with LED number display rather than a full colour LCD. It is a brand new 2024 model to, so was a bit surprised to see 7 segment number displays on it(XF252 single phase and xf353 3 phase) Anecdotally I have heard old school LED displays are more reliable, but the convenience of the full LDC seems a worth while compromise. Do you have any experience of the LCD displays on welders longevity vs on older style 7 segment LED control panel?
What I have seen with the rebels is that the screens are bulletproof. Considering they have made the rebel series for over 10 years now, the bugs have been worked out. The older machines are still working well. Based on how they made them I think they are less likely to fail from excessive dust and poor maintenance as well (aka nobody cleans their welders out lol). I do know the 205 rebel had some issues during manufacturing that lead esab to delay its release, but those also have been reliable.
I have heard a ton of good things about cig weld, they aren’t available here in the states. Realistically not having a lcd screen isn’t a detriment as far as I am concerned. My favorite welder (miller dynasty 210 and 400, 1st generation) had a very simple 2 led screen setup with just text. They both welded perfect and honestly are better than the newer one with lcd screen like I have.
Hi Greg, just watched your video on monthly costs. I think your channel would really benefit from setting up a PayPal donation link. The community you have developed, I can guarantee would send you money non stop, to help you fund future projects. You set it up in PayPal, and then you put your link in the description of every video. Love your channel. Watch every video.
Very nice review and thorough. Thank you, I have enjoyed watching it.
I have always liked ESAB machines, they are well built and cheaper than the other big name brands. I just think in the case of this Rebel 235, one might be served better with the HTP Revolution 2500, a comparable machine in power, price ($500 more) and build quality (made in Italy) but with alot more features, like AC TIG, pulse MIG, aluminum MIG welding, high frequency start, and few other things. The only disadvantage I see is that it doesn't hold the 12" spool even though it's heavier than the 235 but same form factor (I think). I neither work for HTP nor do I get any cuts, just a thought..haha..
So the 2500 revolution is hands down a better tig welder, and the fact it has a/c output gives it the ability to weld aluminum. The main difference between the two (besides the tig end ) is the esab 235 is capable of 250a of mig output (revolution is capped at 220a). The duty cycle of the 235 at 235a is 40% which is substantial in comparison to the revolutions 25% at 200a. For actual use for spray the 235 is more suitable for it because of its duty cycle and output. Weight wise the revolution is 30lbs heavier as well, and will likely run on a generator poorly because I don’t believe it has power factor correction. For the average person the revolution is probably a better option. It has far more capability as a multi process, and it focuses on more of what the average person needs: tig performance and enough mig performance to weld smaller volumes of thicker material. Not to mention the feasibility of using the 235 for portable work is limited as it is (it’s not exactly easy to carry it compared to many other smaller welders) and the 2500s extra weight is of little concern. HTP does make nice machines, some day I might bring one in the shop to talk about them (their store is a hour away).
@ Oh nice! I hope you get to review one of their machines at some point. I did not know it's 220 amp mig, I thought it was 250. Thanks for the detailed reply
I like the fact the air lines run though the open portion of the machine. Lincoln puts them on the closed side of the machine so if you blow an air line off you gotta pop the cover off to fix it. the esab looks like you can just open your wire door.
Esab was definitely thinking on the design of it. A lot of designs for welders make it a major pain to even open the case lol. The 235 is one of the only modern welders I think would be easy to take apart and replace any component. Every other welder I have is almost a lost cause lol.
There's the problem . The covers never just pop off.
Hey Greg, check out the specs on the AHP AlphaMig 231ms. I got one when they came out and it’s quite capable for a $700 machine. Takes the big rolls of wire and is a four roller system.
That welder definitely has some decent output. For the price that would definitely be a very affordable option to get into welding thicker material.
Use my rebel 205ic exclusively, and use it exclusively for tig. Most reviews say it's just ok at tig, but i love it.
I find it to do TIG very well. I don’t understand the negative thinking I see sometimes.
@lee161a Why would you pay that kind of premium for TIG? It does a perfectly adequate job... but for the same money you can get a significantly better TIG machine.
@ do you really weld? Are you aware of how this works? Have you used lift start? It seems you haven’t, or you wouldn’t ask that. HF start is so much less of a bother that, yes, it’s worth it. As for “significantly better TIG”, no, you really can’t get that without paying a lot more. You should look at the pricing on these professional machines. The Rebel line is fine for serious home welders, but they are really for light industrial work. That’s why they’re built so well and cost what they do for what they do. My 205 is much more of a TIG machine than the 235. The 235 is part of what is now, and older generation of multiprocessor welders that are mostly excellent MiG machines with more basic tic and stick built in. The 205 has excellent MiG, excellent TIG, a decent stick. I do a lot of TIG, on very thin stainless, down to 20 gauge and up to 1/2” multipass on a number of materials. It works very well. The HF start is reliable and the arc is very smooth.
@@ShainAndrews Limited space, wanted HF, and AC. Planned to use it for both mig and tig. the multifunction ability and reputation ESAB had was enough to sell me on it. If welding thick aluminum was the primary use, would have gone with something else.
The 205 is the only real option for a true multi purpose machine that’s portable. The one I owned I hauled with me everywhere and welded a ton of aluminum with it. I built 4+ different turbo systems on site with it, two of them on a 20a 120v breaker lol. It’s tig has all the features you want, especially the high frequency start. I found it odd they included separate a/c amplitude adjustment, that’s something that is pretty uncommon on most tig machines. My only real gripe on the tig end was its arc had a bit of a “click” to it, which even the rogue 200 has. It’s not noticeable on a/c but dc it is. There isn’t a better multi purpose machine for portable work, (especially on a generator) than the 205.
Like how you put dessicant packs inside-I've done that for years too on my home feeders. Maybe I'll start on the others,main board burned up on my syncrowave 250dx this week,2k for a new one-ugh!
Man that’s the worst news I heard this week, 2k for main boards 💀. I am not an electronics expert but for that amount I would probably take the machine apart and try to locate components with visible failures (aka popped capacitors, melted wires, etc) and fix them. The syncrowave is complex but I would think it would be more reparable than most more modern machines.
@@makingmistakeswithgreg believe me,I did!-nothing out of place on the board as far as burns melted components. My 80amp Hypertherm blew holes in the board when it went 8 years ago,lucky for me I was using it when I worked for the quarry and they paid to rebuild it.
It is kind of disappointing to hear that the Smig gives you cold welds. It suppose to be the adaptive cruse-control for welding , and Esab should address this with a software update . Happy New year!
It works and I think it will work pretty good for a beginner. When you hit a certain skill level you tend to favor high heat input and smooth controlled travel speed. For a person of average skill the smig will work good to get decent results. It tends to favor high voltage and lower wire feed speed. It doesn’t adjust based on c25 or c100, or based on steel/stainless, or obviously what the joint configuration is. Luckily the chart is easy and is dead on.
I luv the esab machines. Im toying with the idea of buying a 170amp stick machine with a 15amp plug. Wondering if it would work OK if I used adaptor to plug into 10 amp plug socket? In Australia 15 amp sockets are good to 200amp where 10amp sockets 180 amps.
So I am not too familiar with Australia’s power grid. From what I read it’s 230v single phase 10 and 15 amp? When it comes to adapters there is a lot to think about. If the voltage is the same between 10a and 15a then using an adapter to put it to a 10a outlet would work. However you will likely have breaker trips if you run the machine at higher output. Stick welding in particular takes a ton of wall power because if the voltage it operates at, mig is less and tig is the least.
@makingmistakeswithgreg Thanks Greg. I think it should work. I found out most people grind the 15 amp pin to fit 👍
That's interesting. My Canaweld 201 pulse doesn't like 6010 either. It'll burn 5/32, 7018 all day though. I just bought a simple mig/stick version, hopefully it'll burn 6010 better.
Most inverter based welders won’t run 6010 because it needs 30-33 volts to keep the arc lit. 7018 needs 24-26v so that’s why welders tend to run 7018 fine. Whats weird is the 235 rebel can easily hit 30v in mig so it has the voltage capability. It just doesn’t seem to run 6010 as good at stand alone stick welders meant to run it. Maybe I am too particular 😅
@makingmistakeswithgreg Thanks! I didn't know that 👍😊👍
I still have my ESAB Multimaster 260, never a problem. It’s large though 🤣
That machine is a beast. As long as you don’t have to do portable work, that sucker will last forever and do the job. I like those old school welders, other than the size and weight lol. A lot of those older machines aren’t even broken in at 10 years old lol.
How well does that predator 7700W generator ( well they call it a 9500 but...) run that welder if you were to run at 235-250A? I see it calls for 32.1A, almost every drop that generator can muster. That is a lot better than most without PFC that would hit 40-50A peaks. The predator's start surge Is maybe for a second.
I see they just recommended .035 wire for steel and 045 for aluminium. Most pro welders never recommended multiprocess welders, but it is getting harder to find one with a single function, like good old american made ones. I see ESAB doesn't list it as a multiprocess, but a Mig.
So I run the 235 on the 9500 inverter predator. A normal 200amp mig welder without PFC can only hit about 170-180a before the breaker trips. Going to the 235 which has PFC and far better overall power factor I can hit a legit 220-230 amp of output before the breaker trips. Keep in mind the voltage used is the deal breaker. 220a of output at 22volts (4400 output watts) is far easier to keep below 30a than 220a at 26v (5720watt). I have only run the output to 220a running 25volts in spray mode, it would probably hit 230-240 at lower short arc voltage. Almost every 250a capable machine needs a 50a breaker minimum to even break 240a, so it’s quite a setup on minimum power.
I generally tell people to buy separate welders instead of an all in one. The rebel series are excellent for migrating and stick, their tig tends to fall short compared to a stand alone machine (as do all multi purpose machines).
Greg , what brand of wire you use? Also I just purchased a Eastwood 250 MiG! Welder! Theirs reviews were pretty decent! What do you think? About there welders! Thanks for sharing! 👌👍
So I have never used a Eastwood 250, I have used their 140. From what I have heard Eastwoods welders are very reliable and weld good. I also know that they don’t lie about capabilities like most of the welders on Amazon. I am sure the 250 will tackle a ton of work without issue.
For wire I actually like US forge wire from Menards. They do a real good job of putting it on the spool so it doesn’t have any kinks/feeding issues. I have real bad luck with consumable products on Amazon, often times they get damaged in shipping. So I stick with local purchased wire generally.
@ Thanks!
The 205 is a newer machine, by at least a couple of years. Progress. Basically, the Rebel lineup is older than other machines they’re being compared to. Even my 2o5, the latest is, what, almost 5 years old, maybe 4? I’m hoping they’re going to replace these before too long. It will be interesting to see what they come up with. It should be good. Their machines are super reliable.
A five year old machine needs to be "replaced" why?
@ no, it doesn’t. But I like to see progress. These manufacturers leapfrog each other. They don’t all come out with new generations of machines at the same time. These aren’t like cars. They last in the lineup for years. But then, there’s progress and we get new things. That’s like me buying the 215, only to replace it with the 205 because it had the features I wanted. No doubt ESAB will have new machines in the next year, or so, with more features. If they are features that will help you do your work better and faster, and you do it for a living, you might want to upgrade. As I mentioned to Greg a couple of videos ago, if they came out with a newer version of the 205 that also had more power output, and possibly pulse on mig, I would get it. While mine has enough power for most everything I do, there are times I’d like an extra 20 amps, or so.
The interesting thing to me is because esab was so far ahead of miller and Lincoln when it comes to their rebels they have almost become “dated” in some respects at this point. Their next generation rebel series will be real interesting. Considering what they offer they are still very competitive and offer things others don’t (resistance to elements, power factor correction, smaller/lighter/more portable). I am sure they will get into something interesting for the next generation. I have a feeling they will be the first to the market with a “modern” battery powered wire machine, or some sort of hybrid design.
For the inductance on the machine, what is the value of inductance in microhenerys.
That’s an interesting question and I am not sure how much the inductance is really changing. I would imagine it wouldn’t take that much added inductance to make a big change in how it welds. I have been wanting to setup a scope on a few welders to capture their output, I will have to remember to do some testing with inductance controls and see what I can find.
@ that would be interesting. A neighbor was using an AC welder with 75 foot leads which add a lot of inductance because of the leads.
Also I am trying to find out what covering gases are produced by the different rods. And why the difference gas types and mixtures effects the arc.
Looking to upgrade from my em 140 to the 190pro!
The 190 pro seems like a very good welder. I might end up picking one up for portable repairs. They run far better on a generator than most 200a class machines.
On S-MIG: Did you ever call or email ESAB Support and ask them why their AutoSet did not match the table?
So part of why it doesn’t match the chart is due to how it adjusts voltage. Because voltage is done by a picture and not numbers, it tends to favor higher voltage lower wire feed. It does welding, just not the way I prefer a machine to weld. I think they did that on purpose to give better results for an average person.
do you happen to know how many spools of wire youve ran through it ? or if it has a 'arc on' hour meter ? this gives us a better idea of how much work the machine has actually done
So It saw atleast 4 10lb spools of .030-.035 hardwire, about a single 10lb spool of dual shield, 5lbs of Gasless flux core, and about 160 lbs of rods. Tig wise probably a couple hours. Much of that was ran teaching people how to weld. Hour wise it doesn’t have a meter. It would have a lot more time on it if I didn’t have 5 other welders that I use a lot more of lol. I don’t do much mig welding, mostly all stick and tig.
sounds like you use it a fair amount. and considering its not your only machine. i hear ya ,ive got several machines also.
ive noticed some guys like to go as far as bragging how many years theyve had their machine but it rarely gets used (handful of rods or one spool of wire in 5yrs) which they convenietly forget to mention that part lol
Does the smig also work with flux core or just gas? Is it possible to adjust gas type in smig like 100% CO2, mix18,25 etc?
SMIG has settings for all processes. You can down load manuals and read. Don't know what you expect a machine to do with gas selection.
@ShainAndrews on my current machine I select material, wire type, wire diameter and gas and the machine preselects the settings. I'm interested in the 215 and downloaded the manuals already but couldn't find clear information on what I was looking for. Maybe you could point out the page? Thx 😊
Smig would operate the gas solenoid and base everything on assuming c25. There is no gas selection choice that would change settings (such as needing higher voltage for c100). The flux core mode simply disables the gas valve and can be set off the chart. I honestly don’t find smig that handy because I find it’s a bit off from how I like to weld on a lot of thicknesses. It can work but the chart is spot on and easy to use.
Regarding the difference in settings on the chart and the smig: from videos and presentation from esab they made it sound like smig is not just a synergic setting but also it adapts somehow to the stickout / arc length of the user. Could it be that or is that just advertising bs?
Fronius does that you can watch in some of my videos that it does sort of adjust itself. even in manual mode. I'm sure ESAB has tried to copy them
@@scrapmanindustries Riiiight... ESAB has what... 40-50 years on Fronious? ESAB battery chargers are awesome... Oh wait. They don't make battery chargers. Their only industry is fabrication.
None of those features are a component of SMIG. SMIG is nothing more than saved settings for a few variable inputs.
@ShainAndrews can't post links but from their page: Using an exclusive, built-in algorithm, sMIG monitors the operator’s technique and continuously adapts the MIG output to provide a stable arc and superior, repeatable welds. “sMIG takes smart to a level never-before-seen in the industry,” so that's why I'm asking
So the smig when they came out claimed it adapted things on the fly. I do believe that is adjusts things like burnback, preflow/post flow, and inductance based on thickness selected. As far as what it is doing on “the fly” it’s tough to say. Most people don’t know this but mig looses amperage with a longer stickout. It’s possible that it calculates actual amperage (which it does monitor) and adjusts wire speed based on what it should be vs what it is. It’s also possible that it would look at fluctuations in voltage and move the voltage up or down based on expectations vs reality. Having welded a bunch on smig and far more on the normal mode, I believe they function very similar. If it is actually making micro adjustments on the fly they are minor. The hard part is in smig because you don’t adjust voltage directly it’s tough to know what the voltage is and see if it’s manipulating settings actively.
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With as much stick videos as you are making, why do you even need a MIG in the shop?
So it’s funny you mention that. For 8 years I didn’t even own a mig machine and only tig/stick welded everything. The main reason I bought a mig machine a few years ago was to do videos on how to mig weld. I wanted to cover how to do spray and dual shield, and the 200a machine I had couldn’t handle those. I also needed the machine to run better on a generator than the previous 200a machine I had. So I bought the esab 235. I have actually used it more than I expected. For example I have built 5 sets of beadlock wheels with it, and that is unbelievably tedious to do with stick or tig. I have also ran a bunch of spray with it on 1/4inch steel to build a trailer, and I have taught atleast 6 people how to weld with it. I still tig weld mostly, but I don’t regret having it one bit.
great machine, but waaaaaay out of my budget
Yes, it's very expensive-5k where I live. It's a great machine, they say, and it should be for 5k (3k-4k US)!!!
They are pricey no doubt. The hardest part of mig welding (since I consider the 235 mainly a mig welder) is to get to decent output and duty cycle so you can weld thicker steel, costs a lot of money. It’s very difficult with any 200amp mig welder to get solid welds on steel above 1/4inch. The cost to go above 220a output is very steep with many welders, especially if they have decent stick/multi process capabilities. Fortunately if someone can stick or tig weld it mostly makes needing a more powerful mig machine irrelevant.
You need to sell the rebel and buy a machine with pulse-mig, so you can make more videos!
Your heart is saying ‘yes’ but the cheapskate in you is saying ‘no’. Haha.
Pulse mig is definitely handy for welding out of position. At some point I will probably buy a setup that could do pulse mig, but it will probably be a big power source and a separate feeder. The heart says yes, the brain says “absolutely not” 😅😅