Just got an ESAB MigMaster 203 (online vendor will remain nameless until outcome of customer service) and it has some design flaws like not-very-tight slip on internal electrical connectors and HORRID PC board workmanship/QC.

It arrived with zero visible damage, but wire feed motor only worked intermittently after wiggling connectors feeding the control board. One connector base wasn't even soldered flush with the board, and stands off at about a 1/8" angle.

Bottom line is the connectors stink so even if they cared about proper PC board assembly it wouldn't matter. It appears to have been made in Sweden, so much for European design/workmanship.

The hardware, gun, etc looked well built, but that means squat due to other deficiencies. Our MultiMaster 260s at work are pretty good machines, but this thing (although listed as an "industrial" welder) is awful.

I bought it based on good reports from a weldor who owned one a couple of years older, but after experiencing one in person, my opinion is they are a hobby welder at best, and I wouldn't buy one for that either.

MigMaster 203, not better than nothing, because "nothing" doesn't cost over a grand and waste your time.

Note:
The 173 and 253 share cases at least, (I haven't seen them naked), so I wouldn't touch them either on the assumtion they share the same general design.

 

Just curious about a couple of things.

Does it have a CE mark on the label? Should have that and a label indicating ISO compliance if its from Europe.

If not, you have to wonder about the supposed manufacturer. I was involved in a project once, and we needed to buy color video displays that were certified, but didn't have a case. We wanted to mount them in our unit.

Anyway, there were 2 candidates -- one a lot cheaper. Both claimed compliance. When the team visited the cheaper 'manufacturer', they found something amazing. This company bought certified displays with cases (much easier to certify in a case), and took them out of the case. This invalidates the certification, but I think that they provided paperwork from the original manufacturer.

Reason I mention this is that this outfit might be reboxing some off brand unit, and claiming that its from Sweden. Or, maybe the Swedes blew it on this one.

 

ESAB is usually a high-line manufacturer, I know I have used a lot of different machines from them, from little TIG boxes to 400amp power supplies, to 1000a 4place carbon arc gouging rigs.

Repainting the case and decaling isn't something I would put past some retailers, though.