You could write a college dissertation on the interesting trends taking place in welding right now. On one end, there’s a big push for better technology. Less buttons, more screens. Less switches, more circuits. It’s what you’d expect from an industry so closely tied with innovation.
But welding isn’t just a science, it’s an art. An art that takes time to learn. Once you’ve become familiar to a specific welding machine’s design, it becomes part of how you weld. And changing that process (even under the name of progress) can have some unexpected responses from the community.
ESAB REBEL EMP 215IC
Here’s a perfect example of what we mean. Not too long ago, ESAB rolled out a technological marvel. The ESAB Rebel EMP 215IC is a powerhouse of innovation. It features sMIG technology which is a dynamic arc control that constantly monitors complex arc characteristics and adapts to your technique. The end result is a much smoother and superior weld. But beyond the inside hardware, ESAB decided to remove the traditional parameter nobs and replace it with a 4.3" LCD screen. After all, why not. Today, Cars have screens. Watches have screens. Even fridges have screens. ESAB’s decision wasn’t just motivated by aesthetics either; a screen has a lot of usability benefits. Let’s say you’ve got to replace a part on your welder, but you don’t remember the part number. So now you’ve got the fun task of trying to hunt down your user manual. With a screen, you can store the entire user manual digitally in the machine’s software. As long as that screen works, you’ll never need to search for your manual. Sounds great huh? Or maybe to you, it doesn’t.
Here’s where things get interesting. To some welders, taking those nobs and switches away to be replaced by a screen was too far. After thousands of hours of welding, they’d become accustom to how the traditional settings panel worked. By taking away that panel, their entire welding process felt different. Looking into the issue, ESAB stated, “Veteran welding operators told us that they feel more comfortable
ESAB REBEL EM 215IC Panel
The resistance was significant enough that it’s led to a completely new, redesigned machine called the ESAB Rebel EM 215IC (which just came out). It features all the same lightweight portability and power of the EMP as well as sMIG Technology Dynamic Arc Control (which can be turned off). However, the main goal of the EM model was to focus on “All MIG, No Frills.” The LCD screen is gone, replaced again by the normal, trusty traditional settings panel. The EM also focuses only on the MIG process. It should also be noted that the EM costs $400 less than the EMP. Beyond those changes, the 2 machines are quite similar, and yet they represent such a significant division in how welders feel. So, were do you fall? Do you think the welding industry is holding itself back by staying true to tradition over innovation? Or do you feel that there’s certain elements of welding that should always stay the way they are?
Either way, it appears the new trend is to appease both sides of the coin. If you’re still wondering what’s so fancy about an LCD screen or how the new Rebel EM 215IC will perform, why not check them out in detail below?
ESAB REBEL EM 215IC MIG WELDER
ESAB REBEL EMP 215IC MIG/STICK/TIG WELDER
