Got A Welding Fume Extractor

Lanse

Well-known Member
Goodmorning ladies and gentlemen!!

So, this is one of the newest additions to the shop, its an SPC-2000 Portable Fume extractor from Avani Environmental...

I drove out the Fedex depot to pick it up, brought it home in all it's crated glory, and set it up...

What are my first impressions? Well, the fedex people couldn't deliver it, because they thought for some reason it weighted 1,080 pounds... Which it didnt, the crate holding the main unit had "475lbs" written on the side of it, and it didnt even feel like it weighted that much... I unloaded it in 50 MPH of wind, single-handedly with some ramps...

The fume arm was packaged separately, and it's entire carton was huge but only weighted 55 pounds, according to the side of the box... Had I thought to read the side of the box, I would have simply laid it down in my truck instead of strapping it in vertically...

But, the guys at the Fedex depot were super friendly, and very helpful, and overall the unloading of the unit went very well. Whoever crated this thing did an awesome job, the crate was rock solid and came apart in minites...

The entire assembly process involved bolting the fume arm to the main unit... I simply setup my air ratchet, removed the blue cover where the opening is, then bolted in the fume arm... All the filters and wiring were installed at the factory...

Okay, so what were my first impressions of this machine?

It's a beast, it really is. It sounds like a jet engine idling away, and reminds my of sitting on a tarmac waiting to take off... It's a VERY low sound, and actually sounds pretty cool. It's not super loud, mostly just low. The fit and finish of this unit is exceptionally good, everything is powder-coated blue, yellow, and black. The unit has a very high quality finish...

Everything seems well made. Even the hinges and latches on the doors are heavy-duty, and I'd guess the cabinet itself is 14 or 16 gauge steel. The fume arm itself seems a little thinner, presumably to save weight... Those black parts on the arm are all cast aluminum, again, probably to keep the weight down. It's also very rigid... I had the arm bent down pretty far to reach into the lower part of the garage, and it didn't flop or sag after I adjusted the bolts on the fume arm pivots...

How does it work, you ask?

Just as well as it looks... I wanted some epic smokeage... So, I got the smokiest rods in my shop to begin with (1/8" 7014's), and cranked my StickWeld 250 to MAX and went to work.

There was just a trail of thick smoke, running from the puddle, up into the air, then turning to the side and disappearing into the bright yellow cone at the end of the fume arm. The machine sucks up smoke and fumes, filters them, and then dumps clean air back into your shop...

I even tried it out mig welding, just to see if it would suck away the shielding gas...

So, it looks beautiful and works great, but what don't I like about it? I don't have too many complaints honestly, it seems like a very well engineered and well made machine. The power cord is pretty short, but my biggest complaint is that for it being a "portable" unit, its actually pretty tricky to move around... It rolls on four rubber wheels, which are small in size and get hung up on every little nut and bolt and electrode stub on your floor... And there's no lift eye or anything on top of the machine... I assumed there would be, and I could simply run a come-a-long from that, to a tree, lift it up an inch or so and drive out from under it, and then set it back down, the way I unload motorcycles... But no...

I think this machine would benefit greatly from some larger wheels, and a lift-point on top... But to be fair, once its in position, its probably not going too far anyway...

Overall, I really like it. I'm sure it'll be in plenty of videos to come, and once I've spent some real time with it, I'll make a full review video...

Thanks for reading, just thought I'd share what I've been up to lately... And have an awesome week, everyone!! :)
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In regards to your floor Lanse, cleanliness is next to godliness.Seems like a nice piece of equipment. Bill
 
Looks real nice! Did thousands of dollars just fall from the sky? If so, can I come stand under that tree. LoL
 
When you first started wheeling that across the floor in the video some Star Wars battle theme music would have been very appropriate! :)
 
Lanse,
I am just gonna be nosey and ask... How the heck does a student afford to pay for all this new stuff???
It takes a major piece out of my heart and pocketbook just to but one new welder.
Glad to see you having all the stuff but I worry you are getting in over your head.(and jealous I cannt bring myself to buy all the stuff I really want. Not that I'm hurtin...)
 
If I'm not mistaken, he makes some money from his YouTube videos, which is at least partly why he keeps making them. His YouTube channel(ChuckE2009) has over 6.1 million views. I don't think he's actually allowed to talk $$$ though. Google don't allow that. Good for him though. Certainly taking advantage of an opportunity.
 
You don't put it 6" from where you're welding. If you look at the opening, it is designed to spread out the suction so it isn't really strong in a narrow area.
 
Haha, it's okay Chris :)

I don't usually go into specifics, because if I do, I feel kinda sorta like a braggart, and plus, my contract with google bars me from giving specific numbers...

Yes, I do make money on my YouTube videos... There are ads on them, and when one out of every X number of viewers clicks an add, I get some money and google gets a little...

I also do have a number of sponsors... They range from new and up-and-coming companies, to some of the most respected and well known in the industry... They see value in my videos, and are willing to put money down to watch me succeed... In the form of sending things out to me...

For instance... Company "A" makes machines or products that weldors buy... They hear about my channel from wherever, and see it as an opportunity. For their cost of whatever the product is, and the cost of shipping, they get to show off their whatchamacallit to a highly targeted audience not just here in north America, but in literally dozens of countries around the world... My subscribers get to see the "latest and greatest" from whoever put to the test... And I get a new toy...

Its great for me, because I get my shop outfitted, so that when I leave school and go into business, I'll have a headstart... Its a dream come true for me...

But I put limits on what I'm willing to do...

I've NEVER accepted money to promote products (not to say it hasnt been offered...)

I've never been "bought" either... I've made bad reviews of free things in the past, as well as things I've bought out of my own pocket, and I'm not afraid to do it again... I can't wholeheartedly recommend a piece of junk to my viewers... And I make it clear with these companies that they'll get an honest review... And this isnt a "gimme, gimme, gimme and I'll say its the best thing ever" deal...

Another thing, is that I get to put these machines to the test... For instance, I torture tested a couple inverter-based machines recently for a newer company. Since my money didnt buy the machine, I have no reason to "baby it" and I can run it flat out... I've yet to kill one, but if I do, its not my problem... lol... And that seems to be something that my viewers like, because they get to see what a machine is really capable of...

Well, that's that...

In a nutshell... Hope it clears a few things up :)

I'll also say I don't make that much actual money from my channel... And it's taken me FIVE YEARS of hard work and long hours for little or no pay to get where I am today... I never really thought my random welding videos would go over like they did/do... My goal this year, is to see 200-300 percent growth of my channel... And I'm pretty sure I can pull it off.

It's a huge amount of work, I bet I spend 30 hours a week on YouTube, shooting videos, editing, rendering, etc... But I love it.

I'd have to say my favorite part of everything, is hearing from people that my random videos actually help them... Comments from people that say my videos got them back into welding after X number of years, or from other frustrated high school students that aren't getting the welding help they need at school, but somehow claim to understand things better after watching a video I made... Things like that... I've got a lot of "how-to" and "educational" videos planned for this year... And a lot of project videos, as well...

I'm glad y'all watch em, lol... Its a great little hobby...

Well, thats about everything... Now, lets bury this thread, lol....
 
Actually it is...

If you watch the video, you'll see I run .030 solid wire with 80/20 mixed gas, and suffered no lack of shielding from the fume hood...
 
Very nice machine Lanse. As for the machine I use a fumagator at work all the time. Kicks butt for removing those deadly and toxic fumes away from a person. Mig/stick/tig doesn't matter nor affect the shielding gas AT ALL. It might if you put the hood three inches away from your work. But smoke RISES. I ussually have the hood about 12-15 inches away. Thats plenty of room for the welder.They work great. Keep up the good work and advice.
 
Wow Lanse, That is a great racket you have hit on.
Amazing what people will pay for isn't it.I have seen some of your videos and, while you do a fine job for a young man, there is no way what you have shared is worth the price of what you have received. America, what a country!
P1ss on being a welder, just do videos!
 
Christ. You had a great question. cheaper one model 1000 cost Msrp $3,802.00 Videos with sponsers wont cover cost of this and other boughten units he shows off. Good to question where it all comes from. Mother maybe? LOU.
 
Lanse: Keep up the good work and videos. I would rather see you testing free products and letting us know about them--than see some spoiled overpaid actor/sports figure making big bucks trying to push goods off on us that my know nothing about. To your doubt mongers---get a life.
 
Chris WA,

If these companies are getting "eyes on product in action" for the mere cost of the item, it is a pretty good deal for them. Research the price of shooting a commercial and buying advertising space on TV, or in a magazine or journal. Go price the cost of renting a space at a major trade show and paying someone to demonstrate a product at the show.

Sure, we may all be a little jealous of Lanse getting free stuff but he is working hard at it and it took him years to get there. Good job, Lanse, and I hope it keeps working out for you.
 
I just watched the video Lanse. I still believe you will run into problems with it depending on how it is positioned. In the video you have the piece being welded between the vaccuum and the mig gun, acting as a wind break. While that does help you in this situation, projects may not always allow this.
Furthermore, when its a warm summer and you have the garage doors opened to catch a little breeze you will likely find that if the breeze doesn't leave you with porosity, the vaccuum (or the combination of the two) will. I could be completely wrong, however I still feel the usefulness of this product is only found in ideal situations.
Keep up the good videos!!
 
Thanks for the explanation Lance. Even though it's not any of my business, I was still curious how you could have all these nice toys. You do a great job with you videos and above all, you're honest about your critique of the products. You give them all a good test so we know how they will really do, even with hard treatment. I watch all your videos and enjoy them and am excited to what's to come in the future. I am happy you explained about the adds on the pages so I can click on them to help you out. I know when I'm ready to buy a plasma cutter I know who to ask as to what will be the best for what I want to do.
Thanks again and keep to good videos coming.

To the rest of the guys out there.
For a young kid like Lance to do what he's doing I applaud him. He could sure be doing worse things with his life at his age. Just look around at teenagers nowadays. Not many like Lance.

Keep up the good work young man,

Dick
 
One thing you will notice in Lanse's review videos is that they are HONEST. He's doesn't candy-coat the product's faults. He uses them like a typical "guy" would (doesn't read the instructions). He beats them like a rented mule.

That's refreshing from the typical magazine review where everything is peachy-keen because the company is an advertiser.

They're literally throwing their products to the wolves here. It shows that these companies are confident in the quality of their product, and that they're willing to listen to criticism and make improvements.
 
A guy gets something for free and people just need to know how and why. I'm surprised he tells us that much, I know I wouldn't waste my time explaining my business.
 
Yeah but if you don't explain it people start thinking there's something illicit going on... In some people's minds, companies providing demo units for reviews like this *IS* illicit.
 
It's great you're getting a lot of fancy tools but I hope you're still going to go out and get a welding job in the real world.
 
Lanse, You've been way more forthcoming than you needed to. After all it's no one else's business how you acquire equipment.

I see you're planning on starting your own business. I think that's great. Not many people your age have that much ambition. Having said that, I think you'd be better off to work for someone else for awhile to learn more how a business is run, what's expected from employees, etc. Maybe you can hire on with an old timer that's planning on retiring in a few years and work out a deal to buy an existing business. You might want to consider taking some business management and business marketing classes at a community college.
Good luck!
 

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