The team at TBWS were treated to a sneak preview of the Jasic EVO 2.0 inverter range ahead of its official launch in May 2023. We were excited to see the what Jasic had to offer because we are big fans of their machines thus far. The Jasic PRO range has been a huge success over the last 10 years and they continue to deliver on quality, reliability and usability. Couple that with the excellent after sales service from Wilkinson Star, all be it rarely needed (UK importer of Jasic machines) and you can’t go wrong – more on this later.

So what is different between the EVO 2.0 series and the PRO range?

General

Across the range of MIG, MMA, TIG and Plasma machines, the first thing you will see is the larger front display on the Jasic EVO range. This helps the user see settings easily at a glance and is super user friendly to set up. Some machines have an over complicated display which may be prone to damage but at first glance, the EVO screen appears robust. Simple push buttons and a single rotary dial are intuitive to use too. Each parameter or setting is illuminated and numeric values show up on the large digital display.

A new look: The Jasic EVO MIG, TIG, Plasma and MMA welders have a more aggressive look than the Jasic PRO models and the cases are uprated to have thicker panels which are robust and built for industry.

Both the Jasic EVO MIG and TIG range machines come with a colour coded EVO torch in the striking Jasic orange colour.

Jasic use the term “ABAP”, standing for Active Balancing Air Passage where these machines have air channels to allow atmospheric air in to cool the machine in to areas where there is not electrical components. This can help with the age old problem of covering the insides of a welding machine with metallic dust, which without servicing can cause component failure over time.

All EVO machines now come with “fan on demand” too which reduces electrical consumption and reduces ingress of particulate laden fume which again helps with metallic dust in machine internals. Furthermore, the fan only kicks in when it is needed to cool the machine so they are quieter too.

Lastly, all machines have auto sleep too which decreases electrical usage. If a machine is left on, the welder will go to sleep after a set period of time. A simple push of a button brings the machine back to life.

EVO MIG Range

In our opinion, perhaps the most significant of changes, is in the Jasic EVO MIG range. The EVO MIG 200 and 160 both come with a synergic set up as standard. With a push of a couple of buttons and a twist of the dial, you can set the gas type/material type being used, the wire diameter and the material thickness. The EVO MIG will then come up with an optimal setting, ready to weld. A twist of the dial allows the user to trim the voltage, amperage or wire feed speed to suit the job in hand.

Prefer manual settings? No problem, the machine can easily be switched to manual set up to dial in settings how you would like. The inside of the wire feed cabinet door has a handy settings table to assist you with your settings based on wire diameter, plate thickness, material and gas type should you need it.

The EVO MIG has a light inside the wire feed cabinet to make it easy to see what you are doing when changing wire spools. A simple but effective storage area is located just behind the wire feed rollers where spare rollers and tips can be stored safely for quick wire size or type changes.

Multi function – The EVO MIG range are capable of stick welding in MMA mode and TIG welding with lift TIG functionality (when used with an MMA lead or TIG torch available separately). Lift TIG involves touching the tungsten electrode to the workpiece and then establishing an arc length to being the weld. The EVO range have a “Smart Lift TIG” function which controls the short circuit at the start of the weld to avoid tungsten contamination and identifies accidental touchdowns to maintain welding. Further tech inside the machine controls arc length cut-off which helps to eliminates arc wander.

Remote controls – an optional wireless remote control can be used to change voltage and wire feed speed from a distance when in non synergic mode. A nice feature if you are welding under cars etc.

EVO Plasma Range

The Jasic EVO CUT 45 has been remodelled, but more importantly, it also has the option of a modular compact air compressor unit that can be purchased as a package with the machine or as an after market addition. This makes the unit particularly useful for on site plasma cutting where an external air supply may not be available.

The modular air compressor can be used with the plasma cutter or, for an increased cutting capacity and external air supply can be connected to the machine.

The Jasic EVO CUT 45 Plasma cutter still has the befits of mesh cutting, non HF start and is wide voltage too, so can be used on a 110V or 230V supply.

EVO Arc Range

The Jasic EVO Arc MMA welders now come complete with a robust plastic carry case and a 3m set of welding leads. As standard, the lead set comes with a twist type electrode holder which are preferred by most.

The EVO “Clearvision” screen has the benefit of a large amperage display which can be seen from afar and the control panel has a semi synergic set up. By dialling in the electrode diameter, the EVO arc will default to an amperage for the rod size. The amperage can then be trimmed within a range suitable for the rod diameter, depending on what suits you best, depending on rod type, preference and welding position. Not keen on this function? No problem, the EVO Arc will also allow for fully manual setting.

Hot start is fully adjustable, allowing you to tweak the amps at the start of the weld. This creates a peak of amperage before the machine settles down to the set value to assist with arc starting. Hot start is particularly useful to help with damp electrodes or imperfect job surface or “difficult to weld” rods.

Arc Force is also fully adjustable. Sometimes referred to as “Dig force” this operates similar to the hot start function but during the weld. If a short circuit is detected, the welder will deliver a peak of amps to prevent the arc from cutting out and greatly assists with stabilizing the arc.

With the option of remote controls to adjust amperage, the EVO MMA welders are perfect for welding in awkward positions or when using long welding leads. Choose from wired or wireless remote controls to prevent the need to keep walking back to the machine to change settings.

EVO TIG Range

The large display allows for really easy set up with just a few buttons and one knob to adjust parameters.

Exclusive to the EVO TIG range, a Dash Arc function is available. Dash Arc combines a HF boosting circuit which is said to greatly improve ignition performance. The arc striking success rate is better than 99% with an impressive ignition response rate of between 50-60ms. In addition, the HF stabilising feature provides a balanced and consistent HF oscillation for a smooth HF start regardless of the input voltage stability.

Smart Gas options are incorporated, which calculates the optimum post gas delay time based on the current setting and weld time too.

To Summarise

The Jasic EVO line of machines deliver good looks, performance and ease of use. Jasic have developed the EVO 2.0 line to be user friendly as their main focus and this shows. For most, all functions can be accessed and tweaked without having to look at a manual.

The PRO range has been hugely successful in the UK, so we are sure that the EVO range will be equally well received by the welding community. Jasic are priced well in the market, but more importantly, they have established themselves as capable, reliable machines suitable for serious DIYers and industry welders too. We genuinely do not get many Jasic machines back under their 5 year warranty considering the number sold and those that do get returned are looked at quickly and without a quibble. I would also mention that some of those that have gone back under warranty have looked like they have had a very hard life, bashed up and filthy dirty!

Out of warranty, repairs are well priced too. The impressive Manchester based service centre can repair machines down to component level, which in some ways sets them apart from others, where even big brands will want to swap out parts such as PCBs which can cost nearly as much as a new machine.