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Why haven't I seen your welders at my local welding supply store?
Why does my welding supply store say that they don't know anything about ZENA welders?

Retailers and national distributors worry about profits and profit margins -- NOT always about what might be best for their customers.

A typical dealer's thought process is shown below (based on actual conversations with prominent retailers over the past 5 years):

  1. Even ZENA's smallest (150A DC), and least expensive welders, have the same 100% duty cycle rating as the brand name $3,500 - $4,500 engine driven 225-250A DC welders that we sell.
  2. The ZENA units don't directly produce 120V or 240V AC power. However, they can provide power for ultra low cost onboard DC-AC inverter based 120-240V AC power systems when they are not being used for welding. A process which provides AC power at a much lover fuel cost than conventional engine driven welders.
  3. ZENA welders take up virtually no space on a service vehicle -- they are virtually immune to vandalism -- and they can be fitted to much smaller vehicles than can be used for carrying my commercial duty engine driven welders.
  4. The ZENA welder has an equal, or longer warranty than my top of the line engine driven welders. And, given that they have less parts, that all components are modular, and that the units have built in troubleshooting features, ZENA welders will be very easy to service in the field.
  5. The ZENA welder can be used to supply power for MIG spool guns, MIG spool feeders, and TIG welding torches -- just like my top end engine drive unit -- BUT, the power adapters that ZENA sells for their units are half the price of my brand name adapters.
  6. My customers and staff universally report that the ZENA welder actually welds better than my best selling workhorse welders.
  7. Since the ZENA welder will sell for much less, many of my customers for the commercial engine driven welder will change their mind and buy a ZENA welder instead.
  8. It's true that I will make the same profit percentage selling the ZENA welder -- but, if I normally get $1,000 in profits when I sell the conventional engine driven welder, I'll only get $100-200 from the ZENA sale. I put less into my pocket!
  9. ZENA welders are designed to be user serviceable, upgradable, and easily rebuildable -- and they have a long warranty. I make a lot of money from my service department. And, when welders come in for major repairs, and the customer finds out how expensive a major repair can be, I can often sell a new welder.
  10. I don't think that I can afford to sell a ZENA welder -- and, while it's clearly a very fine product, I'm going to make sure that none of my staff do anything to help a customer find out about this profit destroyer!

Of course, at ZENA, Incorporated, we don't completely agree with this logic. And a close look at who is actually buying our welders, and why, brings up points that our friend above misses:

  1. Yes, it's probably quite true that some customers will buy a ZENA welder instead of the free standing commercial unit -- based on price alone -- but, because of it's lower price, many customers will take advantage of the lower cost, and purchase multiple welders for multiple service trucks -- better supporting their field service employees -- and significantly lowering maintenance costs.
  2. Our welding equipment dealer would certainly sell ZENA welders to many more customers than were viable before. Customers who can't afford, or justify, the expense of high quality engine driven welding equipment -- but who need it desperately none the less -- and who would otherwise forego the purchase of such equipment (using, instead, for hire welding services) OR who would decide to buy used equipment instead of new.

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