This is the best review I have ever watched on a cheap welder. As you put it through its paces like no other person would and put it into a practical application. Awesome. Now we know why good welders are expensive.
Interesting video. Thanks! Three comments: "Bigtb1717" has a video on amp draw on 110. Seems the Chinesium machines can draw 30+ amps on 110. Second comment: same guy connected an ammeter to the output and it didn't make 200 amps. Third comment: Harbor Freight, for all its failings, seems to at least offer honest assessments of the capacity of its machines. Unlike some, I appreciate the reviews. Many I've seen come from people who are not welding professionals. Nice to have pro actually attempt real world work. Thanks again.
I bought a green harbour freight multi purpose welder. I was building a shade to work under. My neighbor gave me 200 ' of 2"OD pipe. I tried the stick welder at max amps to get the arc to start. My rod kept sticking. Every once in a while I could start a good run. Then the breaker tripped. I loaded my machine with a large roll of .30 mig wire. After getting use to the settings. I could maintain a good run. I'm going to try with a smaller rod next time. Possibly get on a separate 30 amp breaker with its own for my welder. I will get my son over to help wire it. While I do the work. Thank you for the review. I did consider the machine a few months ago.
Im with you. I have a old mexican made welding machine that was fabricated in some alley and that thing outperforms the extremely high end welding machines out there.
Here in Bulgaria I have the same machine but by a company called raider, 230 volt and it’s the workhorse of my shop , I also have three bigger machines but the small welder is my go to machine. Had it three years and no issues, fantastic little thing.
I have a nearly identical Alinco IGBT welder. My findings were much the same as yours - without the ability to crank up the arc voltage, some rods required very frequent restarting. Potassium-based rods worked a little better. But compared to my 50 year old Century welder...well there _is_ no comparison: Using the higher OCV setting, it will burn any rod w/o dramas. (Channeling Kurtis here.)
2 thumbs up on your review... If the the need to replace the cables is the only real fault with this machine straight out of the box, I'm good to go. We do mostly sheet metal and quarter inch mild steel at the heaviest. We're in a small Central American beach village and this will beat the he'll out of dropping a 110 volt linen to a5 gallon bucket of salt water. We're upscale enough to have 220 service to our beer coolers. Thanks for the review
Its always interesting to see reviews of new gear. The names of equipment from the big C is usiually a giveaway with what to expect. Like you say though, good for home use.
Nice video. Very informative. Need more real world applications on the Tube. Really curious about the 120v situation with this welder. Keep making videos. Thanx
Real realistic review.... not some artist welder welding a wrench plus forks sculpture to put in his garden ying yan kind of reviewing ending in congratulation about ... life... Thanks.. Mike.
At work we just bought a similar unit to fill a need on certain jobs. Ours is a Hynade welder. I found the little stick welder worked perfectly for 3/32 6013, I think set around 90amp on 110v. It would kick out a breaker at near 100 amp. It works really well on 220v and can be cranked for bigger rod although I find that it acts like it's 25% less current than it reads. I think your review is helpful. A professional like yourself is far more useful than the reviews by all these folks who, "don't really weld". I always think their reviews are a joke.
Awesome review, I subscribed! I just bought this unit and tried to weld using 110, same result with 3/32 7018. I'm am brand new to welding, I need to get 220 wired into my garage so I can really test this.
So I had a chance to weld few things on this arc200 welder and U are absolutely right, welded on this one with 220 volt hooked up to 50 amp breaker, and it produced very inconsistent results
Very good review. Thanks for the good information. I bought one of these because its easy to take for a quick repair without loading up one of the big welders. I hope you can review an arccaptain mig welder someday.
I have the exact same machine but mine is orange color and branded as: JASIC arc 200 syn led. These are good quality chinese machines produced in the same factory at once but sold on different aliases. I really like mine it does a nice job. It never overheated on me.
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Good review man. Youd think with a name like( arc) captain they would at least provide a hot start function for smoother starts but you know how that goes. Keep em coming.
Did you play with the Hot start settings? I picked up a similar Everlast lunchbox machine quite a few years ago for a special project. I added a SCUBA tank of argon and made a backpack TIG for doing some inplace stainless repairs. It worked so good, I still use it from time to time. 120v is just not up to much but I have burned some 1/16" 7014 to repair a pool fence where there was no other power options. That a actual welder can be made that small and light still amazes me. Of course I grew up with giant transformer machines and an SA200 as a "mobile" option.
Yeah loved it man. Try and test some of the ESAB units or the other budget inverters, COVO, INFRA and that family of 110/220 stick and tig budget welders. Thanks from Nicaragua...
enjoyed the review like you Im probably not going to buy that little welder but I was surprised that it did as well as it did. Really enjoy your channel and you skills are top notch.Could you do a review on EZ weld tig rods for cast iron. I have some and have used and so far no issues but I would like a better welder than I to review them. The claim is no preheat and no slow cool and welds do not crack. Thanks
It’s prob got the same guts, different rheostat and a digital meter as the harbor hole $200ish stick welder I had to get in a pinch. On 120v it is gutless or pops the breaker otherwise does ok for what it is. If your gonna do another review the primeweld 225 ac/dc tig is one I’d like to see. I don’t do much Aluminium so I don’t need a dynasty or anything like that but they seem to have a cult following. These kind of “real reviews” I think are beneficial to younger cats trying to find tools they can afford.
Since this video arc captain made one little change and that is the cord, where the plug out of the machine is 220 then short connector to 110. I bought this, this Christmas and haven't used a stick welder since high-school and I'm 71 so this should be interesting. I do have a mig welder which I do like and I bought a plasma cutter made by Yes
I see a lot of gate guys using lunchbox welders. Last time the gate guy plugged his into the 15a circuit 70 feet from the breaker he popped the breaker. No hot water for 3 days. Plumbers said days away from a new big heater. I took a chance and checked the power. Yep blown. But the plumbers had unplugged the heater. Turned off the gas. Unplugged the electric pilot. Took me 10 minutes to get it all on again. Gate guy came back a few weeks later. I let him have it. Plumbers were mad at me. Cost them a 4k job replacing a 4 year old water heater because the power was out. I want a gasoline welder generator.
Good review with lots of good information. Because I'm a novice and I have that same welder, I would have benefited from knowing the thickness of the materials you are welding. That is very relevant to the capability of a welder. I could have sworn that the ArcCaption isn't rated for rods bigger than 1/8. I'm not too sure, but I thought that I read that somewhere. Another thing that would have been beneficial would be to put a filter on the camera lens so that we could view the arc and puddle.
The most important reason why you got the welder to do your job is the fact that you are a pro welder. Guys at home will likely not do as well as you with this welder.
On Fire Welding, The only Stick Welder that matches your Fire wold be a 1000 amp Welding Rod System. After watching your videos, I have come to the conclusion that nothing can hold you back!
Hey Greg......Nice review, not one of those super fast , blah blah blah about all the goodies the machine has and .information that is hard to follow, especially if you do not know much about welding.....just plain welding and amps info.... also doing an actual project is great...... Having done unboxing and reviews for one of the 'Big 3 RU-vid' channels myself, I appreciate the way you did the review.....maybe a few more close up shots is the only addition I would add.... On the whole, a well done review, looking forward to more like this.... Cheers from down Florida Way.....Paul 'Paulie' Brown
I left the farm in 1985 the bank said that I was done, haven’t done any welding since. That being said I’m not impressed with the little welder. The video well Isaac bought a plasma cutter & used it, then Kurtis made a ground for using on a job that rotated, those were OK, I hope that you don’t make a habit of these kinds of videos. You asked what I thought, I tried to be polite & careful. Thank You Sir
I have been seeing these cheaper welding machines the machines are super super good but the hammer and the stinger they always send the cheapest when it comes to that but the cmaps are ok but for 230$ you cant beat it Plus it has hot start so that's a huge bonus
I remember when those little welders when they first came out years ago. You had to chain them to a steal beam or someone would take it and put it in there lunch box and take it home with them. There nick name was the lunch box welder. LOL
i had a little welder like that back in the day i used to weld 5 m - 10 ml plate for hours and it worked but that was 25 years ago they dont make things like they used too
I had same issues with 20 amp breaker with 7018 1/8th rod on this exact machine. My brother is an electrician, so temporarily he plugged in 50amps brick into our home breaker, and hooked my arc200 with it, and it had 0 issues in shutting off breaker even at 200 amps. Wires did not get hot, nor my clamps, it had no issues in giving continuous flow of electricity. Wires did not get hot, and I welded without any issues in tripping breaker, like I did at 20amp initially. Now on my 20 amp trial, initially, 6010 1/8th allowed me to run my rod longer without tripping breaker. Were you able to fix issue with your breaker? Also turn ANTI STICK mode on, and VRD mode on, something I missed initially in checking manual, also adjust Hot Arc start and Arc Force, that will help with starting arc and continue the weld. Also comparison against your miller and 200amp ARC200 is not a fair comparison, first you need to fix your breaker so it would not trip, then make a weld at 200amp on ARC, you will see better results. Professional welder used these dc machines with great success, so fixing breaker and adjusting arc force and hot arc should allow you to have better results. Also planning to upgrade to 30 amp breaker and see if it can pull 200 amps.
Would love to hear you talk about the plus and minus of your machines the blue ones. 600 AP that 500 your little portable millers your 12 vs. I run the same stuff but no ark reach. But would love to hear the thoughts of a guy running a biz on your level. I’m sure others would as well
I've generally found these small welders all have the same specs but generally dont put out a true 200 amps and are really only good for 7018 and 6013 and definitely 1/8 rod at the largest. I'd be curious if that one can run 6010 at all but I find the violent arc tends to cause these lunch boxes to lose the arc. I'm more curious about the world of cheap plasma cutters from Amazon. I've seen some of them work well but they all just destroy their consumables immediately. Overall I think we all understand that there's no real way to get around buying a professional machine if you do this work for a living but it's nice to know if there is some options for the garage tinkerers.
I’m so glad I saw this, because this was fixing to be my next purchase. I’m looking for a smaller at home shop welder and don’t really want to spend over $500. Is there any other welder that may do quite a bit better than this one? I have both 110 and 220 in my shop.
How you doing I just started watching the channel here recently I have a mobile welding service myself down here in Texas but anyway I tried that grinding disc showed while back one of your videos the 3M I liked it was pretty good what's your suggestion on some drill bits I've tried all kinds you could let me know hey if you keep up the good work thank you
After a cheap machine for rig work. I picked up a old scratch tig setup but I have the old stick welder that the leads are permanent would this be suitable. I also live in Australia so it’s 240 v. on a disability pension so looking for something cheap would this be suitable. Regards Andy
Is there any 120 vac 20 amp stick welder that works? Or is that just too little power for stick welding? I'd like something that I can take to a friends house and do little projects. Thanks for the review.
I'm doing a home project building a log splitter. I'm looking for an economical welder for in my garage. The I-beam I'm using for the splitter is a 10" beam with 1/2" thick flanges. I know its a little bit of overkill for a splitter but i got a good deal on the beam. Do you think this welder would work for me anything else i would do at home wouldn't be near as heavy.
Reviews are fine as long as it’s on QUALITY, name brand equipment that professionals would typically use. Not so much on internet junk, IMHO. Personally, I would have much preferred a video on how you got your measurements on the elbow and flange fit-up.
Was thinking of grabbing one of these to do some frame work on my Jeep. I'd love to use a bigger and better welder of course but can't afford one right yet. Would this or something similar work for me?
Well it worked and didn't go pop :-D That thin wire must create a power loss, they cheaped out there. I suppose if the welder senses the current droop it should compensate by upping the voltage. I'm assuming that's what a good welding machine does.
I’m looking for a cheap welder. It’s either the arccaptain mig 200 or yeswelder 205ds… I can’t decide. I’m leaning towards the yeswelder but at first I was liking the arccaptain. Idk
i watched another review of a smaller 160A arccaptain and it maxed out at 125a @160a and worse from 60 to 125 setting it put out 95 to 105A .. uncontrollable w little to no hot start
I am going to assume that this welding machine is for running a 1/16 th rod for fixing fencing or gates on a ranch for the do it yourself kinda farmer, that being said. I have a titanium 225 from harbor freight and have welded 3/4 plate intermittent with 5/32 7018, these smaller cheaper inverter welding machines always come with garbage but usable electrode cable and clamps, on the titanium welder I have 35 feet of cable 2AWG.
Okay, so I need help with mine. I have a 160 instead of a 200 captain. And my rods or 6011. Do I have to set the settings or can I just turn it on And start welding. And my other question. Do I press down on it or just gently.
You should be able to just weld. I don’t remember if it has a rod specific setting. Start the arc like you are trying to tickle it with a feather then keep the rod right above the puddle. About 1/8 above the puddle or less.
I want to re-use that line from Donnie Brasco...'you got a son? Give it to your son.' Seriously, though repackage it and give it to him for xmas so he can learn to weld and be like his dad. He could weld all kind of stuff around the house, like spoons, faucets, the doors of the truck. It would be so much fun. 🤣 A serious question: can you explain again why did you weld the inside of that pipe? I didn't get it.
Hi, I recently bought a Amico electric, 200 amps multi-purpose 3 in1 welder, from Amazon. I got the the welder. However i discovered, it have a factory defect,(the wire speed dial isn't working). I informed Amazon about it. They asked that I return the item. However to do so is costing more than i bought it for. I am outside the usa. So I am left stuck with a a defective product. So i am looking for a solution.
I suppose if the price is right and someone wanting to learn how to stick weld (with a 220 plug) it may be alright. But for those of us who have been welding for years it's very hard to find the patience to use one of these. After 30 years of using both of my Lincoln Precision tig 275's the 200 amp inverter I have (Lincoln) is not user friendly and I'm a Lincoln man to the core. Also, I don't have your patience. Keep smilin
Good video, sir, on a real project. I'm a DIYer and have to say that looks like a weird undersized cord for 220v on that little welder, IMO. I respect you pro's / experienced folks who review decent tools that will get several - or many - jobs done over the years with moderate use, not necessarily trade-use. A couple years ago I bought a small welder like this -- maybe a little better, I think -- only because the welding job I needed done was too small for my local welding shops to handle and the only guy I knew with a welder had just a piece of crap HF setup and he couldn't get it done.
I bought one of these welders in anyone that has one or is interested in getting one I suggest you go to Harbor Freight or Northern Tool or any place to get the heavy duty ground clamp and lead I think the ground clamp made out of brass it is very stiff
Testing it on 110V made a lot of sense because that is what most US buyers will have to make do with. That should have been most of the test and I would have liked to see it run on the lower voltage until the breaker tripped. As for the rest of the test, apparently with these small inverters you need to find the electrodes that they like best. And also use even thinner ones, such as Oerlikon Fincord E6013 in 1.6 to 2.0mm. Which is what a normal cheapskate user liable to buy such a contraption for occasional home use will try. I would have liked to see you do that, and explain the implications and limitations to the layperson. What you need to do to get the optimum performance out of such a small machine. That would have been more worthwhile than trying the specialist hard-facing electrodes that hardly any buyers of a small welding inverter would ever use on purpose because they don't even know they exist, let alone what they're there for.
@@OFW Some of the best video reviews I've seen on YT are made by a dude named Coop772. It's not welders but toy nerf guns. But he has a sound concept and structure, standardized procedure and everything.
