Arccaptain ARC 160 Stick Welder Max Output Test - More Lies?

[@dukedude220]

This is the videos we need more of. Everyone on KZbin will give good reviews for a free welder and a couple bucks.

[@bigtb1717]

Thanks. Uploading another right now. ;)

[@tsl7881]

I like to see the product in use , but am skeptical because they don't mention the negatives. Sometime they don't mention got it free and never seem to mention they were paid. Basically a paid add. The den of tools guy says he gets paid sometimes and mentions it right up front. But I still have to take what he says with a grain of salt. I think he has made some companies mad by saying some unflattering things.

[@marcelmarcotte8925]

Outstanding ! it is good to hear an honest evaluation and the fact that these manufacturers are getting away with murder when it comes to publishing the actual true spec's that people rely on.

[@kendallh9106]

I was initially looking at cheap 200A Chinese welders, on Amazon, with the expectation of getting 200A. I ended up buying a 250A multi-process welder, in hopes of getting 200A, because of videos like this. Thank you!

[@WV591]

Thank for doing a real test unlike all the other channel who get a free welder and just burn few rods or wire and call everything excellent. while the rest of us pay and find out we been had.

[@dougn7645]

After watching some of your videos, I purchased a dc clamp-on ammeter to test my yeswelder mig 250 pro. 202 amps was maximum output. If I was a professional I would really be unhappy that this wouldn't make the rated output. I bought this welder because of the high current output and great duty cycle. I figured this one would last me forever as I wouldn't be loading it up. Now I wonder about the great duty cycle. This welder works great for me for home use and have no other complaints. I really appreciate the time and effort that you put in to making these videos.

[@idontwantcorporateretaliat6301]

I would caution that clamp meters have a "refresh rate" on their display.....I'm not sure if the sampling is quick enough to capture transient peaks but if you took video and it remained flat-ish as you used it, that may be enough indication.

[@bigtb1717]

Thanks. If the welder is working for you, that's what's important. If someone buys one of these machines and it works for them, that's great. I just don't want people to be misled or end up disappointed and companies aren't just apathetic, they are actively deceiving people and it bothers me.

[@dougn7645]

@@idontwantcorporateretaliat6301 I ran 4 beads of about 5-10 seconds each, with a minute or two between beads, and a friend watched the meter. He said the reading moved around some with the lowest being in the mid 180's, most in the high 190's, and the highest being 202 amps. Agreed on the refresh rate potential for causing false readings but I think that this test should have that covered. I've definitely been wrong before, though!

[@tsl7881]

@dougn7645 thanks for doing that. Yes welder sends out so many welders for reviews ,but the contract won't let them say anything negative. Sounds like you got a good one if you were wanting a 200A machine. I guess you can still multipass.

[@jarniotes]

Thank you for a real review and other reviewers should be reporting the short falls

[@Anterak123]

Thank you for your eyes opening video. I noticed on other welder comparison videos all the "cheap" welders are lying about their performances. The maximum output is always between 20 and 40 amps lower than the one stated on the machine. This except for the very expensive ones like Lincoln that cost between 10 and 15 times more than welders like de Arccaptain. What I like is you demonstrated that the 200 amps version, even if it delivers only 160 amps is way more beefier than the other one. I like that because on other pages they show the insides of other machines like the 160 amps that delivers around 120 amps and they all look pretty much the same and they all deliver less than what is written on the box. So I just ordered an Arccaptain arc 200, knowing it is beefier and likely to outlast the cheaper ones. BTW, I ordered it directly from the company and it is $40 cheaper than Amazon with free delivery.

[@bigtb1717]

Cheers! I hope it works well for you.

[@gocart09]

What cheap welder do you recommend?

[@donsurlylyte]

just got the mig130, impressed with the quality for the price, welds well, took off the covers to check the boards, no problems assembled well, happy with it. i would recommend.

[@bigtb1717]

@@donsurlylyte Glad it's working for you. Thanks for sharing!

[@random5107]

do I get the same Amps when I run it in 110V input voltage mode? I only have 110V and was wondering if it's gonna give me the same Amps on the output. Thanks

[@bigtb1717]

Output on both of these machines is lower on 120V than it is on 240V. On the ARC200, output on 120V maxes out around 120 amps, but it draws 40+ amps of current from the wall at that point. So that's something to keep in mind. I don't remember what the max output on the ARC160 was on 120V, but it was lower than the 120-ish amps of output it had on 240V.

[@jimsmith8817]

Do you think it could be the leads ? They are copper clad aluminum leads. Try then with all copper leads and see if you get any closer to the amps indicated.

[@bigtb1717]

Cheap leads can definitely make a difference in the amount of wattage that makes it to the work, vs. wattage that is lost due to heat in the cable. It's possible that cheap leads also affects the feel of the arc and such. But it shouldn't affect maximum amperage, unless the welder simply can't output enough voltage to achieve that much amperage. That might make it tougher to strike an arc or keep it going, but once going, the welder can either push the rated amperage, or not. Not specifically with these welders, but with other welders, I have tested with large gauge, copper cables and the max output didn't change. I've also run some of the cheap, aluminum cables on an industrial machine at 250 or more amps (can't remember exactly), and while the insulation on the cables did start to melt, the welder put out the set amperage.

[@venividivici6418]

I like how you called them out for their dishonesty. We need more of that. As time goes by people are becoming comfortable accepting and propagating increasing amounts of dishonesty. From clickbait, to ads that are just a string of white lies associating a product to unrelated feel good visuals and businesses trying to rip you off at every turn. As this increases, people's trust decreases and society just gets shittier. It sucks.

[@fonhollohan2908]

Thank you very much for this honest take on what Many Chinese Manufactures are doing, they are out right lying on what their machines are capable of. No wonder there so cheap!

[@danm8662]

Thank you for your honesty

[@maxtaleg9968]

thanks

[@mattbash5372]

I have a yeswelder 205ds. Runs ok on 220, not so great on 110. Duty cycle is not that great and I find it difficult to get going even though it has hot start. I wonder if you've found any cheap stick welders or stick/mig welders that perform to their specs or would reccomend? Or if it's basically get what you pay for.

[@bigtb1717]

Do you have the ARC 205DS? It is overrated, almost exactly how these Arccaptain machines are. It really only puts out 160 amps on 240V. So if you try to run a 1/8" rod at 120 amps (for instance), you will have a hard time starting and running the rod, because it's putting out much less than 120 amps. I have a recent video ranking all the welders I've reviewed. It covers which ones I think are a good value and which ones can perform to their specs.

[@mattbash5372]

@bigtb1717 Yes that's the one. Thanks, that makes sense. It does put down a decent bead once it's going but definitely not a Miller or Lincoln 🤣. I'll check out your other video. Thanks!!

[@NorthNorth80sBaby]

To be fair I have an Le31mp Lincoln and people made all these vids back in the day how it was top notch h. For running mig? Its great. Running stick is almost impossible with 3/32” or 1/8” rod. Shit just sticks like crazy. I hate it. I think these 110/220v capable machines just don’t live up to dedicated purpose built welders. My Lincoln definitely doesn’t put out the 140 amps it’s advertised at. That’s for sure and, that’s WITH solid copper leads.

[@ROBTAT2]

Just got the 160 stick welder. I have a mig welder that works good but wanted to try a stick. I had it set to 80 amps and it would spark then stop then get stuck. I figured that would be enough to practice with but i still have to mess around with it. Couldn’t pass it up for $95

[@bar-zn8lk]

Another great review as usual!

[@TEDodd]

Did you happen to test the input current/power on either/both? Maybe compare 110V vs 220V?

[@bigtb1717]

The ARC 200 draws around 45 amps when maxed out on 120V. I don't remember the draw on 240V, but I think around 30-ish. The ARC 160 will be a bit lower than that, just based on the slightly lower output. Unless they have some kind of power factor correction, most inverter machines like this (specifically, when stick welding) will all draw roughly the same input current at a given output. I've seen some with slightly higher output on 120V, and they draw 50+ amps. Trips a 20A breaker really fast. Some may be a tiny bit more or less efficient than others, but there's no major different until there is power factor correction. I have a video where I test six welders. Three with PFC and three without. At a given amperage, the three with PFC drew very similar current. Slight differences in efficiency, maybe, but it was very small differences, despite a huge price difference between the machines. Likewise, the three units without PFC all drew similar amounts of current at a given amperage.

[@TEDodd]

@@bigtb1717 interesting I would expect the current to be higher at 120V than 220. Output voltage and current being equal (this equal power output) it should need the same input power and draw roughly twice as much current at 120V vs 220.

[@bigtb1717]

Maybe I wasn't clear. The input current was far higher on 120V than it was on 240V. What I mean is that when any two non-PFC machines are set for the same output amperage and are running the same input voltage, they will draw roughly the same amperage. Likewise, if two machines with power factor correction are set to the same output and running the same input voltage, they will draw roughly the same current. The ARC 200 drew around 45 amps from the wall on 120V and I think around 30 or so on 240V.

[@TEDodd]

@@bigtb1717 I miss read at first. Still a lot closer than I would have expected. I need to get an amp clamp and test my machine now. I expected that it'd pull around half the current at 220, but you only saw a 33% drop. That suggests some big inefficiencies somewhere..

[@kenken-sr2vq]

Any reviews on HITBOX Synergic Stick/Lift Tig Welder 110V 220V, Actual 160Amp ?

[@bigtb1717]

I haven't tried that one. I'll keep it in mind.

[@jamesLetson-y7b]

I bought this welder several months back. It had 200e on the Screen. I scanned the QR code on the case and said 160d. This welder has really impressed me. I checked with clamp meter and is 196 amps. It will burn as many as you want Lincoln 5p 5/32 rods like my transformer welder without any issues. I even tried a 7018 3/16 rod on 200 max and it ran great. I paid $50 on eBay for it.

[@marosstipala3600]

It would be necessary to measure the current with the hot start on.

[@bigtb1717]

Can you explain what you mean? I've tested the hot start feature pretty extensively in my review of the ARC 200. Are you thinking it would change the results of my tesitng in this video?

[@marosstipala3600]

@@bigtb1717For a short time, the hot start will increase the momentum, I would like a link to your video with the hot start. Some inverters have a trimmer on the motherboard to set the maximum current, and maybe the manufacturer set it lower than the inverter can handle.

[@ramsandrzr3706]

I’ve had nothing but good things with my arcaptain mig 200 and I bought a spool gun for it for aluminum. It works great. I don’t use it for a stick though. I have a much bigger welder. If I’m gonna stick weld or MMA.

[@dannywilsher4165]

Very helpful, thanks!

[@sergio.i]

great review

[@hillcountrylivin]

Just curious, are you running that welder off of a 110v outlet? If so, that may be impacting the amperage.

[@bigtb1717]

@@hillcountrylivin I tested output on both 240V and 120V power. They do spec lower output on 120V. The actual output is below spec on both input voltages. I've tested a lot of machines, and this is VERY common on what I would call "generic" Chinese machines. A huge number of them falsely advertise capabilities. Many claim they will run 6010 when they can't. Many claim to have "lift start" TIG, when it is technically scratch start. Some even claim to have features like hot start and arc force when they don't. And many of them advertise higher output than they actually have.

[@hillcountrylivin]

@@bigtb1717 That is helpful. Sounds like I'm going to need a dedicated circuit and to not go "china-cheap" on the machine too. Thank you!

[@Buzzkillco]

Test the Deko Pro welding machine i have the 160A and it’s been working great even when i turned it up to 145amps using a 7024 1/8” jetrod.

[@bigtb1717]

I have tested the Deko Pro 160A stick welders. I thought it was decent for the money. I can't remember if the output was quite correct on 120V (and the amperage draw on 120V was pretty high), but the output accuracy on 240V was pretty good.

[@Baljeetride]

Thanks because I’m starting out and was confused

[@idontwantcorporateretaliat6301]

An internals video by "that shop teacher" of the ACCPT mig200 and one of the hitbox mig200ii by a Russian reviewer show the boards to be to my amateur eyes identical w/the exception of a bigger volume case for the arccaptain. The display already points to that fact but I'd rather have buttons and leds that can be replaced rather than the fancy lcd that would no longer be made 10 yrs from now. At least the duty cycle on the hitbox appears more honest. I know perhaps you haven't reviewed enough machines from each vendor to be the judge, but do you know of any of these import companies that keeps things honest spec wise?

[@bigtb1717]

Yeah, I'm sure a lot of these "brands" are sourcing stuff from the same handful of manufacturers. The first few cheap welders I ever reviewed were Amico brand. The brand has changed since then and I don't know what they are like now. They definitely had their issues, but they always could output the claimed amperage. Off the top of my head, the kicking Horse, Primeweld, and Hone welders I tested all roughly met their output claims, separate from any other quality issues or quirks. The Dekopro welder had accurate output on 240V, but it was slightly off on 120V. Everything I've tested from Harbor Freight has had roughly accurate specs. Other than the really generic stuff, I've probably tested as many that were accurate as those that were not. That's all the more reason I get so annoyed by companies like Yeswelder who push marketing so hard and claim to be a big part of the welding community, yet they put out welders with false specs and features that seem to have been designed by people who know nothing about welding.

[@idontwantcorporateretaliat6301]

​@@bigtb1717 I really like the Amico presentations (including their plasma cutter packagings) and their current pricing reflects that. I think this Guozhi one I got may be sourcing from the same place as them. I came across the "Weldpro Omni 210" this moring and that may be the ticket for most if they perform. The accessories certainly look higher end.

[@GamingKeenBeaner]

I was interested in ArcCaptain products, and I was impressed by how active they are on social media and KZbin comments, but they are suspiciously absent in the comments of this video. I guess there's not much they can say when you call them out for blatantly lying.

[@bigtb1717]

To be fair, it's not just them. It's a large portion of the cheap welders available on Amazon/eBay/Aliexpress/etc. It's very common for them to fall well short of the advertised output.

[@GamingKeenBeaner]

@@bigtb1717 Its a terrible practice though. I mean its the most universal thing.... its like buying a digital piano that's just a little out of tune; it won't stop you from playing songs, but its still ridiculous that it wasn't labeled accurately and that it teaches new players wrong notes. At the end of the day, I'm an adult: I can appreciate a good product even if it doesn't have the biggest numbers on paper.

[@bigtb1717]

@@GamingKeenBeaner I agree 100%. More and more lately I've been saying that even if a product is "good" for the price, I can't recommend products from companies who don't care enough to get that stuff right, or worse, mislabel and mis-advertise stuff intentionally. A $70 welder that puts out 120 amps is fine. A $70 welder that says it puts out 200 amps but really only puts out 120 is just causing confusion and problems. Just be honest.

[@bigtb1717]

@@GamingKeenBeaner That's also why I do these tests and try to point it out. Because it's a bad practice and I don't want people to excuse it or get "used" to it. We should at least insist on honest specs and honest advertising.

[@GamingKeenBeaner]

@@bigtb1717 Well I appreciate the earnest review!

[@markpennell4938]

Really great videos!!! Would you look at the Hynade brand some time please. I watched hours and hours of flux core reviews and eventually bought a hynade MIG140D. Was looking for a functional basic stick welder to complement it. There aren't many reviews on the Hynade brand, the one or two that there are seem to rave about them. Thanks

[@nilomyki]

Thanks for your sharing.

[@AXNJXN1]

It's not uncommon for industrial manufactures to 'rate' a device like a car stereo with '100 Watts' of power to only produce around 60 at best, or even amplifiers for stereos that are mutually underpowered, yet marketed for say 1000 watts, but barely put out 550. So with that, I approached your video with caution because surely, that 'marketing' ism was a bit dated, but you proved it right. Now, for the comments below talking about how the Clamp Meters getting an un-precise reading, there are high-end meters like the Klein CL445 that will record both low and high ends of metering values. I think it's time to test my own MIG200 and see what it says too! FWIW, I do know that the extremely overpriced Lincoln and Miller machines of today DO put out their rated amps because they have to depending on the hard commercial work they must perform. But for your sub-$1000.00 or even the sub-$500.00 machines; we probably can't expect that in this pricing genre. Great video, thanks for raising the point and one final point please, ArcCaptain's customer support is absolutely ON POINT!

[@bigtb1717]

I understand where you are coming from. And I appreciate you sharing the experience that Arccaptain's customer support is good. However, stick welders are constant current power supplies. They are supposed to push a certain amount of current continuously, varying the voltage output in order to maintain a steady current. If they claim to be able to produce 200A, the display goes to 200, but they can only produce 160, that's simply false advertising. They are selling a 160 amp machine, advertised as 200 and even programmed to show 200 on the display, but not able to do it. All of the name brand machines and many of the more "generic" brands I've tested, will put out exactly what the specs claim. I get your point about cheap car stereos. But I wouldn't support "misrepresenting" output specs in that case either. However, stereo amplifier output is a slightly different type of rating and is dependent on many factors. How many speakers are hooked up, the impedance of the speakers, and even whether they have a crossover in the speaker can all affect how much power a given amp can push through the system. There are a lot of factors that can effect how much wattage a speaker amplifier can push at any given time. So it's theoretically possible that in some obscure, uncommon setup, that cheap stereo could hit 100 watts of output. That doesn't mean it's not a little questionable to rate it that way, but considering how many factors are involved, it's at least a bit more understandable. And it's also possible it simply can't do 100 watts in any circumstance, and in a case where I could demonstrate that, I would call them out for false advertising all the same. A welder, especially a constant current one (Stick, TIG), simply has an amperage output setting you dial in, and it should output that amperage (or thereabout). So it's not quite the same. It's a much more straightforward rating. Edit: Also, I see a lot of the same sentiment that it's just the kind of thing we should expect at this price point. I strongly disagree. I see no reason why a company shouldn't just advertise a 160 amp machine as a 160 amp machine, even if it's cheap. Being cheap is no reason to lie about capabilities. No matter how much someone has to spend, they should be able to have a reasonable expectation that they are getting what they are being told they are paying for.

[@AXNJXN1]

@@bigtb1717 Great response thank you for the return comment. I personally want to amperage check my own MIG200 and see what its output is too from my Klein clamp. My curiosity is up there too. Cheers!

[@tsl7881]

No what should say is we have this great priced 160A machine. I would expect them not to lie about a basic parameter. They can throw all the other embellishments on there as they want. TWICE AS POWERFUL like something from a HF box.

[@steveu235]

Do the Yeswelder

[@bigtb1717]

Which one? I've reviewed a bunch of Yeswelder machines on this channel. I also have the newer MIG 205DS to see if it's any better than the old one, and I pre-ordered the DP200.

[@sparkywirenut]

FTC { Federal Trade Commission } should be going after these manufacturers for false advertising and not allow them to import them ..

[@junkyardspecial9608]

Chinese Fortune Cookies are somewhat of a let down to ...😝

[@bigtb1717]

Watch for an opportunity this week. Your lucky numbers this week are 14, 7, 11, 28 1. Lol. I've heard that AI chat bots may end up putting the people who write fortune cookies out of a job.

[@tsl7881]

Wow ! They are following the Harbor Freight business plan. Lie about it until you can deliver. Then just fudge a little.

[@Whenthehooddrops]

Can't believe the 200 is built better

[@bigtb1717]

Yeah, I sort of expected them to be identical inside.

[@joshua12084]

I’m just gonna be patient and save up for a Miller. How can you take pride in your work with crap like this ?

[@bojack2740]

My deko pro burns 5/32 7018s pretty good. Way better than that.

[@Buzzkillco]

Funny you say that i have a deko pro 160 amp machine and ive used 1/8 7024 jetrods at 145amps and it works great! been wanting to upload the video because it’s surprisingly a great little machine, wish they had a 200amp version that also runs 6010 because it works so good! i bought the arc captain today and im gonna test it out with 6010 on some pipe see how that works out.

[@bojack2740]

@@Buzzkillco the arc captain can't run 6010 properly. Let me know if it can

[@Buzzkillco]

@@bojack2740 i saw this other video of this guy named Taylor welds, (Great welder btw) and he was using the arc captain multiprocessor and did do 6010 with it but it wasn’t the machine model i bought. i’ll be testing it out this week and uploading a video on it.

[@Buzzkillco]

@@bojack2740 Will do!

[@603adventures9]

Test a name brand get thing my Lincoln same way . But we wont here him talk about that . Rather dog china competition

[@bigtb1717]

I've tested several cheap welders from China that performed quite well, and didn't lie about their output. I've also tested Lincoln, ESAB, Fronius, Miller, several from Harbor Freight (Titanium, Vulcan), A Klutch, and more, and all could output what they claim. I haven't made videos about them all, but I've made videos about a lot of them on this channel, including a newer Lincoln welder quite recently.

[@yurimodin7333]

PrimeWeld

[@nini6823]

“All Chinese sellers lie”..we better believe it

[@603adventures9]

So do name brands do same test on Lincoln or miller