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.
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.
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.
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.
@@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!
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
@@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.
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?
@@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.
I was interested in ArcCaptain products, and I was impressed by how active they are on social media and RUclips 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.
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.
@@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.
@@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.
@@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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Another great review as usual!
Thank you for a real review and other reviewers should be reporting the short falls
great review
Very helpful, thanks!
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.
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.
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.
@@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!
Thanks for your sharing.
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
Thanks because I’m starting out and was confused
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.
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.
Cheers! I hope it works well for you.
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
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.
Any reviews on HITBOX Synergic Stick/Lift Tig Welder 110V 220V, Actual 160Amp ?
I haven't tried that one. I'll keep it in mind.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
@@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.
It would be necessary to measure the current with the hot start on.
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?
@@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.
I’m just gonna be patient and save up for a Miller. How can you take pride in your work with crap like this ?
I was interested in ArcCaptain products, and I was impressed by how active they are on social media and RUclips 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.
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.
@@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.
@@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.
@@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.
@@bigtb1717 Well I appreciate the earnest review!
Can't believe the 200 is built better
Yeah, I sort of expected them to be identical inside.
Chinese Fortune Cookies are somewhat of a let down to ...😝
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.
My deko pro burns 5/32 7018s pretty good. Way better than that.
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.
@@DirtyWelds the arc captain can't run 6010 properly. Let me know if it can
@@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.
@@bojack2740 Will do!