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

I previously tested the Arccaptain ARC 200 and found it maxed out at 160 amps of output. I decided to quickly test the output of the ARC 160 to see if it would match the output of the ARC 200, or if it too would fail to match the claimed specs. This is just a short video testing the max output and giving my thoughts.

Any support is appreciated. Thanks!

[dukedude]

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

[kendallh]

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!

[marcelmarcotte]

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.

[WV]

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.

[dougn]

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.

[jarniotes]

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

[Anterak]

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.

[venividivici]

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.

[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.

[fonhollohan]

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!

[Jeff-kpjm]

I found the same to be true as far as spec exaggeration for steam cleaners. They pitch it up and down as being 2500w draw. It came to me on day using ohms law, and the common ratings you'd see on things like power strips and such, that 2500 watts seems quite high for a standard household circuit to handle. Ran the steam cleaner through a Kill-a-Watt watts from what was advertised at 2500. "Then they say sorry, I give you $6 discount, okay?" Sorry, Ping! Not today! :). On the other hand I got a slightly different steam cleaner at one point, it was advertised at 1700 watt draw. Turns out that one was around 2000w. So the specs are all over the board, but can be over or under exaggerated. Which most certainly is a safety risk for the unbeknownst user.

[ramsandrzr]

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.

[GamingKeenBeaner]

I was interested in ArcCaptain products, and I was impressed by how active they are on social media and YouTube 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.

[markpennell]

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

[Baljeetride]

Thanks because I’m starting out and was confused

[ROBTAT]

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

[jimsmith]

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.

[random]

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

[mattbash]

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.

[AXNJXN]

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!