ARCCAPTAIN Stick Welder, [Large LED Display] 200A ARC/Lift TIG Welding Machine with Synergic Control, IGBT Inverter 110V/220V Portable MMA Welder Machine with Hot Start, Arc force and Anti-Stick

I’m teaching myself to weld and wanted to start with arc welding. This is a solidly built machine at a good price that I have a feeling will last me a really long time. I’m just starting out but have already moved past the presets and am working on dialing in settings for multiple rods and material thicknesses. When connected to 240v power this machine will handle any task I could ever need. The hot start and dig features are really nice for something this cheap and work extremely well, although I’m only now beginning to appreciate their usefulness. I’m still just in the practice stage and have only used it on 1/8” square tubing and angle, and haven’t had to get it anywhere near its maximum power with 3/32 7018 and 1/8 7014 rods. I’ll be interested to try it with some 5/32 rods and on even thicker material eventually. I will say that the ground clamp and stinger are kinda cheap and I upgraded both. I may ultimately upgrade the wires as well but the welder itself is solid, powerful, lightweight, and extremely versatile with the included 110v adapter. I could see this combined with a small portable generator being a lucrative setup… once I get good.

Few things you should know before buying. 1: this is a great beginner welder to learn stick/tig. 2: it does an excellent job with tig at 100-150 amp. 3: it does a TERRIBLE job at anything higher than that. Allow me to elaborate, the ground cable is incredibly thin. Like thinner than your extension cables. Christmas light cord thin. This is why anything passed 150A is a death sentence for the cable. Another con is that the tig Torch lead is protected by a 1mm thick braided cable, so in other words you might as well have zero protective covering on it as the tiniest spark WILL blow the lead up making it useless. But you must take into consideration that these are just consumables. The box itself does great. Never had any power failures, tripped breakers, or smoke coming from the box. And lengthy use at 150A didn't make it hot. Not even warm. So box stays at proper temp. Its only the ground cable and the tig lead that need some work. Everything else is perfect. So all in all, for $160 this is an AWESOME welder that will weld a good variety of metals, but be economically prepared to buy a new lead and ground if you plan on doing heavier projects

We live in the country and purchased the ARCCAPTAIN Stick Welder to help with building sheds for our sheep and goats, and it’s been fantastic! The 200A ARC/Lift TIG Welding Machine is incredibly powerful and easy to use. The large LED display makes it simple to monitor settings, and the synergic control ensures smooth and precise welding every time. It has been a huge asset in constructing sturdy, reliable sheds for our animals. The welder is durable, lightweight, and portable, which makes it perfect for outdoor projects. It’s also versatile, handling both stick and TIG welding effortlessly. Highly recommend this welder for anyone looking to tackle welding tasks on a farm or for DIY projects!

I'm an experienced welder, so have top end welders to compare to. I enjoy buying the budget welders, evaluating them, then give some of them away. . I've done reviews on Yeswelder, and the sleeper of high quality, budget-friendly welders, Amico, which, at $189, is better priced than the Arccaptain. You'll see why I say this at the end of the review. Overall, Arccaptain stick welder is a nice machine, capable of using multiple types of rods. The display is great, and easy to read, even with my auto darkening helmet down. It has adjustable arc force, arc start, and has built in anti-stick feature, making it easier and safer to remove a stuck welding rod, by reducing amps to 10, instead of burning up the rod, as non anti-stick welders may do if you're not fast enough to remove the holder from the rod, or break it off the work. It has a nice rod selection feature, where you select the size rod you're using, and it keeps the amperage selection within the optimal boundaries of that diameter rod (you can bypass this feature as well). The power cord is about 6' long, with a 240-to120V adapter that seems well built but I can't see what the gauge is, or if it's aluminum or copper cable. The fan is high pitched and a little noisy, if that's a concern. No biggie but worth noting. The Yeswelder I evaluated has a much quieter fan. The ground clamp and electrode holder are actually pretty good for this price point! Welder efficiency is .7 which is better than the Bestarc (.6) but not even close to the Amico at .93 (1 is perfect efficiency). The main concern I have for highest efficiency rating, is welding at someone else's house who only have 120V available. On the same 20 amp outlet, the Bestarc may trip the breaker delivering 70 amps, were the Arccaptain may go to 85 amps, and the Amico to maybe 110 amps of delivered welding current. This can mean the difference of getting good weld penetration on 1/4" plate or pipe fence, or producing a weaker weld due to current limitation. Same issue on 220V as well. Something to think about. OK, for the testing. I used 5/32" Lincoln 7018. I put an amp-clamp on it and set it on 200 Amps. Surprisingly it read only 175 amps, with the current dropping on the second stick. I smelled a hot plastic odor coming from the cables. They were very hot! I noticed the wire gauge is only 16mm2, which is equivalent to #6 awg, and for copper cable, is rated for only 50 amps (For gauge, lower number means higher current capacity, wheres the European millimeter squared, higher number means higher amp capacity). This small wire is not good at all! So I pulled off the Dinse 35 connectors, electrode holder and ground clamp and replaced the cables with some spare #2 awg I had. Second surprise: I looked at the Arccaptain cables and was stunned to see they are copper plated aluminum! Even the copper wrap for the Dinse connectors are copper plated aluminum. In my opinion, if you buy this welder and plan to use it over 100 amps, I strongly suggest you swap out the cables. I bought my #2 cables from Temco on ebay but 20' (cut in half) length is $60, and you'll need lugs for the ground. So to do it right, you'll be into the upgrades for $70 with tax. (Are you seeing why I said the Amico is cheaper?) BTW, the Amico comes with 10' #1 gauge wires and heavy duty ground clamp and electrode holder. If you want to upgrade the electrode holder like I did, my favorite is the Lincoln 200 amp electrode holder, and is ~ $24 on amazon. I also like the Lincoln 300 amp ground clamp, and is about $26 on amazon. Once I replaced the cables I was able to get 190 amps out of the machine. One of the workhorses in the stick welding world is 6010 rod. It has deep weld penetration, can bridge gaps, and can weld dirty materials, including galvanized steel, and is great for out-of-position welding (vertical, overhead, etc) It has a mixture of flux materials, more importantly Calcium Carbonate, which burns back slower than the metal rod, creating a concavity at the end of the rod. This shields the steel during welding, and produces CO2 gas, shielding the weld from oxygen, and the CO2 provides more penetration compared to other gases. However this rod requires higher voltage to run, and many welders, including Yeswelder (from my personal testing). The Arccaptain actually does a pretty good job of running 6010 on both 220 and even 110V, although it runs better on 220V. If you look at the spec's for max welding voltage, it's 28v, which is needed for 6010. The high open circuit voltage is an indicator it is set up for higher welding voltage. The Amico also does a great job of welding with 6010 but my Everlast Thunder 255 is the best I've tested on 6010, and it even has a specific setting for running 6010...it's that tricky to run 6010 on inverter type welders. But the Everlast multiprocess welder is $1700 and weighs 78 lbs. So the Arccaptain running all rods including 6010 is great. It weighs about 8 lbs. I didn't test the lift tig but I wouldn't use this welder for tig. Overall, Arccaptain will work for most moderate jobs, and with upgraded cables can approach it's rated 200 amp output for sustained welding. With the upgraded cables, I have $185 into the machine for welding with 200 amp output, using the original ground clamp and electrode holder. For me, at $4 more, the Amico would be my choice, even with it's 17 lb weight and a little larger size. You take it out of the box and weld....no upgrades needed. But for most people the Arccaptain is a lightweight, good machine with a pretty good owner's manual.

This welding machine has been a fantastic addition for our home workshop. Right out of the box, it felt like a high-quality piece of equipment, with a build that seems really solid and durable, definitely living up to expectations based on its description emphasizing portability and reliable components. For a 5-star product, the overall feel and construction are exactly what you'd hope for. We got this as my son's first welder, and it certainly hasn't disappointed in usage so far. It's proven to be great for smaller work around the house and garage, performing just as you'd expect for DIY tasks, which aligns well with how it's advertised as suitable for both professionals and DIY users. While the included stickers had many words spelled incorrectly, which was a bit odd, it was a thoughtful gesture to include them anyway, and it's not a real issue with the welder itself. The performance for its size and price point is really impressive, making it a great tool for getting those smaller projects done.

genuinely surprised at how good this is. A very good way to spend $118. it has not failed me once, the power is as much as I could ever want and it doesn't randomly cut out like the 50 dollar welder did

The ARCCAPTAIN 220Amp Stick Welder is a surprisingly capable little powerhouse that punches way above its weight class. For anyone looking to tackle home repairs, farm work, or light fabrication, it offers a level of digital precision that you usually only find on much more expensive industrial units. The standout feature is definitely the Large LED Display, which provides clear, real-time data that is easy to read even with a welding helmet on. This machine uses Synergic Control, meaning it can automatically match the recommended current and voltage once you select your electrode diameter. It makes getting a smooth arc much easier for beginners, though you can still manually override settings if you have a specific preference for how you like to weld. Despite its high 220A output and 60% duty cycle, the machine is incredibly portable and weighs very little, making it easy to throw over your shoulder for outdoor jobs. It handles common rods like 6011, 6013, and 7018 with ease, providing Hot Start and Arc Force functions that prevent the electrode from sticking and help with deep penetration on thicker metals. It also supports Lift TIG welding, though you will need to purchase a separate TIG torch to use that mode. While it isn't built for heavy industrial use, it's a reliable, feature-packed option for anyone who needs a versatile welder without the professional price tag.

Son loves it. He has welded everything with it. What a great little welder for the money. Functions great with easy to use controls. Very Durable and can stand up to long jobs. Sticky as can be on the rod. Wonderful welder.