any feedback on ESAB Caddy MIG C160i

admin

just wondering if anyone has experience with this machinethanks
Reply:anyone, anyone? thinking about picking one up soon and would like some input
Reply:I dont have that welder,but, I have the big sister to that one, the cadi mig 200.  What I can tell you about that machine is that it runs very nice.  I have run aluminum with it running the same liner as regular solid without a problem.  If the 160 runs the same I would find it to be a nice machine, but you have to run it to be able to determine if you like it.  The LWS in my area had a demo unit I was able to try that is what helped me make a decision.  Good luck on make your making a decision.
Reply:If you can find an ESAB dealer near you, ask them if you can demo one. or ask if they can contact their ESAB rep and get a demo in for you to try out.   I have found that ESAB are really good as far as getting their machines out there for folks to try out.   I have had 3 different ESAB machines including 2 in my current collection and they are weld/ cut excellent.Tiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:James, I'll let you know in a week or two, I've got one coming in the mail on a side note though, my LWS didn't recommend them, as they are "all plastic" and apperently one customer dropped his and the inner panel that holds the wire spool broke.Ron, what al wire did you run through your 200?  I wanted that machine as Esab said it was al capable, and they used to have a teflon liner for it, but now I don't see the liner listed anywhere.Last edited by dubl_t; 06-22-2012 at 09:38 AM.Lincoln SA 200Esab Caddy 160Thermal Arc 201TSMiller Dialarc HFI don't like making plans for the day because then the word "premeditated" gets thrown around the courtroom....
Reply:I purchased a ESAB Caddy MIG C200i Welder last summer and used it for about 3 weeks before the little caddy burned up, Esab was very good about the warranty and offered me a new one or my money back I opted for my money back they even paid return shipping with no hassle! I,ll list my pros and cons .ProInverter,light weight 26 lbs,quick disconnect for gas ,small size,nice smooth arc~ mig weldConswill not take 4' spools of wire as 2' spool axle is molded into inside of case so you have to use 8" spools,I found that the Q set is awkward ~ maual settings are fine.no mig gun quick disconnect and only 10 ft gun comes with machine.Cannot use .045 cored wire,polarity changes are a pain unless you have tiny fingers ,will not take spool gun,wire drive is all plastic.RegardsBobThermal Arc T-Bird 270 Amp gas welder Thermal Arc Pro Wave 185PowerArc 200 Riland 60 PlasmaMiller suitcase 12vs wire feeder, 180 Amp Diesel Welder GenEllis 1600 bandsawImig 205 Mig,Eastwood 250 migLincoln 250 G9 Pro gas Weldanpower
Reply:I use to see the rep out here from time to time and asked him and he said the 5356 is the one to use, and I did use it with out problem.  It took a little while to get the tension correct and once it was set it ran fine with out changing the liner.  I have since gone back to solid with out a problem as well.
Reply:The 200 is a excellent machine. It is surprisingly good with a liner change, and solid.035 wire. I have the aluminum drive rolls,Nylon liner. I was not impressed with the aluminum welding at all. Short tacks, and it will get you by. If you need aluminum, buy a Passport. If you want to weld SS/Mild Steel then buy a Esab.  The gun is a non issue as far as coming off the machine, because it has a excellent cable wrap.  Liner changes are easy, and .023 wire welds way better then any passport I have used. The more you use the machine the better you will like it. Can't say that for most machines I have used/owned. The machine really does not like any wire bigger then .035 in size. Not sure if cored wire in .045 would work anyway. The q-set can get you kind of close using .030 solid wire, but since it's easy enough to dial in without it, better just not using it. It runs on a generator super because of PFC, and just might be the best little mig machine off a smaller generator. Works very well off my 4k Thermal-arc 170 Scout.  I really like the non adjustable spool adjustment, makes wire changes very fast, and always right on. Can't run the small spools, but you gain in ease of use. I paid $850 new, and it turned out to be a great deal. I have a feeling the C-160 will be a nice unit if you .use .035 wire to gain a bit more on top. Less wfs with that unit, about the same as the new Passport. One note on the wire drive. non issue on the the plastic, and the M\motor is much more powerful then the small Miller or Hobart wire drives. Feed the wire in the machine very easy, and it just works great.Last edited by Brand X; 06-24-2012 at 12:00 PM.Esab/Lorch ET-220iEsab 160i caddyThermal LM-200 Lincoln feedersThermal Pee-Wee 85sThermal 60i- 3phase /RPC powered (Beast)Thermal Drag-gun 35CINE 1500 Klutch 140i
Reply:http://www.ebay.com/itm/ESAB-Caddy-M...item19d24b1716Esab/Lorch ET-220iEsab 160i caddyThermal LM-200 Lincoln feedersThermal Pee-Wee 85sThermal 60i- 3phase /RPC powered (Beast)Thermal Drag-gun 35CINE 1500 Klutch 140i
Reply:edit: wrong thread Last edited by turbocad6; 06-25-2012 at 03:04 AM.miller 330a bp TIGmiller dynasty 200DX TIGmillermatic 185 MIGthermal dynamics cutmaster 101 plasma cuttersnap-on YA5550 plasma cutterhypertherm powermax 30 plasma cutterbaileigh CS225 cold sawetc....
Reply:yeah, why is that so cheap?miller 330a bp TIGmiller dynasty 200DX TIGmillermatic 185 MIGthermal dynamics cutmaster 101 plasma cuttersnap-on YA5550 plasma cutterhypertherm powermax 30 plasma cutterbaileigh CS225 cold sawetc....
Reply:Originally Posted by turbocad6yeah, why is that so cheap?
Reply:Originally Posted by turbocad6yeah, why is that so cheap?
Reply:Mine will be here Thursday. Since they had the 300 on sale too, i guess that one is going by-by... I heard it was due for a upgrade, when my friend went back there, a year or two ago.  About all they build that is USA as far as welding machines. Maybe a 3500 inverter too. Going to suck if they screw with that one much.  For $469.00, go ahead and upgrade the price too.  The Thermal 161s I bought at a real good discount is still being sold at the higher price, so machine makers don't always kill machines that have been discounted. I really like the 200, and if the 160 is half as good, then I will be real happy. Bought the 200 for $850.00, so half as good is about right. i kind of have a feeling it better then half as good. Going to suck if it's better. Probably hard to make much better in arc quality.Esab/Lorch ET-220iEsab 160i caddyThermal LM-200 Lincoln feedersThermal Pee-Wee 85sThermal 60i- 3phase /RPC powered (Beast)Thermal Drag-gun 35CINE 1500 Klutch 140i
Reply:Originally Posted by dubl_tI talked to Chuck in the ad, as that's where mine is coming from, and he said "they buy so many and pass the savings on" but did mention the package is opened.  I suspected that he swapped the guts from the 160 for Everlast guts and he just laughed.  I suspect Esab is going through major change/renovation and getting ready to unleash a better beast.  A couple mo's ago they had a "buy on, get one free" sale on another site for various welders.
Reply:LOL! GUESS WHAT WAS ON MY FRONT PORCH TODAY!!!I only had time to set it up and play for a couple minutes, and here's my thoughts on that:1. money well spent for a new unit.  I've had Migatronics (don't remember the model, but it was dual voltage and my absolute fav), Lincoln 155 tapped, Lincoln 125 continuous, and the Thermal Arc 180 Fabricator.  I don't generally buy anything new, and the Migatronics and the Caddy are the only ones, but the TA didn't even have one roll of wire through it.  From what I've done in the 5 mins I could, the Caddy will be my 2nd favorite.  I feel the Fabricator was a better welder, but it was tapped voltage/heat output, and dambed heavy as a transformer unit,  so limited in that respect.  2. Absolutely a joy to carry around!  This is the reason the Caddy wins over the TA Fabricator in my opinion and for my purpose.  3. A little Euro-trashish.  No offense to over-seas readers, hell, I drive a Land Rover, but the manual is super vague and in metrics only.  And I'm no mathemagician to do conversions.  Along with that, it's "semi-automatic" which I assumes mean set plate thickness and pull trigger.  I don't like the fact that the heat and wire speed numbers aren't listed on the dials.  But there is a heat intensity dial (or something like that) to where you can dial up or down the heat.Yea, I'm gonna like this little guy, but as X knows, I REALLY wanted a 200 Caddy....but for that ebay price, you can't go wrong.  Oh yea, there's alot of plastic.  I'm not talking about the drive mechanism, but the case itself.  I can kinda believe what my LSW dude said about his customer breaking the inner panel that holds the spool, so don't drop it for God's sake.Lincoln SA 200Esab Caddy 160Thermal Arc 201TSMiller Dialarc HFI don't like making plans for the day because then the word "premeditated" gets thrown around the courtroom....
Reply:I would think u can download a USA version manual from the ESABNA.com website.   Lightweight is awesome esp when u figure in the weight of a spool of wire.I would get a multimeter and a helper and make/record your own voltages and mark those positions on the dial/unit.   Can do the same for wire speed.  Run it for 15 sec, measure wire and x4 u get the IPM.   I did this on my MIGMASTER 250.Last edited by soutthpaw; 06-26-2012 at 09:48 PM.Tiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:Originally Posted by dubl_tLOL! GUESS WHAT WAS ON MY FRONT PORCH TODAY!!!I only had time to set it up and play for a couple minutes, and here's my thoughts on that:1. money well spent for a new unit.  I've had Migatronics (don't remember the model, but it was dual voltage and my absolute fav), Lincoln 155 tapped, Lincoln 125 continuous, and the Thermal Arc 180 Fabricator.  I don't generally buy anything new, and the Migatronics and the Caddy are the only ones, but the TA didn't even have one roll of wire through it.  From what I've done in the 5 mins I could, the Caddy will be my 2nd favorite.  I feel the Fabricator was a better welder, but it was tapped voltage/heat output, and dambed heavy as a transformer unit,  so limited in that respect.  2. Absolutely a joy to carry around!  This is the reason the Caddy wins over the TA Fabricator in my opinion and for my purpose.  3. A little Euro-trashish.  No offense to over-seas readers, hell, I drive a Land Rover, but the manual is super vague and in metrics only.  And I'm no mathemagician to do conversions.  Along with that, it's "semi-automatic" which I assumes mean set plate thickness and pull trigger.  I don't like the fact that the heat and wire speed numbers aren't listed on the dials.  But there is a heat intensity dial (or something like that) to where you can dial up or down the heat.Yea, I'm gonna like this little guy, but as X knows, I REALLY wanted a 200 Caddy....but for that ebay price, you can't go wrong.  Oh yea, there's alot of plastic.  I'm not talking about the drive mechanism, but the case itself.  I can kinda believe what my LSW dude said about his customer breaking the inner panel that holds the spool, so don't drop it for God's sake.
Reply:X,they opened the box before shipping to insert the reg (it usually comes seperate) but alas, no wire....SPaw,the only thing I could think of when reading your post is "why the hell would a dog look like a lion?!!"  Is that some kinda photomagicery stuff?Lincoln SA 200Esab Caddy 160Thermal Arc 201TSMiller Dialarc HFI don't like making plans for the day because then the word "premeditated" gets thrown around the courtroom....
Reply:Originally Posted by dubl_tX,they opened the box before shipping to insert the reg (it usually comes seperate) but alas, no wire....
Reply:Originally Posted by dubl_tX,they opened the box before shipping to insert the reg (it usually comes seperate) but alas, no wire....SPaw,the only thing I could think of when reading your post is "why the hell would a dog look like a lion?!!"  Is that some kinda photomagicery stuff?
Reply:SPaw,ok, I've gotten over your tiger-dog pic and think I can address your statement.The thing is, the "big" knob adjusts both the heat and the wire speed, while the "little" knob is like a fine tuning for the heat.  I don't really like that, but with time I'll learn the ropes.  But if you don't mind, tell me how I can test for voltage output, thanks.BTW, didn't you used to have a different avatar up?  Didn't you help me out with a Powcon I used to have?X,I probably should push the issue with Esab, but maybe I'll start with the seller to just see what they say.Lincoln SA 200Esab Caddy 160Thermal Arc 201TSMiller Dialarc HFI don't like making plans for the day because then the word "premeditated" gets thrown around the courtroom....
Reply:Ok I didn't know that is how they did the controls.  That's pretty weird...  though seems like the guys that have them do like them.    for voltage just connect one lead of the multimeter to each of the welding leads.  Yep still have the Powcon.  its my main machine along with the ESAB Suitcase feeder and the spoolgunTiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:So what is the consensus on the 160? Are you guys pleased. Was it supposed to come with wire? Please let us know.Thanks,Nick
Reply:Originally Posted by kiwiSo what is the consensus on the 160? Are you guys pleased. Was it supposed to come with wire? Please let us know.Thanks,NickJim,Thanks for the answer and the awesome photos.Nick
Reply:There is a welding shop in AZ selling the 160 for $469 and free shipping on ebay.   Couple members I think have bought them.Tiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250