ESAB C200i

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I am looking for any feed back or comments on the ESAB c200i mig welder.  After searching around I have discovered that there is surprisingly little information about this welder.  I am particularly intrigued by it because space is very limited for me and this welder is very compact and light.  Due to space limitations I would like to use CO2 for shielding gas, does anyone have experience using this welder on CO2?After calling around today I discovered that most of the welding shops where I live have never sold a c200i.  This worries me a little, I think the machine will be fine, but how difficult will it be to get consumables?  Lots of welding shops sell ESAB equipment, just not this particular model.  Are there other welders that share components such as contact tips and drive wheels with the c200i?  Should I conceder replacing the mig gun with a more common one?I have also read somewhere that due to the small size of this welder not all 8" spools of wire fit, apparently some are to wide to allow the door to close.  Has anyone encountered this?  I have also noticed that there are no contact tips available from ESAB for 0.045" wire.  When using flux core wire is there a need to step up from 0.035" to 0.045" wire with a machine of this size?  Sorry about the wall of text, any comments are greatly appreciated.  Regards
Reply:The only thing I can tell you is a I am a HUGE fan of ESAB's customer service. I have no experience with this welder though.Miller Multimatic 255
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 ~ manual 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:Generally Q set works fine for me, pretty simple setup. I just as soon use the manual mode because that is what I am use to. Had mine for almost 2 years, and it's a excellent welder. Could care less about the 4 inch spools, because never liked the helix cast into the wire when using small spools. Welds much nicer then the Thermal-181 i I used, and has better top end power. I changed the gun handle so the neck has a more pleasing angle. matches all the rest of Binzel guns now.Tweco 11 tips fit, and cheap nozzles from ebay do too. Liners are easy to get from Esab, and I am sure other Binzel liners will work. Feeds excellent, and easier to get thew 8 inch spools on or off/plus feed wire then most other machines. CO2 welds excellent along with C-25. It's arc quality will more then match about any high dollar rig, so nice bonus..I had many and know the difference too. Best 200 amp mig for running off a generator there is. Just blows away anything in that area.One last thing memory hold of the last amp, and voltage is a great design feature. Most machine clear after 5 seconds, and sometimes hard to catch. Helps you find out where you are when setup a weld..Last edited by Brand X; 03-25-2014 at 01:58 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:For a little more money, you can get a Thermal Arc Fabricator - which will run on 110V as well.Also, check to see if ESAB's smaller machines can handle a spool gun.For a lot more money, you can get Miller's Multimatic 200 which has to be one of the smoothest (spatter free) welders out there on pure CO2.  Not to mention the autoset is trivially simple to use.Unless you need the heat, C25 (75% argon, 25% CO2) gas will just make the welds all look better.  These 200 Amp style welders seem to work best with about a .030 wire.  1/4" is weldable, but you will be moving a bit slower with .030.  One last note - ESAB's Caddy MIG, and Miller's Multimatic weights are given empty - Add a 15 lbs spool and you are pushing 50 lbs.  Add cables, hoses regulator and you will be pushing the definition of portable.Con Fuse!Miller Dynasty 350Millermatic 350P-Spoolmatic 30AMiller Multimatic 200Hypertherm PowerMax 1000G3Miller Maxstar 200DX
Reply:The caddie miig is 35 pounds with a ten pound spool/ 15 lb do not work in it.  .035 work just fine in the caddie mig also. Pull a few more amps The Thermal-arc 211 is not in the same class as far as weight or size. It's so much better then any Thermal-arc on genny power too. Lugging my LN-25 pro is not even in the ballpark as these little light weights are. The esab is super easy to set and runs CO2 great, prefer C-25 best overall, but a 5 pound co2 bottle is kind of nice.. Run a roll of wire anyway. Esab is about $850 on-line and it's as good a arc as you will find anywhere. (With Spool-arc 86 anyway)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:I have looked extensively at the Miller multimatic 200, for a long time I thought that would be the welder I would buy when the time comes.  The only problem is the cost, locally I can get the C200i for $1250 CAD, the Miller is $2150 CAD.  If you want the TIG package for the Miller the price goes up to $2600.  I just cannot justify the increased price to have a TIG welder at this time, not to mention that I would have to find a place to store another gas cylinder.  In a few years time when I move out and have a place of my own I will look into getting a TIG setup, for now there is a lack of money and storage space.  Not to mention I would rather put that money towards a real TIG welder in a few years.  The ESAB is smaller, cheaper, and has a better duty cycle then the Miller.  From what I can tell the ESAB welds very well on CO2 thanks to the inverter and the adjustable inductance.  This is a huge plus for storage because a 10 or 15 lb CO2 tank is a fraction of the size of an 80 or 150 cuft cylinder.  If anyone knows where I can find a C200i for $850 USD on line that would ship to Canada can you please post a link.  I have been quoted as high as $1500 locally and would love to get one for under a grand.
Reply:There are plenty of machines that weld great on CO2."They" don't tell you that. The same demons that sit on the welder company boards sit on industrial gas boards , sit on power tool boards.They also sit on insurance boards( safety switches etc etc)It's just business." Lets put a flesh cut stop on a table saw and charge the 'tards an extra $300 ! They'll tell everyone they are stupid not to buy that saw ! Then we can feed them (name that)'zac and they cant cut their hands off !Them thar drill bits sho don't drill alike they did 20 years ago.Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:Originally Posted by tmandellI have looked extensively at the Miller multimatic 200, for a long time I thought that would be the welder I would buy when the time comes.  The only problem is the cost, locally I can get the C200i for $1250 CAD, the Miller is $2150 CAD.  If you want the TIG package for the Miller the price goes up to $2600.  I just cannot justify the increased price to have a TIG welder at this time, not to mention that I would have to find a place to store another gas cylinder.  In a few years time when I move out and have a place of my own I will look into getting a TIG setup, for now there is a lack of money and storage space.  Not to mention I would rather put that money towards a real TIG welder in a few years.  The ESAB is smaller, cheaper, and has a better duty cycle then the Miller.  From what I can tell the ESAB welds very well on CO2 thanks to the inverter and the adjustable inductance.  This is a huge plus for storage because a 10 or 15 lb CO2 tank is a fraction of the size of an 80 or 150 cuft cylinder.  If anyone knows where I can find a C200i for $850 USD on line that would ship to Canada can you please post a link.  I have been quoted as high as $1500 locally and would love to get one for under a grand.
Reply:Try these guys, they are a cdn. online supplier.  Kinda weird how they do pricing, though.  You add it the item to a cart and then submit for a price quote.http://samesterweldingsupply.com Originally Posted by tmandellI have looked extensively at the Miller multimatic 200, for a long time I thought that would be the welder I would buy when the time comes.  The only problem is the cost, locally I can get the C200i for $1250 CAD, the Miller is $2150 CAD.  If you want the TIG package for the Miller the price goes up to $2600.  I just cannot justify the increased price to have a TIG welder at this time, not to mention that I would have to find a place to store another gas cylinder.  In a few years time when I move out and have a place of my own I will look into getting a TIG setup, for now there is a lack of money and storage space.  Not to mention I would rather put that money towards a real TIG welder in a few years.  The ESAB is smaller, cheaper, and has a better duty cycle then the Miller.  From what I can tell the ESAB welds very well on CO2 thanks to the inverter and the adjustable inductance.  This is a huge plus for storage because a 10 or 15 lb CO2 tank is a fraction of the size of an 80 or 150 cuft cylinder.  If anyone knows where I can find a C200i for $850 USD on line that would ship to Canada can you please post a link.  I have been quoted as high as $1500 locally and would love to get one for under a grand.
Reply:That's because I believe the law is written in Kanukka like it is here in BunnyLandia. If you advertise the item at a price, you're bound by law to sell it at that price. One missing zero could hurt bad ! It's a stupid law, in a way, but it keeps scumbags from showing a low price and then screwing you around when you get there.Yeahhhhh ! Yeahhhhhh ! Daz da pryce uv da steak dinnahhhhh but its a widda mahhhw if yaz wan it cooked and yaz gotta rent the kanife and fahhhwk ! !  Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:Does anyone know if ESAB will stand behind their warranty if I order from the US?  Lots of places like to void the warranty if you import the item.
Reply:just purchased the esab c200i today from haun welding on ebay... believe he had 4 or so store display models... he sold a couple for 810.00 and free shipping... had contacted him a couple time's by email about the unit's.... all i bid was 670.00he give me an oppurtunity to purchase one at the 670.00 price!!! and free shipping... haun welding is out of syracuse,NY.there # is 1-800-439-4286if they have one left see what you can get it for...