Hi Bob, welcome to the forum .
The build quality should be about the same, there must be some differences internally, I'm not sure what but the OCVs (open circuit voltage) on the two are different, 19-31 on the 151 and 18-28 on the 160, the duty cycle is slightly higher on the 160 too, 60%@75A as opposed to 65A. I'm pretty sure the torch assembly is the same. Another big difference between the two is that the 160 has a cylinder shelf on the back so it's geared up for refillables rather than the 151 being geeared up for disposables. I'm pretty sure the 160 comes with the appropriate regulater too, the 151 has the small one so if you use refillables with it you need to buy a connection kit which is somewhere in the region of £50 i believe.
Hope all this helps?
Thanks Woz,
I thought there must be a difference with the 160 being classed as automotive/industrial. I would rather spend a few quid more to get quality even though it will only be used for hobby purposes. If I went for the 160 it would still be nice to be able to use disposables for say the occasional ali or s/s when it wouldn`t be worth getting a large cylinder.
Yes it would but you'd need to make up an adapter to convert the large gas pipe to fit the mini regulator. Sort of opposite what you'd do to use the 151 on refillables. That would be quite a handy thing to have anyway, ideal for the odd job using different gas.
I helped a member set up a 160 a little while back and it really is a nice machine for the money.
Just out of interest, if you're thinking about buying the welder from MM then you may be better off sending weldequip a pm, he's a member on here who sells cutting and welding equipment and is a clarke dealer.
Hi Woz,
Many thanks for the advice, I`d be happier getting the 160. This will probably give you a laugh but afraid I`m a bit long in the tooth to be up to speed on forum knowhow, so what does "pm" mean and how do I do it to contact weldequip?
Hehe, don't worry about asking questions Bob, pm is personal message, it's only seen by you and the recipient. Go to the members list, look up weldequip then using the contact info you can send him a pm or just find any of his posts, click his user name and you'll see the option appear.
Im also in the same dilema. It would be nice to have the 165 but not only is it more expensive, but you have to buy a cylinder (possibly wire too as not sure whats included)
The 151 has the same spec by the looks of things, and comes as a complete kit, and can be adapted to fit with a larger bottle when needed.
Are there any other benefits of the 165tm over the 151te?