Portamig 185 or Esab mig c160i

[damo25]

As above 2 welders I cant afford but will most likely buy one of em. Will only really be doing the usual car bodywork and the occasional differential.
I will be doing some extensive modifying of the rear suspension struts of my 86 silvia using 2mm mild, propshaft modifying, making a few exhausts up(with stainless if possible), perhaps a roll cage and making a few other bits and bobs out of box iron/angle etc. The diff, prop and cage would realistically be the heaviest items I would be welding.
I tend to buy overkill when purchasing stuff. Are the above too much for what I want to do.
Would a cheaper unit like the 160 clarke suit me better.
Both the portamig and ESAB are similarly priced but of different designs, which would be nicer to use.
Which would be more reliable. I dont want to be replacing any parts for at least 4 years, thats why I figure on buying a better quality machine.
Portability is not really an issue although I do like neat compact things.

I'll stop blabbering now I could keep going for ages on this .
thanks for your input
Damien

 

[bigbadbugga]

I'd go with the portamig.

I'm very happy with mine, the build quality is exceptional.

I have no experience of the other option.

 

[damo25]

Thats actually why I'm asking these questions, everyone that has one absolutely love their portamig and dont have a bad word to say about them. That is very promising. Not many people seem to comment on the esab. I do like the look of it on paper though.

 

[steeo]

I second bigbadbugga with the Portamig, have my 215 for 2 years now and have welded everything from car bodies to 10mm plate without a problem.
Sorry no experience with ESAB as my previous mig was an Automig 181.

 

[cumbriasteve]

Had my Portamig 235 for a year..it simply does the job without any problems, I like the robust build quality of the whole package.

 

[Silver Surfer]

Well i will try to add some experience with the ESAB C160i. I bought one of these from Weldequip about three months ago to help me do up a VW T25 van. I had very little welding experience and like you tend to buy things that are a bit over the top

I have posted some of the results on here under a thread titled ESAB C160i or something like that. Anyway I have been very very pleased with the machine. i can weld better than I thought posible on thin stuff ~0.8mm and still weld 4mm with no issues.

Great points

1) Very easy to use
2) really light and portable
3) more than powerful enough for me
4) can be used off an extension with no issues
5) can be used off a generator no issues
6) 2 year warranty

Things to consider

1) If you are welding all the time i believe transformer MIGs are going to give you a longer life (not an issue for me as only use it for hobby work)
2) A more experienced welder may need a machine that can be fine tuned more than is available with the ESAB (again not an issue for me I just set it and weld - job done )

I built a trolley for mine (have a look under learning to Mig weld "my first project" post) and use this to get the gas bottle close ish to the job then lift the ESAB off and put that near where i'm working.

In summary I really really like this Mig and up to now can not fault it It does everything I want and is very portable which was important to me.

Chris

 

[stormin]

Just reading the spec on the Esab Caddy 160 on Weldequip site and it says it can weld down to 0.5mm thick yet the min amps only go to 30. Is there a misprint somewhere or is there some electronic trickery in these inverters to enhance capabilities on thin stuff?

 

[voipio]

I've seen some *very* nice welds done with Esabs, the Portamigs get good press too, so you won't go far wrong with either of them.

 

[damo25]

Thanks for the info guys. Ive been looking at nearly all your posts Silver Surfer as searching for esab generally points in your direction. I will be the same as yourself hobby welding bits and pieces.
Whetever welder I go for I hope to have the thing reliably functioning for a long time without any grief. I have a habit of putting something away out of sight when it breaks. (I have 3 cars lying around the place with small things wrong with them to prove that ).

 

[Silver Surfer]

yeh i know what you mean about me being the only one really to post about ESAB C160is. I remember looking for ages to find reviews etc before I bought mine and couldn't really find any so I keep posting things in hope of helping others And before anyone asks i'm not and ESAB dealer couldn't be further from it.

Not sure about welding down to 0.5mm by the way. Maybe its just me but 0.8mm is about my limit. That said I ca do proper runs on 0.8mm without much hassle not linked tacks so maybe 0.5mm would be ok

 

[gavuk]

That said I can do proper runs on 0.8mm without much hassle not linked tacks so maybe 0.5mm would be ok

Just to clarify ,I use the tack method not because I can't weld a run at 0.8mm
but to minimise distortion,whilst maintaining full penetration....also much easier to tack at higher amps when using co2 gas....

 

[Silver Surfer]

Hey no offence meant by ref to linked tacks what i meant was that the welder will go low enough to lay runs not have to link tacks. I do realise the benefit of linked tacks on thin stuff

 

[gavuk]

No offence taken Silver,just thought it should be pointed out to anyone reading this thread with a view to buy either of these models ....the low amps of the portamig are often mention as a huge selling point,in reality most welders of 40amp or lower can be used on bodywork quite successfully,30amps is the preferred lower end quoted ,as a lot depends on machine and operator...portability and the power source,(transformer or invertor), is the real choice between these machines...

 

[Silver Surfer]

I have to agree with you. The power source (transformer or inverter) is the real choice people need to make and that to me is driven by the need for a truely portable machine (operation from a generator and long extension being portability factors).

The ESAB is really light and portable but I am sure all will agree that inverters have not as yet had long enough in the market to fully prove longterm robustness / reliability.

For me I am happy to take chance on less proven track record to get what I need which is great portability. As I have said I am really really pleased with my choice and hope that longterm reliability will be the case.