Not sure when I'll get to it, but I do plan to try the lift TIG mode.

Cool. I'm glad it sounds like it's working out for you.

Thanks. Interesting that it seems less accurate on TIG. There could also be some variability between machines.

I will check amps accuracy on my machine while stick welding. TIG arcs are lower in voltage than stick arcs. Perhaps the arc force is intrinsic in their design and it adjusts up the amps a bit when the voltage is lower. For the price, it's an amazingly good welder.

Did a couple of stick tests. 1/8 7018 set to 120A. Start was 185A, then quickly 120A. 1/16 6013 set to 30A. Start was 108A, then 36A. Switched setting to TIG, start was 43A, then 36A welding. So use TIG mode when using tiny sticks on thin metal?

Yeah, the hot start is pretty stout on stick mode. If you can get an arc going and it doesn't go out (some TIG welders limit the arc voltage) then TIG mode might very well be a way to eliminate the hot start of TIG mode.

I'm glad it's working out for you.

@@bigtb1717I’m about to install one how many amps does it take if ran as a 240v

I just bought based on this review, too.😉

I'm confident that Hone welders are not UL or CSA certified/listed. Most of these types of machines do not claim to be. I've seen a couple that do claim such. In some cases where they claim UL or CSA listing, I have really good reason to believe they would not actually pass. Arccaptain claims CSA certification and has UL printed on the welders and boxes (though not CSA, strangely). I couldn't find them listed in the UL or CSA databases, and the company (despite reaching out to me in an attempt to get me to do more reviews) wouldn't answer my questions about certifications. I asked Arccaptain about UL and CSA certification multiple times and they ignored me completely, despite answering other questions I asked. And yet, they unambiguously state that their machines are CSA certified in the ads.

It can run on the standard 120V and 240V supply that is most common in the US. It should have no problem running on the 230V power available in many other places, but keep in mind, I don't know if it's available with the proper plug.

@bigtb1717 thank you for the quick response. Someone has the amico arc 200dc but complains about the unit tripping internally on the machine. He has it wired straight from a standard outlet 120v. I said to him maybe the wires are too small, which may cause a voltage drop and increase current draw. What's your thought? Note the breaker in the panel does not trip. I told him try and upgrade the wires to minimize the voltage drop also to power it from its own breaker.

If voltage drops too far, it could cause issues. It's tough to say for sure if that's the issue. Is the machine faulting out on overload?

@bigtb1717 it's a brand new machine. The machine burned the rods like a dream on 240V US style versus the 120V. The 120V it caused the voltage to drop significantly when the welder started to weld. I measured voltage as low as 86V for the 120V connection. On the 240V connection the voltage dipped to 236V, which is basically nothing. Thank you very much.

I have another Hone welder to check out and will look at that on that machine and will check that info on this welder then too. Thanks!

Yeah, finally! I almost titled the video FINALLY! I think it's a quad IGBT setup, but honestly, I didn't specifically check that, so I can't say for sure. If I get time, I'll pull it back apart and try to look.

Another great review! It’s nice to see that somebody is building welders that live up to their claims.

@@bigtb1717 No worries - I grabbed one at the $110 price and will take a look when it arrives and will post back here. And thanks again for all the reviews , by now you must have a huge pile of welders somewhere !

I do, but I try to keep it from getting out of hand (I sadly fail at times, lol). I try to sell some and give other away to keep it from getting bad. I actually have to do another round of purging soon.

@@bigtb1717 How would you compare it with the Amico Arc-200DC or any of the Amico Stick Welders you've previously tested?

I can't remember if mine said that or not. If I get a chance this weekend, I'll power it up and see.

Back in stock as of Aug 9, 2023

F1 display. Mine is the same.

I don't generally try to weld super thin with stick welders, but I've welded down to 1/16" or so with some success with a 1/16" 7014 electrode. This welder is definitely capable of that. At least, it's as capable as I am at stick welding thin metal. Any thinner and I think you'd be better off trying lift TIG. Well, I would anyway. I'm sure my skill would run out if I tried to stick weld anything below about 1/16" thick.

The Titanium 225 stick has a bit more output on 240V, but less output on 120V. The Titanium is built a bit better, has nicer cables and can weld 6010, if that matters to you. Otherwise, the Hone machine welds just fine. 180 amps of output on 240V is more than enough for most people. Just be aware, you will need a 20A circuit to get anywhere near max output on 120V and even then, you may still trip a breaker if you do anything other than short welds at max output. It draws quite a bit of current, as do all of these cheap welders that have high output on 120V and no power factor correction.

Thank you so much…. I really appreciate your time and answer!

What is the breaker amperage rating on the generator? Are these normal breakers or are they ground fault breakers? Unless it's a really low amperage breaker, I wouldn't think the machine would be tripping a breaker on 240V with only 62 amps of output. When running on 120V and tripping a breaker at 75 amps of output, what amperage breaker was that? Was it a 20A or 15A breaker?

I don't believe the 161 LTS had power factor correction. It's a nice machine, but I don't think it had power factor correction. It's possible it would be more efficient than the Hone 185D, but I'd hate for you to buy a second welder and end up with the same issue.

I'm using a 7.2 kW system connected to an L6-20 240-volt, 30-amp outlet from the onboard generator of my F150 PowerBoost. I'm unsure about the breaker's nature, but it could potentially be a ground fault breaker. In my house, the garage is only powered by a 110V 15A breaker, which also supplies power to various devices. Given this isn't suitable for the welder, I've been looking into utilizing the generator as a solution. Interestingly, when I operated a 150A mig welder with a transformer at 220V on its max setting (generator), there were no issues with tripping the breaker. This makes me wonder if the problem is with the inverter-type machine or if investing in a superior-quality inverter machine (like Esab 130 or 161LTS) might resolve the issue. Could power factor correction be the key, as you suggested?

Power factor correction will often help, as it reduces draw and also cleans up the load profile the supply will see. The reason I asked if it is a ground fault breaker is because the draw from an inverter welder is often "noisy" so it's possible it's causing it to trip because of a false ground fault detection. The 15A breaker inside tripping is less surprising, simply because not only do 15A breakers obviously have a lower "long time" trip (15A), they seem to also have a much lower instantaneous trip setting. My chop saw doesn't pull all that much power, but it will trip my 15A breaker. But it won't trip the 20A, even when a couple other things are running off that same 20A breaker. A welder with power factor correction would definitely help in that situation. There's a good chance it would help when running off your truck as well, but I can't say for sure. Where about are you located? You mentioned Canadian dollars, so I imagine Canada. Just curious if you are close to Toronto.

@@bigtb1717 Thank you for your thorough response. Yes I'm in Richmond Hill, Ontario, near Toronto. Are you also close to Toronto?

I haven't seen that brand. I'll look it up.

This is pretty close with the current sale ($100-$110). Other than that, I'd have to do a little checking to find the absolute cheapest. Most welders under $100 won't be dual voltage.

​​@@bigtb1717well what about 2/300 range? Duel voltage with power Correction

There really aren't many in that price range with power factor correction. The Striker 140 from Weldcote Metals is currently on sale for $264 on Amazon. I've had it in my wishlist for a long time. It supposedly has power factor correction. The Klutch ST201iDV has power factor correction and is around $400. If there are others out there in that price range with PFC, I'm not aware of them.

Ha, yeah, similar features to a Maxstar 161 S. Granted, not nearly as nice as a Maxstar. But also not NEARLY as expensive as one either.

​@@bigtb1717, nice review,do you think this welding machine can run 3/32 E7018 rods at 85-90 amps, thanks

@@shermanyoung8185 It certainly can. Just be aware that if you want to run that on 120V, you will likely need a 20 amp breaker to do so.

This machine is DC, but it's still a valid point. Cheaper welders will often run 6011 when they won't run 6010. I mostly test 6010 because some people are particularly interested in 6010 performance, so I like to try it out. For the vast majority of people, 6011 would be a fine alternative.

@@bigtb1717 did you know 211 wire can be put in a rod stinger and run on electrode positive?

Did you try tunning 6011 on this welder? I would be curious to see how it runs. Seems like some of the inverter welders don't like 6011 either. Great video. Looks like a very nice welder for the price. Thanks

@@ezelk1337 I keep meaning to start testing 6011 on welders that struggle with 6010. I'll give 6011 a shot on this machine when I get a chance and report back.

@@bigtb1717 Sounds great. You do some of the most though testing of welders around. The Yes Welder 250 Tig welder that I have does 6010 but barely.