No matter whether you are craving a home makeover or planning to move in this year, having a welding machine handy can make your home improvement a breeze. If you are new to the world of welding, picking the right machine is a must.
This guide is made keeping beginners in mind to provide all the welding-related necessary information that will help you pick the best welding machine in no time.
Beginner’s Buying Guide to choosing the best welding machine
No welder fits all sizes. The type of welding machine you choose should be specific to your goal and the project that you’ll be mostly working on. How long are you planning to use it? Will you require more power and amperage in the future? Is it only for entry-level welding or are you planning to upgrade your skills?
Types of Welding Process
There are ten main types of welding processes but we are only going to focus on MIG, TIG, and Stick Welding as they are beginner-friendly and most widely used for home improvements.
Stick / Arc Welding Machines
Stick/ Arc welding machines are great for both indoors and outdoors. Arc Welding is very popular in forming strong bonds between certain alloys and metals like Iron, steel, and stainless steel. Stick welding machines are the best in power utilization, amperage, low cost, and simple automation. Our PUMA 3OO MV stick welding machine has the latest inverter technology proving to be the most economical and efficient welding machine for windy, rusty, or outdoor materials.
MIG/MAG Welding Machine
MIG/MAG welding machines like Blumig, Maxistar, and Precisa are best for beginners to handle multiple materials like aluminum, nickel, steel, and even stainless steel. They are easy to clean, and operate and are pretty fast for most of the welding requirements in your home or garage.
TIG Welding machines
TIG Welding machines are more powerful when dealing with materials with the least thickness. As they work under inert gas, they are easy to control and can work best on low copper steel, alloy steel, etc.Unlike other welding machines, they do not produce a greater spark which is an advantage to working on flux and solid core materials. Our top pick is the compact SMARTY TX with special welding quality and good ignition.
The types of metals you will be welding
Welding machines for home improvement deal with only a few metals like stainless steel, magnesium alloy, steel, aluminum, and Iron.
| Welding machine | Metals | Experience level required |
| Stick | Iron, steel, and stainless steel | Moderate – high |
| MIG/MAG | Steel, Aluminum, stainless steel, Iron, Copper | Very low- Low |
| TIG | Magnesium, copper, aluminum, steel, stainless steel, and Iron | Low- Moderate |
Outdoors/ Indoors
A few factors like power supply and outdoor welding should be considered while comparing different products
Power supply
120 volt AC – This is the usual power supply assigned to households and commercials. This power supply is supported by all entry-level welding like MIG/MAG machines.
240 volts AC – When you buy a welding machine at this supply, you will have to look for technical help to set up the machine. These high-power circuits are mostly used by TIG machines.
Outdoor Welding
When you are working outdoors without a power supply, you will need a welder generator to support the energy requirement.
Single-Phase vs. Three-Phase
Household equipment is always a single phase. If you are working with heavier metals, you can opt-in for the “three phases” having higher power and amperage.
Metal thickness
Amperage mostly decides the cost of the machine. So when you compare between products, make sure you already have decided the metal thickness you will be working on.
Remember, you will need 1 ampere of power to deal with 1/100 inch of metal. For example – 0.250 inches of stainless steel will require 250 amps of power.
Cost
Be ready to invest in safety equipment like gloves, helmets, and pads before you decide on your budget. Factors like durability, amperage, power, and maintenance play a huge role in determining the cost.
Conclusion
Witz Group is your one-stop solution for all your construction needs. We provide a whole range of products and services for your welding-related needs and equipment. All our products are trusted globally with 100% legit which contributes to customer productivity. Apart from welding machines, you can find an array of other tools like Power tools and accessories, leveling and measuring tools, fasteners, and many more.
If you are looking for an construction solutions for your company, get in touch with us now.