How To Choose the Right Welder
Tom Vondrasek | 10 May 2024 | 5 minutes to read
Before choosing a welder, you need to know what you plan to weld with it. Important things to consider are the types of metals (mild steel, stainless steel, aluminium) and then the thickness of the material (1.5mm, 5mm, 10mm). Are you doing rust repairs on car bodies, building brackets or roll cages or fixing farm equipment? Maybe you want to do all 3. Just like buying any tool you need to figure out what you want it for, even if it’s only for a single project.
It is also good to speculate on future projects. For instance, you may want to start with welding mild steel and then branch out into welding aluminium in the future. As usual, the dreaded budget is always something that needs to be thrown into the mix as well.
What Welders Are There To Choose From?
The most common types of welders are Stick (Arc Welder), MIG (Metal Inert Gas), and TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas). We will use the Cigweld range as an example.
Before we dive into the welders themselves here are some important things to consider that apply across the range:
Power Point Requirements
- 240V 10amp power point - Some smaller welders can be plugged into a standard power point that you find in a house or garage.
- 240V 15amp power point - Larger machines need 15amp power feeds. This is not standard, and it may require getting one installed by an electrician. Get the point installed where you will be welding.
- 3 Phase – This is for industrial welders and not a lot of homes have access to 3 phase power.
Gas or Gasless
- Gas - MIG and TIG welders use an inert gas to shield the weld. The gas is held in a pressurised cylinder and is available separately from the welder. It is a consumable as it is used every time you weld.
- Gasless - Stick and MIG welders can be used without this gas. They have special flux coated rods in the case of a Stick welder and flux coated wire in the case of the MIG. Most MIG’s can be used with gas or gasless wire using the same torch.
Amperage – Most welders use a number in their name that is the maximum number of amps they can use. Amps are important as the higher the amperage the greater the material thickness it is capable of welding.
For Example:
- A Cigweld Easy Weld 160 has a maximum amperage of 160amps. It will weld up to 10mm plate.
- A Cigweld Weldskill 100 has a maximum amperage of 100amps. It will weld up to 3mm plate.
The bigger the number the longer the duty cycle. Duty cycle is a percentage of time the welder can effectively operate in a given time period and it’s something to be aware of when purchasing a welder.
Welder Range
Everything that applies for welding safety applies to plasma cutting. When cutting metal, the process involves melting it and blowing it away. You need to make sure the area in which you are doing this is clear of any flammable material. Molten metal will set most things alight or damage them.
For eye protection, a welding helmet is mandatory as the intense light produced by plasma is as bad as the arc on a welder. The helmets with auto darkening lenses are a must have as not using them can cause permanent eye damage. A good set of welding leather or Kevlar gloves should also be on your shopping list. The heat on a piece of metal is hard to judge by eye and you don't want to test it with bare hands.
For clothing, avoid synthetics and a set of overalls are a safe bet. Leather shoes or work boots instead of runners or thongs for your feet. Keep the area well-ventilated as cutting can produce toxic fumes. The respirator you use for welding can be used for cutting.
Choosing a Welder
The choice will be Stick, MIG, or TIG. The good news is a lot of welders are now multi-process, so instead of buying separate machines for different jobs you can buy a welder that combines two or even all three different welders in the one unit.
If working in outdoor areas where wind can be a factor, it is best to use a Stick or Gasless MIG Welder. The shielding gas could get blown away in windy conditions when using a gas shielded machine. They have the other advantage of not requiring a clean shiny metal surface to weld. Within reason, gasless machines can weld over a dirty surface.
By now you will have worked out the metal or metals you want to weld, to what thickness, and the place you have set aside for welding. Are you going to do a lot of welding or only once every so often? Once you have your fact sheet you can look at the different welders available and tick off the boxes. For instance, if you only want to run it off a standard power point, that will eliminate a lot of choices.
Welding Costs
Cost is another factor that should be at the top of your fact sheet. It is not just the cost of the welder, there is also accessories, consumables, trolley, and safety gear to think about. If getting a welder for the first time it may pay to look for a deal where you get a lot of things thrown in for a discounted price.
Which Welder is Best for You?
A good all-round welder to get is a MIG with gas or gasless capability. Fitted out with the correct wire and other consumables it will do most things people require and it is the easiest one to use.
While a Stick Welder looks simple to use, it requires a lot of practise to create a good weld.
TIG is complex as you need to use both hands (torch and filler wire) and sometimes one foot for controlling amperage. The level of complexity and skill required is important to consider when first starting out, as not only is welding difficult to master, but it can also be dangerous, especially if you are just starting out.
Cigweld Range at Repco
The Cigweld range of machines covers just about all welding jobs you can think of. They have small base level machines like the Handy Weld 130 MIG welder that plugs into a standard power point, up to their Transmig 175+ which does MIG, Stick, and TIG welding. The 175+ does require a 15amp power point but it is essentially three welders in the one machine.
The main takeaway from all of this information should be that welders are definitely not an impulse purchase, but with some forethought and a checklist before buying, they can be a great investment for DIYers.
