As a beginner, what do I need to start welding?
It’s a question that drives you nuts.
Am I right?
Well, it does not matter whether you are starting welding as a hobby or as a profession; it is important to spend your money wisely on the right tools. Since you might not have all the technical welding knowledge, you need a welder that is basic, easy to use, and of superior quality.
It sounds simple. But it isn’t.
Sadly!
When you are just starting out in welding, it can be quite hard to choose the right welding equipment. From my own perspective, the best welder for beginners should be a multi-process welder that facilitates various types of welding and, most importantly super easy to operate.
To find the best welder for you, we have curated a list of the best welders for you guys.
Quick view: what is the best welder for beginners 2022?
- Best beginner multi-process welder: Forney Easy Weld 261 — “Easy and fast welding machine for both novice & professional”
- Best cheap welder for beginners: Everlast 140ST Welders — “A great value welder that won’t break your bank”
- Best home welder for beginners: ZENY Arc Welding Machine — “An excellent choice for DIYer who is passionate about home metalwork”
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Forney Easy Weld 261, 140 FC-i Welder |
| Check Price! |
 | SUNGOLDPOWER 140A Gas and Gasless |
| Check Price! |
 | Weldpro 155 AMP welding machine |
| Check Price! |
 | Everlast PowerArc 140ST |
| Check Price! |
 | S7 250A ARC Welder Machine |
| Check Price! |
What is the best type of welder for a beginner?
You need to decide which welding method is best suited for you and then buy a welder that performs that method well.
Before making this decision, you should ask yourself these questions:
- Where are you going to work mostly: outdoors or indoors?
- Are you willing to learn other welding methods in the future?
- What kind of projects will you be working on?
If you plan to work most of the time indoors and on thinner metals, then MIG welder is the best welder for beginners. It is a lot easier to work with sheet metal using a MIG welder, especially for a beginner.
Is stick welding easier than MIG?
Moreover, MIG welders do not require you to change the wire very often, and they also do not produce any slag.
If your budget is not very high when buying a welder, you can buy stick welders as they are usually cheaper. They are also smaller, lighter, and can penetrate thicker metals better.
Related: Can you wear a watch while welding?
9 Best Welder for Beginners [Built for the amateur but surprisingly pro quality]
Here is our review of the top 9 best welders for beginners that will save the first welding experience from a nightmare.
MIG Welder For Beginners
We have to keep me at the very first of this review.
Why?
Just ask any pro welder the question – what is the easiest welding to learn? You’ll surely get the answer.
It’s MIG!
One of the most common industrial synthesis processes is MIG welding, which is Metal Inert Gas. Here we’ve provided a list of the MIG welders:
1. Forney easy weld 261, 140 FC-i welder
Ok, it may not be a heavy-duty beast, but for a novice like you, One of the MIG Forney welders has ever produced.
And you know the best part?
This welder can be used for giant welding projects as well as for some home welding. The machine is easy to use and uses 0.30 in. or 0.35 in. flux core wire, which incorporates up to 140 Amp. It is a light machine and weighs only 19 pounds, which makes it portable.
So why for beginners?
Well, you’ll find it super easy to use and very easy to set up as well. The welder has high power with very little input.
However, the welder has a slow wire fed rate, making the heavy welding process very slow. The machine can easily burn out as well.
The benefits
- Used 0.30 inch or 0.35-inch flux core wire.
- Has an output of up to 140 Amp.
- Has infinite voltage.
- Weighs only 19 pounds making it portable.
The drawbacks
- Not a good option for aluminum.
2. Best for Outdoor Repairs – Sungoldpower MIG welder
Dreaming of working on flux-cored welding someday?
Then this SUNGOLDPOWER mig unit is something you really need, a multifunction unit with 110/220V Dual Voltage. With DC IGBT Inverter, it enables gasless flux-cored welding and gas-shielded MIG welding easy and effortless.
That not all………
You will also find it very useful for mild welding steel, stainless steel, and other metals. With a load duty cycle of 60%, this machine comes with fan-cooled overheat protection, which does not allow the welder to overheat after hours of working. The working frequency is beyond the range of human listening, which helps in curbing noise pollution.
The welder also has adjustable wire feed speed and welding current, which you can adjust according to your use and weld with different thicknesses. It is also portable and easy to carry. Even at 110V, it gives a great performance. Overall, it is the best welder for beginners in MIG welding. I would rather say this is one of the best flux core welders for beginners so far.
Another coolest part………
It is most significantly a suitable welder for outdoor repairs, farm and road equipment, rusty metal, maintenance & repair.
However, the quality of the hardware of the welding machine could be better. It is not suitable for professional welders but part-time welders or hobbyists. The instruction manual is obscure and not really easy to follow.
The benefits
- It has a DC IGBT inverter.
- Capable of gasless flux-cored welding and gas-shielded MIG welding.
- Comes with overheat protection to avoid overheating.
The drawbacks
- Not much info on how to use the welder.
3. Best For Portable – Weldpro MIG155 GSV inverter MIG/Stick arc welder
The machine can run on either 100/115 or 220/330 volts and is an inexpensive pro-grade welder.
What else can you ask from a welder? Is MIG or stick welding better?
The IGBT inverter design is best to tackle the heating issues. It can weld up to ¼ in. mild steel that is properly prepared using 220-volt input in stick welding as well as MIG, flux-cored welding.
The 155 model Weldpro welder is light, compact, and easy to carry. Since its power voltage is so high, it is truly a workhorse. WeldPro provides a 3-year warranty with the product, which ensures longevity. It has a fast wire feeding speed at 78 in. to 472 in. per minute.
And guess what?
You can adjust the wire speed and heat settings too. It does not overheat even after many hours of use. The machine boasts 2T/4T modes, and 4T can be very useful when you have to do a long weld because then you do not have to hold the trigger down for the entire time.
However, the wires of the welding machine are quite short. The wire feed mechanism can sometimes glitch when the welder powers up.
The benefits
- Can weld up to ¼ inch mild steel.
- The wire feeding speed and heat settings are adjustable.
- Can run on 220/330V, which makes it very powerful.
The drawbacks
- The gun brake is total crap.
Best TIG Welders for Beginners
TIG is a slower and more complex technique.
What does this mean?
TIG stands for Tungsten Inert Gas, which involves heating the base metal with the help of a non-consumable electrode to create a molten weld.
Here are a few welders that are ideal TIG welders:
1. Best for DC welder – Amico TIG-160DC welding machine
Better and hotter than any Amico machine
That’s true!
Amico TIG-160 DC is a multifunction welding machine suited for beginners with 160 Amp TIG-Torch, ARC stick DC welder, and 110/230V Dual Voltage.
It is a powerful welder for beginners because it can weld up to ⅜” stainless steel, alloy steel, mild steel, cast iron, chrome, and copper. It is also fairly cheaper than other welders. The Dual Voltage Input (110V/230V) means that the machine can be plugged into any common power supply.
Too good to be true!
Alongside this, you get a 1-year warranty on this product. It is a light machine which makes it very portable. The machine has a digital dial, and the stick function works pretty well along with the TIG.
For a beginner, the welder might take a little getting used to. It’s quite hard to get an arc in TIG mode. It is not suitable for heavy welding, so look for something else if you want to get into welding professionally.
The benefits
- Capable of welding up to ⅜ in. stainless steel, mild steel, alloy steel, cast iron, chrome, and copper.
- It comes with a digital dial.
- 160 Amp TIG-Torch.
- ARC stick with DC inverter.
The drawbacks
- Only good for entry-level task.
2. Best for duty cycle – Amico TIG-225HF welder
Just incredible, man!
I have never seen something like this beast in this price tag. The high voltage of 220V makes it a powerful welder, and it can weld at a very high thickness. It can work effortlessly for long hours. It is ideal for beginners looking to become professional welders.
What makes it so special?
The machine is a multi-purpose DC welder with TIG, Arc, and Stick function with 225 Amp of current, 220V/110V dual voltage, 100% start, and 80% duty cycle.
The TIG works amazingly, and the welding is precise. It is not expensive and is a value-for-money welder. It is lightweight and can be carried around easily if needed. Amico provides you with a 1-year warranty period and charges you no money for any defect. It has a digital dial that shows the current and other information.
Good for you!
However, the welder is not capable of TIG welding aluminum because it is a DC-only welder. The torch on this welding machine is a bit cumbersome. The machine might develop a problem of overheating after some months of use. The digital dial might become inaccurate.
The benefits
- DC inverter with TIG, Arc, and Stick function.
- 225 Amp, 220/110V dual voltage.
- 100% start and 80% duty cycle.
The drawbacks
- When it comes to durability, this doesn’t seem impressive.
3. Best for ARC welding – Yeswelder 200 Amp HF TIG welding machine
Another great machine for TIG welders is the YESWELDER TIG ACDC.
This is a mid to low-cost TIG welding machine with 200 Amp HF TIG Torch, Stick, and Arc and Dual Voltage of 110V and 220V. The machine has durable parts, an excellent warranty, great customer support, and an aluminum weld.
It can weld steel, stainless steel as well as aluminum. It offers a high-frequency start and AC balance control. The machine allows the users to adjust the pulse rate when using the TIG.
The welder is very easy to set up and use and supports controls for start and end amps. The company provides great customer service.
Let me say this straight………
This is a highly professional TIG welder, and its average price makes it a good investment for beginner welders. The company offers a 3-year warranty with this welding machine, which means that it will last for a long time.
Apart from these, the welder does have post-flow but not pre-flow gas capabilities. The instruction manual is not very helpful for setting up the welding machine. The trigger on the tig-torch is finger controlled and can malfunction after some time of use. The arc/gas flow does not remain turned ON consistently.
The benefits
- Capable of welding steel, stainless steel, and aluminum welding.
- Comes with a high-frequency start and AC balance control.
- The pulse rate while using TIG is adjustable.
The drawbacks
- The tig torch sucks
Best Stick Welders for Beginners
A common and traditional welding process for working on iron and steel is Stick welding. In this welding process, arc fusion uses electric current to create a hot arc between the stick and the material surface.
The metal then melts, and the two pieces are joined together. Here are some of the best stick welders for beginners:
1. Best for tig welding – Everlast 2020 power arc
The Everlast 2020 PowerArc 140ST welder can be the perfect choice for welders who are just starting out in the world of welding due to its maximum flexibility and high performance.
This is a TIG/Stick welder with dual voltage capabilities of 110/220V. The welder has a lift TIG function with a standard 17 series gas valve torch, and you can buy it for a reasonable price.
How can you beat that?
The Everlast welder is small in size and is super light, weighing only 10 pounds. Despite its small size, its performance is top-notch when it comes to arc stability. It is energy efficient as well and can be very easily used by beginners.
The machine is easy to set up as well, and the professionals can also use it as a backup welding machine. The machine comes with a TIG lead included in the box.
No pressure there!
Everlast provides a warranty of 5 years for this model of the welding machine. It can weld steel, stainless steel, and aluminum as well using the stick.
However, the welder has, unfortunately, no regulator for TIG function. So, this machine is better for using the stick method rather than TIG. The machine’s duty cycle is not continuous, which can be a problem while performing heavy welding.
The benefits
- Has a lift TIG function with a standard 17 series gas valve torch.
- The box includes a TIG lead.
- Capable of welding stainless steel and aluminum.
- Conserves energy.
The drawbacks
- Tig arc doesn’t seem impressive.
2. Best inverter welders – ZENY arc welding machine
This smartly designed welder by ZENY is a stick welding machine with a dual voltage capacity of 110/230V. It has an IGBT inverter, which switches the AC power to DC and then involves a certain type of step-down transformer to generate the desired voltage and current.
Sounds good?
The box in which this welding machine arrives includes an electrode holder and 6.4 ft. cable, work clamp, input power cable and plug, and 5 ft. cable.
The welder has a portable design making it easier to carry and easier to store.
It is a multi-use welder that can weld stainless steel, aluminum, mild steel, and other metal materials. The welding performance is of high quality and is very easy to use by beginner welders. It can perform for long hours non-stop efficiently and consider one of the best aluminum welders for beginners.
Here’s the kicker:
the electrode holder provided with the welder is good but very cheaply made, so it is recommended to buy your own. The welding shield and chipping hammer/wire brush combo are of poor quality as well.
The benefit
- Possesses an IGBT inverter that can switch from AC to DC.
- Can weld stainless steel, mild steel, aluminum, etc.
- The box includes an electrode holder, input power cable and plug, and work clamp.
The drawbacks
- The ground clamp is cheap
3. Best for aluminum welding – S7 welder with arc welder machine
The S7 200 amp ARC welder machine is one of the most efficient stick welders. It is a powerful welder with advanced IGBT inverter technology and a dual voltage capacity of 110V and 220V.
So, what’s it all about?
You can perform ARC (stick) welding as well as TIG welding using this S7 welder. It can weld many types of metal materials, including stainless steel, mild steel, chrome, cast iron, and copper.
This welding machine is one of the best arc welders for beginners yet the cheapest one out there, making it a great option for any beginner welder.
It is extremely lightweight and possesses great power. And guess what?
The IGBT inverter comes with a unique control mode that helps in improving the reliability of the welder. The welding machine conserves energy, and therefore, you do not have to worry about the electricity bills.
It also has overheating protection, over-current protection, and over-voltage protection. You can adjust the welding voltage according to your particular needs.
However, the user manual provided with the welder is misleading and does not help with the setup, and the wire leads are very short.
The benefits
- Multi-use welder capable of Stick and TIG welding
- Powerful welder with advanced IGBT inverter technology
- Capable of welding stainless steel, mild steel, chrome, cast iron, and copper.
- Energy-efficient
The drawbacks
- Make a strange noise
As a beginner, what do you need for smooth welding?
In order to obtain smooth welding, a beginner should get acquainted with a lot of stuff and concepts.
But the first step is to choose a method that you want to learn.
There are many welding methods, some of them: MIG, TIG, and Stick welding. You should research all of them and then decide which one is best for you.
Next, if you will be working with thicker materials, you will need an oxygen/acetylene torch. It can cut materials, and it can also be used to heat steel for blending or preheating base materials to get deeper penetrations.
It is also great to have a plasma cutter, but they are a big investment for a beginner welder. It is advised not to buy a plasma cutter and rather go for the oxygen/acetylene torch. Another tool used for cutting is cutting discs.
Get it?
For a beginner, cutting discs can surely be a dangerous tool to penetrate a human body quite easily. You need to be extremely careful while using these, and therefore if you have bought them, you need to read the manual thoroughly before using cutting discs.
Things to consider when buying an entry-level welder
As mentioned in the previous heading, you should ask yourself basic questions before choosing a welder, like where you will work and what you will be working on.
Now we will go into detail about what exactly you should be looking for when buying the ideal welder for you.
Material – what material you will be welding- that’s really a crucial fact. If you are going to be welding steel, then there are a lot of options available. In the case of working on Titanium, the options are limited.
Thickness – Thickness depends on the material that you will be welding. You have to think about what thickness you will be working on. Whatever thickness you think you will be working on, buy a welder that will weld at least one size thicker than that.
Welder Type – You can choose between TIG, MIG, Stick, and other welder types. The popular methods have been already described above. You can see for yourself what welder type will suit you best.
Duty Cycle – The duty cycle is also a very important factor when buying a welder. If a welder welds ⅜ inch at 20% duty cycle, for example, then it means that you have to wait 40 seconds each time after welding for 10 seconds.
Quality – The welder’s quality is highly important as it is very hard to maintain a good bead and strong weld with a poor quality welder.
Verdict……….
It can be a difficult choice when buying the best type of welder for beginners as there are so many various types and specifications to understand and compare.
However, reading this article must have provided you with the basic information you need to buy a new welder and start working.
Which welder is the best for beginners?
It is recommended that you stick to one welder type to gain expertise in that welding for beginners method. TIG is not an easy method to gain mastery in, even though it is very versatile.
The easiest technique is the MIG, although it allows you to weld only a limited number of materials. Therefore, you should buy multi-purpose welders so that you can use whatever type suits you best on any given day.
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