How to Choose a MIG Welder

In this video, I want to explain some things that will help you choose a

MIG welder for yourself. And the reason why I need to explain this is because on the cheap end of the spectrum, you've

got some welders that you might be able to get for a couple of hundred dollars. At the higher end, there's a machine like this, which in Canada costs about 2,500

So a big range, but there are some very specific things that you need to keep in mind as you're choosing

The course includes some specific recommendations for certain machines with links and prices and things like that

But this information will just help you to make more sense of what you're going to find printed in the course

The first parameter you need to consider is voltage, and by that I mean the input voltage coming into the machine

All of the inexpensive, small light, portable models will operate off of 120 volts

So just an ordinary outlet. You just plug right into it in a way you can weld

The higher end machines can also operate on 120 if you want

but they can also detect a higher voltage and run on that too

So it's a pretty smart setup. So 120 on the low end, 230, 240 volts on the high end

That's how I have this machine configured. So the question you might be asking, well, what does it matter

The bottom line is that it affects the power of the welder

So the ability of the welder to create enough heat with the arc to penetrate deeply enough

The small 120 welders they fine for sheet metal and metal up to maybe an eighth of an inch thick 3 of an inch It varies from small machine to small machine but that about what you looking at And if you want to go to weld thicker material

you need greater penetration, greater heat, greater arc strength, and that's where the 230-�

capabilities are going to help you. So just to recap on power, the 120-volt machines less power

240, 230, 240-volt machines, more power. But there is a one thing you need to keep in mind with the lower power machines. Now they will all

work plugged into a regular outlet. There's no problem that way, but most of them

won't deliver their maximum power unless they're plugged into an outlet that

delivers 20 amps instead of 15. Your average outlet 15 amps, it's got a 15-amp

breaker on it, that will probably trip if you use the machine at full power for any

length of time. So you should consider having a 20 amp circuit installed for your

welder. You don't necessarily need to do that before you get your welder, but if you

keep tripping the breaker, then you know what to do. Now it's not enough to just take a

regular 15 amp circuit and put a 20 amp breaker in it because the wires are still

sized for that 15 amp current load. So you really need to create a completely new

circuit and that's thicker wire. So instead of the number of number 14 cable that's normally used for a 15 amp circuit, you're going to have to use a number 12

And of course you're going to need a 20 amp breaker to protect that cable

But you're also going to need to use an outlet that is meant for 20 amps

Regular outlets are only rated for 15. The 20 amp outlets can take a regular plug but instead of having two slots and a ground pin hole one of the slots is actually T And that how you can tell at a glance whether the outlet is a 20 amp or not

Another thing you need to consider is whether or not you want a welder that can use shielding gas or not

Now, I've gone into some detail about why this matters, but in short, the shielding gas protects the weld from oxidizing

while it's still molten, red hot and liquid. Welds need to be shielded in one way or another

Now this machine is configured to use shielding gas. So this is a combination of argon and carbon dioxide

and it's fed through this regulator which determines the flow rate of the gas outside of the end of the welding gun like this

Now the least expensive machines don't have gas capability. and they can't be outfitted with a regulator and the things they need to weld that way

Instead, what these less expensive welders use is this kind of welding wire

which produces its own cloud of shielding gas so that you can get a decent weld

without having to rent a tank and to pay extra for a machine that can handle gas

Now, the drawback is that the appearance of the appearance and to a certain

extent the strength of a weld created with the self-shielding wire, which is what

this is, no gas needed, the kind of thing that you'd use on the least expensive machines

those welds aren't going to look quite as nice. Functionally speaking they going to be as strong as they need to be but you actually going to get a nicer looking well that somewhat stronger if you use the gas capabilities So that really another parameter you need to be but you actually going to get a nicer looking well that somewhat stronger if you use the gas capabilities So that really another parameter you need to decide on Voltage first

Do I need the power of a full-size 230-volt machine or not? And am I going to be satisfied

with self-shielding wire and the welds that it produces? Now, there is one thing to consider

If you don't have a welder right now, you might be thinking, well, this is a pretty important decision, and you'd be right

It is a fairly important decision. But if you're in doubt at all, the price difference between some of the least expensive and most expensive machines is so wide

And the quality of the least expensive machines is quite good. If you're unsure of yourself, go get something simple

Go get a simple, small, portable machine. And if you find you're running up to the limitations of that and you need more welding capability

you haven't really wasted a lot of money if you spent, you know, two or three hundred dollars on a welder

Now, the reason is because that little portable welder is going to be very useful for you

I don't have one of those in my own shop. I only have this big one, but a few times it's been something that I wanted to have, just something I could pick up, carry, you know, plug into a small generator or a regular household outlet

and weld remotely. I have carted this big machine around to a few different places. I've

run it with a generator remotely when I couldn't plug in. So it's possible to move these around

but if in doubt, go for the least expensive machine that's going to do the job for you

and then consider adding some more equipment after that