The Best Welders for Beginners in 2021: Top 10 for DIY Enthusiasts

Buying guide – Everything You need to know about the Welders

Buying a welder is a long-term investment as you expect it to last for years to come. As you already know, welding is a heavy-duty task and thus, it requires a high grade and durable machine. When it comes to buying a welding machine, there are a few important parameters you need to keep in mind. This will help you to find the best welding machine for your task.

You need to determine the things you are expecting from your welding machine. The best thing to do is to make a list of all the requirements and then follow each one of them. For example – 1) what metals are you planing to weld? 2) how often are you planning to use your welder? 3) do you need easily portable machine? 4) do you have any safety gear already? And so on and so on. This will help you to buy the best welder for your project.

To help you out, we have laid down the main factors that you need to consider while buying a welding machine. Here are the things you need to look for when buying a welder:

Use type

The user type of welder is another important factor to consider when looking for the best portable welder for beginners. You need to make the selection of the welder based on the type of metal you are working with like mild steel, stainless steel, cold steel, aluminum or any other metal and ensure that the welder is capable of welding the metal you are working with.

If you are using aluminum metal for welding, then you may either choose MIG welder with reverse polarity or TIG welder. For other alloys like Magnesium, you need to have TIG welder. The TIG welder is also best suited for thin metal, which is unable to hold up the hotter welding process.

Stick welder is best for cast iron welding with proper electrodes. It can weld thicker materials with minimal power supply. So, choose the Best Welders for Beginners according to the user type and its ability to weld different metals.

More on the types of welders below. 

Types of Welders

There are three primary types of welders available out there for beginners, and you need to make the selection for best starter welder based on your project type and need. Below is the list of top three types of best welders for beginners.

MIG Welder

This is the easiest of all welders and best suited for beginners. In this welder, the wire filler feeds on its own, thereby allowing the welder to focus on the welding pool precisely and achieve the best weld with very negligible spatter. This is the type of welder that is best suited for steel, and it can also be used for aluminum material if it comes with reverse polarity function. The MIG welder needs the best gas for MIG welding, which is used as insert gas, or you may avoid the gas option and opt for the flux core welding wire. The flux core welding is recommended when it comes to dirty weld metal.

Stick Welder (a.k.a. Arc Welder)

The second most common type of welder for a beginner is the stick welder, which is also called Arc Welder that uses the consumable electrode rod that needs to be placed barely on the surface of the metal that you are welding. You must avoid keeping it closer to the metal as it tends to stick or grab to the steel and hence offering you ugly weld. Another challenge associated with this welder is that you first need to start the arc, and you need to use scratch start to run the welding rod and then the steel piece for some time before lifting the steel piece away. The only plus point is that it is a very affordable option indeed, and it needs no insert gas for welding.

TIG Welder

The third type of welder is the TIG welder is the Best Multi-Purpose welder for a beginner as it can be used both for aluminum and steel efficiently. The AC TIG can easily weld aluminum, and it offers the finest finishing welds as compared to all other best welders for Beginners. Users are required to feed the filler metal manually into it, and this offers the highest control over the welding process with TIG. But it is quite challenging for beginners to master this welder because they need to first master the filler material, contact tip, and also the foot pedal. It is suggested that beginners must first master the MIG welder and then gradually move to TIG welder. It requires to insert shielding gas for welding.

Amperage and power supply

The thickness of the metal you are working with is another important factor to keep in mind when buying best home welder.

Remember, the higher the amperage, the better the welder is when it comes to handling thicker materials. Moreover, you also need to supply a sufficient amount of power and ensure that power input supports its higher ratings. You need to supply the power of 220V to higher amperage welder, which can open opportunities to handle bigger welding jobs efficiently.

The AC TIG welder is the most expensive welder that can weld over 1/4inches thick metals and alloys which need more power and high-end machines. MIG welder can also handle welds in thicker material of 1/4inches, and it is the affordable option indeed.

Duty cycle

This is another important factor that you have to keep in mind when choosing the Best Welders for Beginners.

Every welder comes with a specific duty cycle, and the welder with higher amperage and 220V power requirement usually run longer without a break, and it needs no stopping to cool down in between welding projects. But, the welder with 110V power supply needs to break in between to cool down for at least 2-3 minutes.

So, you need to pay close attention to the duty cycle of the welder and ensure to check the guidelines provided by the manufacturer to know how much time is needed to cool down the unit to resume welding again. This will prevent tripping the thermal protection circuit and increase longevity.

Design and Build quality

Build quality and design of the welder are important factors. The advanced and modern welder for beginners is ergonomically designed in a compact and portable size, and this makes it easier for the beginners to weld anywhere using the welder.

Welders with a compact design are portable meaning you can carry them with you. With this type of welder, you can weld anywhere you want. They are designed to give you a great welding experience without additional bulk.

Besides portability, you also need to check the build quality of the machine. It should have all the safety features. It should also have the protection it needs. This will provide you a safe welder to work with.

User interfaces and material of welder

As a beginner, you can find it difficult to handle the settings of a welding machine. This is why you need to select a machine that is specifically designed for beginners. Also, it should be able to handle the project you are working on.

Some of the important things are the material type, consumable and the thickness of the material. This will help you to choose the right machine for your task.

A welder from reputed brands can auto customize their settings. They do so by learning the actual voltage. This makes it easier for you to handle it. At the same time, it also boosts the efficiency and performance of the unit.

When it comes to welding special alloys and metals, you need to opt for some specific processes and consumables. Some of the other welding machines may also require additional tools to get the job done for you.

Before selecting a welder, you need to determine the needs of your welding project. And make a selection based on the metal type. This will help you to find the best welding machine to invest in. Using the right welder can make it last longer and also give best “bang for the buck”.

Consumables

What are consumables? By consumables, we mean the filler material that you use for welding.

Consumables for welding are determined on the basis of welding consumable type, welding technique, industry, and even region.

There are two main types of consumables including electrodes and wires. You need to select the right consumable so that it suits the metal you are welding. Keep in mind that Electrodes are the thing that produces the necessary energy to perform welding process.

Two most important points when choosing consumables:

1. Consumable’s melting point must match the base metal’s melting point;
2. Strength of the filler (consumable) material must match the welded metal for best results.  

In the beginning, you can find it a bit complicated to select the right consumables. But as you get used to the welding process, you will start noticing the differences and best applications between consumables. Once you get the hang of it, you can select the right consumables for your DIY project.

Safety features

Safety is of utmost priority when it’s about welding. Welding is a dangerous process. If you perform it incorrectly, it can result in serious consequences. At the time of welding, you need to make sure that you have all the safety gear needed. This is not just applicable to beginners. It is important for any level of the user – even for the pros.

You should never start with the welding process without putting on your safety gear. The safety gears you need include safety glasses, welding helmet, welding gloves, and fire-resistant jackets. Make sure that you get your safety gear from a reputed brand.

Besides all the safety gear, you need to check the safety features as well. Welding machines come with safety features that are meant for your protection. Before buying a welder check whether the machine cover has sufficient ventilation. This allows the air to freely flow in and out and thus, keep the unit cool while welding.

Another important safety feature is the overheating protection. It prevents the machine from getting damaged from overheating. You should also check for the safety dial controls.

Welders from reputed brands usually carry a safety certification. Also, they are manufactured in compliance with the safety guidelines followed within the welder manufacturing industry. You need to check all of this before making your investment.

Speed of welding process

Welding speed is a very important factor. It is one of the most crucial aspects since it defines the final results of the whole welding process. Welding speed depends on the flow rate and thickness of the welded material.

Powerful and advanced welders for beginners usually come with high speed, and it uses the latest technology, which minimizes the welding time of different alloys and metals. Today the fastest welders for a beginner include the FCAW and MIG welders.

TIG welders are efficient and powerful, but the welding speed of the TIG welder is very slow. However, the ARC welders are also efficient and offer moderate welding performance than other models out there. So, based on your welding requirements and projects, you need to make the selection of best welders for beginners with right welding speed and performance.

Welding speed is a very important factor. It is one of the most crucial aspects since it defines the final results of the whole welding process. Welding speed depends on the flow rate and thickness of the welded material.

Extra controls

You should opt for a welder that comes with easy control settings and modules. This makes the machine more efficient. Also, you will find it easier to work with it. It allows you to work on different types of metals and alloys.

The best thing to do is to get a multi-process welder with easy control settings. However, you should know that it may cost you more. The more extra controls your unit has, the more it will cost. But it is worth the investment. It can be beneficial for you in the long run.

Three main controls are Voltage, Gas flow rate (or Gas type of mixture), wire feed speed. They control the gas transfer type and the heat of the weld. 

Budget

A welding machine doesn’t come off cheap. Therefore, you need to first determine a budget before buying it. As a beginner, you should look for cost-effective models. But make sure they can give you good performance.

Expensive welders have additional features and settings that make them more efficient. With the help of such welders, you can get your work done faster.

But it might be an overkill for you to invest so much money for a welder when you are just beginning. As a beginner, you are not ready to handle such advanced units. Therefore, you should opt for simple designs that are meant for beginners. Buying a complex machine will be hard for you to master. Once you develop your skills, you can move to an advanced model.