Welding is considered to be one of the most preferable jobs nowadays. Mass take it as a hobby or occupation. Among its variants, the MIG welder is maybe the most famous one. Experts suggest the newbie welders to start with a good MIG welder. Now you may ask- how to choose a good MIG welder?
Follow along for the answer.
PRO GUIDE ON HOW TO CHOOSE A GOOD MIG WELDER
When it comes to getting a perfect MIG welder, you should start by thinking about what you need to do with it. Because some MIG welders might be good for a specific need, some might not.
Let’s say, you need this tool for some home repairing tasks. Then, a portable one would be preferable. For heavy servicing, you will need one with more power. And so on.
Budget
Price is a major factor. Range of market prices weaves from around a hundred bucks to a few thousand. But you should consider some things before purchasing one. For example, you need to check for cable length, wire feed drives, etc. before buying the best MIG welders under 500 dollars. So, you should prefer the one which fulfils your requirements.
You can get a MIG welder at only eighty or ninety dollars maybe. But it might not last even a single day after unboxing. Conversely, spending a thousand in a MIG welder will get you a good one. But, will it be cost-effective for what you want to accomplish with it?
To sum up- the right price choice will depend on what you want to achieve with a MIG welder.
Duty cycle
This is the time duration for which it will run before getting overheat. To work for a long time at a high voltage, small MIG welders will be the wrong choice. But for tiny jobs, it will be perfect.
Some welders have thermal overload protection function. Which protects the machine in case of long working. It might give you some advantages.
Voltage amperage
In choosing a quality MIG welder, welding voltage and electric outlet are major considerations. For light welding jobs, home-based 110-volt MIG welder would be the best choice. But for heavy welding, you will need heavy MIG welders starting from 220 volts.
If you want to weld thin metals, minimum amperage should be a consideration too.
Shielding Gas
25 per cent carbon-dioxide combined with 75% argon gas is considered to be fine for typical weld shielding. For thick metals, you will need pure CO2.
Also, make sure you have the perfect gas regulator with your product. The regulator of pure carbon dioxide may not work with pure argon.
Spool Gun
If you want to weld metals like aluminum, you should pick a MIG welder which has a spool gun with it. It doesn’t come with all MIG welders. So you need to double-check. Otherwise, it will cause more expense later. The total cost of a spool gun and the welder might be a bit high for you. Then you should try the one from another brand at a cheaper price.
Cooling
Another thing you need to look for while buying a MIG welder is its cooling system. Usually, it is either air-cooled or water-cooled. For light welding works, air cooling would suffice. For heavy-duty welding with 300-600 amp, you should choose the one with water cooling.
Portability
A worthy and delicate art needs a master hand with smooth tools and materials. If you are also interested to make your welding easy, choose a lightweight and portable one. Especially if your interest lies in light small home weldings.
Cord
The length of the cord could be an issue sometimes. A longer cord makes your welding flexible rather than a shorter one.
Additional accessories
Are you buying it from an unknown brand? You can’t expect “all in one” there. Some accessories like a face mask, chipping hammer could be absent in your package in that case. Purchase your welder from a renowned brand to ensure all the privileges.
Final words
Machines and humans are not the same. Man can go beyond his range, to some extent. But the machines do not. Top class MIG welder will provide top class welding. By now you should know how to choose a good MIG welder. So, buy a suitable one for convenient welding.
