If you have a bunch of welding projects lying around waiting to be completed, there are two options available. You can hire the services of a professional welder, or you can do-it-yourself with the help of the right tools and equipment. If you like the sound of the second option, what you need is a reliable, affordable, and good quality MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welder.
Here are the 10 best MIG Welders.
The Best MIG Welder
Goplus MIG 130
The Goplus MIG 130 is an excellent choice for the DIY welding enthusiast because it is both affordable and automatic. It is also the perfect product for home improvement, general repair works, sheet metal work, and many more.
This machine is not powered by argon or carbon dioxide gases. Moreover, it uses a process known as gas-less flux-molding, where instead of the standard wire, it uses a tubular wire filled with flux.
Termed as a “household smart welder,” this is an excellently designed tool made of high-gauge steel painted with a cheerful yellow. There is a multi-functional control panel that provides four levels of adjustable welding speed control current settings and a wire feeding speed adjustable knob with 10 feeding levels.
If you’re worried about the unit over-heating, stay cool because this machine has an over-heating protective circuit and two air vents that dissipate heat. Also, small accessories can be conveniently stored and transported in the little hidden storage area on top of the unit. Aside from the machine, you also get a welding gun, wire and mask, wire brush, metal tip, and a ground cord. Overall, this product is an excellent choice for beginners.
Be sure to wear a protective welding helmet while using it.
Hobart 500559 Handler 140
Another great pick for beginners is the Hobart 500559 Handler 140. This solidly constructed machine comes from the Hobart brand that has enjoyed an exceptional reputation since 1917.
Handler 140 is a very popular choice among home welders and hobbyists because it is simple, sturdy, and easy to use. Plus, it is also affordable and convenient to carry around, making it an ideal choice for auto-body work, farm and yard work, repairs, and metalworking art.
You can use this machine on both steel and aluminum, as well as on cast iron, copper, brass, magnesium, and titanium alloys. It weighs 65 pounds, and it uses standard 115V domestic power and provides an extremely smooth, stable arc on metals of any thickness. Also included in the package is an all-metal wire-feed assembly, which delivers flux core wire.
The five-position voltage control selector is a boon because it gives you a stable, smooth arc no matter what the welding thickness. You’ll also appreciate the clear and uncomplicated user manual, which is specially designed for the newbie user. The assembly instructions and safety precautions listed in the manual are excellent. All in all, this product is hard to beat when it comes to reliability and price, and it comes with a five-year limited manufacturer warranty.
2019 Everlast MIG 140
This 110/120V Flux 140-amp welder is a lightweight, practical, and ideal choice for new girls and boys on the block. It is one of the Everlast brand’s offerings in the economy line of inverter MIG welders.
The machine’s inverter feature provides a better duty cycle against regular transformer-based welders. Its basic design makes it a super entry-level unit without compromising its power and performance.
The IGBT inverter design delivers a higher amperage output with an increased 25% duty cycle at a lower amp draw. The handy size and weight allow great portability within your work area and also to your job site.
This product is an exceptional tool for mild steel angle/tubing, sheet metal, angle iron, hobby or artwork, small job MIG welding, and many more. The kit includes a three-meter 15-series MIG gun, work clamp, Ar/CO2 regulator, and a starter package of consumables to get you all set and ready to weld.
This machine’s wire feed speed and voltage are amazingly adjustable, and though you may need some practice to get your required settings right, this MIG welder is a great value for your money.
Miller Electric Millermatic 211
If you don’t mind investing a little more for an ultra-light, portable, dual voltage welder, the Miller Electric Millermatic 211 is for you. Manufactured by Miller Electric, this machine is versatile enough to work on stainless steel, mild steel, and aluminum. It can weld up to a steel thickness of 3.8 inches and the same with aluminum. It is portable, making it the right choice for the weekend welder, hobbyists, home welders, and metalwork artists.
You’ll appreciate the fact that this product is a silent machine, and it has a simple set up that’s user-friendly for those new to welding. Plus, it is also reliable on dual voltage, as well as sturdy and long-lasting for everyday use.
The hook and loop cord wraps are a handy addition to this machine. This product also has a “fan on-demand” cooling system that only operates when required, and this is great for noise reduction and power economy, as well as the volume of contaminants, sucked in.
This product also comes with an MVP that enables connection to a 120V and 240V power source. Its patented Smooth-Start feature gives an even, spatter-free operation. Finally, it carries Miller’s three-year True Blue warranty.
Lincoln Electric K2185-1
This handy MIG welder comes from Lincoln Electric, a 124-year-old Ohio-based company. It is compact, lightweight, and portable, and it is ideal for welding mild 24-gauge steel with a thickness of up to 1/8th inch. These features make it an excellent tool for home improvement works and hobbyists with small projects. It is also a great choice for the occasional or novice welder, who is ready to try wire welding.
When you purchase this product, you’ll get a spool-shielded, flux-cored wire, contact tips, and chipping hammer/brush, making it possible for you to weld with a gas-less, flux-core wire. However, you’ll need to buy a gas tank if you’re planning to use gas. Nonetheless, you’ll surely enjoy doing custom metalwork as well as small job works on auto bodies, lawn-mower, or roll-cage repairs with your Lincoln K2185.
If you’re skeptical that a welding unit that plugs into the wall can deliver the necessary penetration produced by a stick welder, then rest assured that this product can provide all the power you need.
Hobart Handler 210 MVP
If you’ve used the Hobart Handler 140 welder, you’re already familiar with the company’s reputation for reliability and performance. It has been in business since 1917, covering all aspects of welding and cutting products, including design, testing, and manufacture. Plus, they have also added a comprehensive range of welding accessories since 2000.
The Handler 210 MVP is a feed welder, which is versatile enough to operate on both 115V and 230V input power. It is also conveniently sized so you can transport it easily in its small portable case.
This machine has seven voltage settings for 230V and four for 115V, with unlimited wire feed speed. It also has a standard flux-core wire process, and its built-in contractor can keep the unit cool during operation.
With this product, you don’t need an additional control box/adapter for connecting the spool-runner gun. Plus, its convenient door chart is a great boon for both novices and professionals. It also gives initial settings for different wires, gases, materials, and thicknesses. Lastly, you can ramp up operations with this product’s wide range of accessories.
Forney 309 140-Amp Welder
If you need high-quality welds for home-based projects up to ¼ inch steel, the Forney 309 140-Amp Welder is a good option. It has been newly re-designed to incorporate some useful features that were not in its earlier version. These include integrated feet to give more height to the machine and provide extra stability, torch with in-built strain relief, and a useful torch wrap to keep things more organized.
This product is a simple, easy-to-use welder that you can work on mild steel, stainless steel, cast iron, and aluminum for automobiles, fencing, small home welding projects, and many more. What’s also great is that all the parts are easily replaceable.
This machine is capable of handling wire sizes of 0.23, 0.30, and 0.35 inches very successfully because of the new dual-geared drive and more innovatively designed despoiler. Plus, its Euro-style disconnect gun can swiftly remove the torch temporarily if necessary.
Overall, you’ll find that the duty cycle is quite good without having to stop to cool down in the middle of the project. It plugs directly into your domestic power source and gives you clean, spatter-free welds.
Don’t forget to wear protective work gloves when using this tool.
LONGEVITY Migweld 140
The LONGEVITY Migweld 140 is a China-manufactured machine; however, don’t let this fact make you take a step back. This product is a high-quality, high-performance welder that delivers industrial quality welding performance for a pocket-friendly price.
Ideal for both newbies and professionals, the Migweld 140 from LONGEVITY is a versatile tool, capable of handling not just aluminum but also a range of exotic metals. It’s also the perfect instrument for light welding, home improvement, and artwork projects.
This machine uses consumables that are regularly found in your neighborhood hardware store. Plus, it is quite simple to learn and operate on both gas-less and core flux wire welding. The compact design makes it easy to transport within your workshop and also to your worksite.
Standard settings are available on the inside cover, but you can change them according to your requirements and preferences. Its high-quality feed mechanism is very smooth, and you’ll enjoy completing lots of different projects for friends and family without any fuss and bother. It’s also great for outdoor work, and it gives a clean and accurate weld with minimal slag. Lastly, the thermal overload protection is for the entire lifetime of the device.
Weldpro 200-Amp Inverter Multi-Process Welder
This product is a versatile welder that facilitates not just gas and flux core welding. It can also surprise you with its capacity for true lift TIG welding, stick welding, and aluminum welding by using the spool gun option.
This product is a synergistically designed MIG/Flux Core space-saving unit that uses IGBT technology. That’s why you get such high power in a lightweight, compact machine and a smoother, cleaner weld with less spatter.
Compared to other machines in its price range, the Weldpro 200-Amp automatically adjusts voltage and wire-feed speed. It also allows you to fine-tune the machine according to your unique requirements and preferences. Also, its TIG welder feature enables you to do metal brazing if needed.
You’ll love this product’s superior finish and the way it adapts for home use, DIY projects, metalworking in art projects, auto repairs, and indoor and outdoor work. Whether you’re an occasional welder who doesn’t get into the job every day, or you’re a dedicated welder, this MIG welder is something you’ll enjoy having by your side.
LOTOS MIG175 175-AMP Mig Welder
When you require power, performance, and consistency regularly, check out the Lotos MIG 175. With a weight of just 85 pounds, this machine can be easily moved and stored in enclosed spaces.
This product is from the Sunnyvale, CA-based Lotos brand that has been well-known since 2007 for supplying top-quality cutting tools mainly used by DIY enthusiasts and small businesses. Their products are affordable, and their after-sales service is one of the best. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by their customer-focused ethos.
This machine delivers a great flow rate, fast set-up, and a robust torch, plus it comes with a free spool gun and mask, aluminum welding wires, solid wires, argon regulator, and a regular MIG gun. That means you can get started the moment you take it out of the box.
The MIG 175 is versatile enough to handle aluminum, thin steel, stainless, and mild steel, as well as industrial standard four-inch or six-inch wire spools. The re-settable overload protection feature ensures longevity.
Overall, this product is perfect for the extreme hobbyist who doesn’t plan to mass-produce or do fabrication work, and it is also great for professional welders as well as beginners.
MIG Welders
This machine can be used on a range of metals, including those of different base metal thicknesses. But, you need to ensure that you use the proper electrodes and shielding gas. Plus, you also have to utilize the appropriate power source, voltage, and any additional equipment that may be required for the project.
MIG welding was invented in the early 19th century. Although it is relatively low-cost, it provides quick, high productivity. Plus, it can easily be used on most of the commercially available alloys and metals.
This machine makes all kinds of fabrication simpler and swifter. You don’t need much post-operational clean up because there is no slag covering on the weld bead. It is also perfect for mechanized welding, and if you need X-ray quality welds, this is the process for you. Though it’s a little more expensive than conventional stick welding, it’s a much faster and more efficient process. However, you need to ensure that the metal to be welded is clean, dust and rust-free, and is not contaminated by oil or grime.
There are plenty of great MIG welders available on the market, manufactured by some of the leading international brands, so it is easy to feel confused and overwhelmed by the sheer volume and range of products out there.
To find the best product, you should have a clear understanding of what you want to use the welder for, incorporate both present and potential uses, what your preferences are, and how much you’re willing to invest.