Best Mig Welder for Beginners: Choosing the Appropriate Unit
If you have been into the welding industry or planning to get into it, you may have heard about MIG welding. It is something that every welding industry professional knows.
What might actually be confusing is choosing the appropriate MIG welder device or, if this is your case, the best MIG welder for beginners.
Indeed, if you are new to the welding industry and struggling to find the right MIG welder machine, then you’ve landed the right page! It will tell you about different MIG welders to opt for and enlighten you about the basics and initials of MIG welding and everything you need to know before starting and clearing your main queries about the technique-relevant instruments.
Quick Comparison Table
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Brand/Model |
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1. Display4top Portable No Gas MIG 130 Plus |   |  |
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2. RILAND MIG Welder 110v with Portable Welder Accessories |   | |
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3. Lincoln Electric K2185-1 Handy MIG Welder |   | |
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4. Forney Easy Weld 261, 140 FC-i Welder, 120V, Green |   | |
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5. TOOLIOM 135A MIG Welder 110V Flux MIG/Lift TIG/Stick 3-in-1 |   | |
What Is MIG Welding?
Welding is a fabricating process involving heat and pressure to join two separate material pieces via a sturdy joint.
Industry professionals employ various techniques for creating durable assemblies. One such popular welding technique is called MIG or metal inert gas welding. It is one of the finest and most popular welding techniques as it offers a wide range of advantages and promising results.
Talking about its specifications, MIG is an arc welding process. It employs a heated electrode (a solid wire) fed into the weld pool through a welding gun. The gun provides a shielding gas along the electrode, protecting the pool from contaminants in the air. The materials to be joined are melted together, forming a resilient muster.
Historically, it was in 1949 when MIG was first patented for welding aluminum in the United States of America. The electrode used was a bare wire protected by easily available helium gas.
Later in 1952, MIG grew famous across the United Kingdom for welding carbon steels and aluminum. The shielding gases in both cases were carbon dioxide and argon, respectively. Since carbon dioxide and argon-carbon dioxide mixtures are called active metal gases (MAG), MIG welding is also called MAG welding.
MIG/MAG welding is popular because of its high deposition and greater productivity. It is a versatile procedure best used for thick and thin sheets/components.
During the process, an arc, struck between the workpiece and electrode, melts both forming a weld pool. The electrode wire provides heat via the arc and serves as filler metal for the welding joint.
The contact tip of the wire is made of copper for electric current to conduct through it, and a nozzle is present in its surrounding for providing the shielding gas. The application and the material to be welded tell which shielding gas should be used. A cylinder is driven by motor feds the wires as the welder moves the welding torch along the joint line.
Since the wire is fed continuously, the process offers high productivity.
How Is MIG Welding Better?
MIG welding is a much faster and more flexible technique as compared to others. It is widely used in the industry because of its higher deposition rates and is ideal for squirting metal. It also results in shorter lead times and offers lower production costs.
It is comparatively easy to learn and produces clean welds that require little or no finishing. You may see no slag to chip off the weld, along with better weld pool visibility. There is no need to change electrodes, and the process can be easily automated.
Last but not least, MIG welding requires no fluxes and is an ultra low-hydrogen process.
Can you think of any other welding process which is so simple and easy to learn? And that too when it comes with a long list of advantages!
Things to Consider While Buying a Mig Welder
MIG welding is a great technique to start with if you are new in this field. It can help you with hobby welding, mechanical and automotive work, etc.
But one thing that you need to succeed at MIG welding is the appropriate MIG welder! These units produce fine-looking welds and ease the learning procedure for beginners. So when looking out for the best MIG welding machine, there are some essential things to consider. Here are they!
1. Make sure your welder can hook up a gas cylinder
The purpose of the gas cylinder is to provide the shielding gas. Some MIG welders only weld with cored wire, creating a slag coating that needs to be chipped. While being a valid alternative, these units can’t hook up a gas cylinder and thus don’t use a shielding gas. Therefore, the final result of their welding is not what you would get with a normal MIG welder.
2. Don’t miss out on the amperage and the duty cycle of the welder
Welders are classified according to the amperage they produce during a given duty cycle. The amperage is proportional to the amount of heat it can generate. The duty cycle is the amount of time the welder can operate at a specified amperage without overheating. In a nutshell, if you’re welding continuously for long periods, you’ll need a welder with a high duty cycle.
3. Does your welder come with a warranty?
If your welder comes with a warranty, it can be a trustworthy product. This is because all the top-class brands dealing in MIG welders offer a warranty of two years minimum. If anything happens to the unit during this time, the company shall take the whole responsibility of getting it fixed. Warranty can be a significant but not an ultimate sign of product authenticity.
To ease your research struggle further, we’ve listed down the five most trusted and the best MIG welders for a beginner. We have gathered all the relevant information about the product to make it easy to make the best choice. So, keep reading!
Best MIG Welder for Beginners
1. Display4top Portable No Gas MIG 130 Plus
This is a portable, no-gas MIG welder from Display4Top. It uses convenient flux-cored wire, an automatic thermal safety protection suit, and weld steel, carbon, aluminum, and stainless steel.
The notable features of the product are its strength and durability. This compact and trendy MIG welder is made up of heavy-duty stainless steel coated with exquisite red paint. It has a long-serving span and can be trusted for long-term use.
Features and Specifications
- Overload safety protection: This MIG 130 Plus welder automatically turn off if the voltage or current fluctuates or the welder gets too hot.
- Internal fan cooling: The product has a built-in internal fan-cooling system that keeps the inner of the product cool while it is working.
- Convenient product design: It has a trendy design and is easy to move and store. It comes with a firm hand grip so that you can carry it easily.
- Essential accessories: Comes with a welding gun, grounding clamp, brush, and one mask.
- 35% duty cycle
Pros
- Lightweight and trendy design
- Portable and easy to use anywhere
Cons
- Available in a single color
- Some may find the product a bit pricy
2. RILAND MIG Welder 110v with Portable Welder Accessories
The RILAND MIG welder is an automatic and portable welder weighing only 11 lbs and featuring infinite wire feed speed and voltage control, and an easy carry belt. It offers the maximum output of 120 amperes using a 0.34′ flux core wire. This welder is perfect for garage work and can be used in varied conditions during gasless welding. It can easily weld both thin sheet metal and thick steel plates. RILAND MIG welder can be used for aluminum, stainless steel, and mild steel welding. A perfect tool for a hobby shop!
Features and Specifications
- One-knob adjustment for easy usage and max output
- Free welding accessories including MIG torch, earth clamp, power cord, welding helmet, flux core wire, cleaning brush, and five replaceable contact tips.
- The carrying belt allows the user to take the welder to the working site easily.
- It is provided with a card entailing all the details of customer care to be contacted in case of queries.
Pros
- Lightweight and easy to set up
- Perfect for home DIYs and general repairing1-year guarantee
Cons
- Little expensive
3. Lincoln Electric K2185-1 Handy MIG Welder
The Lincoln Electric K2185-1 Handy MIG Welder is one of the most trustworthy MIG welders for beginners because it has a very compact design and is thus light in weight, making it a superb choice for hobby projects and repairs at home.
It comes with several essential accessories, including cable assembly, welding gun, work cable with clamps, gasless nozzle, gas nozzle and regulator, and a hose for MIG welding.
Features and Specifications
- To keep the wire cold, the respective welder has a cold contractor as a safety feature.
- The built-in fan cooling system prevents overheating of the welder.
- The product comes with four voltage settings.
- The indoor chart helps the user to select settings.
- Continuous wire feed speed adjustment.
Pros
- The product is very affordable, offering good value for money
- It is durable with solid mechanisms
- It can be carried anywhere easily
Cons
- This welder can be used on thin metal sheets only
- It has very limited control panel options
4. Forney Easy Weld 261, 140 FC-i Welder, 120V, Green
Forney Easy Weld 261 is undoubtedly one of the best choices. It is a portable, affordable, feature-rich, and extremely performance-oriented welder providing the user with the best welding experience. The welder can help you in difficult welding situations with greater ease by being light in weight. It can serve you with hobby welding, DIYs, home repairs, metal fabrication, and what not!
The special features of the product include
- Metal case exclusive for 2-10 pound wire rolls
- It also has a cable wrap built within
- It weighs only 19 lb and can be easily transported
- It can be used for welding cast iron, aluminum, stainless steel, and mild steel
- 120V and 140A output
Pros
- Best and most suited welder for beginners
- It can be set up easily
- Suitable for light to medium projects
- Works great for thick and thin welding materials
Cons
- You may have to buy the wire rolls separately
5. TOOLIOM 135A MIG Welder 110V Flux MIG/Lift TIG/Stick 3-in-1
It is another good choice when it comes to choosing a good and easy-to-use MIG welder.
The TOOLIOM MIG welder can weld up to 0.035″ flux core wire while handling the E7018 basic electrode.
It can easily be powered by a general household current and offers multiple functions.
It can weld stainless steel and carbon steel easily and is big enough for handling 2-pound rolls of wire. It weighs only 17 lbs and thus can be moved around easily.
Pros
- Light in weight
- Can handle 2-pound wire rolls
- Provides up to 135A output
Cons
- Relatively higher price
Conclusion and Best Offer
Now that you’ve come across this list of five MIG welders for beginners, did you choose your best?
The Forney Easy Weld 261 is the best recommended if you are looking for our suggestion.
It is the most bought and highly rated product because of its dynamic features. Beginners in the welding industry find it best to use because of its easy operation.
Best Offer
It offers you uncountable benefits and that too within super affordable price.
Forney Easy Weld 261
Amazon and many other sites also enlist Forney welder as the top-rated. People have personally used it and given their reviews (link to reviews).
The Alternative
If not Forney, we suggest Lincoln Electric K2185-1 Handy MIG Welder as a suitable alternative. It is also well-suited for small welding jobs at the beginner’s level.
Miller Electric Engine Driven Welder, Bobcat 250
Its usability, reliability, and durability are what make it the 2nd best choice for beginner welders!
