A welder for home use should be lightweight, portable, compact, and easy to set up and use. The MIG, gasless MIG, and stick welding processes are the most appropriate for home welding needs. But having a TIG support comes as icing on the cake, allowing you to complete even the most delicate jobs, like fixing a visible metal piece of furniture.
Welding Processes and Their Characteristics
Welding Process
Requires a Shielding
Gas?
Supported Metals
Ease of Use
Weld Appearance
(1-5)
MIG
Yes
Steel, stainless steel, aluminium (spool gun)
Easy
4
TIG
Yes
Steel, stainless steel, aluminium (only AC TIG)
Hard
5
Gasless MIG
(Flux-cored)
No
Steel and stainless steel
Medium
3
Stick
No
Steel, stainless steel
Hard
3
The table above shows the essential characteristics of the main arc welding processes important to home users. Some of these welding processes can also weld copper, magnesium, brass, titanium, and many other metals. However, most DIY welding jobs require joining mild steel, stainless steel, and aluminium. To weld aluminium, you'll need a spool gun for MIG or an AC-TIG capable welder for TIG.
If you don't care too much about the weld appearance, the gasless MIG (flux-cored) welding process is the best for home use. It doesn't require a shielding gas and is relatively easy to learn. However, the gas-shielded MIG welding process is the easiest to master and can produce good-looking welds. MIG welding requires a shielding gas, which is an additional expense, and you'll need to store the gas bottle somewhere in your home.
Many welders support more than one welding process. These machines are known as ‘multi-process’ welders and are often the best choice for home welding.
DIY home welding jobs usually don't require much welding power. Most welders support at least 160A output, which is more than enough to weld most fences, garden furniture, grills, auto body parts, DIY projects, metal art, and similar hobby welding tasks. So, you'll be able to weld pretty much anything with the Unimig VIPER 185, a MIG/Gasless MIG/TIG/Stick welding machine.
However, more than the maximum welding power, the minimum welding output may be more critical. While this sounds counterintuitive, having the ability to weld at just 5A is crucial when welding thin metals, especially stainless steel sheets. The Unimig RAZOR 200 can TIG weld with a range of 5-200A, allowing you to weld thin and thick alike, compared to the Unimig VIPER 185 with its range of 30-185A.
Besides welding output, you need a suitable duty cycle for your DIY workload. The duty cycle determines the percentage of a 10-minute interval during which you can weld at a rated amperage output. For example, a welder with a rating of 60% duty cycle at 150A can weld for 6 minutes at 150A output before it must rest for the remaining 4 minutes of the 10-minute timeframe.
So, ensure that the welding machine can support your welding needs. While most DIY welding jobs can easily be completed with the lowest duty cycles, you'll need a relatively high duty cycle if you plan to make long welds on thick metal. The Kemppi Minarc MIG Evo 200 is a good choice for demanding hobbyists. It can output 200A for 3.5 minutes, allowing you to make the longest welds in one pass. But it can also weld at a 100% duty cycle with a 120A output, so you can weld lower thicknesses with maximum efficiency.
Welders for home use should be compact and easy to store. But they should also be light and easy to move around. You don't want to haul a heavy machine from your home to the garage or the neighbour's house if you do small jobs for the neighbourhood.
High-quality welders are loaded with valuable features. While professionals often need advanced functions to complete complex welding jobs, home users can benefit from high-end features to make DIY welding jobs easier and create better-looking welds.
Pulsed MIG and double-pulsed MIG reduces the average heat input into the welded metal, which prevents warping and burning through the base metal. In addition, double-pulsed MIG can produce welds that resemble the ‘stack-of-coins’ weld appearance associated with TIG welding. If you weld metal art or your DIY projects require high weld aesthetics, you can benefit from double-pulsed MIG.
The Unimig RAZOR 200 supports pulsed MIG and TIG. The pulsed MIG is easier to apply than pulsed TIG, but pulsed TIG is irreplaceable for creating impeccable welds on stainless steel.
Synergic settings automatically adjust the voltage and amperage output, so you don't have to. For example, the Unimig RAZOR 200 supports over 100 synergic settings for MIG, TIG, and Stick welding, making it easier than ever to hit the sweet spot and make those good-looking welds. All you have to do is select the metal type, wire/electrode size, and shielding gas, and the welder will auto-set everything else for you.
The voltage reduction device is integrated into some welders, like the Unimig VIPER 185 and Unimig RAZOR 200. The VRD significantly reduces the open circuit voltage (OCV) when in stick mode before welding. Since stick welding has a relatively high OCV, there is a good chance that you can accidentally get electrocuted, especially when working in a wet or humid environment. So, having a VRD is a big plus on the safety side.
Stick welders can have an OCV of 50 to 110V. The higher the OCV, the easier it gets to run the electrodes, even the stubborn ones like the E7018 and the notorious E6010. But, this high OCV can get you hurt if you find yourself in between the welding polarities and become a part of the circuit.
The Unimig RAZOR 200 supports a hot start function, which boosts the welding current at the start of the weld. As a result, it's much easier to get the arc and the puddle going, even when welding cold and thick materials.
Aluminium welds often crack right at the end of the weld if the ending crater isn't filled up correctly. Since the aluminium dissipates heat rapidly, it can crack as the underfilled weld crater cools. Basically, the surrounding aluminium starts pulling the crater of the weld, so if there isn't enough material in it, the crater can crack. That's why it's crucial to lower your welding current as you finish the aluminium weld and fill in the cavity.
However, this can be a challenging task, especially when MIG welding. Unlike TIG, MIG doesn't support a foot pedal that controls the amperage output. Thankfully, the Unimig RAZOR 200 includes the stopping current function, which ramps down the voltage and amperage and lets you finish up the aluminium welds and prevent cracking.
The better the display, the easier it is to set up your welder. While the Unimig VIPER 185 is easy to set up, a welder like the Unimig RAZOR 200 has a significant advantage with its extra-large touch LCD screen. It's far easier to apply various functions and fine-tune your settings with an intuitive menu on a large screen.
If you are still unsure which is the best home welder for your needs we can help! Give our team a call today on (08) 9456 8000 or email sales@alphaweld.com.au.