Author: Dave Gorkman

One of the most common questions that come into our contact page are around the best MIG Welder for different things like Handyman, welding cars, sheet metal, fences, etc. In this article, we want to brief look at some of the best MIG Welders for a Handyman! If you already own one of the MIG Welders we refer to on this page, we encourage you to join in the discussion thread at the bottom of the page and share your experience with the welder also.

What needs to be welded?

In order to understand why the models below were chosen, we first want to look at the things a typical handyman is going to be doing with their mig or arc welder.

Items Often Welded by a Handyman. Lets face it… a handyman is not going to be building bridges… Most often, they will be welding:

• Chain Link Fences or Metal Posts
• Signs, or other Sheet Metal Items
• Lawnmowers, Snowblowers, Tillers and other Yard Equipment
• Metals up to 1/4 inch thick
• Cars, Truck, Exhaust or Some Automotive Welding

Welding Skill level Needed

Just like the limited degree of items that a handyman is going to be welding, they really don’t want to have to school for 3 months to learn how to draw a nice pool of metal! Most handyman welders are going to be the same guy you see balancing his own lawnmower blades, painting his own home and building his own deck.

Mig or flux core?

If you are going to do a lot of outside welding on steel, then you’ll be using more flux-core wire. Inside, MIG welders may be better, and it’s the only choice on that machine for aluminum and stainless.

MIG welders are a lot cleaner than Flux-core. Flux core has a lot of splatter and you have to remove a layer of slag on the weld – kind of like stick.

The key to finding the right MIG welder for your needs is to have a good grasp of what you are going to be welding.  Here’s a brief overview of the most commonly welded materials and basic information about what type of welder will best handle the tasks.

Sheet Metal

Sheet metal is a thinner metal so care must be exercised when welding it.  Problems arise when too much heat is used – too many amps are employed – and the welder burns too far into the metal, weakening it.  In some circumstances, burn through may be the result.  This can also be caused by using welding wire that is too thick.  For welding sheet metal, .023 to .030 diameter wire is best, along with a an amp setting in the 60 to 140 range. Good options for sheet metal welding include the Millermatic 140 and 180, the Clarke WE6523 and WE6441, the Lincoln K2185 Handy MIG, the Hobart 500550 130 and Hobart 500500 Handler 140.

Carbon Steel/Mild Steel

This is the most common type of steel and most MIG machines weld it very well.  The key is the thickness of the material.  Thicker materials require more heat/amps and also thicker diameter wire.  For light and medium duty carbon steel welding, a portable 140 to 180 machine is a good choice; for larger steels a MIG welder with an amperage capacity between 230 and 320 or higher is a better bet.  Look for outstanding welders, new or used, from Lincoln, Miller, Hobart and ESAB for welding steel.  Here are some approximate amperages for various widths of steel: 18 gauge – 70 to 100 amps; 1/8” steel – 100 to 200 amps; 3/16” steel – 130 to 200 amps; 1/4” steel – 140 to 220 amps; 1/2” steel – 250 amps minimum.  Use steel from .023” up to .045 depending on the thickness of what is being welded. Top welders with high amp capacity for mild steel welding include the Hobart 500304 IronMan 210, Hobart 500536 Ironman 230, Lincoln K2403-1 Power MIG 350, ESAB Multimaster 260, and the Clarke WE6524 MIG Welder.  For thinner metals, the portable units from Miller, Hobart and Lincoln are all very good.

Aluminum Welding

Occasional aluminum welds can be handled by most MIG welders.  However, since aluminum melts so quickly, if you expect that most of your welds will involve aluminum, it may be a better choice to select a welder that is designed specifically for aluminum.  Pulse welders are best for this application – units like the Millermatic Pulser, the Lincoln K2403-1 Power MIG Welder and the ESAB Multimaster 260 are all fantastic choices.  You may also find it helpful to choose a special aluminum feed gun like the Spoolmatic 30A or Spoolmate spool guns.

What advantages do MIG welders offer?

• Externally supplied gas or gas mixtures provide MIG welder shielding.
• Metal is deposited only when the wire actually touches the work.
• No metal is transferred across the arc during MIG welding.
• Another method of MIG welding, spray transfer moves a stream of tiny molten droplets across the arc from the electrode to the weld puddle. Consumables: contact tips, shielding gas, welding wire.
• A number of configurations
• MIG welders utilize solid wire and require shielding
• MIG welders use a solid wire and require an inert gas for shielding.
• Flux-core welders use a hollow wire that has flux inside it. When heated, the flux forms a protective gas layer around the weld. The shielding is there to prevent air from getting to the weld and causing a variety of problems, such as oxidation to hydrogen embrittlement from oxygen and water vapor in the air.

Choosing best MIG welder for a handyman

We realize that different people may have different reasons for choosing the best mig welder for a handyman. There are many MIG welders models available on the market, but which is best for you?

Lots of Mig Welder choices

Externally supplied gas or gas mixtures provide MIG welder shielding. Common MIG welding is referred to as short circuit transfer. Metal is deposited only when the wire actually touches the work. No metal is transferred across the arc during MIG welding.

Another method of MIG welding, spray transfer moves a stream of tiny molten droplets across the arc from the electrode to the weld puddle.

How do you choose a Mig Welder?

Best MIG welder manufacturers include: Lincoln, Miller, Hobart, Century, Esab, Clarke, and others.

These MIG welder manufacturers offer a variety of MIG welders that can meet any welding need from industrial MIG welders to hobbyists to fabrication shops, ranches, aerospace welding, and more.

MIG wire comes in a wide variety of materials and diameters.  Also known as an electrode, the wire you choose must be right for the job in order to ensure the strongest, tidiest weld you can produce.

Here are the key features of MIG wire.  Keep them in mind as you shop for the brand and material that will make you the best welder you can be.

1. Metal Soundness: High-quality MIG welding electrode must be characterized by excellent fusion and a lack of porosity.  Poorly made wire or that made from inferior materials is far more likely to cause carbon monoxide bubbles in the weld (porosity), decreasing strength as well as potentially marring the appearance.

2. Wire containing quality deoxidizers: A deoxidizer is an element that will combine with oxygen more readily than carbon so that harmless slag is formed instead of CO.  The best deoxidizers are aluminum, zirconium and titanium, although silicon and manganese remain the most common deoxidizers in today’s wire options.

3. Puddle fluidity: The weld puddle needs to be fluid enough to create smooth edges in the bead shape but not so fluid that it causes control issues.  This can be especially vital on fillet or multi-pass welds where fusion is essential.  A smoother bead shape will reduce the need for post-weld grinding where appearance is important.

How to Choose Mig Welding Wire
With these features in mind, here are tips for choosing the right wire for your job.

Tip #1: Familiarize yourself with the wire types available.

Knowing what materials are available will help you select the right one for your task.  A brief overview of types includes aluminum, bronze alloy, carbon steel, copper alloy, hard facing, low alloy steel, magnesium, maintenance alloy, nickel alloy and stainless steel.  Each has unique weld characteristics and they contain varying amounts of deoxidizer.

Tip #2: Select wire with the proper amount of deoxidizer.

Manganese and silicon are the most common deoxidizers and you’ll need to select a wire with the correct levels for the welding jobs you have.  The more deoxidizer, the greater the fluidity tends to be.  Adding titanium, zirconium or aluminum to the electrode tends to lower fluidity and creates a puddle that is better for applications such as welding pipe where the molten metal is likely to run off the job if too fluid.

Tip #3: Choose wire compatible with the metals you are welding.

It is always best to use wire made of the same material as the metal you are welding for greatest fusion.  For carbon steel your options include solid wire or flux-cored wire depending upon your preference and the availability of shielding gas.

Tip #4:  Use a MIG wire diameter rated for the amps required on the weld.

For example, .023” wire is suitable for use between 30 and 90 amps, .030” wire works well between 40 and 150 amps, and .035” wire is right for amp settings between 55 and 180 amps.  Larger diameter .045” wire can be used on jobs that require up to about 260 amps.  Most wire packaging will offer a chart that shows acceptable use for the diameter of the wire contained.

Tip #5: Use your welder’s set up chart to determine wire diameter

Most welders from Hobart, ESAB, Miller, Lincoln and other leading brands come equipped with a set-up chart that spells out clearly what diameter wire should be used, given the amps required.

Tip #6: For all-purpose DIY welding on aluminum use medium to large diameter wire.

Most welder manufacturers suggest that if you want one wire that will work well on the widest variety of tasks that you select either .030” or .035” aluminum wire.  You’ll enjoy good weld puddle control and a solid, durable weld for most tasks.

Once you get comfortable with your welder and the wire choices available you’ll find it easy to match the right wire with each task.  Your welds will show quality and will prove themselves in the long-run with greater durability and strength.  Follow these guidelines and you’ll soon know how to choose the right MIG wire for the job.

The MIG / GMAW gun you choose will go a long way towards the performance you achieve as well as the ease with which you get work done.  Think about it: the gun delivers all the dynamics that make for a good weld – or a failed weld.  It provides the consistent current, the electrode and the shielding gas to the work zone, all critical factors.  Therefore, it must be tailored to the kind of work that is being done.  Guns are also an important factor in being as efficient as possible with the amount of consumables you go through.  In this guide we’ll offer tips for selecting the right gun for the way you typically weld.

Tip #1: Choose the Right Sized Gun

Many welders think that the more gun they have the better, but this isn’t always the case.  The larger the gun the heavier it usually is and that will make a difference during an 8-10 hour shift or even over the course of a single 20-30 minute job.  Plus, larger guns tend to go through more wire, often producing more weld than you need.  In many cases, it’s overkill and a waste of material.

For example, if a job requires 380 amps, is it essential that you use a gun rated to 380 or 400 amps?  The answer is no!  If you’re going to weld constantly for hours on end, then you’d need the higher rated gun.  But in reality, a 260-300 amp, 100% duty cycle gun would most likely meet your needs because you’re probably only welding for 15-20 minutes tops per hour, in starts and stops while you move the piece or your position and make adjustments.  You’ll pay less for that gun and use your consumables with less waste.  Plus, the slightly lighter weight will ease hand and wrist fatigue and reduce repetitive task stress.

Tip #2: Choose the Right Length Cable

It’s true that where versatility is essential, the longer the reach the better – for getting under equipment or up a ladder for example.  But if your welding station is pretty fixed and you work on smaller parts that can be lifted onto your station, it actually makes more sense to choose shorter cables.  They cost less, for starters.  Secondly, having 6-10 feet of cable on the ground beneath you can lead to problems or be a general nuisance.  There are fewer wire-feeding problems with shorter cables.  Again, knowing what types of welding and the typical circumstances you’ll encounter is the key to choosing the right gun/cable setting for best performance and economy.

Tip #3: Choose a Gun with Top Performance Features

Not all guns are created equal.  It’s best to choose the highest quality gun you can afford (at the right size and cable length as mentioned).  It begins with a rigid strain relief connection where the wire feeder and the cable connect.  This will ensure better wire feeding, non-kinking operation, and overall better welds that will maximize your welding output.

In addition, if you typically use more than one brand or style of feeder, it is essential to choose a gun with a variety of plug options.  One gun to fit them all will increase productivity and reduce the need and cost for additional guns.

Tip #4: Choose a Gun with a Reliable Trigger

Since the trigger is the only moving part of the gun, it needs to be reliable.  A cheap trigger or one that cannot be easily serviced will lead to unexpected down-time and cost.  Look for a gun with a firm, strong and reliable trigger that has the feel of quality.

Tip #5: Choose Versatility in the Neck

If every weld you do is exactly the same, a fixed-neck gun might be okay.  But a rotatable, adjustable neck will maximize your ability to weld with comfort and success.

Tip #6: Choose a Light but Well-Made Handle

For the handle, first make sure it is rated for the duty cycle/amperage you’ll be working with.  Beyond that, lightweight metal in an ergonomically-designed handle is a great choice.  A smaller handle will generally be more comfortable and a vented handle will reduce heat.

Tip #7: Consider a Water-Cooled Gun

Welding professionals often choose a water-cooled gun because they are lighter, smaller and can operate longer without uncomfortable or unsafe heat build-up.  They do cost more, but if welding is your profession, they may be a very worthwhile investment that will lower your fatigue, increase your comfort, and contribute to greater performance on the job.

Making an informed choice about the gun you use will pay dividends going forward.  Don’t overdo the power capability of the gun, but buy the highest quality you can afford.  You’ll get more work done, become a better welder, and do it all for less in terms of reduced power used and consumables wasted.