8 Fantastic Welders for Beginners – Become an Expert Welder in No Time!

Forney has been able to make a welder that ticks all the right boxes on what makes the easiest welder for beginners. It’s exceptionally easy to use, and you’ll be able to get started straight away. The instructions are clear, but make sure that you read them before you begin so you’re fully informed on what you’re doing.

As well as being easy to use, this welder is exceptionally light. At a little under 10lbs, it will be very easy to carry wherever you need to weld. With that low weight, we didn’t expect much performance, but that’s where we were proved wrong.

It’s perfect for a wide range of small jobs, and you’ll find yourself using this welder time and time again. The electrode and ground clamp are going to allow you to weld as soon as this unit arrives with a high level of confidence with your safety in mind.

The controls are easy to use, and you can plug this welder in any home outlet. It doesn’t have the highest level of capability, but you’d expect that from a beginner model as sometimes it can run a little too cold for the bigger jobs.

What you do get here is a smooth arc that is going to leave you with exceptional welds. As your first welder, this is brilliant. It can either serve as a simple welder for those day-to-day tasks or your route to becoming a welding professional and eventually moving on to bigger and more powerful machines.

Why is it special?

• Easy to use
• Highly portable and lightweight
• Perfect for small jobs
• Provides a smooth arc

What are the flaws?

• Runs a little cold

Most household outlets are going to have a maximum power output of 115 volts, which is why a lot of these welders will have that as their input voltage. Higher than this, and you’d have to use a different power source.

This model is a bit heavier than the previous one that we looked at, but with the wide handle it has, it’ll still be highly portable. The housing also has a good level of build quality, and, therefore, you’re not going to worry about damaging it. Two different heat settings will allow you to weld with confidence. However, the rod clamp could be a bit tighter to let you use bigger electrodes.

What helps to make this such a brilliant welder for beginners is the amount of help that the manufacturer gives to you. Not only the instructions are very informative and easy to follow, but there is also a worksheet for you to reference.

All of this comes at the unbelievable price, which helps to make it the best stick welder for beginners who are on a budget. It’s a perfect introduction into welding, and even if you move on to a bigger machine, you’ll probably still go back to this for your smaller jobs.

Why did it make our list?

• Two heat settings
• Clear instructions and worksheet
• Great for quick repairs
• Fantastic value for money

What is not ideal about it?

• The rod clamp isn’t very tight

If you are new to the world of welding but still want to use the highest quality equipment, there is an ideal model for you. Hobart has been able to make the best MIG welder for beginners.

It is quite heavy at 57lbs, but that’s not much of a surprise with its solid construction. It’s a welder that was built to last, and you’ll find yourself using this for many years. That durability is part of the reasons it’s worth its high price.

The amount of control you have over this welder is excellent. It has five different voltage settings and also allows you to choose the speed that the wire is fed through. It means you get the exact results you are looking for.

The setup is still fairly simple despite this one being a heavy-duty welder. It only has a duty cycle of 20%, but with it being able to work so quickly, that’s not going to be much of a problem. It is able to get through more work than most other beginner welders.

We think this welder is perfect, and that is echoed with the user reviews it has. You may be a little vary about paying a high price for a beginner welder, but it’s well worth the money. The impressive arc stability will have you making perfect welds in no time.

What are our favorite features?

• Solid construction
• Simple set up
• Impressive arc stability
• 5-position voltage control

What could be better?

• A little expensive
• Heavy

If you’re going to weld for long periods, then you’ll want to use a unit that has a good duty cycle. This is a measurement of how long you’re able to use your welder over a 10-minute period on full power.

We’ve already seen a few welders here that have a duty cycle of 20%, which means that they can work continuously for 2 minutes in any 10 minute period. The 80% duty cycle rate here means that you’re going to be able to weld continuously for a lot longer.

Another great aspect of this welder is that it can use up to 250v, but you will need to make sure you have a power source that can handle that. It does mean that it’s capable of a wide range of jobs at a near-processional level.

With that level of performance, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the welder would be very heavy when, in reality, it only weighs 13 pounds. That helps to make it extremely portable, and you’ll be able to use it anywhere you need too.

Overall, this welder is extremely impressive and very easy to use. It will allow you to progress from a complete novice to someone who is confident with all types of welds in no time. It’s very well-made, and, perhaps, this is the best arc welder for beginners. Just make sure to be careful with your arc distance.

What makes it stand out?

• Lightweight and portable
• High power level
• Long-term durability
• Excellent usability

Which disadvantages must you keep in mind?

• Must be careful with arc distance not to lose it

Safety is always paramount when you’re using a welder, and if that’s something you’re concerned about, then this welding system is going to be ideal. It’ll allow you to get your work done with a high level of confidence.

It works vis a self-shielded flux wire so that you don’t have to use gas, but that’s not the only convenient feature. It also has thermal overload protection and comes with a handheld face shield. With the welder also being backed by a 1-year warranty, it’ll also give you assurances on its build quality.

There is a wide range of adjustments that can be made to get the perfect level of performance, and this includes four output settings. Whatever small job you need to do, this can do it effortlessly.

It does have limited capability, but you’d expect to see that from a beginner model at this price. It is also significantly heavier than some of the other welders we’ve seen, which is important to take into consideration if you’re looking for portability.

That being said, it does have a wide handle, and it will be easy enough for most people to carry, especially over short distances. Overall it’s one of the easiest welders to use out there and one that values the safety of its users very highly.

Why are we impressed?

• Easy to use with flux wire
• Good reliability
• Four output settings
• Thermal overload protection

What negatives must you be aware of?

• Limited capability
• Heavy

In terms of performance, this is one of the most impressive welders around. It has an input voltage of up to 240v and can provide power up to 140 amps, which is impressive for such an affordable model.

These machines work at a very high temperature and are expected to get through a lot of work. Due to this, they need to be very well made. The problem with many beginner welders is that they just aren’t made to a high enough standard to cope with these stresses.

In this list, we’ve only looked at high-quality models, but this one is especially impressive with its high-quality construction. It has immense durability, and that is backed by the 5-year warranty it has. The company is called Everlast, and that seems quite apt.

It weighs nearly 25 pounds, which is neither light nor heavy, but it does come in a compact size, making it easy to use almost anywhere. An annoying feature is that it has only a strap handle. It’s a surprisingly low-quality feature on an otherwise excellently made product.

If you want to get high-quality welds, then this is also a great welder for that. It has marvelous arc stability to get the finish you want. It makes it ideal for those who care not just about the strength of the weld but also the aesthetics of it. Moreover, there is an auto hot start feature that allows you to operate it faster.

What are its best features?

• Compact design
• Auto hot start
• Impressive arc stability
• High-quality construction

What could be improved?

• Strap handle could be better

If you loved the look of the previous Hobart model but thought it was a little too pricey for your needs, then this is an excellent cheaper option.

It has an input voltage of up to 240v and a power rating of up to 160 amps. Therefore, it should be able to breeze through most light jobs. It’s not heavy-duty like the other Hobart model we looked at, but it does have plenty of capability.

An advantage of this model is that it’s much lighter at only 15 pounds. It’s another one that has a strap handle, but that’s less of an issue with the low weight it has. This model is easy to carry and quite compact too.

The build quality we see here is very high, and you’ll be using this welder for years to come. There is a long warranty available if you needed that peace of mind, but this is a product that should be able to cope with the stresses and strains.

Starting it is extremely easy, and you’ll be able to get going straight away. The arc holds very well and ensures smooth and consistent welds. Hobart is a manufacturer you can trust, and that’s seen here.

What makes it special?

• Perfect durability
• Quick and easy starts
• Works well at 240v
• Allows smooth welds

What cons did we find?

• Light-duty welder

The digital LED display on this welder helps to make it very easy to use. It enables you to have complete control over what you’re going. This is helped by the dual-voltage switch it has and the adjustability provided. While this is not the lightest welder that we have looked at, it is very portable, which is helped by the wide handle.

Apart from that, you get a bunch of useful accessories with this product. They are the TIG torch, two cable joints, a ground clamp and cable, the electrode holder and cable, a hexagon spanner, three ceramic nozzles as well as three needle holders. It’s an amazing collection of accessories that might be required for your further projects.

The duty cycle on this welder is very impressive, as it can run at 60% at 200A. It all adds up to an impressive level of performance from a welder that comes in quite a compact housing. Unfortunately, a few users have reported some delivery issues. Still, others were happy with their products.

It’s a very well-priced model, which represents excellent value for money. It is very efficient, and you’ll love being able to use this time and again with no problems. It’s an excellent TIG welder and another on this list that has a magnificent range of qualities.

What are its best features?

• High build quality
• Dual-voltage switch
• Impressive performance for its size
• Lightweight and compact

What could be improved?

• Some delivery issues are possible