​Today’s Best MIG Welder for the Money 2018

Top 5 Reasons Why the Best MIG Welder is a Must Have

If you are trying your hand in welding, the best MIG welder may well be your product of choice. As technical as the term may be, it’s benefits are worth looking into. For starters, it is extremely light-weight, making it a perfect choice for home improvement or repair and hobby projects. Who would want to handle a heavy machinery? Unless you’re Arnold Schwarzenegger or The Rock himself, you wouldn’t want anything heavy to add burden to your work.

Now if you’re mulling over the prospects consider this: More and more people are choosing this product. That’s not by coincidence, you think? It’s  because indeed the best MIG welder offers  a slew of advantages unique and very useful. Furthermore, the methodology has been developed to become easier making it a very convenient tool in many a home. Don’t you like that?

It’s true; there are many types of welding machines available in the market today. And it can be really confusing to pick the right one. No doubt! Therefore, knowing the MIG thoroughly - its uses and its advantages - can certainly help you in choosing the right product model for you.

Read on to get an idea on what you are getting if you choose MIG process over the rest of its counterparts.

1.     Increased Productivity

Because you don’t need to change rods or brush the wield repeatedly, it will allow you to finish your projects quickly. You will not be wasting your time and effort over unnecessary steps that other welding machines unfortunately caused. Furthermore, the results will be a lot cleaner increasing the aesthetic look of whatever project you are working on. Therefore, if you are working on a hobby or a home improvement project, what better way to help you achieve the results you need than this?

2.   Versatility

Known to be very versatile, they are widely used on many metal types, including steel, no matter how thick it is, nickel, aluminum, copper, alloys, iron and a lot more. You may have heard that this type of welding process is commonly used in many homes, but it is also used commercially in many industries and is becoming the number one choice among many individuals first-timers and professionals alike.

3.   Easy to Operate

Not only easy, but also known to be very flexible on its operational process. In fact, it can be operated in a lot of ways. The most common form is the semi and fully automatic type of operation. This feature will allow you to adjust conveniently according to what you need and what the project demands. So, if you are a first-timer, this process is definitely for you. You will be able to achieve the look you need on your own pace and learning capacity.

 4.      Faster speed

Just like anyone trying to finish a hobby or home repairs involving a welding machine, we want to get all our projects done right away with beautiful results. This model has a wire that is continuously inserted without the need to physically hold the wire, thus increasing the welding speed.

5.    Easy to Use

Unlike the rest of its counterparts, the MIG welder is user-friendly allowing first timers to learn and operate the machine with ease. By following basic instructions and its manual you are on your way to become adept welder.

There you have it. The advantages listed above should be enough to help you choose the right device for your entire welding needs. Like any machine or products out there, it always has its disadvantages but they are very minimal compared to the benefits and in fact many professionals would agree that the advantages outweighs the disadvantages.

What is inside the box?

A MIG welder machine is usually composed of a power source, a conduit, a gun and protective equipment with a wire-drive system that works by pulling an endless wire electrode from a spool which is then fed into a weld gun. In order to supply the water cooled welding gun, a source of cooling water is needed. Furthermore, rod ovens are also available to store electrodes thus minimizing damage to the rods.

MIG vs TIG Welding: No Holds Barred, Who Wins?

What is it about two players in one arena? If two wrestlers are to top their sports, it’s but a matter of time people will want to see them face each other. You can beat your hard-earned dollar on that. Right? Same thing with the best MIG welder for the money. You want to know how it would hold up against the best TIG. 

If we were to draw a crowd, then this could be a great spectacle. Of course, nobody knows exactly how most people in America would respond. Right from the onset, we know not everyone is into welding - though we know for sure, the country will certainly be dangling in chaos if all those things welded will come unhinged. That will include the biggest skyscrapers in the whole of New York. To set the record straight, we’re showing you key takeaways when two most popular welding methods collide to outdo each other. Read on.

1. Speed

If you’re out of time, you certainly don’t want to waste anymore time on your welds. You want it done at a minimum number of time. Also, there are times you may  have lots of time but is simply facing a huge welding task. Cases like these when you want to cut the work done you’d be better of using a MIG weld.

For the uninitiated, MIG stands for Metal Inert Gas welding. It also referred to as GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding) or MAG (metal active gas). Why is it faster than your TIG weld or Tungsten Inert Gas welding?

To note, TIG is also called Gas Tungsten Arc Welding or GTAW for short. It utilizes a nifty tungsten electrode, a non-consumable, to get the welding going.

So back to the question of speed. Well, it all boils down to control. When you work with a TIG weld, you’re looking at a 3-handed process. Yes, you heard that right. Not one but three.

You not only have to use both hands when TIG welding you need your foot to get into the process. Which means your hands are full as one has to hold the torch while the other get the filler rod going. If that is too much, know that you still have to get the third handle going - your foot. The foot handles the electricity controls allowing you to feed everything in. A lot of works!

Not with MIG welding. When you MIG you’re looking at a one-hand process. Yes, one hand. Just one hand and you can weld. The other hand is holding the work. Easy peasy!

Winner: MIG

2. Quality

Well, if you’re not too particular about time and you’re looking at welding finer things, then you have got to TIG weld.

For starters, you won’t find welds to be as squeaky clean than with TIG. That means beautiful welds with top of the line finish. No splatters. With MIG, you need to clean up though not as much as with stick welding.

You have some cleaning to do after you to a MIG, not with TIG. MIG may be faster - just a quick pull of that trigger and you’re good to go - but a bit messier. Chances are, you need to do some smoothing like grinding just to clean things up after welding.

But what makes TIG welding really great for quality welding is it’s precision. You can use it to join aluminum or for that matter stainless steel. Steel may be applicable for MIG but hardly is alum.

Some people think MIG weld can do steel as well as aluminum - only to find them finding themselves in a bind.

With TIG, you not only can weld a lot more metals together, you can do finer more delicate welds. Thus you can use it for thinner-gauge materials such as tool boxes or your nifty kitchen sink, something a MIG can’t do.

It’s because you can lower your power down so you won’t end up blowing metal. Only thing’s the process is a lot harder and slower.

Winner: TIG

3. Best for First Timers

If you’re a first-timer, the MIG weld should be a great find. It’s the closest to that plug-and-play PlayStation you love. You buy it at the closest hardware store and fire away. You won’t need much instruction to get it going. You probably just have a word or two from a pro, and you’re good to go.

That’s because the one-hand weld is such an easy weld. No sweat! It’s using a spool of weld wire that’s fed continuously. It burns then melts and finally fuses things together.

When you get an MIG torch or gun (whichever is most comfortable with you), you get a trigger to pull and a nozzle. Much like any gun. Then there’s the tip or what is also called the electrode. For different jobs, you have various tips meant to accommodate various wires feeding thru them.

It’s a lot easier set-up compared to the 3-handed TIG process. And that could give you a lot of needed advantage when you’re a newbie to the discipline.

Winner: MIG

4. Cleaner Look

Let’s face it. Stick welding which is another popular form of welding may well be the brat of the 3. This is when it comes to cleanliness. While having a fine finish may be aesthetic, it can go beyond what meet the eye.

A splatter is most associated with stick welding. And all that unclean weld can mean more time spent cleaning up. Which could be a downer for you.

The cleanest weld goes to TIG. It’s almost never needing any afterwork. You get a smooth clean finish.

With an MIG, it’s about halfway between a TIG weld and stick one. You don’t get as much splatter as a stick but an MIG still may throw some. Which may need your immediate attention. Some grinding, some cleaning to do.

Winner: TIG

5. Overall Winner

Now with all the back and forth, you may be wanting to get a closure on which is best for you. Right? It’s but natural you do. And we’ll have to say you deserve to know too.

But the answer to who wins in this battle is: Not one. Surprised?

Well, that’s because you’ll have to decide for yourself. It’s like comparing a mighty battleship and the latest model fighter plane. Both have different strengths. And different weaknesses.

You don’t use a battleship to protect the air. You may but it won’t be as effective as a fighter plane in the sky. On the same token, a fighter plane would be helpless if it were to fight a naval battle. Against submarines perhaps.

The tool must be suited to the job. An MIG weld is best when you’re short of time and wants something done. You won’t need to learn a lot of things. Your skill level need not be so high. It’s point and shoot compared to the 3-handed TIG welding.

On one hand, there are jobs only a TIG weld can do. Like the smaller metals for instance. You can’t MIG weld it. You simply are down to one resource in that case.