Hi all,
I've finally decided that now's the time to buy my first welder. I have been doing some research and have found a few good candidates, but I want to make sure I get the best machine I can for the money.
Firstly, my budget is around £500, though I could stretch that by 100 or so if I would benefit significantly from it. Of course ideally that should include all the PPE and (possibly) gas, but if investing a little more in the machine early on means I will thank myself for it further down the line, then I'd be prepared to part with a little more cash.
I'll be using it for vehicle repairs/restoration, as well as general fabrication, so I think I want as much current range as possible with a low minimum (20, maybe 30) and a maximum of around 180 - 200A.
Ideally I want the ability to go gasless - to save a bit of money in the short term, and to allow me to weld when it's windy if I have to (as I understand it, that means I'll need one with reverse polarity, correct?)
When I use gas, what type of gas? and how much is this likely to cost? Trying to keep extra costs to a minimum
I also need it to plug into a regular mains 13A supply, as that's all I have to work with right now.
Any recommendations or advice would be much appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Dan
I've finally decided that now's the time to buy my first welder. I have been doing some research and have found a few good candidates, but I want to make sure I get the best machine I can for the money.
Firstly, my budget is around £500, though I could stretch that by 100 or so if I would benefit significantly from it. Of course ideally that should include all the PPE and (possibly) gas, but if investing a little more in the machine early on means I will thank myself for it further down the line, then I'd be prepared to part with a little more cash.
I'll be using it for vehicle repairs/restoration, as well as general fabrication, so I think I want as much current range as possible with a low minimum (20, maybe 30) and a maximum of around 180 - 200A.
Ideally I want the ability to go gasless - to save a bit of money in the short term, and to allow me to weld when it's windy if I have to (as I understand it, that means I'll need one with reverse polarity, correct?)
When I use gas, what type of gas? and how much is this likely to cost? Trying to keep extra costs to a minimum
I also need it to plug into a regular mains 13A supply, as that's all I have to work with right now.
Any recommendations or advice would be much appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Dan