The Best Wire Welder List – Guide and Review

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Best Wire Welder (Features and Reviews)

Lotos MIG140 140 Amp Mig Wire Welder

[amazon box="B00S8R1ST4"]

Are you looking for the best wire welder? Find out which ones are considered the best in the market, right here.

It’s important to find the best wire welder for your needs whether you’ll use it for practice (honing your sklls) or to tackle some ambitious projects. 

You have to carefully consider every aspect of welding machines – from their prices to their dimensions, features, and variety of applications, whatever your purpose for it may be.

Why MIG welding in the first place? You probably know by now the advantages of MIG welding including: [toc]

Top 3 Best Selling Wire Welders

[amazon bestseller="wire welders" items="3"]

Forney 299 125FC Flux Core Welder

[amazon box="B016R0FCSQ"]

This is only suitable for gasless flux-cored welding tasks but most users attest to its power and performance, flexibility of use, and value.

Essentially, it’s a plug-and-play unit without a gas set-up, which makes its perfect for MIG welding beginners.

Its 125 amp output coupled with its 120 volt input means more power than expected in such a relatively small welder. 

It can weld 24 gauge up to ¼ inch with ease resulting in a cleaner appearance and stronger weld, which you will appreciate regardless of your skill level. It can handle both 2-pound and 10-pound wire spools as well as .030″ wire.

Other benefits to the proper use of Forney 299 are smoother arc and weld, lesser amount of splatter, and better adjustability and precision via the digital readouts. 

The welder also comes with a 90-day warranty but proof of purchase is required for coverage; terms and conditions apply.

Goplus® MIG 130 Welder Flux Core Wire Automatic Feed Welding Machine

[amazon box="B0185BEKK6"]

For thin steel welding projects, the GoPlus MIG 130 is one of the better choices.

With its durable stainless steel frame with a plastic handle, a small footprint (13.4″ x 7.3″x 11.4″), and 35 pounds in weight, it’s one of the more durable and portable MIG welders.

Plus, the four adjustable heating makes it easy to undertake a wide range of welding projects. You will also love the level of control the wire feeds on all settings, aside from its high-end calibre.

Other Benefits That Come with Purchasing The GoPlus MIG 130 Are The:

  • Two air vents that contribute to better temperature control (i.e., lowers the temperature)
  • Torch with full on and off safety control switch
  • Automatic thermal safety protection
  • Package includes mask and welding wire

Lincoln Electric K2185-1 Handy MIG Welder

[amazon box="B000QFNZ74"]

Compact, lightweight, and yet able to weld on light gauge mild steel – these are the hallmarks of a great handy MIG Welder.

The Lincoln Electric welder can weld both MIG and flux-cored projects; you have to but the shielding gas separately in case of MIG welding.

It can be easily connected to any standard household 115V, 20 amp outlet so there’s no need for complicated wiring set-ups. It is suitable with .035 welding wire and can weld up to 1/8-inch mild steel. It has an adjustable wire feed speed, which makes it a versatile welder for use by beginners and veterans in small to mid-sized projects.

Other Notable Features Include:

  • Duty cycle at 20% at 70 amps
  • Cold contactor safety feature, which means the welding wire will stay electrically cold until you press on the gun trigger
  • 6-feet power cord
  • 8-feet clamp cable
  • Includes welding gun and cable assembly; gas regulator, gas nozzle, and hose for MIG welding; gasless nozzle for use in flux-cord welding; one spool of wire each in .035 inch and .025 inch; contact tips; chipping hammer/brush; and welding hand shield.

Campbell Hausfeld WF2150 Flux Core Wire Feed Welder

(No longer sold)

For outdoor welding projects, the Campbell Hausfeld WF2150 is a great choice – it’s designed with less sensitivity to wind impact and it’s a plug-and-play welder, too.

You have everything necessary to start welding including the WF2150 itself and flux core wire as well as a quick start guide for beginners.

This is a Highly-Rated Flux-Cored Welder for The Following Reasons:

  • Variable wire speed control results in even and smooth weld beads
  • Consistent wire speeds resulting from the independent drive deck transformer
  • Fast, easy and convenient adjustment of output power to suit the thickness of the metal
  • Automatic shutdown of the welder in case of possible overheating, thanks to built-in thermal overload protection
  • ​Easy to start professional torch equipped with a trigger-activated arc
  • Duty cycle of 20% at 70 amps
  • ​Welds 18 gauge to 3/16 inch steel
  • Wire sizes range from .030 to .035-inch on either 8-inch or 4-inch spool
  • The welder comes in a durable and portable steel case, too

Lotos MIG140 140 Amp Mig Wire Welder

[amazon box="B00S8R1ST4"]

This is a wire welder designed to provide its user with a better welding experience – faster connections, smoother work, and cleaner appearance, among others.

Its 140 amp capacity means that it can be used on commercial projects using mild steel and stainless steel materials. It can weld 24 gauge on ¼-inch steel, stainless steel, and even on aluminum (i.e., use a spool gun for the thinner metal).

Other Notable Features Include:

  • Includes ground clamp cable, welding mask and wire, gas hose and regulator, and MIG torch, which means plug-and-play quality, too
  • Wire range from .025-inch to .035-inch for solid steel and flux-cored jobs means wider applications, too
  • Thermal overload protection

How to Choose The Best Wire Welder

Choosing the best wire welder requires a careful consideration of the following factors. Each factor should be treated with equal importance – each one, after all,will have a bearing on the wire welder’s overall performance.

The first step before making your shortlist of the best wire welders is to understand your needs. You have to ask yourself relevant questions like:

Basically, you want a welding machine that meets your present requirements with sufficient allowances for your future requirements.

Single Function or Multifunction

While most of the MIG welders support flux-core function, many others don’t. If you plan in using the machine for diverse uses, your best choice is an MIG/flux-cored welder with functions like:

Primary Power Requirements

For small-scale projects, a basic MIG welder operating at 115V is sufficient particularly for thin metals. But for diverse uses, the best option is one that operates at either 120V or 230V, usually by switching from a high-voltage to a low-voltage plug.

Thermal Overload Protection and the Duty Cycle

Overheating is a common problem with MIG welders without built-in thermal overload protection and/or short duty cycle. You have to remember that duty cycle and welding output has an inversely proportional relationship – the duty cycle increases when the welder’s output decreases. For example, a welder may have a 60% duty cycle at 113A/19/7V.

Size, Weight, and Portability

Factor in the physical dimensions including the size and weight of the MIG welder. Your decision will be influenced by whether it will be used as a mobile workshop or installed in a fixed place indoors. You may want greater portability, for example, if you want to create projects or make repairs in outdoor settings.

Repair and Maintenance

This can either be a major or minor consideration depending on your finances and flexibility. Even the best welding machines will require repairs and replacements of parts, which you may or may not have the funds and access to repair shops for them.

Other considerations include:

With so many factors to consider, you have to take a few days to compare the pros and cons of each wire welder. 

Better yet, you can just read on and take a look at my highly recommended wire welders to narrow down your choices.

Wire Welder working

Final Verdict

Based on my intensive research into customer reviews and in actual use, I highly recommend these five wire welders.

These machines combine the best in durability, functionality, and versatility, all at reasonable prices.

Whichever of these wire welders you will choose, you have the assurance of good quality and you’ll be able to appreciate their durability, practical features, ease of use and simple maintenance. You have a welding machine that you can actually use for many different jobs and they offer you more value for your money.

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