The 2 Best Welders For Beginners in the UK

How to Find The Best Welders For Beginners

With a good and simple welding machine, you can perform almost any welding task, including:

Welding most types of metal in the comfort of your home.
Develop welding as a hobby or a new skill.
And even start your own small welding business.

If you are looking to own a new welder, below are likely the 2 most important things you should look out for when deciding on which welder to buy.
More about the basics of welding find at the bottom of this page.

What to look for when buying a welding machine?

When buying a welding machine as a beginner you’d want to be able to use it with a regular 230v power supply.

Most device transformers in the UK are still set to 240v but are suitable to work with the standard supply voltage of 230v.

Here we’ll therefore review only these welders; that you can plug into any regular power socket (such as those on the walls at your home).

With this in mind, below are 2 of the most important variables you should look for when choosing your new welding machine:

1. Amperage (AMP)

Choose a welder that you can plug into a regular socket (240v in the UK). Your welding machine’s amperage should ideally be 200amp.

You should be able to find the amp info on the spec label of the welder (or in the listing’s description when you buy it online).

The higher the amp is, the thicker the metal you’ll be able to weld.
For thicker metals, you can also make multiple welds, which is what professional welders do when welding even structural steel for commercial projects.

Choosing a welder with an amp that is too low, you can expect different types of issues like a power outage, and your welding rod to stick.

Please note that a higher amp will also consume more electricity, which would have some effect on the operation costs.

2. Duty Cycle

The duty cycle is a fraction of a time during which the signal or device is active.

This will reflect the amount of time that you’ll be able to weld in one period of using your welder.

The duty cycle rate will determine how many minutes within 10 minutes the welder will work, before it will overheat, shut down, and need to reset.

As an instance, in welders with a 40% duty cycle, the welder will shut down after 4 minutes of constant welding and will have to rest for 6 minutes before
you can use it again.

This is significant, as having a welder with a low duty cycle might mean you’ll be waiting more time for the machine to work than be welding with it.
Having said that, welders with low duty cycle and high amperage should still provide you with good results while they do work.

Bottom line: As a beginner, your goal is to get a welder with a relatively high amp (200amp for regular 230v sockets) and a high duty cycle (60% and up).

Which welder should you use if you are new to welding?

The ideal welder for you to buy will depend on what you’ll be using the welder for and your budget.

The two most common types of welding systems that are recommended for beginners are Stick welding and MIG Welding. Each use for different purposes and metal types.

To determine which welder is most suitable for you read further about:

What each of these welding methods means.
What you can achieve with each of these welding machines.
The best welder for beginners under each category.

Starting with a Stick Welder

Stick Welding Benefits – Portable, Affordable, and Easy to Use.

What is Stick Welding?

Stick welding is a process in which a power supply is used to create an electric arc between an electrode and a base material (2 metals).

The electric arc in the process creates a heat that melts the metal components (rods/electrodes/metal stick and base material) to a point of contact where they are bonded together.

If you are new to welding, you’d most likely want to start with a Stick Welder.

Stick welding has some great benefits for a beginner welder. It’s a top choice of a welding machine if you wish to work outdoors, like a professional mobile welder.

Stick Welding Pros

Requires less equipment.
Simple to operate.
Fewer issues with the equipment (external rods, etc.)
More Economical – Cheaper welder and consumables.
Easily portable.
Works great outdoors (even in windy conditions).
Suitable for also thicker metals.
Works on slightly more rusted & dirty metals too.

Stick Welding Cons

Spatter created by stick welding requires to protect yourself and
the work area.
Health Risks – Requires eye, raspatory, and body protection.
Less suitable for indoor areas (due to fumes and spatter).
Might not provide the cleanest weld with some metals.

Stick Welding is Best For

Welding outdoors.
Garden and farm equipment.
Welding thicker metals.
Welding slightly more dirty metals.

Metals Welded with Stick

Steel
Stainless steel
Cast iron
Aluminum

Entry Level

Beginners

Difficulty rate

Stick welding is one of the easiest welding methods to use and one that most hobbyist welders choose to start with.

Mobile Welding London Expert Tip to new welders:

“Start with stick welding because it’s easy to operate, portable, and great for outdoor welding works.”

Which Stick welding machine for a new welder?

As a beginner, you’d want to start with a DC stick welding machine.

A Great Stick Welder for beginners

Here is a simple, decent stick welding machine to get as your beginner welder:

Why Go for ROHR07 Stick Welder?

Simple to operate.
Power Source – Suitable for 230v.
High Amp – Up to 200amp.
Great Duty Cycle – 60% (consistent welds).
Light Weight – Only 5.5KG.
Great Value for Money – Affordable & Made to good quality.

Starting with a MIG Welder

MIG Welding Benefits – Quickest to Learn, Clean Welds.

What is MIG Welding?

MIG is an arc welding process that uses a welding power supply, a consumable wire electrode that is fed through a welding device (called a welding gun), and a base material (metal).

The electric arc that is created between the continuous wire electrode and the workpiece (base), heats to a point where both metals are melted and joined together.

The process is pretty similar to stick welding only that in MIG there is a shielding gas that flows through the welding gun to the welded area. This makes the welding process much cleaner and easier to apply but also requires you to handle the gas supply.

MIG welding will be best for you to start with if you are more likely to weld indoors (e.g. in your garage). It is also one of the best methods for welding thinner
metals. Mig welding is the easiest method to learn as a beginner for great-looking welds.

MIG Welding Pros

Easy to learn – Of all welding processes MIG is the easiest to learn.
Nice and Clean Welds – MIG leaves no slag to remove after welding.
Fast Welding – MIG has continuous wire electrodes that allow you to weld longer passes in one go.
Weld a variety of metal thicknesses – Best for welding thinner metals.
The same equipment can use for other types of welding (Flux-Cored Welding).
Best for welding frames.

MIG Welding Cons

More Complex Equipment – It takes more skill and hassle to operate a MIG welder than a Stick welder.
More issues with the equipment – MIG welders are more complex welding systems than stick welders. Thus, tend to have more problems with the machinery components.
Won’t weld on rusty, painted, or dirty metal.
Less suitable for welding outdoor (e.g. in stormy weather conditions, etc.)
More Expensive – Both setup and consumables cost more with MiG welding.
Not as portable as a Stick welder – Heavier machine, need to carry a gas tank, etc.
Health Risks – Requires eye, raspatory, and body protection.

MIG Welding is Best For

Welding metals at different thicknesses.
Welding Metal Frames.
Clean weld at your workshop.
Fast welding processes.

Metals Welded with MIG

Steel
Stainless steel
Aluminum

Entry Level

Beginners

Difficulty rate

MIG welding considered the easiest welding system to learn.

Mobile Welding London guideline for new welders:

Choose to start with a MIG welder if you are looking for quality indoor welds on thinner metals.

Which Mig welding machine for a new welder?

As a beginner you’d want to start with a DC MIG welding machine.

The Best MIG Welder for beginners

Here is an example of a decent MIG welding machine to get as your beginner welder:

Why Go for Sealey SUPER MIG Welder?

Simple Controls.
Power Source – Suitable for 230v.
High Amp – Up to 30-150amp.
Excellent Duty Cycle – Up to 100% (weld consistency).
Great Value for Money – Affordable & Good quality.

What is Welding?

Welding is the liquefaction of base metal with heat and the process of fusing metals. Every welding process has 3 basic elements:

Heat source.
Filler metal.
Shielding gas or your flux.

Your welding machine together with rods, welding wires, and different welding elements would allow you to perform the welding procedure.

This content is for general information only and does not constitute advice or a recommendation to take any action.

The Best Welder For Beginners

How to Find The Best Welders For Beginners

What to look for when buying a welding machine?

1. Amperage (AMP)

2. Duty Cycle

Which welder should you use if you are new to welding?

Starting with a Stick Welder

What is Stick Welding?

Stick Welding Pros

Stick Welding Cons

Stick Welding is Best For

Metals Welded with Stick

Entry Level

Difficulty rate

Mobile Welding London Expert Tip to new welders:

Which Stick welding machine for a new welder?

A Great Stick Welder for beginners

Why Go for ROHR07 Stick Welder?

Starting with a MIG Welder

What is MIG Welding?

MIG Welding Pros

MIG Welding Cons

MIG Welding is Best For

Metals Welded with MIG

Entry Level

Difficulty rate

Mobile Welding London guideline for new welders:

Which Mig welding machine for a new welder?

The Best MIG Welder for beginners

Why Go for Sealey SUPER MIG Welder?

What is Welding?

Please Note: