by James Anderson | Last Updated on February 17, 2023
Small welders are easy to store when not in use and help save on a few bucks. The fact they are tiny and portable might force you to think they aren’t good enough. To your surprise, there are incredible small welding machines that work perfectly for home users, hobbyists, and even professionals. These machines can add extra comfort to your daily life by carrying them to your job site or quickly fixing accidental damage.
However, with many rivals in the market, it is quite a tricky task to find a profitable investment. To lend you a hand, we have compiled some of the best small welders to help to make a decision easier for you.
Table of Contents
Reviews of the 7 Best Small Welder
1. Forney Easy Weld 261 Small Welder – Top Pick
Forney Easy Weld 261 makes it to the best seller welder of all times for beginners who have started their new beginnings with welding. The popularity growth of this welder has been incredible in the last few years and is rated one of the top choices by beginners and professional welders.
The welder is suitable for outdoor projects as it is extremely light in weight to carry on the go. It welds amazing just like any other professional, high-budget welder for the small size it is. The arc created is smooth and applies to a range of metal types. The convenient controls, quality weld, and solid performance make it the best small welder on our list.
Key Features:
- This is a small-sized, portable welder that weighs 19lbs. From fixing your house taps, repair, maintenance to fabrication and automotive work, this welder is a bang on
- What we most admire about the welder is the infinite voltage and speed controls that ensure perfect weld regardless of being a noob welder.
- The welder comes with all the essential accessories including the MIG gun, ground clamp of 8’, and torch wrap to carry out all your projects smooth
- Forney MIG has a duty cycle of about 30% at an amperage of 140 Amp. It can weld ¼ inches work-pieces with utmost comfort because of it’s superior. This small welder applies to gasless/flux-core welding.
2. Super Deal PRO Commercial Small MIG Welder – Best Value
A robust welding machine that works magically for house chores without asking for outsourcing services. The MIG 130 welder welds are breathtaking on small duties in houses, shops, and cars. The welder features an adjustable current flow setting with 4 controls including min, max, and 10 levels of wire feeding speed to weld according to your requirements.
What makes this welder a potential rival of other welders in the market is an adjustable inductor that incorporates waveform control technology. This leads to a more precise performance, smooth arc, more fusion depth, and almost no spatter. The unit is ready to weld as it comes with spool wire, ground cord, wire brush, chipping hammers, and all that is needed.
Key Features:
- The welder is capable of welding steels of different thicknesses. The wide range of controls of wire feed speed and temperature control allows to weld with diversified welding techniques.
- The consistency of Super Deal Pro is appreciated by welders. However, the user-friendly interface featuring a digital soft key control panel provides a clear overview.
- This unit performs at a 10% and 35% duty cycle on 105AMP and 60 AMP respectively.
- Storing this is hustle-free because of its relatively compact size. In times of repositioning, you will be benefitted from the small built and lightweight design. The item weighs 38 pounds only.
- The welder offers generous penetration while welding. It is equipped with a metal tip to restrict slag build-up.
3. YESWELDER TIG-205DS – Best Small TIG Welder
Who wouldn’t love to have a welder that’s thunderous? YESWELDER incorporates multiple IGBT inverters to give you extraordinary performance. The increase in duty cycle makes the best out of the welder. It will be hard to believe how a tiny welder like this can offer such an amazing performance.
YESWELDER is a reliable tool for thin workpieces. Certain features including the LCD, improved tungsten life, high-frequency, and easy start makes it a great choice for personal and professional use. We especially prefer the dual function that the welder provides; TIG and Stick welding. It has quite a good amperage of 15-200 amps. The tool offers the dual voltage which gives you the flexibility to work on 110V or 220V. A big plus of this welder is the portability. The welder weighs only 13.32 lb. which works for a busy welder who is always on the go.
Key Features:
- A beautiful little welder that has a 60% duty cycle at 200 amps. The safety features of the welder are automatically controlled while the dashboard is easily regulated.
- For the price, the machine has a sturdy built quality. If you are a novice welder, you can easily practice TIG welding using it. The welder can weld materials including aluminum, steel, and stainless steel.
- YESWELDER is an affordable welder and can be used to accomplish home or garage tasks, DIY projects, and mid-range professional use.
- The machine is reliable and comes with all the necessary components including a 10ft electrode holder and ground clamp, TIG Torch, 8ft Argon Gas Hose. The built-in inverter technology results in 30% lighter weight than other competing brands.
4. Hobart Handler 140 – Best Small MIG Welder
Don’t stress your pockets anymore wanting an expensive welder as Hobart Handler gives you impressive performance within a few bucks. Whether you are a hobbyist dealing with creative tasks or a professional who is welding on metal sheets, this tool satisfies all.
Nothing can stop you from creating superb welds on heavy stuff or a home shop setting with the extreme power it offers. You can rely on this welder for its pro-level performance and supreme power. Hobart Handler welder features voltage controls of five unique positions that ensure flawless arc regardless of the metal thicknesses. It has a duty cycle of 20% at a maximum rate of 90 Amps. Welding steel of 24 gauge up to ¼ inches is just minutes away. All these outstanding functionalities make this one of the best small MIG welders for household, automotive, and other farm or yard projects.
Key Features:
- A versatile tool tailored to complete all your lightweight tasks with ease. This is one of the most recommended MIG welders that strikes a good balance between reliability and price.
- The welder is suited to beginners making it as convenient as operating a hot glue gun. The machine assists with a wider voltage selection, a cast metal feeder, and a heavier ground clamp.
- It’s made of an industrial cast aluminum drive system to ensure standard professional performance. Hobart is lightweight at 65 pounds that makes it to the list of the premier small welder category.
5. Hobart Stickmate 160i – Best Small Stick Welder
This is one of the best small stick welders for small jobs, home, and hobby welding. Home Stick mate weighs less than 20 pounds and has an excellent built quality. This is one of America’s oldest brands that strike the arc with ease. The greater penetration and smooth weld amaze welders of all kinds.
The tool includes an adjustable shoulder strap and is lightweight to carry to your workplace. Starting this machine is a no-brainer because of the hot start technology that’s quick and reliable. It is capable of welding 5/32 inches metal pieces. The package includes a clamp, electrode cable holder, power cord, and 120V/240V adapters. Hobart Stick mate has a 30% duty cycle of 20-160 amps. With appropriate cooling, the duty cycle can be pushed to higher amps.
Key Features:
- Welds awesome on the material of different thicknesses. The tool isn’t heavy at all that makes it convenient to carry around
- Users are highly satisfied with the amazing performance and infinite adjustability that gives them an extra edge.
- The item weighs 15 pounds and has a dimension of 13.38 x 7.13 x 10.5 inches. Hobart is an inverter-based power unit and you can solely depend on this unit for all your tasks. Steel, stainless pieces of a maximum of 3/8 inches can be easily welded with it.
6. AMICO POWER TIG-185 Torch/Stick/Arc Welder
A multifunctional welder that gives you a 3 in 1 solution. This incredible welder offers TIG, stick, and arc welding capturing a minimal space in your storage. We love the welder for the arc stability and better control on different thicknesses. The advanced inverter technology provides quality welding.
The welder is 100% safe for extra protection for instance; over-voltage and overload protection, under-voltage, or any kind of current fluctuation it provides. The temperature controls are automatic and are rated to be one of the best convertible small welders.
The item is compact and lightweight weighing only 19 pounds. It comes with the essential accessories including a TIG torch gun, work clamp, electrode holder, adapter, and argon hose. Overall, this is a nice little welding machine for small home repairs and unsubstantial projects.
Key Features:
- Amico power is a dual-voltage welder that works both on 115 and 230V circuits. This is a multifunctional welder that offers a stronger and unwrinkled arc without difficulties.
- This small welder is constructed with ABS and metal to give it a good-built. The product is suitable for copper, steel, brass, copper, and more.
- The additional components that come with the packaging are of excellent quality. The stick welds like a beast whereas the TIG is nothing less in welding perfectly.
- The unit is lightweight and compact yet is powerful like any professional one. It has a duty cycle of 60% at 180 amps.
7. HITBOX ARC Welding Machine
“Never judge a welding machine by its weight” is true for this powerhouse unit. Hitbox arc welder has a great arc that is suitable for any field of work either easy or heavy-duty projects. The welder is compact that won’t take a lot of your space. This is a dual voltage welding machine so you can plug it into 110 or 220v outlets.
This unit performs at a 40% duty cycle producing a welding range of 10-190A. Not just Hitbox welder works incredibly, it has a smart appearance featuring a standard color. The welder is suitable for indoor decorations as well as highly proficient tasks. Also, the welder comes with an electrode holder, earth clamp, and 110V to 220V convert plug which allows you to get started just after you receive the product.
Key Feature:
- If you are looking for a portable unit to carry it to your hop, farm, or just simple household work, Hitbox might be a potential choice.
- The 6.3 pounds is what makes it one of the favorites for people who need to carry their machine every day to their workplaces. The superior performance with minimum spatter adds an extra boost to the unit.
- This tool excels in 7018 1/8″ welding followed by 6013 and 7018 3/32″. The dimension of the welder is 9*4*4.9 inches.
- Though the welder welds like a boss, it doesn’t create any noise or disturbance. It features a carrying handle to carry conveniently.
Buyer’s Guide
A small welder comes in hand in many different ways that you wouldn’t think of unless having one for yourself. From fixing home items to saving bucks not calling a professional welder, a small-sized welder isn’t any less of a big-size welder. Even for professional purposes, small welders can come in handy when the main machine rests for a while. Basically, a small welder is a small investment that offers unlimited returns. However, you would need to assess some important characteristics that would assist you life-long. What do you need to look for when buying a small welder machine? Here is a buyer’s guide to follow when you are struggling in the maze of information.
Welding Process:
Each welding machine serves a different purpose and is meant to deal with a certain set of tasks. Put differently, there are MIG welding machine that utilizes a feed wire, pulse MIG welder for joining thin or thick aluminum, only TIG welding machine, and the list goes on. Whether you are a professional, hobbyist, DYI enthusiast, you need to know the ultimate goal for making an informed decision. Machines that offer single welding limits the welder to a specific task. Whereas, there are multifunctional welders that incorporate more than 2 welding processes to perform multiple types of welding.
Maximum Material Thicknesses:
The more you have detailed knowledge about the specifications of the types of materials to be welded, the higher the chances of selecting the best small welder. A lot of welding machines include the maximum material thickness range that the model can weld. For instance, a MIG welder for welding ½ inches steel would require 90 amp and 180amps for ¼ inches workpieces Some welders excel in welding thicker materials while others are best at thin ones. You can look for the spec sheet to find detailed welding information.
Size and Weight:
The size of the welder goes hand in hand with the lightness of the welding unit. A small and mini welder will just weigh a few pounds to peacefully move it from your home to worksites. The portable and compact design will let you fit welder in a cart, car trunk, or a tight place at your job. Most small welders come in less than 30 pounds allowing regular transportation facilities. Though these welders are small, they don’t compromise with their performance.
Input Power Source:
Another significant consideration while buying a small and mini welder machine is the input power source. For household chores, a welder wouldn’t need to weld materials thicker than ¼ inches. A 120-volt machine is enough for home tasks. But for professional repair works, you definitely need to purchase a 240-volt power.
Duty Cycle:
Paying attention to the duty cycle is important when you are working on huge, lengthy tasks. A welding machine with a good duty cycle can work continuously without wasting minutes to cool it down. It is wise to go for a welding machine that has a good duty cycle. A pretty reasonable duty cycle is 40% at 150 amps or 200 amps at 60%.
Safety Features:
There are tons of highly performed reliable welders but safety features should get the priority before diving in. A few welding machines are not eligible to work indoors due to the large workpiece. MIG and TIG welding are inappropriate for outdoor welding as a slight breeze can disrupt the overall weld. While welding indoors, ensure you have proper ventilation and enough space to tackle injury and fire risks. Don’t forget to wear the protective helmet, gloves, shield, and other required ones.
Additional Features:
Besides the usual characteristics, additional features including rapid adjustments, touch display, and HF start that can give a boost if you are starting as a welder. Modern welding units possess all these features to ensure hassle-free welding. Manufacturers are offering longer warranty for poor quality, damages, or breakage.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Which is the smallest and most popular MIG welder?
According to our review, the smallest and most popular MIG welder is the Forney Easy weld. It weighs 90 lbs only and has a dimension of 16.7 x 12 x 8.1 inches. However, Ready Welder is so far the smallest, battery-operated MIG welder that’s packed in a tiny carrying case.
Q: What is the price of a mini welding machine?
A decent small welding machine will cost you around $115-$400. The cheapest small welding machine that we have reviewed is the Super Deal PRO Commercial MIG which is priced at $119 only.
Q: Are small welders of any use?
Small welders are of great use for repair, maintenance, and other simple projects. It is a good investment if you have the right welding machine to complete most of your tasks. It is an amazing alternative to hiring a professional welder or wait for hours for them to arrive when something breaks down.
Q: How many amps do I need for a small welder?
A small welder of 115V will require 140 amps to weld on 1/4″ thick steel. A 200-amp MIG welder with 220V can weld 1/2″ material without any issue.
Q: What size of rods are best to use with a small welder?
The rule of thumb is to select a rod based on the thickness of materials to be welded. 6013 and 6011 are claimed to be worthy for beginner-level welder.
Bottom Line
This ends our detailed discussion on the most popular small welding machines. Hope you have gathered the necessary information to choose the desired one for you.
We have researched to find out the finest welding and after evaluating the merits and demerits we have chosen Forney Easy Weld 261 as our top pick. The welder has also achieved positive reviews from thousands of users. This little welder can weld materials of different thicknesses and has a decent duty cycle. Compared to other reviewed ones, Forney Easy Weld excels in additional features, welding process, portability, and performance.
Hi, I am James Anderson from Sandy, Utah. Welding has always been part of my life and I love to share my wealth of experience. I have a team of professionals who are knowledgeable about different welding processes. I hope you will be educated and informed on this website, to become better welders.