Is an Inverter Welder Better for Home Use?

An inverter welder is a considerably new addition to the welding world. The debate of whether they are better than conventional transformer welders is yet to be settled. Today, in this blog, I will tell you how these compact welders are a good choice to be added to your home tools.

Inverter welders are better than traditional welders for home use. They are convenient to use, utilizes less power, and do not take much space, unlike conventional welders. But, these also have drawbacks that can be rectified with more innovations done to the current versions.

Let’s venture into it further…

Best Inverter welders in the market

So inverter welders might be your choice. But which is the best? Fret not. I have come up with a list of the top 5 inverter welders available in the market.

1.) TOOLIOM 195A 110/220V Stick Welder ARC Welding Machine 

Crafted carefully to not create harm especially for beginners, this machine does justice to its cost. Pretty safe and convenient to use, it is very easy to initiate the process with this welder.

A smooth supply of power enables a trouble-free welding experience along with a strong exterior that is built to give a sturdy look to the whole system.

Pros:

• • • Good penetration
    • Easy to strike an arc
    • Portable
    • Affordable
    • User-friendly
    • LED display for clear visibility
    • Has multiple built-in modes

Cons:

• • • Cannot weld aluminum

Check Price and Reviews on Amazon

---

2.) SUNGOLDPOWER MIG Welder 140A Gas and Gasless Welding 110/220V Dual Voltage

This inverter welder is suitable for both gas and gasless welding making it very flexible in terms of its applications. Multifunctional MIG IGBT technology along with other advanced settings is used to ensure excellent welding results. 

Pros:

• • • Stable arc
    • Excellent wire feeding capability
    • Sturdy built exterior
    • Good duty cycle

Cons:

• • • Weld chart not provided 

Check Price and Reviews on Amazon

---

3.) WETOLS 110/220V Stick Welder, 160A MMA ARC Welder 

A stick welder, this machine gives the best welding result among its competitors. The highlight of the welder is how easily it can be set up and how the switches are placed at the back and the amperage settings at the front. The overall look is neat and creates no confusion even for an amateur welder.

Pros:

• • • Lightweight
    • Easy to set up
    • Portable
    • Durable and sturdy plug-in cord
    • Quality built

Cons:

• • • Cords are too short
    • Not suitable for heavy works

Check Price and Reviews on Amazon

---

4.) LOTOS TIG200ACDC 200A AC/DC Aluminum Tig Welder 

This inverter welder can be your best choice for welding aluminum. Featuring a foot welder and argon regulator, this stick welder can give precise welds that you are rooting for.

The dual voltage facility helps the welder to decide the configuration needed for each weld. When compared to other welders in the market, the features of this machine come at a very affordable price.

Pros:

• • • Affordable
    • Good weld profile
    • High-quality regulator
    • Comes with minimal adjustments
    • Good for heavy-duty steel welds

Cons:

• • • Torch provided is not rated for maximum output
    • Controls can be a bit confusing

Check Price and Reviews on Amazon

---

5.) Mophorn MIG Welder 200 Amp MIG TIG Arc Welder

Built with high-quality materials, this inverter welder is quite sturdy and comes well packaged. The bead profile is top-notch along with excellent heat capability.

The machine is quite compact yet carries out its function well, being equally good in both voltages.

Pros:

• • • Portable
    • Lightweight
    • Well built 
    • Provides good voltage regulation

Cons

• • • The cable for ground clamp is short
    • Instructions are not clear enough

Check Price and Reviews on Amazon

How is an inverter welder different from a traditional welder?

An inverter welder is different from a traditional conventional welder primarily in the way in which it deals with the current.

While a conventional welder uses a single large transformer to transform the current, inverter welders make use of multiple parts to regulate the same. An inverter welder is therefore a modification of its traditional counterpart with a bunch of parts added to it.

Inverter welder takes the power supplied and rectifies it. The current that flows in AC is rectified to DC and the machine then increases the hertz considerably and then transforms it to suit the low voltage.

This increase in the frequency of the current is made possible by the on and off switches, which work several times a minute and hence the regulation happens well before it reaches the transformer.

This way, the load of the transformer is lessened which is reflected in its size as well. Both types of welders have transformers in them; the major difference is the size.

The new ones have them small and compact, unlike the old ones that are pretty cumbersome. Moreover, silicon-based technology is used by these inverters, unlike the traditional welders that use heavy aluminum and copper rectifiers or transformers. 

A comparison between an inverter and a transformer welder

Going through the major features of both welders can give you an idea of choosing your welder.

Efficiency of work

The transformer welders have indeed entered the field way before inverter welders. And over the years, they have evolved with new technology being incorporated into the basic design.

Transformer welders are good at giving excellent results yet; they are not near to inverter welders in terms of efficiency as these come with a much more sophisticated setup.

Inverter welders as said earlier regulated the current flow in a highly controlled manner. Power loss is very less in inverter welders.

As a result, the inverter welders need only a portion of the amperage used by traditional welders to reach the same amount of volts. Efficiency is assured by inverter welders to the maximum extent.

Stability of arc

Inverter welders, in the beginning, could only supply current in DC. Today, they are equipped to provide both AC and DC.

The efficiency along with this feature makes inverter welders ensure a stable arc much better than those given by conventional welders. 

For conventional welders, the re-ignites quite frequently in a second (100-120 times), and thus stability cannot be maintained as well as an inverter welder.

See also: AC or DC MIG Welder: Which is Better?

The durability of the work

Transformer welders are the ones that score in this area. As they are made with a strongly built system that does not involve many complications, the duty cycle of transformer welders is high when compared to modern inverter welders.

The set up of inverter technology is yet to be put to through study and see how much potential is there in them to improve the duty cycle to match the level of conventional welders.

In terms of cost

Now, this is something that you need to decide because the inverter welder due to its numerous advantages over conventional welders is costlier than the competitors.

However, in the long run, these sophisticated welders can help you save a lot of costs which is a major factor that you need to look into.

While conventional welders are not costly, they do have certain facets that might cost you a lot on the way.

What makes an inverter welder the better choice for home use?

An inverter welder apart from the ones mentioned in the above section comes with a lot more pros that make them the ideal choice for household works. Let’s see what these are:

1. Do not take much space: As mentioned earlier, these welders are quite small and do not take much space as the traditional ones.

As the transformer is small, the machine is also compact. They can be kept anywhere in your home without wasting much space.

2. They are lightweight and portable: For the same reason as mentioned in the above point, these machines are very lightweight and sleek. They can be carried anywhere and can be a handy tool in helping with the small home welding works. 

3. Saves energy costs: Crafted to ensure that the current flow used is minimal and controlled, these machines save a lot of energy while working when compared to conventional welders.

Hence, for a person who looks to limit his long-term expense of using welders, inverter welders are the best choice.

4. Can be plugged anywhere: As the voltage required is less due to the current transformation, they can be plugged in any house socket and you do not have to go look for specific high voltage ones that are essential for conventional welders to work. 

5. Better receptive of impure power: Conventional welders are frowned upon for their low capability to accept impure power from generators. But inverter welders do not raise this issue and carry the process smoothly irrespective of the nature of the power generated.

6. Offers a wide range of power adjustments: Tuning the machine according to your needs becomes extremely important in welding when you are very particular about the quality and integrity of the weld.

Inverter welder enables the user to set the current flow even at the microsecond range. This helps at times when the person will have to choose the exact power level to get a result and this can quite easily be done by inverter welders.

7. Less susceptible to voltage fluctuations: Inverter welders are not highly susceptible to voltage fluctuations and ensure the stability of current throughout the process.

Disadvantages of Inverter welder

Inverter welders also have their cons like any other machine. Knowing just the pros would not be enough for you to understand the machine completely.

The major cons of inverter welders are:

1. Complex structure: Inverter welders are not simple machines like conventional welders, as they are made of multiple parts. This makes them a bit complicated for the user that he might require time to understand how to handle the machine.

2. Difficult setting process: As the machines are complicated, so are the settings. Hence the user may oftentimes find it difficult to set the parameters especially when he starts using the machine.

3. Fragile in nature: As inverter welders are made of multiple parts, they are not as strong as older ones. They are fragile and are prone to breakdowns frequently.

To Wrap Up

Inverter welders are the change that needs to be adopted by all the welders. They are the improved versions of the traditional welders and are therefore much more capable and user-friendly.

In terms of size and portability, these inverters become the better choice for homes and with time, the quality and life of these machines will also improve.

Now that you know all the essential specifications, hope you have a great time shopping for your inverter welder!

Stay tuned for more amazing blogs!