What to look for before you spend on welding gear: specifications explained in plain terms, honest comparisons, and our current picks for each job.
7 articles
The best flux-core welder for most people is the Lincoln Weld-Pak 90i FC: 90 amps at a 30 per cent duty cycle, 15 lb, and the most owner experience on the shelf. This guide explains why three machines sold as 120 and 140 amps are all rated at the same 90, and why the cheapest one publishes the most honest thickness figure.
Read guideThe best welding jacket for most people is the Black Stallion FRB9-30C: a 9 oz flame-resistant cotton body with split cowhide sleeves, which puts the leather where the spatter lands and keeps cotton where you need to breathe. If you only weld occasionally, the all-cotton FN9-30C from the same maker does the same job for less.
Read guideThe best stick welder for most people is the Lincoln Weld-Pak 225i DV: 225 amps at a 30 per cent duty cycle on 230 volts, 82 volts open-circuit, and lift TIG in the same box. This guide explains the three numbers that decide a stick welder, and why a 250-amp claim on a 110-volt plug is arithmetic that does not work.
Read guideThe best auto-darkening welding helmet for most people is the Lincoln VIKING 3350 with 4C lens technology: 1/1/1/1 optics, a 12.5 square inch window, a 5-13 shade range, and sensors Lincoln rates down to 2 amps on both AC and DC. If you ever weld at low amperage, that last number is the one that decides it.
Read guideA TIG welder is bought for control, not speed. One question decides what you spend: if you weld aluminium you need an AC/DC machine, and if you only weld steel and stainless, a DC-only machine does the same work for a quarter of the money. Every number below comes from the manufacturer's own published specification.
Read guideThree flame-resistant welding shirts with every figure taken from the maker's own spec, plus the difference between a shirt that passed a flame test and one certified to NFPA 2112.
Read guideWelding pants catch what falls. Five flame-resistant pairs with every figure taken from the manufacturer's own spec, plus what NFPA 2112 really certifies and why ANSI Z49.1 wants no cuffs and no front pockets.
Read guide