1. Decide on what power supply you require 110, 240 or 415V.

Consider what power is available to you whether it’s your home or workshop

2. What type of materials do you want to weld?

3. What thickness of material will you be welding?

For light repair work on steel, stainless steel and aluminium from sheet metal to material 3/16 inch thick, a 130-amp unit with a 20 or 30 percent duty cycle can perform many of the welding jobs required.

For heavier repair or fabrication jobs, consider a unit with at least 200 amps and a duty cycle 40 percent or higher.

4. What welding process suits you best:-

Mma Welding

1. Better suited for windy, outdoor conditions
2. Not good on thinner materials
3. Works well on thicker materials and dirty or rusty materials

Mig Welding

1. Very easy process to learn with high welding speeds possible
2. Better control on thinner materials
3. hicker materials possible with Flux Cored Welding
4. Possible Synergic Control for extreme ease of set up

Tig Welding

1. Highest skill level required
2. Provides highest of quality of welds with most precise welding
3. AC function an option for high quality welding of aluminium

5. Weight of machine – Do you require a machine that needs to be moved around and transported to jobs, or will it remain within a workshop?

6. Take into account the duty cycle of the machine!!

You may need 160amps and a machine may state that it does this, but it could only be at 15% duty cycle, which means it could only weld at 160amps for 1.5mins out of every 10mins? Unless you are only do very short welds it’s best to work on a 35% duty cycle when choosing your machine.

7. Consider any future opportunities that your welding machine may bring which could require additional power or amperage?

You don’t want to outlay a lot of money and a year down the line it doesn’t fit your needs

8. Don’t forget cost of accessories associated with each process, from gas to consumables to proper welding protection.

9. Consider the warranty term with the machine.

2-3 Years is ideal, but more importantly make sure the supplier is approved & capable to carry out any repairs that may arise.

10. Where the machine is manufactured and are replacement parts available in your country?

Time and time again we have customers who cannot get spares for their machine when it breaks down.