No matter how popular a brand is, someone will always have something they don’t like about it. That’s natural. Every welder has its preferences, and not every brand will cater to its personalized needs. But that doesn’t mean that the brand itself is terrible. It’s just not for them!
One easy way to get the best welding machine is to get it from a well-known brand.
The more popular a brand is, the more users it has. That means you’ll have lots of online resources for any troubleshooting advice. Some of the best welding machine brands include Miller Electric, Everlast Welders, Lincoln Electric, ESAB, Hobart, ASP, Eastwood, Fronius, and Forney Welders.
However, that doesn’t mean that you have no other choice but to go for these popular brands. There are a lot of hidden gems in the market that most people don’t know about. Here’s a list of the manufacturers we consider the best welding machine brands on the market.
9 Best Welding Machine Brands
The most popular brands of welding machines have a higher number of users. This indicates that many welders have used them, and all the problematic issues have already been addressed. It also means that you’ll have little to no trouble finding repairs and replacement parts.
A nasty problem with less-known brands is that most companies go under even before your warranty expires. But you have to admit that those chances are slim in the case of these well-known manufacturers.
1. Miller Electric
The story of the beginning of Miller Electric is one of inspiration. The company began its journey back in 1929, when its founder, Niels Miller, built a stick welder out of nothing but scrapped steel from his basement.
With the motto ‘Build with Blue,’ Miller Electric is one of the most recognized companies in the welding market.
Product Range
The best part about Miller Electric is that it covers all the bases. From industrial-grade arc welders to the most miniature home appliances, the brand has got it all!
Moreover, the brand offers a wide range of safety equipment and accessories. All in all, Miller Electric has one of the most comprehensive product lines in the market. While Miller Electric isn’t particularly well-covered in the flux core department, they’re abundant in the MIG, TIG, and stick welder sections.
Price Range
If there’s one thing about Miller’s prices, they aren’t cheap. For example, Miller Electric’s entry-level MIG welder would cost you around 800 USD.
On the other hand, to afford the mid-range welding machines, such as the Trailblazer 325, you’ll need to pay six grand. And if you want to go big, a professional set will set you back over 40 grand.
However, while the prices may seem a bit too much, they speak of the quality of the products. Miller Electric offers you the highest quality products. And to get that, you need to pay the premium prices.
Pros
- Values client feedback
- Availability of repair and replacement parts
- Provides TIG and MIG, apart from stick welders
- Incorporates welder-wanted features
Cons
- Premium prices
2. Everlast Welders
Unlike its earlier competitors, Everlast has only been on the market since 2004. A venture that started as a journey through the internet has turned into one of the most respected multi-national companies with distributors worldwide.
Thanks to its reasonably low prices, Everlast Welders has already gathered a significant user base.
Product Range
Everlast welders wield a wide range of products. As its name suggests, the manufacturing company also produces accessories, parts, and consumables ranging from welder products. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for safety equipment, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
While the company produces MIG, TIG, stick, and plasma welders, it’s mostly known for its low-cost yet high-quality TIG machines. While these machines have never grabbed first place in any reviewer’s columns, no reviewer has failed to mention their names in their reviews.
Price Range
The engineers at Everlast Welders keep one thing in mind when making their design: cost-saving. This brand is famous for its affordable price range. Everlast’s most renowned product, TIG machines, has a price range of 350 to 3500 USD, which is quite reasonable.
And even if you want their most expensive MIG welding machine, you’ll have to shell out no more than 3000 US dollars.
Pros
- Lower price range
- Offers reliability and functionality
- Boasts of durability and longevity
- Sold centrally via the company website, leaving no chance of counterfeit products
Cons
- Some models may lack the capabilities that professionals may desire
3. Lincoln Electric
Lincoln Electric is one of the oldest brand names in the welding industry. Lincoln started his journey as a pioneer of sorts, back in 1895. Back then, it was only an outlet for electrical motors designed by its founder, John C. Lincoln.
In 1911, the company truly stepped into the world of welding machines by producing its first variable voltage welder (portable). One of their most significant contributions was the invention of shielded arc welding. This played a vital role in the production of ships during the Second World War.
Product Range
Thanks to its long-standing position in the industry, Lincoln Electric fully understands what its customers may want. As a result, the manufacturing company has a product line that extends from home-welder components to industry-grade ones.
Apart from different welding equipment, Lincoln Electric also offers a wide variety of consumables. From electrodes to flux-cored wires – you name it; they have it. The company has also associated its brand name with high-quality cutting equipment.
Price Range
While Lincoln’s products may seem a bit expensive, they’re pretty high-grade, especially if you compare them with their competitors. No other company offers such high-quality equipment for all types of customers, from hobbyists to hard-core professionals, for such a price.
With that said, if you wander into a Lincoln Electric store, you’ll have to count a price of around USD 1600 for a TIG and USD 850 for a MIG welder. And if you’re looking for something a bit more professional, you can get their flagship product, the Power MIG 350MP, for five thousand dollars.
Pros
- Wide range of products
- Great support network
- Offers after-sales service
Cons
- Replacement parts and products are expensive
4. ESAB
Popularly known as ESAB, the brand’s full name is a bit more complicated. ESAB stands for Elektriska Svetsnings-Aktiebolaget. This hard-to-pronounce name has been in the welding industry since 1904.
That was when ESAB’s founder, Oscar Kjellberg, first produced the flux-coated welding electrode, and he also engineered a way to reduce the effects of contaminants. Since then, this pioneering company never had to look back.
Product Range
While ESAB initially commenced its journey by producing covered electrodes, those days are a thing of the past now. Today’s ESAB is a far more versatile company that offers a wide variety of welding products, from your typical TIG MIG machines to plasma and even robotic ones.
ESAB’s most famous machine, the ESAB Rebel EMP 215ic, is a thing of wonder. While most machines promise to do it all, this one delivers!
In addition to producing welding machines, ESAB also offers a comprehensive line of accessories, such as cables, torches, consumables, and regulators. It also has one of the most versatile ranges of electrodes that any manufacturing company can offer.
Price Range
ESAB’s welding machines are available for a wide range of people. Its MIG welders, including the multi-function 215ic, will set you back only a bit over a thousand dollars, which is a reasonable price for any welder of such quality.
If you want the top-shelf product, you’ll need to carry in your wallet a little more than five thousand USD, and you should be good to go.
Pros
- Built to last
- Multi-use products
- Perfect for harsh environment
- Galvanized with an air filter
Cons
- Has little to offer for home-enthusiasts
5. Hobart Brothers
Like all the legends, the Hobart Brothers’ story began in a small town. What started off as a traditional company has now become one of the most well-known names in the welding industry.
In its earlier periods, Hobart Brothers manufactured different products, such as office chairs, compressors, and dynamos. But in 1925, its founder, Charles Clarence Hobart, entered his company into the welding market by manufacturing innovative stick electrodes. Now, Hobart is renowned for its versatile collection that they offer at the most reasonable price.
Product Range
If you know any welders who specifically use Hobart products, chances are they’re MIG welders. Over the years, Hobart Brothers have gained fame for their MIG welding machines.
While it’s safe to say that Hobart Brother specializes in MIG welding machines, some may also say that the company has little to offer to TIG welders. So, if you prefer that style of welding, you may want to look elsewhere.
Hobart offers the most straightforward tools to use with the most versatile usage. Most of their machines can take up the most rigorous industrial tasks yet cater to the most delicate work.
Price Range
If you’re looking for an entry-level machine, and you want to get one from Hobart, you can get one for about 280 to 600 USD. But if you want one of their higher-end products, it’s going to cost you a bit over a thousand bucks.
If you’re a TIG welder, Hobart has only one machine to offer you, the EZ-TIG165i. Its price varies in a range between 1400 and 1600 US dollars.
Pros
- Affordable pricing compared to its competitors
- Versatile collection
- Known for its durability
- An abundance of online support
Cons
- Doesn’t have much to offer to TIG welders
6. AHP Welders
The origin of AHP Welders is a mystery. It’s a Chinese company that carries a US postal address that seems to have popped out of nowhere. While its origin appears to be shrouded in mystery, one thing that’s for sure is the quality of its products.
Some of its machines seem to have too many similarities with some of Everlast’s. But there’s no compromise on its quality.
Product Range
Probably due to the company’s recent entrance into the market, AHP Welders has a very minimal product line. Currently, the company has only one machine for TIG and one machine for MIG welders.
With that being said, despite its small product line, the company left no stone unturned to make a good product. With good results, AHP’s welding machines have received praise from all types of clients.
It seems that when AHP makes something, they make it good. The company’s TIG welder is one of the best TIG welding machines you can find on a tight budget.
Their MIG machine is nothing to scoff at either. It’s an industrial-grade machine that you can get for the price of a tiny home machine. Finally, AHP offers plasma cutters, pedals, and a few torches as well.
Price Range
AHP Welders offers its products at a very competitive price. While both the machines cost a little over a thousand dollars, don’t let that misguide you.
For a machine with a similar level of strength, you’d need to pay at least twice as much as any other brand!
Pros
- Very generous pricing (almost half its competitors)
- Close to zero complaints
- High adaptability
- Offers products for both home-welders and hard-core professionals
Cons
- Not the lightest option in the market
7. Eastwood
Eastwood is a brand name that retails over five thousand products, including different welding equipment. But it wasn’t like this from the beginning. Founded on a love of cars, the company has come a long way since its founding in 1978.
What started as a one-stop-shop that consisted of metal-fishing equipment, the Eastwood brand now retails everything from welding machines to auto body painting. As the company increased its product line, it saw a growth in its client base. Finally, their growth skyrocketed with the birth of the internet.
Product Range
Apart from the various automotive accessories, Eastwood also has a mentionable variety of welding equipment. While the machines are primarily known amongst DIY enthusiasts, they’re not exactly for light usage.
Eastwood does offer some of the ‘lighter-use’ machines, but it also provides some heavy-duty welding equipment. They also have a full range of safety equipment to handle these heavy-duty machines. In addition, Eastwood also has their logo on other welding tools, consumables, and others.
Price Range
Since Eastwood has a target client base of home-welders, it has kept its pricing pretty competitive. You can find light-duty machines for about 380 to 750 dollars.
However, if you want to get the heavy ones, you’ll need to increase your budget to well over a thousand dollars, approximately 1500 USD.
Pros
- Reasonable pricing
- Online backings and trade show meets offer more than enough troubleshooting advice
- Best for novices
Cons
- Not for the professional welders
8. Fronius Welders
The story of Fronius is one of success. With time and effort, what started off as a small operation turned into a worldwide company that has operations in over 28 countries.
Fronius International GmbH started its journey back in 1945. But it was in 1950 that the firm began branching into the welding industry. Since then, Fronius has operated with its reputation, even after the founder’s children took over.
Product Range
With over 5000 products, it only makes sense that Fronius offers anything you may want. From home-welding machines to industrial-grade ones, Fronius Welders has got it all.
Price Range
As you may have already guessed, from the company’s enormous size, Fronius lies at the far end of the price scale. While most people may lean towards the less expensive machines, they’re only suitable for novice welders.
If you want machines with more practical features, you’ll have to set your budget as high as twelve thousand dollars.
Pros
- Very few reports of failure owing to its reliability
- Offers a high resale value
- Highly responsive customer service
Cons
- Price barrier is too high
9. Forney Welders
JD Forney started his company with nothing but a couple of 150 amp welding machines. That was back in 1936. Since then, the company has come a long way to climb to the top of the welding industry.
Product Range
With over 9,000 products to offer, Forney Welders can bring you anything you may want. However, keep in mind that their machines have a certain rigidity in their design. So, if you buy a machine made for hobbyists, try not to use it for a more professional job.
Price Range
While other companies offer a comparatively better price-to-quality ratio. Forney is still one of the more reasonably priced companies. For example, you can get their light welding machines within a range of 500 USD. But as you climb in strength, your prices will also go up.
Pros
- Reasonable pricing
- Both for beginners and intermediate welders
- Huge product line
Cons
- Rigidity in design
Final Words
With so many brands out there, it’s hard to make a choice. Some will say Lincoln is better, while others will swear that there’s no one better than Miller Electric. Ultimately, it all depends on you. You need to decide what you’re looking for and check if that particular company can give you that.
Miller Electric is our best choice in most situations.
If you’re not sure what those companies have to offer, just go through our list of the 9 best welding brands, and you should have a pretty good idea of what to look for!
