Best Welder For Autobody

Welders in auto body shops don’t just repair structural damage. They may be used to customize the car, and they’re likely to be used for other types of metal fabrication, as well. But what is the best welder for autobody shops? We have five contenders for that title, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

Top 5 Best Welder For Autobody Reviews

01. Hobart Model 500559 140 MIG Welder

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While it is a powerful little welder, it only needs 115 volt current. You can use it by plugging it into a standard wall outlet. You could connect it to a standard extension cord plugged into an exterior wall and work outside, too. Welding amperage is 25 to 140 amps.

Features:

This little welder can handle almost any job in an auto body shop. It can weld everything from 24 gauge steel to one quarter inch mild steel. It can weld steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. This welder can do both MIG welding and fluxed core welding. It comes with a 10 foot HR-100 MIG gun, ten feet of work cable, a power cord, a dual-gauge regulator, 0.030 inch contact tips, and several samples of welding wires. It can feed wire anywhere from 40 to 700 inches per minute.

The compact rectangular body weighs roughly 60 pounds. That’s light enough that you can pick it up and carry it from project to project.

Issues:

The wire feed does not always align with the feed gun. If that happens, it will keep binding and breaking.

The tip tends to get very hot. If you don’t stop work every 10 to 20 minutes, it will weld itself shut.

The accuracy is mediocre at best. Check it when you get it, so you can return it if it isn’t accurate. Sometimes the unit won’t start up or won’t stay running after the first 30 seconds. Poor quality control at the factory is to blame in these cases.

Pros:

•  Can weld a variety of materials
•  Uses 120 volt power

Cons:

•  May not work right out of the box
•  Requires work stops to cool off

02. Weldpro Brand 200 Amp Multi-Process Welder

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This is one of the best welder for autobody shops, since it can handle almost everything you need to do. It is a dual voltage welder. It can operate at both 220 volts and 110 volts. There is a dual digital display to let you see the set voltage and amperage before you begin work. You can also set the wire speed that way.

Features:

The multi-process welder designation refers to the fact that it is an arc stick welder, tig welder and mig welder in a single unit. Let’s suppose you’re running at 115 volts. It can do tig welding from 15 to 120 amps. It can do MMA welding from 40 to 120 amps. This welder can do MIG welding from 40 to 120 amps. Suppose you set it at 230 volts. It will do MIG welding from 40 to 200 amps. It will do MMA welding at 40 to 200 amps. And it will perform TIG welding from 15 to 200 amps. It is capable of aluminum welding if you buy a separate, optional spool gun.

It has high temperature and overload protections built into the system. That’s essential given that you’re operating at high voltages, amperages or both.

The main body weighs just 30 pounds. The whole system weighs less than 60 pounds when you include all of the accessories.

Issues:

It is advertised as both a TIG and MIG welder. This is a good MIG welder. It does not do TIG welding very well. You can’t adjust the amperage or control it with a foot pedal. It has an awkward control value. The gas turns off when you press down on the screw valve, and that can ruin the project you’re welding. Your work as a TIG welder must be flawless if you want this welder to work for you.

Some popular welders will last for 20 years. This is not one of them. It may only work for a few months before dying.

It sometimes runs wire for a few seconds after you’ve finished your work. That creates an unnecessary mess, though it won’t impact product quality if you know about the issue.This is the best welder under 1000 dollars.

Pros:

•  3-in-1 welder
•  Dual voltage
•  Relatively light main body

Cons:

•  May not last a year
•  Difficult to use as a TIG welder

03. Lotos Brand Model LTPDC2000D Welder

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This is another 3-in-1 welder. It is a 50 amp plasma cutter. It is a 200 amp tig welder. And it is a stick welder. It also has a number of other features that make it worth considering for use in an autobody shop.

Features:

It can cut through metal as thick as three quarters of an inch, but that will literally be a slow process. This welder is better for pieces half an inch thick or thinner. It can cut aluminum, copper, mild steel, alloy steel, and stainless steel. It has no trouble cutting through rusted steel.

As a TIG welder, it will run anywhere from 15 to 200 amps. As an MMA or stick welder, it runs from 15 to 200 amps.

It can theoretically be set up in less than two minutes. It already has an NPT quarter inch D plug and air filter regulator, so you can just plug in your air compressor and plug it into the wall.

This model has a Papst brand cooling system that prevents the cutting tip from overheating. You won’t have to take a break every ten minutes.This is the another best welder for the beginners.

Issues:

The unit can be hard to make work with anything other than Lotos brand consumables. A major issue is that this unit is not compatible with PCON40 or PCON90 consumables, so you can’t even use any Lotos brand consumables with it.

Pros:

•  Can cut copper as well as aluminum and steel
•  Quick setup

Cons:

•  Limited available consumables with this welder

04. Primeweld Brand 3-in-1 Welder Model CT-520D

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This welder by Primeweld is a 50 amp plasma cutter, 200 amp MMA / stick welder and 200 amp TIG welder in one. There is no pilot arc mode.

It comes with a few basic consumables, though that’s fairly common. Fortunately, it isn’t hard to find replacement consumables. Unlike other models, you can use other companies consumables without any issues.

Features:

It works on a wide range of materials. It can cut stainless steel, aluminum, and mild steel. Unlike other welders on our list, it can also cut copper alloys and magnesium. You can cut pieces up to half an inch thick with the plasma cutter. You can quickly switch between the direct current TIG welder and DC stick welder. It is surprisingly lightweight. It comes in at less than 40 pounds.

The machine is listed as dual voltage. It can be run at either 115 volts or 220 volts. Performance is far better at 220 volts. At 115 volts, it is prone to cutting out for lack of power.

Issues:

It doesn’t do a good job of maintaining air pressure. The pressure gauge is sometimes unresponsive and it is often incorrect. The airline is prone to leaking. On the other hand, you will probably need to buy additional air hose type fittings because the unit doesn’t come with all the accessories its higher-priced rivals include.

The argon and compressed air share the same plumbing. That can impact the quality of the weld.

The documentation is horrible. It is poorly translated into English. If you don’t know how to use a variety of welders, it will be hard to set this up and switch between different kinds of welding.

Pros:

•  Cuts an incredibly diverse array of materials
•  Light weight

Cons:

•  Air pressure problems
•  Poor documentation

05. Hitbox 4-in-1 Welder Model MIG200A

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This unit is advertised as a 4-in-1 welder. It is a 200 amp MIG welder. It is also an Arc and Lift TIG welder. This weder is unusual for being available in a gasless model as well as using gas. The ability to switch between gases like argon and running gasless is how they say it is a 4-in-1. It is mainly used for stainless steel and iron welding.

Features:

It can do all of these types of welding with welding rods with a diameter of up to 4 mm. It is designed to be used with wire that is 0.8 mm in diameter. The wire feed speed can be anywhere from 3 to 18 meters per minute or up to 120 inches per minute.

Issues:

You need to have a 220 volt power connection to power this welder. It is not dual-voltage. It cannot operate at 120 volts even if you’re doing welding that requires less amperage.

The Lift Tig welder is prone to failure. It may work erratically or may not work at all.

It doesn’t always arrive with all of the accessories. At that point, you don’t have a multi-functional welder. It is hard to use in general due to poorly translated instructions.

Pros:

•  A multi-function welder
•  Can operate glasless

Cons:

•  Can’t operate at 120 volts
•  Lift tig welder may not work

Summary

The best welder for autobody work allows you to weld the materials you’re working with, whether it is the thick structural struts of the car or the damaged outer shell of the car. The right welder for your shop fits your budget and handles the work load you’re expecting it to handle.