2023 test7 productsPower Tools

Which MIG Welders Brand Wins?

We compared 7 mig welders options head to head. Lincoln 210 came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.

The verdict
Winner

Lincoln 210

Price shown in test: $2,300

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Runner-up

Vulcan Omni Pro 220

Price shown in test: $1,150

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Budget pick

Yeswelder Mig 205 DS

Price shown in test: $360

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The measured results

Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.

ProductAmp output at lowest and highest current settingsWeld penetration depth in quarter inch steel plateWeld break strengthThin 20 gauge sheet metal weldability5 minute sustained current test
1Lincoln 210$2,300lowest setting 21 to 49 amps; highest setting 281 amps dropping to approximately 208.5 amps after 3 seconds (transcript reads 281 to 208 5 amps); a separate recap sentence states the Lincoln made the most current at 281 amps while the Warcking and Yeswelder tied for second at 211 amps and the Vulcan read 203 amps0.185 inches, close second to the Vulcan's 0.1886349 pounds, highest of all seven, moved into first placenot clearly attributed to this brand in the transcript, see videoNotesstarted at 160 amps, dropped to around 145 amps by the 5 minute mark, finished the full test
2Vulcan Omni Pro 220$1,150lowest setting 72 to 105 amps; highest setting started at 257 amps and dropped to 206 amps after 3 seconds (a later recap sentence gives 203 amps for the same reading; both figures recorded, not reconciled)0.188 inches, deepest of all sevenalmost 6000 pounds, no exact figure given by the narratornot clearly attributed to this brand in the transcript, see videoNotesheld at 160 amps for the first three minutes, dropped to 144 amps for the final two minutes, finished the full test
3Yeswelder Mig 205 DS$360lowest setting consistent from 59 to 68 amps; highest setting started hot and cooled to 211 amps after 3 seconds (transcript literally reads 2 and 11 amps; corrected to 211 because a later recap sentence independently states the Yeswelder tied for second at 211 amps, so two mentions agree)0.183 inches, third deepest5143 poundsnot clearly attributed to this brand in the transcript, see videoNotesstarted at 156 amps, dropped to around 147 amps at 3 minutes, finished at 5 minutes at 133 amps
4Azzuno$252lowest setting started at 22 amps and warmed into the 40s; highest setting started at 206 amps and cooled to 196 amps after 3 secondsno measurement given, transcript only says the wire skipped a little during feed but offered a decent weld for the price6133 pounds, led the strength test at the point it was tested (higher than Vulcan's approximate figure, though the narrator's final composite verdict still ranked Vulcan and Lincoln above it)current range of 22 to 58 amps on lowest setting gave it a big advantage on thin material, held up well if kept movingclose to 160 amps after a minute, best of all seven at that point, stayed close to 123 amps for the rest of the five minutes, finished
5Flameweld$18950 amp setting varied from 37 to 97 amps; highest setting started at 158 amps and dropped to 151 amps after 3 secondsno measurement given, narrator says it did not produce enough current for good penetration but still made a nice looking weld5972 poundsran way too hot even on the lowest setting, burned straight through, not suited for thin materialset for 165 amps but only produced 100 amps after two minutes, stayed around 85 amps for the rest of the test
6Chicago Electric$230lowest setting started at 82 amps and dropped to around 67 amps; highest setting started at 151 amps and warmed to 168 amps after 3 secondsno measurement given, wire speed fluctuated quite a bit4759 pounds, described as a little below averagenot well designed for welding thin material per the narratoraround 127 amps after a minute, dropped to about 100 amps after two minutes, overheated and shut down at 3 minutes 43 seconds, did not finish
7Warcking$260lowest setting fluctuated from 41 to 106 amps; highest setting started at 229 amps and dropped to 211 amps after 3 secondsnarrator notes a lot of penetration but inconsistent, no measurement given; narrator says he would throw this one in the trash3743 pounds, weakest of the sevenran way too hot on the lowest setting to lay down a good weld without burning throughheld around 160 amps for the first two minutes, dropped to 155 then 144 amps by four minutes, shut down at 4 minutes 52 seconds without finishing

How it was tested

  • amp output at lowest and highest current settings (0.035 flux core wire, 3 second reading)
  • weld penetration depth in quarter inch steel plate (0.035 solid wire, argon CO2 shielding gas)
  • weld break strength (0.035 flux core, quarter inch beveled plate, two pass cap weld)
  • thin 20 gauge sheet metal weldability (0.03 inch flux core wire, 120 volt outlet)
  • 5 minute sustained current test at approximately 160 amps target

the Lincoln finished first in every category except for weld penetration

From the test video verdict.
Data notes and caveats

Seven MIG welders compared: Lincoln, Vulcan, Yeswelder, Azzuno, Flameweld, Chicago Electric and Warcking, all resolved against the description's Products Tested affiliate link list. Two conflicting readings kept as-is rather than guessed: the Vulcan's highest-setting 3 second current reads both 206 and 203 amps in different parts of the transcript. The Yeswelder's garbled 2 and 11 amps figure was corrected to 211 amps because an independent recap sentence elsewhere states the same 211 figure for that brand. The thin 20 gauge sheet metal test is clearly attributed for only four of the seven brands (Flameweld, Chicago Electric, Azzuno, Warcking); the final two ambiguous paragraphs of that section, which line up with the meta chapter titled Will Not Weld 22 Gauge, describe a welder that struggles on 22 gauge metal but the transcript never names which of Yeswelder, Vulcan or Lincoln it refers to, so it was left unassigned rather than guessed. The narrator gives two distinct budget style recommendations at the end for different audiences: Yeswelder as the best buy for a budget conscious buyer (about $360) and Azzuno as the best pure value pick (about $250); Yeswelder was recorded as budgetPick since it directly answers the video's own budget framing, with the Azzuno value pick noted here. The full 1 through 7 product ranking is not stated verbatim by the narrator; it was inferred by combining his explicit statements (Lincoln first in every category but penetration, Vulcan barely ahead of Yeswelder, Warcking called the worst and thrown in the trash, Chicago Electric called a little below average, Flameweld called surprisingly good for the price) with the largely complete break-strength numbers, which do not perfectly agree with that ordering (Azzuno's 6133 pound strength figure is actually higher than the Vulcan's approximate almost-6000 figure).

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