Buying A New Welder? Do You Need A Dual Voltage Welding Machine?

Is a duel voltage welding machine best for you?

Whichever type of welder you are looking for it’s probably made in 120V, 240V and even in at least one of the three phase voltages available.  For most people that are looking to buy a new welder, whether it’s MIG, TIG or Stick, the versatility and usefulness of the unit is in part hinged on what type of power it operates on.  The market is heavy now in 120V units whether it’s transformer  140 Amp MIG welders, or little inverter Stick welders.  These are aimed primarily at the DIY crowd that are purely occasional users or weekend welders that don’t want to sink the extra money into the cost of rewiring their small shop or home garage with 240V power.  The unintentional result being is that the portability that these 120V  units offer interest professionals as well.  These professionals may be in the portable repair business and need to be able to setup in the middle of a restaurant to repair or rebuild a food prep table or some other small repair and don’t have access to a standard NEMA 6-50 power outlet.  But a lot of these units are not designed for heavy production work either, so they spend most of their time gathering dust on a shelf or bouncing around  in a box on a truck since they can’t be used regularly for serious or intensive work in the shop.   But increasingly dual voltage welders have been hitting the market.   Everlast itself has concentrated on building a dual voltage line where we can.   The dual voltage capability  of a welder is an excellent solution to having two types of welders in the shop and having one sit around as “overhead” while the other is used.    A dual voltage welder in theory will  operate efficiently on both voltages without having to incur the added expense of purchasing a separate welder for areas where the voltage needed to operate is not available.  By design most dual voltage welders are not only powerful, but also portable so this concept works quite well.   Although the science of it limits output on 120V just as it would on a dedicated 120V welding machine, the utility of the unit is greatly increased.   240V capability is normal, and full power.   This opens up the potential of the dual voltage welder  for both the professional and the hobbyist.  For the professional, it means that He/She can step down and go anywhere, albeit with a little less power, but with the equipment to get the job done without having to turn it down because of the difficulty of getting suitable power to the unit to do the job.   For the welding enthusiast and hobbyist, it means there is potential for growth and the ability to tackle that large job if it is ever required.  Sure the unit may be used mostly 120V, but it does not limit the person and allows the unit to grow with the enthusiast.

Everlast Power Equipment, your complete welding resource.

Find more answers in our welding forum