Welder - 120V or 240V?

Wanting a welder but not sure if you have the wiring capability to handle a full size welder? Are you considering a smaller welder just so you can use it on 120V? It used to be that 120V welders were largely ridiculed because of the limited capability of the welder. Now, with the technological improvements and the advent of inverter welders, it does not seem that far fetched to find a 120V welder even in commercial facilities. Output and duty cycles have risen. 120V welders now hold a large market share due to those facts. Granted, a 120V welder does have it’s limits but many hobbyists never discover them. It’s not the answer for everyone though. Many small and medium size shops are on the fence about which way to go, especially when portable repair is involved. More and more under 200 amp machines are offering dual voltage capability. This allows the welder to be operated at a lower output on 120V or at full output on 240V. These seem to offer the best of both worlds and are worth considering. Everlast has improved its’ lineup of dual voltage welders including several of the Power I MIGs and Power Arc stick welders. Additionally we now offer our DC only Power I-TIG 200 and our AC/DC Power TIG 185 in dual voltage. We even are now offering our PowerPlasma 50 in dual voltage. While performance isn’t as good as it is in 240V with our welders, most of the welders will hold their own against other single voltage 120V welders with similar outputs.