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Whether DIY metalwork or pro, a MIG welder is an affordable way to get the job done.
If you don’t need a gas MIG system, flux core welding is an inexpensive alternative.
You don’t want to spend more than you have to, but you need quality and power.
You’re looking for TIG adaptability, a wide range of settings or the latest arc controls.
Check out the machines we looked at that beat your thousand-dollar ceiling.
| Img | Product | Duty Cycle | Voltage | Processes | Screen | Controls | Where to Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
YesWelder 250A |
YesWelder 250A |
60% at 250A, 100% at 193A | 220V | MIG, Flux-cored, Stick, DC TIG | Digital | Digital | |
Eastwood 180 MIG |
Eastwood 180 MIG |
60% at 130A, 100% at 100A | 120/240V | MIG, Flux-cored | None | Analog | |
Firepower FP-200 |
Firepower FP-200 |
60% at 100A, 15% at 200A | 115/230V | MIG, Flux-cored | Digital | Digital | |
Klutch MP230SiDV |
Klutch MP230SiDV |
40% at 90A, 20% at 200A | 120/230V | MIG, Flux-cored, TIG, Stick | LCD | Digital | |
Everlast Cyclone 200E |
Everlast Cyclone 200E |
60% at 90A, 25% at 180% | 120/240V | MIG, Flux-cored | LCD | Digital | |
Hobart Handler 210 MVP |
Hobart Handler 210 MVP |
30% at 150A | 120/240V | MIG, Flux-cored | None | Analog | |
Lincoln Easy MIG 140 |
Lincoln Easy MIG 140 |
20% at 90A | 115V | MIG, Flux-cored | None | Analog |
Heres some of the best MIG welders we found for under $1000:
4.0 Weld Guru rating
Lightweight, powerful, feature-rich, multi-process welder with emphasis on MIG welding. Made for hobbyists and provides excellent value for the money.
The YesWelder MIG 250 is a powerful, inverter-based multi-process welder focusing on the MIG welding process. It provides many features for a fraction of the competing models’ cost, making it the best value MIG welder.
With 250A of welding power and a 60% duty cycle, the MIG 250 satisfies the needs of hobbyists but also that of a welding shop. However, since this is an inexpensive welder from a brand known for hobbyist-grade equipment, I wouldn’t be pushing its limits daily.
It offers a decent build quality for the price. The cast aluminum wire feeding system, digital display, quality MIG torch, and a pretty good ground clamp at this price make it a bargain.
The included lift DC TIG and stick welding are a welcome addition, allowing you to work on more clean projects using TIG or weld dirtier metal outside with stick mode. The YesWelder MIG 250 is easy to use thanks to the large digital display and the infinitely adjustable settings.
It supports the flux-cored wire up to 0.045 in. diameter, which is excellent for high filler metal deposition rates and thick metal welding. This is one of the rare welders that support the 0.045 in. wire at this price. So if you weld thicker metals often, it’s worthy of your attention.
4.5 Weld Guru rating
This welder is a good choice for first-time welders because of its arc quality and low cost. Plus, its ease of use and additional features are beneficial for rookies.
The Eastwood MIG 180 is one of the best inexpensive welders on the market. Its build and arc quality is similar to that of Hobart Handler 210 and Lincoln Easy MIG 140, but it’s cheaper and offers more features.
It uses the latest IGBT inverter technology, making it lightweight and portable. The added features like 2T/4T modes let you weld without keeping the torch trigger depressed at all times (4T). Plus, the tack welding feature enables you to make consistent tack welds, making it a good choice for sheet metal work.
The Eastwood MIG 180 is great for beginners because it’s inexpensive, has a great arc quality, infinite adjustability, and added features. The combination of these lets you learn how to properly weld on a budget, and from your home thanks to its dual voltage support.
If you are looking for a machine to learn how to weld, don’t buy a random cheap welder with poor arc quality. If you do, you’ll have to re-learn most of the techniques. That’s why this inexpensive Eastwood is a good choice for rookies.
But if you need more power and are willing to sacrifice some portability, the Eastwood MIG 250 can weld up to 1/2 in. thick and remains below $1000.
4.5 Weld Guru rating
Competing with Hobart and Lincoln lines, this inverter MIG welder from ESAB's brand is the best MIG welder under $1000, thanks to its exceptional arc and built quality.
The Firepower FP-200 is an inverter MIG welder by an ESAB owned brand. It has an exceptional build and arc quality for the price, and includes many useful features. It’s the best MIG welder overall under the $1000 price tag designed for work in construction, automotive, agricultural, and fabrication fields.
The biggest shortcoming of the FP-200 is the low duty cycle. But this is the case with most high-end welders with a lower price tag. It’s challenging to include useful features and excellent arc quality for a low price. Even so, if your shop handles high volume thick metal welding, the Firepower’s 15% duty cycle at 200A will not suffice your needs. In that case, the Eastwood MIG 250 is your best bet.
Asides from a low duty cycle, the welder offers exceptional weld quality, ease of use, and adjustability. The 2T/4T welding modes let you weld in regular or 4T mode that doesn’t require you to keep the trigger pressed at all times. While the MIG inductance and wire burnback time let you modify arc intensity and how long the wire is energized after it stops being fed.
Designed by ESAB and backed by a 3-year warranty, this welder is the best unit under $1000 overall.
5.0 Weld Guru rating
The included spool gun and LCD with advanced menu settings separate this welder from the crowd. It supports all major arc welding processes and comes with everything included, making it one of the best multi-process welders at this price.
If you are interested in other welding processes besides MIG and want to stay in a $1000 range, the Klutch MP230SiDV is probably your best bet. While slightly more costly, it supports many advanced features and includes a spool gun for aluminum. Almost all other brands require purchasing a spool gun separately, adding to the price.
The Klutch MP230SiDV comes in a massive package. Everything is included, and all accessories are of good quality for the price. The foot pedal has an extra-long 26-feet cord, and torch/clamp leads are also long.
Its 200A of power lets you weld up to 5/16 in. thick mild steel at a 20% duty cycle. While better than Firepower FP-200, the Klutch’s duty cycle is still low for high-volume welding. However, a small fab shop or a welding professional who doesn’t often weld thick metals will benefit from this welder, thanks to all of its functions.
Offering the four most essential welding processes with many adjustabilities for each, an LCD, very good build quality, and 3-year warranty, make this one of the best multi-process welders at this price.
4.5 Weld Guru rating
Including an LCD display, auto and manual settings, and a 5-year warranty, at a low price, makes it the best cheap MIG welder in our comparison.
The Everlast Cyclone 200E is an inexpensive MIG/flux-cored inverter welder offering decent arc and build quality for the price. It’s one of the cheapest welders with an LCD, a dual voltage input, and a 200A output.
Its duty cycle of 25% at 180A satisfies the needs of hobbyists and professionals who need a cheap but reliable welder. However, the lack of any advanced functions puts this welder in an entry-level category. Nevertheless, the provided LCD is helpful for beginners because it allows you to read the output values and use the auto “PowerSet” mode for voltage and wire feed control.
The welder is built well for the price. It uses a cast aluminum wire feeding system, a good MIG torch, and a decent ground clamp. However, the knurled groove drive roll is sold separately. So, you can’t weld with a flux-cored wire out of the box. Additionally, the back of the welder is rather flimsy. The on/off button, gas inlet, and cooling fan aren’t nearly as well made as with the Eastwood MIG 180 that’s similarly priced.
The Everlast Cyclone 200E is a good machine for the price, but it’s best if used by hobbyists or for light shop welding. The 5-year warranty is impressive. So, unless you push this welder too much, you should get a great return on investment.
4.0 Weld Guru rating
One of the most popular welders for DIY hobbyists, the Handler still keeps its legacy as a machine with the best arc and build quality.
The Hobart Handler 210 MVP is an iconic welder by one of the best welding machine manufacturers. It’s transformer-based, has a beautiful arc, and has a strong warranty. At the time of its launch, it was one of the best portable welders, but newer technologies provided by other brands have taken its throne.
Today, 79 lbs can’t be deemed portable, even if you can physically move it. Its outdated 7 fixed voltage system is good enough, but infinite adjustability is simply better. It doesn’t have a display and costs much more than welders that do. And to put the cherry on the cake, it integrates the ground clamp and doesn’t use the standard DINSE plugs. This makes polarity change more complicated, and replacing the ground clamp requires rewiring inside the unit.
This is still a very good welder. But it’s definitely overpriced, judging by today’s standards. However, if you want the best build quality, Hobart is still a leader in that arena. Plus, its quick select wire drive may be helpful for people who switch wire spools often. But even if we take all positives into account, welders like Eastwood MIG 180 still provide much better value
3.5 Weld Guru rating
If you value old transformer technology and don’t want to get something overly heavy, this welder may fit the profile.
Similar to the Hobart Handler 210 MVP, the Lincoln Electric Easy MIG 140 is slowly being run over by time. But unlike Handler 210, it can still be considered portable. If you are looking for a transformer MIG welder, this model has the least weight and can be used for welding on the go.
It has a low amperage output and a duty cycle, so it’s a good choice for hobbyists and light welding tasks only. Unfortunately, it also doesn’t use the DINSE plugs, making the polarity switch more difficult. In addition, there are no extra features like wire burnback or inductance control, and it doesn’t offer infinite adjustability for voltage either. This means that you won’t be able to perfectly dial in your welds like with the YesWelder, Eastwood, or other welders above.
However, Lincoln Electric is one of the best brands in the welding world, and its welders are built to last. The Easy MIG 140 has a very good build quality for the price, so it’s a good budget option if you don’t need any additional features.
The most amazing thing about the 1000-dollar price point is the sheer number of machines on the market.
Here’s how you sort through the chaos to get the right machine in your shop.
With 120-volt power, you’re limited to about 140 amps, still enough to get a lot done. Most household circuits aren’t capable of just plugging in and running a welder without blowing a breaker. The most common breaker size in American homes is 15 amps. You need at least 20 amps to run a welder, with 30 amps even better.
Related read: 110v MIG Welder Reviews
If you have a 30-amp dryer circuit that runs on 240, you can plug in a pretty powerful machine and get control and power for that roll cage in your dune buggy and beautiful sheet metal work, actually able to do pro work or earn extra money.
Duty cycle is the percentage of 10 minutes you can weld continuously before the welder needs to cool. The Yeswelder MIG 250 is rated 100% at 193A. That means it will run for 10 minutes continuously at 193 amps. At the full 250 amps, that drops to only 6 minutes, probably less before it shuts off to cool down.
The best value unit is the YesWelder MIG 250A, thanks to its low price, excellent duty cycle, and multiple useful features. It’s a hobbyist-grade brand, but this welder can be used for shop welding too.
However, Eastwood MIG 180 or the more powerful 250 are a better choice in terms of durability. But if you want the maximum quality in this price range, you should consider the Firepower FP-200.
The Eastwood MIG 180 is the best choice for rookies because it’s the least costly, from a USA brand that offers a strong warranty, and has a great arc quality.
But if you are looking for a multi-process unit, consider the Northern Tool’s Klutch MP230SiDV. It’s relatively inexpensive, considering everything that’s included.
For more MIG machine picks, check out the Best Mig Welder Overall
