Tool Reviews

Choosing a MIG welder for steel pipe For workshop pipe work, the right MIG welder depends less on a headline amperage number than on pipe wall thickness, joint access and…

Dump trailers put unusual demands on a MIG welder. Their frames and beds see impact, flex, abrasion, and repeated loading; a repair that looks sound on the surface can crack…

A mobile MIG setup has to earn its space twice: the welder must make sound repairs, and the whole rig must stay within the truck’s payload and power limits. For…

Choosing a welder for an aluminum tank For aluminum fuel tanks, the welder is only part of the decision. The joint design, material thickness, cleanliness and leak test matter just…

What makes a welder good for large-project tacks Tack welding a large fabrication is less about maximum output than control and repeatability. You need enough capacity for the material and…

Cast steel can often be repaired with MIG, but the welder is only part of the decision. The casting’s alloy, carbon content, thickness and service load determine whether a repair…

Stainless exhaust tubing is thin, often 16- to 20-gauge, and easy to burn through or warp. A capable MIG welder can handle it, but the machine is only part of…

What 3/8-inch steel demands from a MIG welder A 3/8-inch plate is beyond the comfortable range of many small 120-volt MIG machines. A welder’s advertised maximum thickness is not a…

Farm repairs rarely happen in a clean shop. A welder may need to join a cracked bracket, replace a loader-bucket edge, or patch a gate with wind carrying dust through…

A MIG welder can make motorcycle-chassis fabrication quicker than TIG, but a clean-looking bead is not proof of a safe joint. Tube fit-up, penetration, heat control and welding procedure matter…