Everyone can learn to weld and everyone can enjoy creating WOW objects with a welding machine. This strong belief has led us to create helviLITE DIY welders: to make welding easy for everyone.
But there is not just one helviLITE welder! We have created as many as 7 to make everyone happy. And so it is up to us to tell you in a simple way which welding machine to choose! We have done this based on five parameters: your level of skill, the material, the workpieces, the place where you weld and the type of project.
Choosing the welding machine based on your level of skill
Let’s start with the most important thing: with any welding machine it can be difficult to start from scratch. But not with ours. No, we are not showing off: quite simply all helviLITE machines are designed to make welding easy, so basically they are all easy-to-use welding machines.
If you have never welded before, you can choose the welding machine you prefer from:
- rodMAKER 131, rodMAKER 171 and rodMAKER 211: they are all DIY stick welding machines. Setting them is easy because you just need to set the amperage and you can do it with a single knob.
- filMAKER 182: is the DIY wire welding machine. Gas and no-gas continuous wire welding. In either case, adjusting the welding machine is easy because you simply turn the knobs according to the thickness of the workpiece to be welded.
- freeMAKER 183 and multiMAKER 192: multiprocess welding machines that let you choose among stick, wire or lift TIG welding. Having 3 processes all in one welding machine, we recommend it if you want to venture into the wonderful world of welding by doing many different projects. All you need is to buy just one and use it for all your ideas. In short, if you go from “beginner” level to “enthusiast” level in a short time (and that will happen, you’ll see), you already have the right welding machine to indulge your new hobby. You can feel the difference between the two! The freeMAKER 183 is lighter to carry around. So, if you plan to travel with the welder, this is the best choice. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a more powerful welding machine for non-DIY work, the perfect choice is the multiMAKER 192, which gives you more power (170Amp) and the possibility of using 5 kg rolls.
To make it easier for you, we have also made two videos explaining how to set up the welding machines for each of the three processes: multiMAKER 192 and freeMAKER 183.
If you already know how to weld (but you are not a pro), then we recommend the tigMAKER 210HF Pulse, another multiprocess welder for stick, lift TIG, HF TIG and pulse TIG welding. Once again, we will make your life easier with a video that explains everything, even how to mount the TIG torch.
As you can see, they are all easy to use: you just set one or two parameters and then start welding without any doubts or worries. And that’s how you get a good weld and above all that’s how you have fun.
Choosing the welding machine depending on the material to weld
Even if you have never welded in your life you will know that not all materials can be welded and that not all welding machines can weld them all. Here are the materials you can weld with our DIY welding machines:
rodMAKER 131, rodMAKER 171, rodMAKER 211 (stick welding machines): iron and stainless steel.
filMAKER 182 (wire welding machine): iron and stainless steel.
filMAKER 183 (stick, wire and TIG welding machine): iron and stainless steel.
filMAKER 192 (stick, wire and TIG welding machine): iron, stainless steel and aluminium. The latter can only be welded in wire mode with gas. To make things easier for you, we have also prepared the Aluminium Kit with the appropriate Teflon liner and wire feeder.
tigMAKER 210 HF Pulse (stick and TIG welding machine): iron and stainless steel.
If you want to know more about welding these materials, we have prepared three articles that explain everything for you: how to weld iron, how to weld stainless steel and how to weld aluminium.
Choosing the welding machine depending on the thickness of the workpiece
If material matters, so does the thickness of the workpiece. That’s why we have created a table that is easy and quick to look up.
| Saldatrice helviLITE | Spessore del pezzo in mm |
|---|---|
| rodMAKER 131 | maximum 6 mm" |
| rodMAKER 171 | maximum 10 mm |
| rodMAKER 211 | beyond 10 mm in multiple passes |
| filMAKER 182 | maximum 4 mm |
| multiMAKER 192 | Wire mode: maximum 5 mm. Electrode mode: beyond 10 mm in multiple passes. TIG mode: from 0.5 mm and up. |
| freeMAKER 183 | Wire mode: 4 mm. Electrode mode: maximum 8/10 mm. TIG mode: from 0.5 mm and up. |
| tigMAKER 210 HF Pulse | TIG mode: from 0.5 mm and up. MMA mode: beyond 10 mm in multiple passes |
If you’re wondering what we mean by “multiple run”, here’s the answer: basically we mean “welding multiple times” to be able to deposit more material on the weld.
Which welding machine to choose depending on the welding environment
Oh no, unfortunately you can’t weld anywhere! Besides the safety issue (always make sure that the people around you are as protected as you are), whether or not you can weld in a given place depends on the welding process and the material you are using. Nothing complicated though! Just follow these simple instructions:
rodMAKER 131, rodMAKER 171, rodMAKER 211 (DIY stick welding machines): you can weld outdoors or indoors alike. If you weld indoors though, remember to keep an extractor for welding fumes on. You better not breathe these fumes!
filMAKER 182 (DIY wire welding machine): you can weld outdoors in wire mode without gas. You can weld indoors both with gas and without gas, always taking care to extract the fumes that are released during welding.
freeMAKER 183 and multiMAKER 192 (multiprocess welding machines: stick, wire and TIG): outdoors you can weld only if you use continuous wire mode without gas or the MMA process (basically, stick). Otherwise, you can also weld indoors and, as you know by now, always keep the fume extractor on while welding.
tigMAKER 210 HF Pulse (combined welding machine: stick and TIG): only weld indoors with this machine. And obviously, if you weld in MMA (stick) mode, remember to keep the fume extractor on.
Choosing the welding machine depending on the type of project
There are many types of projects so, once again, to make things easy we have split them into two large groups: aesthetic and structural. Aesthetic means the projects where it is necessary for the weld to be visually perfect. It could be a decorative object such as a picture frame or even a DIY gift that you want to make a good impression with. Projects we call ‘structural‘ are those where the most important thing is having a frame that can stand the test of time or preserve a certain shape. It could be a piece of furniture, for example.
That said, we can safely say that all helviLITE welding machines are suitable for structural projects. However, if you want to make aesthetically beautiful projects, we recommend the multiMAKER 192 and the tigMAKER 210HF Pulse. These two let you weld with TIG, the most suitable welding process for this type of project.
Well! Now that you know which welding machine to choose depending on all the factors we have considered, you no longer have any excuse not to find your DIY partner. Learn about our helviLITE welding machines on our website.
