Basics & process choice
Do cheap welding machines work?
Quick answer
Yes — cheap inverters genuinely weld. A $150 stick box or $200 gasless MIG lays real beads, and for occasional fence repairs they're rational buys. What you lose is duty cycle, arc quality at the edges, consumable availability and lifespan under daily use.
What cheap machines do well
Modern IGBT inverter technology has collapsed the price floor. Basic MMA welding is electrically simple, and even no-name units strike arcs and run 2.6 mm rods acceptably. For a few hours of welding a year, depreciation and duty cycle barely matter.
Where the cheap tier fails
- Duty cycle: 10–20% at rated amps vs 35–60% for trade machines — long beads on thick steel trip the thermal cut-out
- Arc stability at low amps: thin-sheet TIG on a cheap box is frustrating where a branded inverter purrs
- Spare parts: when the board dies in year three, there is no service network
- Safety compliance: look for RCM tick and genuine AS/NZS electrical compliance, not just a CE sticker
The decision rule
Hours per year under 30 and process is stick or flux-core: cheap is fine. Daily or income-earning use: the $600–$1,500 trade tier pays for itself in the first year of not fighting your machine. Either way, never cheap out on the helmet, gloves and ventilation.