Why should there be an inverter welding machine on the farm of every craftsman and motorist?

Every business executive constantly has cases when it is necessary to perform minor welding work: a shovel or bicycle frame cracked, a pedal or a guard fell off. This problem can be solved by contacting a workshop. But if something massive or stationary (railings, door hinges, wickets or gates) requires repair? Work there - for two minutes, and the call of the master - "the game is not worth the candle." And the saddest thing is that such minor breakdowns happen almost every year. Isn't it a good time to think about buying an inexpensive household welding machine?

Why I bought a welding machine

It was the cases described above that forced me to purchase a welding machine. The last straw was the hunting safe. Time was running out, it was necessary to fulfill the requirements of the district police officer in order to purchase a gun. In the purchased accounting steel cabinet (1.5 m × 1 m × 0.5 m), it was required to weld locks, these are only eight welded points. But for this I had to hire a truck and a helper twice. From that moment on, I decided to buy a welding machine. Moreover, you constantly need to repair or tinker with something, a rake, a shovel, a bicycle, a porch, supports for a vineyard, and many others.

Due to the fact that I do not understand the welding business, although several times I had to use old handicraft machines, the purchase requirements were reduced to two points:

1. Inverter type only. I do not want a transformer, it is a very heavy thing, which has a bunch of other disadvantages in addition to a large mass. Semi-automatic - good, but expensive. Rectifiers are also a large mass and a three-phase current.

2. The ability to use electrodes with a diameter of 5 millimeters.

Why did I choose an inverter-type welding machine? It's simple:

1. Low price (now it costs about 50 - 100 dollars at the exchange rate).

2. Small weight, less than 5 kg, which allows you to move freely and lift to the desired height.

3. The ability to accurately adjust the current over a wide range.

4. Various additional functions (protection against overheating and during the "sticking" of the electrode).

What I got in the end

Choosing a welding machine for my few criteria, I settled on "NOWA W 250". Whose production is unknown. But, given the inscriptions in Latin letters, it can be assumed that this is an Eastern European assembly (Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia). The parameters of the apparatus that I understand are as follows:

1. Weight - 3.5 kg.

2. The diameter of the electrodes used is from 1.6 to 5 mm.

3. Current range - 20 to 250 A.

4. Overall dimensions - 32 × 28 × 13 cm.

In addition to the welding machine, the package included a hammer brush and a mask. These devices are very primitive, but at worst they are usable. I don’t count on them, so I use my real hammer, metal brush and a separately purchased chameleon mask. I also made an extension cord about 20 meters long so as not to depend on the cables included in the kit:

1. For the "mass" - 1.15 m.

2. For the handle - 1.65 m.

3. Network - 1.55 m.

If necessary, I connect with a wire to ground.

My feedback on the welding machine "NOWA W 250"

I have been using the device for about three years. I weld everything that is needed. I think this device is simply irreplaceable in the private sector or for a car enthusiast with his garage. Its convenience lies in many little things:

1. The ground and electrode cables can be swapped.

2. The cables are connected quickly using bayonets.

3. The handle has several guide grooves to grip the electrode at different angles.

4. Fastening the cable to the handle and "crocodile" - collapsible, bolted. When the wire comes off, it takes a few minutes to reattach it.

The NOWA W 250 welding machine seemed reliable to me. After all, the first 3 kilograms of burned electrodes were rusty pins with half-crumbling plaster. The device has withstood such a mockery and continues to work.