Mini Spot Welder is used when you have to weld two metal pieces together without the involvement of filler material.
TIG and MIG welding processes are always not helpful, and thus for such certain situations as welding thin metals together, spot welding does the job.
Most of the mini spot welders have an easy setup and minimal functionality which makes it perfect for hobby welders as well.
In this guide, we are going to look at why spot welding is preferred, a buying guide if you are looking to get a mini spot welder yourself, and the top 3 mini spot welder that I would recommend.
Let’s jump right in.
Contents
Why Spot Welding?
If you are a beginner welder or have been introduced to the world of welding recently, you must have heard of spot welding.
Spot welding is a welding process that utilizes the heat generated from the flow of electricity to weld the metal pieces together, without using any filler material.
Spot welding is also known as resistance welding. When the process is done on the micro scale it is called micro spot welding, we covered all the details related to it in the micro welding post.
Mini spot welder incorporates this welding process and is used only for some specific purposes such as battery welding, etc.
Aerospace, rail welding, and construction industries also use this welding process to get clean consistent weld on a very large scale.
Many times hobby welders working with their car and trucks use spot welding for frame welding as well.
To conclude on why spot welding:
- It is easier for a beginner to get the grip of welding via spot welding.
- Requires no filler material and no extreme heat like other welding processes and only requires a mini spot welder to do the trick.
- Work done with mini spot welders is quick and can expect results faster.
- Titanium, Stainless Steel and Nickel alloys are the best options that work great with a mini spot welder.
Top Mini Spot Welders
Now you know why spot welding is preferred over other welding methods.
Having said that, it is good to be well versed with features of the mini spot welders in the market right now.
Selecting the right machines for the job or your welding projects is very crucial but can sometimes be challenging.
I personally have tested out a considerable amount of different mini spot welders, and ended up with the top 3 recommendations listed below:
1. Stark Portable 110V
This single phased stark portable mini spot welder is simple and very easy to use for all, ranging from beginner to an experienced welder, and you can expect clean looking high quality welds.
It runs easily on a 110V outlet with a duty cycle of 50% and is extremely portable. It sports an easy to use design as well, where you have to place the material which needs to be welded between the tongs.
Using the spot welding principle it heats up instantly and results in a clean weld in a matter of seconds.
It also comes with replacement tips included with the machine, which you can replace with the tips on your machine later when it wears out.
Overall, this does deserve to be my number one recommendation among all the other mini spot welders tested.
2. YaeCCC SUNKKO 719A Weller Soldering Pencil
The YaeCCC Sunkko is Lithium battery-powered welding pencil that is compatible with the 709 series spot welders.
The soldering pencils are used by attaching them to a power source via the connector and screws to keep them in place. The screws are extremely important to give a pleasant welding experience with a constant flow of power.
This mini spot welder is an excellent choice for those with small and mobile jobs and thus can be used to weld thin metal sheets with an outputting power of 500 Amps.
You don’t have to worry about the welding needle since it is manufactured using high grade aluminum alloys which ensures its long life.
3. Lenco LNXL4000 Dual Spot Welder
Unlike the first two recommendations, the Lenco LNXL4000 is a premium mini spot welder which is usually used by technicians rather than hobby welders.
The price pays for the major advantages and edges it has over other mini spot welders. This machine is so simple to use i.e you just have the metal that needs to be welded and push the start button. That’s it, The machine will take care of the rest.
However, for newbie welders, it may take some to get the right settings.
Unlike the other machines on this list, there are no wires, so you don’t have to worry about any extra expense or mishaps of any sort while using it.
This does deserve the number one position on this list by sporting all those features inside a great case which also includes a protected control panel. But decided not to, since beginners will be needing some experience to use this mini spot welder.
Another reason for giving it the first place is due to the fact that it’s parts are not available easily. You have to look hard enough to track down the supplier.
Mini Spot Welder Buying Guide
The top three recommendations that I shared may be too mainstream for some of you.
It all sports the same design in a way and also provides the same functionality. How does each one of them differentiate from one another? You may ask.
To answer that question I decided to make these buying guides for mini spot welders that will help you decide which one to go with along with other major functions.
Warranty
With welding machines, you should always get some form of warranty, although most of the major welding brands provide a warranty with their products.
You should what kind of warranty is being given with the mini spot welder you are going for to ensure maximum peace of mind in the long run.
Price
Price is the biggest setback someone might have while going for the machine they love. The best option would be to make sure that you will be needing the mini spot welder for your welding purposes regularly or skip it.
Having said that, if you require them frequently it would be in your best interest to not cheap out on them. More price comes with more features that are not readily available with cheaper machines.
Also research for the replacement parts of the machines you want to make sure there are no added cost or extra charges to fix it.
Cable VS Tongs
From my recommendations, you already know there are two types of variants available i.e mini spot welders using cables and other ones using tongs.
The lower end models exhibit the tongs functionality, but keep in mind that depth is only 6 inches and hence welding of large sheets can be a difficult task.
While Cables give you more functionality of range and space to work with large metal sheets.
To understand the difference more clearly, we have to take the metal to the mini spot welders with tongs, however, with cables, we can take the machine to the metal to get a clean looking welds.
Voltage
Another important feature that you should take into account is the voltage requirements.
Some of the mini spot welders only require 110V outlets, while some other machines will be requiring 240V outlets.
The 240V welding machine results in a clean looking welds simply because of the fact that it draws more power to get the work done easily. That also means you must have had an easily accessible 240V outlets.
Storage
This only concerns some of your only who are frequently traveling or own a welding rig. According to your needs make sure that the mini spot welder can be fitted anywhere and is portable.
However, most of the mini spot welders out are portable and don’t have any issues related to this.
So that ends this buying guide and in a way, you can say that all the features ultimately boil down to price. When the price goes up, the features flaunted by the machine also goes up.
Conclusion
I hope I was helpful to you in choosing the right mini spot welder. We always look for options that are easier to use, portable, and produce clean welds with welding machines.
I tried to keep them in mind while choosing my top three recommendations listed above. I still suggest my feature-packed number one suggestion i.e Stark Portable 110V over all the other machines available right now.
Don’t forget to use your safety equipment and don’t get too immersed in your work.
Happy Welding!