Top 7 Best Tig Welder Under 1000 – Buyer’s Guide

Well, who isn’t familiar with the struggle welding can be, especially if you aren’t a regular at it. Also, with lesser prior knowledge a lot of misconceptions, such as shelling out massive corpus is “mandatory” to start-off the TIG welding, can take the better of a beginner. However, if you are on the mission of home improvement or some newly opted profession and a beginner at welding- then you’d definitely not want a bad start to your welding career. But choosing the appropriate stable and user-friendly TIG welder which perfectly fits your demand can often be quite a challenge. So, if you are not rich enough to try-out a few welders first and then decide which one suits you- you should do thorough research before buying one only for it to be proven an error of judgment.

Lucky for you, there is another way to go about it: and that is to trust our research. If you are looking for the best tig welder under 1000, for a smoother welding experience, we have done a bit of study and came up with a list of the 8 most top-ranked choices out there, along with their pros and cons and some basic knowledge you should know before getting right into it. 

Table Summary

1. PRIMEWELD TIG225X – Best ac/dc Tig Welder For the Money

The PRIMEWELD TIG225X 225 Amp IGBT TIG Welder comes highly recommended. In order to facilitate the welding of thick portion, it offers a wide range (upto 225 amps) of amperage. It also provides has a wide range of settings to fit whatever welding you have to perform making it best ac/dc tig welder under 1000.

What’s even more exciting is that, it comes with a foot pedal, which allows manual amperage change: adding more control to the welding exercise. Mind you, comfort wise this foot pedal might not be a very good idea. But on the brighter side, if you are a fan of pulse welding, it comes with a pulse arc, meaning if you didn’t find the pedal comfortable you can always switch on the down/up slope function.

If you are looking to find the best tig welder under 1000, with the wide range of features- this would definitely be an amazing choice. Not only would is it the perfect choice for beginners but soon you would realize that it isn’t a bad choice for experienced welders by any stretch.

2. Weldpro Digital TIG200GD ACDC – Best Beginner Tig Welder

If you are on the hunt for best tig welder for beginner Weldpro Digital TIG200GD ACDC is definitely an option to consider. In comparison with our most recommended option (stated above), it has a smaller range of amperage (max 200 amps). But more or less it comes with pretty similar capabilities.

The advantage it has over the PRIMEWELD TIG225X is that its foot pedal is certainly among the top options available in the market. Other than that, for pulse welding fans it also has the same(almost) sublime pulse arc modes. But on the downside, if you are into stick welding as well, this is not a very suitable option for that. Adding a bit more to the negative points, it scuffles quite a bit to weld good enough even off 110 volts. Overall, not a bad option for best cheap ac/dc tig welder by any means.

3. Lotos TIG200ACDC 200A AC/DC – Good Tig Welder for Aluminum

Lotos TIG200 comes with industrial quality features at a comparatively low price, so you definitely not want to spend your money elsewhere. It might not be as handy as the prior two options but it has its plus points as well. Much like the above stated options, this machine too comes with a high frequency start, so in comparison to scratch starts it is much more easy and instant. With the ability to generate power efficiency at 80 percent, it is worth every penny for a cheap tig welder for aluminum.

If you would look at its price, your initial guess would be no-foot-pedals. But you should be thrilled to know that it comes with a foot pedal, however it might not be a state of the art pedal. This maybe a cost effective option but if you opt for it you’d have to make compromises on the accuracy and the responsiveness of the machine. Adding to the misery, it doesn’t have the pulse arc capability- but the sole bright side it has is that it comes with an automatic down-slide setting to give a smooth end to the welding.

If you take all of the factors into account, this welding machine isn’t a very bad option after all. For your assistance, we have enlisted its pros and cons as well.

4. AHP AlphaTIG 200 – high frequency tig welder

What if there was a tig welder that was equally suited for all kinds of metals, be it aluminum, be it stainless steel or be it any other metal. It has got an x-factor about it and does an amazing job for you- even if you are a beginner using it for home repair or a pro using it for professional task. But if you are someone who enjoys welding as a hobby, let me tell you that this AHP AlphaTIG 200 is definitely top of the chart machine, it is arguably the best TIG machine (200-amp) under 1000 dollars. The only apparent downside to this machine is its cost, it costs almost the same as Primeweld TIG225X and Weldpro Digital TIG200GD but fails to deliver a wide range of settings, to adjust welding according to your needs, as the others machine do in that price range.

AHP AlphaTIG 200 comes with a foot pedal, which allows manual amperage change: adding more control to the welding exercise. But even with the best home tig welder there’s a catch and that is its default foot pedal, not being very comfortable or state of the art, thereby you might want to improve the model of foot pedal if you a regular at welding. Apart from that, I can’t find many snags in this machine.

What’s even more exhilarating? As opposed to other TIG welding machines, it is an excellent stick welder. Varying arc-lengths is not a problem on this stick welder, and does a pretty amazing job at purpose built stick welding. If you consider its price range, you’d say its TIG welding is like a Lincoln TIG machine. Also, lighting your arc is of no trouble with this machine, thanks to its high frequency arc that gives it an instant start every time.

5. Mophorn TIG200 200A AC DC – Best Tig Welder for Aluminum

The Mophorn TIG200 200A AC DC Aluminum Tig Stick Welder comes with great reputation. Its perfect design gets a lot of positive reviews, and to add cherry to the cake: for its quality it comes at a pretty affordable price. Mophorn brand stands out as perhaps the best welding machines makers going around currently, and for one model (TIG200 200A) to emerge as its finest product and best aluminum welding machine, it must have got something.

If we compare it with its prior model- Mophorn TIG Welder 160-A, the basic functionalities are quite similar. However, it has a few extra features and improvements. The most evident change would be the rise in output current from 20A to 200A. In order to not only make it power efficient but noise- efficient as well: the PWM (Pressure Welding Machines) is developed, and that is on top of the AC/DC inverter technology.

The design for Mophorn TIG200 200A is very elegant and is lighter on the weight side, so if you on a welding mission that involves some movement, and are easily annoyed by the noisy welding machines, this is the perfect choice for you.

6. Amico TIG-225 / 220 Amp – Tig Welder With Foot Pedal

Whether you are a beginner or a professional at welding, cost is always a factor to consider. So, presenting you the most cost effective product on the list. It might not have a wide range of functionalities as the other options but for a machine of this price, it does the job quite okay. Amico doesn’t lag behind Mophorn much, when it comes to producing up to the minute welding machines. Amico machines are known for their quality, and Amico TIG- 225 220A is no different. This machine arguably the best budget tig welder offers you the choice between TIG welding or Arc welding.

Amico TIG- 225 220A bags a lot of present day technologies such as High Frequency and HV start, Amperage display LCD, inverter, etc. It is also considered a good option for stick-welding, thanks to its relatively wide output current (12-220A). So, only does it cover ARC AND tig welding but is also quite suitable for thin work pieces as well. Personally, this machine’s design is my favorite, it offers just about everything and doesn’t compromise on the lightweight on the machine as well, it is very light and easy to move.

7. Hobart 500551 EZ-TIG 165i – Multi Process Welder With AC Tig

The Hobart 500551 EZ-TIG 165i is designed with such features that make it a reliable option for the welding community. This tool is certainly the quickest AC/DC TIG welder in terms of speed, as it provides a sole knob control. It is very simple to operate this machine, it is basically a three step process,

1. Attach the gas to the Hobart 500551 EZ-TIG 165i
2. Plug the Hobart 500551 EZ-TIG 165i into some 230 VAC
3. Choose the material and the thickness for welding.

Fortunate, for the stick welders, this machine is literally THE BEST option you have got to weld thin aluminum, and it produces AC output for that. Whereas, for stainless steel it produces DC output. It also offers a wider range of operations which an even better control over amperage. Not very light weighted but is an acceptable weight even for mobility involved welding. The best part about this machine as far as I am concerned is, its automatic shutdown- making it much more safe and power efficient. It comes with a clamp attached to a 12 ft. work cable. Also, it has an inverter based power source.

Buyer’s Guide

MAIN FACTORS

Much like it is the case everywhere, your desired output determines what you are looking for. Your choice for machine would vary with your demand. However, 2 main factors to consider are AC/DC supported and amperage range.

1. AC/DC

A normal TIG welder that welds steel (standard and stainless) runs DC amp, although a welder must run AC in order to weld aluminum. Since, Aluminum can’t be TIG weld apart from this AC option, so the cost factor must be compromised a bit if you want a machine that can tig weld aluminum.

2. Amperage

The range of amperage on a welding machine in directly proportional to the thickness of the material you want to weld. Thicker materials need a higher amperage range in order to achieve the required heat but for thinner surfaces, only a very small amperage range would do the job. Irony is, that the tiny/small amperage range are harder to found in a tig welder as compared to higher amperage. First know the material and its thickness to calculate the amperage range required and then make the choice.

PRICE NOT EVERYTHING

The quality of the product isn’t always dependent on its price, which means you can always find a good quality product within your budget. Just know your requirements and explore the machines that not only meet those requirements but aren’t heavy on the pocket either. Brand name usually adds to the cost of machines, and they end up at a price in which you can buy a thousand times (not literally) better product.

But if you not someone who knows these machines, the safer option is to go for the reliable brands, you might end up paying a little extra but you won’t face durability problems. Also, bigger brands offer free maintenance for first 6 months or so- that pretty much makes up for the extra charges.

SUMMARY

In this day and age, if you have a budget of 1000 dollars there are plenty of amazing options available in the market. We did our research and came up with the best possible options for a TIG welding machine under 1000. All of the machines have their own perks and downsides. Some might be offering all you need but be a little heavier on your pocket, some of them might just not do the job for you so you should consider all the pros and cons discussed and then choose an option for a smoother and happier welding experience.

I genuinely hope, that the review was helpful and you don’t have to go through the grinding of self- research. If you felt like we lacked something in this article, please share your thoughts in the comments section below. Also, you might want want to go through our other popular articles as well.

FAQ

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