College welder here, I keep reading conflicting advice about 120v machines. I've got 240v available but portability would be nice, is 120v genuinely useless or just overhated? I'm mostly working with 1/4" steel for basic fab work, not building space shuttles
120v vs 240v
- Thread starter Eddie36
- Start date
120v machines get more hate than they deserve honestly, a good 120v mig will handle it fine, but you might need multiple passes on thicker stuff but for what you're describing it'll work
That's good to know, because most of what I'm reading online makes it sound like 120v is completely worthless for anything real
When you say multiple passes on thicker stuff, are we talking like two passes or sitting there for 10 minutes building up?
Appreciate the reality this man
When you say multiple passes on thicker stuff, are we talking like two passes or sitting there for 10 minutes building up?
Appreciate the reality this man
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2025
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Hey @Eddie36, 120v isn’t useless at all for 1/4" steel. You’re probably looking at 2 to 3 passes depending on your welder and technique, not 10 minutes of tacking on tiny beads. It’s slower than 240v, but for small projects or portability, it gets the job done. What kind of MIG unit are you using?
