Every recommendation on ArcPicked traces to a number or a description the maker published. This page is the method — what we check, where it comes from, and what we deliberately don’t do.
The specifications we reconcile
Every guide works from the same core facts: the rated output with its duty cycle (the share of a ten-minute period the machine can weld at that output before it must rest), together with the input voltage it was rated on and any ambient conditions the maker states; input as declared (120 V, 240 V or dual-voltage, plug type and input current, with the output on 120 V stated separately when the maker gives it); processes as declared (MIG with gas, flux-core only, stick, and TIG with lift-arc or high-frequency start, DC or AC/DC); wire and rod sizes and spool size; the single-pass material thickness the maker declares, attributed to the maker; and weight, dimensions and warranty.
“200 A” on a listing is a headline, not a specification. Listings lead with peak output, while the duty cycle at that output is often buried, or stated at a lower current or on a different input voltage. So we record the duty cycle together with the output and the input it was rated at — and when the maker doesn’t publish it, the guide says exactly that: duty cycle at rated output not published by the maker. We never derive one figure from another, and we never infer a rating from the price, the brand or a retailer’s description. A “MIG” welder that runs flux-core wire only is labeled flux-core only; a machine that takes shielding gas is named as gas-capable only when the maker says so.
We then reconcile those facts against the work you have in mind: a first welder for the garage, a machine that has to run on 120 V, thin sheet or thicker steel projects, or one machine that covers more than one process. The reconciliation — our reading of the maker’s data, not the spec sheet on its own — is the recommendation.
Where the numbers come from
Manufacturer specification sheets, owner’s manuals and official model pages, in that order of trust. Every specification we publish is taken from a document we can point to. When two manufacturer documents disagree, we say which one we used and why. When a fact cannot be verified from any published source, the guide says so in a named exclusions section rather than repeating a figure we cannot stand behind.
What we don’t do
We don’t buy, use or physically test the welders we write about, and we won’t pretend to. “Picked” means chosen from the documents. How a machine handles on your own bench can only be settled by using it, and we say so plainly.
We also don’t teach welding technique or give advice on electrical hookups, gas cylinders or protective equipment, and we don’t cover repairs or any work on the machine. This is general information, not technical advice: for electrical connection, gas cylinders, protective equipment and any work on the machine, follow the maker’s manual and, if in doubt, consult a qualified electrician or a welding professional.
Who it’s for — and who should skip it
Every recommendation names who it’s for and who it isn’t for. An honest guide has losers as well as winners, and ours name what we excluded and why.
Prices
We don’t publish prices. They change too quickly to trust in an article, so we use broad price bands (for example $300–600) and ask you to check the current price with the retailer before buying.
How we’re paid
Reader-supported, through affiliate links that never affect what we recommend — the full policy is in our affiliate disclosure.