TOOLIOM Aluminum MIG Welder with Pulse 250A 110V/220V Dual Voltage 5 in 1 Multifunctional Welding Machine Gas/Gasless Flux MIG/Lift TIG/Stick/Spool Gun with LCD Digital Display

Tooliom TL-200M Multi-Process Welder ReviewMy first impressions were not great simply because of the low-grade plastic used on much of the enclosure. This machine is not something you would toss into the back of your truck – something would snap for sure. However, the spool access door is metal, as is the wrap around the machine's guts. The sliding door latch is decent, and the door opens down, allowing good visibility. However, the door feels a bit loose when shut – a rubber bumper or two would be nice. I also wish it had four rubber feet on the bottom. There are four open-ended slots for something, but otherwise, it just sits on the plastic.I don't plan on running gas for Mig or Tig (flux core and stick only) so having no regulator included was a bonus because I didn't have to pay for something I don't need. As all of my welding is done outside, so gas is out. However, I wanted to protect the gun tip with a flux core nozzle, and the ones sold locally were too large and didn't have threads. So I found some on Amazon "Weldflame 2pcs FITS MAGNUM 100L NOZZLE (KP1939-1)" that fit perfectly.The manufacturer's description wasn't clear on flux core wire diameters, and I had the impression that 035 wire was the only option. I'm happy to say two grooved wheels are in the box; One has two smooth grooves for hardwire (030 & 035), and another with two toothed grooves for flux-core – also 030, 035. Much of my welding is on thinner materials, and 030 works amazingly well as it requires less heat. If I run into thicker material, I can always wash in a larger bead or stack them. Both wheels have an "08" and an "09" stamped on the relative side, translating to 030 and 035 imperial.There is no wire included which is just fine. Typically, manufacturers who include consumables provide the cheapest they can get, so results are relative. I went to my local Tractor Supply, bought a 10lb spool of Hobart 030 flux-core wire, and loaded it into the machine. There are many brands online, but getting a spool on the day I need it, is important. The spool loaded fine, and the spindle, tensioner, and plastic nut (LH threads) performed well. I also bought some spare 030 tips as the machine only comes with one 030 [08] tip. The gun generally feels good, although I wish there were a hanger/hook on it somewhere. I may make something at some point.I knew that the 030 tip (Stamped 08) would need to be removed before feeding the wire, but I found it extremely tight – all the way out. After I removed the tip, I noticed that the spring core that guides the wire was simply the raw end of the spring. As the tip is soft copper, the spring digs into it as you unscrew. So I grabbed my angle grinder with a flap wheel, grabbed the bit of spring sticking out of the gun with needle-nose pliers, and flattened the end of the spring. The tip now screws in and out as it should.My first project was a welder/plasma cart because I also bought the Tooliom Plasma. I have very limited space and wanted it to take up as little room as possible, so I built a hand-truck-style cart for both. I get a kick out of using the steel I have on hand as much as possible. Having taken down a chain-link fence last year, I had plenty of galvanized pipe – especially the top rail. This pipe is about 1.3" OD with an 07 wall - a tad more than 1/16". While I did a decent job coping the pipe to fit, it wasn't perfect.Nevertheless, I was amazed at how well this machine layed in fillets and the occasional gap – even with the galvanizing! Sure, there is a bit of spatter, but most is easily removed with a wire wheel on the grinder.The 030 flux-core wire was perfect for this project. The two plates that hold the axle are 20 gauge, and I was able to run a continuous bead along the edge against the tubes running on "Slow" and about 80 amps.The two knobs on the front of the machine are cryptic to me, but it wasn't long before I figured out that the knob on the left (labeled "Slow, Normal, and High") was actually wire speed, the other (labeled "Slow, and Fast") was amps. It seems odd to me, but I guess it's all about perspective. The amp knob adjusts in single-digit steps, and don't let the decal fool you – it can spin much more than 360 degrees.The ground clamp and stinger are what I expected in a machine in this price range – not great but adequate. The same holds for the welding leads. I looked online for months for a multiprocess welder but also wanted a plasma cutter. I also didn't want to spend 2 to 3K as I'm just futzing. I had a decent offshore stick machine, but I wanted something with the "Hot-Start" feature to minimize the rod's annoying "sticking" at first strike. This machine has the feature, but I haven't tried it yet. The flux-core works so well that I may never need to stick weld again.The plasma works excellent, but I will be reviewing that separately. Having both a "Hot Start" Plasma and a Multiprocess welder under 1K is slick, especially ones that work so beautifully.

I bought this machine as a pure novelty. I personally own and use several top flight Miller, Htp, Lincoln and Everlast welders. I've worked with some of the best welding equipment available. Most of that equipment is in the multi-thousand dollar range. Lately I've been on a mission to see how good some budget equipment will do the job. This is the second machine I purchased on that quest. The first being a sub $300 plasma cutter(Aimco power cut-50). I was shocked how well that worked and I was surprised to see over 250 reviews on that product and having a 4.5 average star review.Now I must qualify this review before I detail my experience. I have welded for more than 20 years, I know a good deal about welding and many of the variables that challenge the novice or beginner. Welding is a detail oriented task that can challenge the best of all of us at times. Most times things work as they should, but sometimes when they don't the problem can be frustrating to figure out.Now straight to my experience this machine is very capable for what it costs, I will only be reviewing mig functions. If your looking to weld up to 1\4" in a single pass it'll do it easily. All my welds were done with c-25 shielding gas which will require the purchase of a regulator and a tank of shielding gas. This machine only comes with a gas hose and out of the box will only weld in flux core mode without purchasing anything else. No welding wire is included either.Setup of the machine is simple but yet complicated. For a novice there may be some frustration in understanding how to work this. Mine came setup in 4t mode. In 4t mode the first time you pull the trigger it starts feeding wire, it will continue to feed wire until you release the trigger and press and release it again. This is useful for long welds but is not a feature found commonly on most small welders. Great to have if you know what you're doing though. Most people are used to 2t mode, as long as you hold the trigger it'll feed wire as soon as you release the trigger it stops. You need to know what a good welding condition feels like to dial in any welder. For me on my project I was welding 3"x3" 1\4" thick angle iron doing mostly fillet welds and it took about a minute to get the gas, voltage and wire speed settings really close. The machine had a very stable arc and I was able to lay down a bead that was nearly text book perfect. I was shocked to be honest. I had my coworker try it as well, he laughed and said this thing welds better than the lincoln welder we have in our shop. While it will not match the thickness capabilities of that machine I believe the arc is better and more stable thanks to the inverter technology. For the beginner I can see this machine being frustrating at times. It's not as simple as a Miller or Everlast with pro set type functions. Pro set functions allow for fast acquisition of settings based on thickness of material to be welded and wire diameter with specific gas being used. For a novice it gets you in the ballpark of your initial setup faster. However those machines cost at least 5 times what this one does.Pros: Cost, lightweight, multivoltage(at 110v capacity will be reduced), good stable arc, decent mig gun.Cons: tricky setup for the novice, also be careful with the drive roll knob, I dropped mine and it rolled inside the machine behind the drive motor side. I had to disassemble the front of the machine to get it back., no regulator ( not a deal breaker), ground clamp is pretty cheap the cable is adequate but do yourself a favor and spend $10 on a better one., lastly warranty not sure how long the warranty is but the gold standard is 5 years for top flight welding equipment I certainly don't expect that for the price point on this product.In summary it's a decent little welder if you need something cheap to do some garage repair type work I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. I can't speak to how long it'll last but for under $300 you really can't go wrong. My goal in this little experiment was to test the capabilities of an inexpensive machine and I was able to produce similar results that I normally achieve with much pricier equipment. As always results will vary with experience and I fully expect some people will get a machine that may have an issue. We are dealing with electronics I got a good one, someone else may not. For me this machine will be a machine I use for lighter duty on site work and for that I believe it'll do just fine.