Welders have gotten more and more efficient in the past decade or so, and today you can weld bigger materials for much longer on less voltage. This is because of inverter technology and other trick tech that has made power supplies inside these machines much more capable. That means that a 110v welder can do stuff that 20 years ago would have required a 220v circuit. It also means that there are now little tiny welding machines that weigh almost nothing and are easy to move around. Hell, there are suitcase style TIG machines that are only a little bigger than a shoebox that are super capable for most car guy welding needs.
So I suppose it should come as no surprise that battery powered welders would be a thing before long, especially with all the technology that has come from recent battery development in cordless tools. There are so many battery powered tools, and not just in 12, 18, and 20 volt systems, but also much higher for other lawn and construction equipment.
The new ESAB Renegade Volt ES 200i is the first battery powered welder I’ve seen, and in the video below we’re going to see Ian Johnson from Big Tire Garage get his weld on with it. Ian has been a long time ESAB user and knows their machines well, so I’m interested to see just how this thing stacks up against their norms. And speaking of norms, ESAB is known for having really well developed and operating machines. They are a very high quality brand, so for them to take the leap into battery powered welders is saying something to me. Check it out below.
Video Description:
The ESAB Volt is the first battery powered welder that is powered by rechargeable power tool batteries. This welder is a 200 Amp Stick Machine and DC TIG with live arc that runs on Dewalt flex Volt Batteries. But the question that everyone wants to know is how long can you weld with the machine? So I decided to put it to the test in the Big Tire Garage by running it until it shuts down when the batteries die.
