Best 250 Amp MIG Welders (in 2023)

The Eastwood MIG 250 is an inexpensive, powerful MIG welder designed for shop welding or demanding hobbyists. However, its low cost means fewer features than other machines on our list. Still, most people don’t require all the advanced functions. But when low price and longevity are preferred, the Eastwood MIG 250 provides just that.

Eastwood is a USA brand established in 1978 and has excellent customer support. With a 3-year warranty, this well-made 250A MIG Eastwood machine costs a fraction of the Miller, Hobart, or Lincoln. It’s a steal, to be honest.

The strong 60% duty cycle at 250A lets you weld continuously for six minutes before you need to let it cool. However, the Eastwood MIG 250 can also weld indefinitely at 194A. That’s fantastic considering the price and build quality. Many entry-level brands claim a high duty cycle, but Eastwood also backs it up with a strong warranty.

However, if you run a professional welding shop, you may need more features. But other welders in our list offer features like digital displays, automatic settings, inductance control, pulse-MIG, and more.

The YesWelder MIG-250 PRO has a lesser build quality and shorter warranty than the Eastwood MIG 250. But, it’s far less costly and provides features that even the top brands don’t.

This MIG welder works best for hobbyists. It’s affordable, has a decent build quality, and includes many functions. However, professional shops can also benefit from the YesWelder MIG-250 PRO, as long as you don’t push it to its limits daily. Low price is attractive, but don’t expect a welder that costs five times less than Miller’s Millermatic 252 to endure a similar workload.

Since this welder supports DC TIG, MIG, FCAW, and SMAW welding processes and comes with advanced settings for arc control, DINSE connectors, and a spool gun, it’s one of the best budget MIG welders on the market. Plus, a large digital display, low weight, and excellent duty cycle make it competitive with the big brands.

However, we still recommend the Eastwood 250 MIG as the best among the budget line of 250A MIG welders because of dual-voltage input, better durability, and lengthy warranty. But, the YesWelder is a feature-rich and lower-priced alternative. You can save 10% with the discount code “WELDGURU10” that was found online.

The Everlast is heavier than the previously discussed Eastwood and YesWelder models. Still, it offers more power, numerous features for high-end welding, and industrial-level build quality. Additionally, Everlast provides a 5-year warranty giving professionals a piece of mind.

With its Pulsed-MIG function, the Power MIG 275P achieves exceptional results with stainless steel and offers far more arc settings. You can modify pulse voltages, frequency, and pulse time-on.

Additionally, the Power MIG 275P includes automatic and manual adjustability for standard and pulsed MIG. Not only can you use a standard spool gun for welding aluminum, but this unit also supports using a push-pull system.

The machine has three digital displays, and the front panel is intimidating. Since it supports arc force, inductance, wire burn-back time, pre and post-shielding gas flow, pulsed-MIG, and stick welding, there are many settings you can adjust.

The Everlast Power MIG 275P is much better for professionals than the Eastwood or Yeswelder. However, the Eastwood MIG 250 is still the best bargain machine if you are on a tight budget. But the Everlast MIG 275P costs less than the following welders from Miller, Hobart, and Lincoln Electric. Plus, it’s far more portable.

The Hobart IronMan 240 is an inexpensive, genuine shop-grade MIG welder. While you can use the Eastwood and the Everlast models for shop work, the Ironman 240 is likely to outlive them if you perform high-volume welding.

But, its transformer core comes at a cost. The 186 lbs. weight isn’t portable, so the welder is limited to shop work only. Additionally, Hobart doesn’t provide any functions for arc control other than the primary wire feed and voltage settings. The IronMan 240 also misses a display and automatic settings.

However, this USA-made welder is priced reasonably, considering the build and arc quality. The ground clamp lead could have been longer, and Hobart should include more accessories. But this machine offers a significantly higher wire feed speed than the Eastwood, Everlast, and YesWelder. Plus, the angled cast aluminum wire feed mechanism is better and feeds wire more smoothly.

Of course, Lincoln’s Power MIG 260 and Miller’s 252 models offer far more features, but the IronMan 240 offers the best price-to-value ratio.

The Lincoln Electric Power MIG 260 is expensive but well worth it for a professional shop. This MIG welder matches Hobart’s build and arc quality and includes numerous features needed in a professional environment.

Lincoln’s unique ArcFX technology displays the weld bead shape and penetration based on your set parameters. This is invaluable for shop productivity and operator training.

The Power MIG is very heavy at 247 lbs. But, the integrated wheels make it mobile for work around the shop. This machine is designed for maximum shop productivity. A large display, two receptacles for angle grinders, hooks for cables, storage compartments, and a tilting tray for a gas bottle make setting everything up and working more efficient.

The Lincoln Power MIG 260 provides more features than the Millermatic 252 and Hobart Ironman 240 while offering similar arc and build quality. However, the Everlast Power MIG 275P is a better choice if portability is more important than longevity.

The Millermatic 252 is one of the best transformer-based MIG welders on the market and certainly the best from Miller in our humble opinion. The dual-gear angled cast aluminum wire drive feeds the wire smoothly up to 700 IPM, and 300A of power output welds thick steel like butter.

However, as reliable as Millermatic is, time is taking its toll. The Millermatic 252 is ten years old, and many features cannot compare to the Lincoln’s Power MIG 260. To modify wire run-in or burnback, you must power the Millermatic off and on and go through a complex sequence of pressing, holding, and releasing the MIG gun trigger. Compare that to the 7 in. digital display, and you’ll see which machine is more suited for productivity.

Millermatic’s digital displays look poor by today’s standards. Even YesWelder, which costs far less, has a more advanced interface. Additionally, there is no 2T/4T support, which is a shame since the Millermatic has a high duty cycle.

Because the Millermatic 252 is very expensive and falls short in many areas, we’d recommend it only for shops that need maximum reliability and are ready to pay a premium price.