Why is MIG/MAG welding best technique for beginners?

Why is MIG/MAG welding the ideal method for getting started with welding? And actually, for most small workshops as well?

If you're completely new to the world of welding and just starting to explore the topic, one of the first things you'll need to consider is: which welding method should I use? Let’s compare the methods and see if you come to the same conclusion as I did.

A quick browse online might leave you overwhelmed—there are so many options, and you might not know where to begin. You’ll come across stick welding, TIG welding, MIG/MAG welding, and even old-school gas welding. To make things even more confusing, you might stumble upon articles about friction welding and laser welding.

Let’s simplify things. Friction and laser welding are strictly for industrial applications, so you don’t need to worry about them. Gas welding was a big deal in the past, but nowadays, it’s mainly used by specialists for specific repair tasks.

That leaves us with the three most common methods.
Listed here from the most affordable to the most expensive:
- Stick welding
- MIG/MAG welding
- TIG welding

Stick welding

At first, stick welding appears to be an appealing choice. The equipment is affordable, compact, and simple. There's no need for a separate gas cylinder, making the machine easy to acquire and highly portable. It works best on medium to thick materials, which is suitable for most users.

When stick welding, the biggest challenge is in the execution. To start the weld, you have to strike the electrode against the workpiece, much like lighting a match. Once the arc is established, you must continuously move the electrode closer as it melts away. For beginners, this often leads to frustration—stuck electrodes, messy starts, and generally rough-looking welds. After welding, a slag layer forms on top of the weld, which must be removed by chipping and wire brushing. Stick welding is not well-suited for thin materials, as it can easily burn through them. In skilled hands, however, it produces strong quality welds across a variety of conditions.

I've occasionally heard the claim that "if you need a strong weld, you have to use stick welding." However, I have yet to hear any real justification for this widely repeated myth, so I take it for what it is—a myth.

+ Affordable
+ Simple equipment
+ Compact and easily portable
- Challenging travel technique
- Slag must be removed after welding
- Generally overall rough

MIG/MAG welding

Moving up from stick welding in price range, we arrive at MIG/MAG welding machines. The smallest and most common size today is a portable, suitcase-style unit. Despite their compact size, modern machines are highly capable and sufficient for nearly all practical workshop needs—I’d even say for every need. Personally, I’ve never encountered a situation where my Kemppi MinarcMig Evo200 lacked the power to get the job done.

While the machine itself is slightly larger and heavier than a stick welder, it remains easily portable. However, it requires a separate shielding gas cylinder, which comes in various sizes—from very small to very large. With the right shielding gas cylinder(e.g., Linde Unicyl 10L) a MIG/MAG welding setup remains highly mobile, whether in the workshop or on the go in a van.

MIG/MAG welding is versatile in material thickness, handling thin to thick materials (0.7–4.0mm), covering the needs of most users. Even thicker materials can be welded with proper preparation.

The technique is easier than stick welding. The welding torch feeds wire continuously, meaning the operator only needs to maintain steady travel and distance. Additionally, the weld is immediately finished—unlike stick welding, there’s no slag to remove.

+ Fast
+ Versatile — suitable for various situations and thicknesses
+ Easy technique
- More expensive equipment than stick welding
- Honestly, I can’t think of any other major downsides

TIG welding

Among manual welding methods, this is the most sexy—often called the "gentleman’s weld" and, in skilled hands, a true artist’s tool. If you’ve ever scrolled through Instagram and admired rows of perfectly stacked dimes, those welds were likely done with TIG. In practice, TIG welding is similar to old-school gas welding, but instead of a gas torch, it uses a modern torch with an electrode that generates the arc. The other hand feeds filler rod manually into the weld puddle.

Compared to stick and MIG welding, TIG is incredibly clean, quiet, and smooth. No noise, no sparks—just a steady hum and a flawless bead.

But compared to the other two techniques, it’s also very much slower. This is further emphasized by the fact that workpieces must be fitted together with more precision than in MIG welding. TIG equipment is also significantly more expensive, and the technique is the most challenging since you must control two hands instead of one. TIG is the most finicky when it comes to cleanliness, requiring extra attention to material preparation.

TIG is the right choice when precision and aesthetics are key. It’s also an incredibly enjoyable process—almost therapeutic—once you get the hang of it. It's best suited for thinner materials, and it even allows fusion welding without filler metal, which is great for creating ultra-clean outside corners.

The most budget-friendly way to try TIG is with a cheap stick/TIG inverter, though it will be limited to steel and require "scratch start" ignition instead of a button. As you move up to dedicated TIG welders, features increase, and so does the price. If you want to weld aluminum (where TIG is often the top choice, though not the only one), you’ll need an AC/DC TIG machine—adding another price jump.

+ Precise, beautiful welds
+ Quiet and clean to use
+ Can weld a wide range of materials effortlessly (with an AC/DC TIG)
- Expensive
- Slow
- Requires precise fit-up and clean materials

Summary

When comparing these welding methods in terms of price, versatility, and ease of use, MIG/MAG welding checks the most boxes.
- In terms of price, it falls in the middle of these three. The price-to-performance ratio is excellent.
- In versatility, it is the clear winner. It handles everything from thin sheets to thick materials, from repair welding to new product fabrication.
- It is the simplest and easiest technique to learn.

If I had to choose only one welding method, I would go with MIG. And that’s exactly what I’ve done. If you browse my company’s Instagram, all the welding work showcased is done with MIG/MAG welding—except for a few cases that could have been handled with MIG as well. Of course, others may have different opinions, and that’s perfectly fine. My perspective is based purely on my own experience. As a second machine, I would choose TIG for more precise and cleaner work. As for stick welding machines, I would leave them on the store shelf—simply because I have never actually needed one. Not once.

Read more on MIG/MAG welding basics from articles:

Adjusting the welding machine with a simple excercise. Read article HERE.

Push or pull? Read article HERE.

Beginners most common mistake - Contact tip to workpiece distance. Find the article HERE.