★ STAHLWERK ARC 200 MD IGBT https://amzn.to/3EFsGaZ ★ STAHLWERK ST-450R automatic welding helmet https://amzn.to/3EFsQPD ★ STAHLWERK welding gloves https://amzn.to/3U8l729 ★ STAHLWERK stick electrodes AWS E6013RR https://amzn.to/3ihwHee ★ STAHLWERK slag hammer https://amzn.to/3Vr8sZ6 ★ STAHLWERK wire brushes https://amzn.to/3F7sqTG The links marked with an asterisk (★) are so-called affiliate links. If you click on such an affiliate link and purchase via this link, I receive a commission from the online shop or provider in question. The price does not change for you. When I was looking online for a cheap electrode welding machine, I quickly found Stahlwerk and the ARC 200 MD IGBT model. Stahlwerk not only has a catchy company name for this product area, which they mainly sell, but also has more than 20 years of experience and a wide range of devices when it comes to welding. I'll come to the welding helmet in a moment and will now unpack the ARC 200MD for you. I also ordered stick electrodes in 2 and 2.5 mm and of course the matching welding gloves, because one thing is clear: personal safety equipment, also known as a PDA, must always be worn when welding. In addition to the advertising inserts for the common social media channels, maintenance instructions and a small multi-tool, there is also a very good operating manual included, which I will come to later. The necessary accessories for the welding machine are in a separate box and, last but not least, the welding machine itself, which is of course well and safely packaged. Anyone who previously believed that a welding machine was always heavy and unwieldy will be proven wrong with this device. The ARC 200MD weighs just 3.2 kg and is so small and handy that its shape and size are reminiscent of a small toaster. On the front there is the + pole on the left and the - pole on the right and at the top the setting for the output current in amperes. On the back there is the on and off switch and on the underside there is a type plate and the safety instructions are always present on the top of the housing. The accessories box contains the 5 meter long cables, one for the current return with the earth clamp and a black connector plug and the electrode clamp with a red connector plug. Then there is a carrying strap and a dust cover for the welding machine. The Stahlwerk gloves made of robust leather are of course not suitable for work that requires a delicate touch, but they protect hands and wrists well from flying sparks and they fit my hands perfectly. Now for the welding helmet. I chose the ST-450 R model, which is very inexpensive but still has an automatic darkening function. This is in a protective bag, from which the adjustable headband is the first to appear. The helmet is made of plastic and the front of the filter cassette is protected by a protective film. The scope of delivery includes 5 replacement lenses and another multi-tool in credit card format, which is already included with the welding machine. Now I have two. The headband offers all imaginable adjustment options so that it can be adapted to any head shape, although the headband adjustment button at the back is the only one that is needed in practice. On the left side of the helmet is the dimming control, which can be used to adjust the brightness between DIN9 and DIN13. There are also controls for sensitivity and fade-in speed on the filter cassette, but I'll leave both as they are for now. The cassette can be easily removed to replace the screen, and the inside is also protected with a film that needs to be removed. The helmet's operating instructions are clear and easy to understand, as is the welding machine's, which I'll come to in a moment, and it's a good idea to take a look at them when fitting the headband to the helmet. I speak from my own experience and if everything is set correctly, the helmet sits firmly on the head and the visor can be folded up and down without slipping. When inserting the electrode in the electrode pliers, no matter which position you choose, you should of course make sure that it is firmly seated so that there are no fireworks where none should be. Before the first test, I grind the tinder off the workpieces with a fan grinder. Ideally, all parts that need to be welded should be shiny metal. I'll start with a fillet weld as a test and use 2.5mm electrodes, which according to the information on the box require a welding current of 60-90 A.