Forney 190 MIG Welder: The Full Review and Specs

  • By: Monica Shulz

I was enjoying my weekend outside the fab shop…mig welder

Sipping some delicious award-winning whiskey…

With my fabricating friends…

And then it happened. The conversation turned to welders.

To be honest it was Welders, history, and technology.

Wait!

You mean to say you had a conversation outside of laying the best bead ever?

I actually did…

And it was interesting because I learned how many people are emotional.

Yes – people make their purchasing decisions with emotions….

And that carries over to welders too!
So I’ll let you in on my conversation for one major reason…[toc]

It taught me a huge lesson when buying anything.

And since I love welders and everything welding related…

I want you to get the best equipment and the best value for your hard-earned cash.

Speaking of your hard earned cash…

Have you ever found yourself wanting to buy something( like a great new welder)… but you didn’t know how to evaluate your choices?

I know I’ve been there.

So in this review you’ll learn:

  • The pro’s and con’s of the Forney 190 MIG welder
  • How to avoid the biggest mistake when buying anything, and how to really evaluate purchase
  • A much better welder then the 190, for only a bit more money – and a great welder for brand the new welder

And here’s what I learned from my conversation

190 MIG welder

1st step: remove any emotion you have when making a purchase.

How am I going to do that exactly you might ask?

I know it heard, especially with a storied brand like Forney.

They are a great American brand…

Who started selling dependable welders in the 1930’s in rural American towns.

And Forney produced many of the welders in American until recently.

But does that make every welder they sell a great one?

Not exactly…

And my buddy… the guy who I had my weekend conversation with…

Will continue to make a big mistake…

He will overpay and end up with substandard products.

All in the name of loyalty and tradition.

And once you remove the emotion there is one more step I want to share…

But first, let’s talk about the Forney 190 a bit…

 

 Forney 190 Pro’s and Con’s

Pro’s

  • American designed welder produced in Italy.
  • The company has been around since the 1930’s
  • US-based customer support.
  • Stepped voltage system – great for beginners.
  • 15ft power cord – ideal for a garage.
  • Lightweight – 78 lbs
  • 5/3/1 warranty
  • Cast aluminum drive for smooth wire feed
  • Can use 220 volt

 

Con’s

  • 10 ft torch cable
  • No regulator supplied for gas MIG welding
  • Only supports up to an 8” spool
  • Your 115v power WILL need a 20 amp outlet

Forney 190 Testimonials

I really like this welder. It does have some issues… the instruction manual is not very clear and if you don’t have a 20 AMP outlet your welder will probably not run. I keep mine plugged into a 230 outlet and it works great. 4.5 star overall.
Click here to read the original testimonial from Daniel Wheeler

I like the welder because it’s lightweight and easy to transport. I’ve also spoken to customer service over the phone and they are very helpful and polite.
Click here to read the original testimonial from Randy Brown

Right away you can see there are more pros than cons…
So you might be saying to yourself something like…

“I’m not a professional welder…

So this is a great machine to buy right now!”

Stop right there!

Let me ask you a question first …

Is there one glaring issue with this welder?

Can you spot it?

 

It’s literally jumping out at you and makes the biggest difference

If you should buy this welder or not.

Ok, the suspense is killing me….

So I’ll just tell you the biggest issue:

Power!

If you’re a home fabricator…

Or occasionally repair equipment around your farm…

I bet you don’t have a dedicated 20A MP outlet.

In fact, most homes do not.

It’s something that you’d have to install.

And that could be a big issue

If you don’t want to mess around with installing a new outlet

And running dedicated power.

So does that make the Forney 190 a terrible machine?

Not at all!

With American support only a phone call away.

And I think that’s great for a new welder.

So does this guy

You will need all the support you can get..

Especially if you’re not close to a Local welding supply.

And that’s the good part…

But we’re not through yet.

Let’s talk about who shouldn’t buy this welder…

If you’re a professional and have a fabrication shop

You’ll need a more capable machine with more peak amps

So you can weld thicker materials.

And you’ll need a bigger spool of wire too.

If you are new…

Meaning, never touched a welder ever.

The Forney 190 is not a welder for you.

It’s expensive and you would do much better with a Hobart.

Specifically, a Hobart 140.

The Hobart is cheaper, so you’ll have money for safety gear

You’ll have a real paper setup guide…

Which is really important because…

Well, I’m not always going to be standing next to you…

Giving you all my tips and tricks!

But really, a paper guide is really helpful to troubleshoot small issues.

So then who is this welder for?

Great question.

And it brings me back to my conversation with my buddy.

This welder is for someone who is loyal to the brand…

And wants to support an American company.

Because the spec’s and the price point isn’t great.

So buying an American brand is noble…

But doesn’t make an excellent welder.

The deal breaker for me is the power.

If you have limited power on your home or farm, that’s a deal breaker.

And it’s expensive.

Needless to say…forney 190 mig welder review

Not all Forney welders are bad or have issues.

In Fact, I think their multiprocess machine is great.

This Forney MP machine

It’s expensive – but not overly so to make it uncompetitive.

And

It’s great for a DIY’er…

Because you can get better at all your welding skills

And you can practice on all types of materials

Stainless, brass, or even TIG some mild steel.

So I would invest in the Forney MP over the 190 any day.

 

Conclusion

I do like Forney as a brand overall.

It has a rich history and I enjoy having a story behind my welders.

But for the Forney 190, that’s not going to sell me.

Now…

I like the fact that customer service is easily accessible –

But not at the price point and with the power issue we discussed.

If you’re new to welding, save the cash and buy the Hobart 140.

It all boils down to this

If your new but want to build skills rapidly…

And money is not an issue… buy the Forney MP.

If your a weekend warrior, skip this model.

And remember I told you I would share my secret…

How to get the best welder possible?

I removed the emotion…

And I evaluated the raw stats on the specifications sheet.

So that’s the first place you’ll look…

And you’ll be happy you did when picking your own welder.