Not long ago, we landed a project reinforcing steel trusses in a multiuse mid-rise to accommodate a large number of new solar panels. As in many of our projects, there were a ton of hurdles.
Our first challenge was getting the leads from the welding truck up to the center of the building on the third floor. We had to hump 300 feet of welding leads up there and, from this work area, run the leads to a window and lower them down to a roof deck, then run them off the side of the roof deck down to the welding truck. This was planned.
Jake Lewandowski
What wasn’t expected was the mystery tenant who parked in one of the two available parking spots provided by the owner. Unable to park the F-450 welding truck where we planned, we had to park in an alley hugging the building. I also was not expecting the noise and diesel-exhaust complaints about the welder running. All of this was accompanied by incessant honking as vehicles struggled to drive around the welding rig (although this was expected, as it’s common when working in the hustle and bustle of Chicago). It was projects like this that pushed me to consider other solutions, and I landed on the ESAB Renegade Volt ES 200i, which proved to be a game changer for us.
It’s no wonder Popular Mechanics gave it a well-deserved “best tools of 2024” award. It’s the first welder to use interchangeable batteries. It comes with four DeWalt Flexvolt 12Ah batteries, a 230-volt plug, along with an adapter for a 120-volt plug, and some nice 10-foot leads. It can be used for TIG and stick welding; however, if you do plan on TIG welding, you will need to purchase the torch and foot pedal, along with a gas cylinder.
Jake Lewandowski
You can run the Renegade on battery-only power, or you can plug it into a 230-volt or regular 120-volt receptacle to run off AC power. Or you can plug the unit into a 120-volt outlet to run in a hybrid mode of 120-volt and battery power that ESAB calls AMP+. Doing structural work on battery-only power, we mainly run 7018 rod – both 3/32- and 1/8-inch ESAB rods – and so far the welder has run these flawlessly. Weighing in at under 60 pounds, the unit is easy to load on and off the truck and move around a jobsite. The power cord and leads wrap around the main handle at the top of the welder, and the shoulder strap cinches down the cords.
Its ability to be moved so easily around a job, its versatility in how it’s powered, and its virtually maintenance-free unit compared with a small, engine-driven unit all make the ESAB Renegade a go-to welder for us on all types of jobs. It sells online for around $4,000. For more information, go to ESAB.com.
