High amperage electric current is the core ingredient in arc welding processes like TIG, MIG, Stick, FCAW, and SAW. Welding leads (also termed welding cables) are the ones that transmit the power and create an arc that helps in melting the material for joining.
On the other hand, oxygen and fuel gas are the essential factors for gas welding specifically oxy-fuel welding like oxy-acetylene welding, oxy-propane welding, oxy-hydrogen welding, oxy-natural gas welding, and air-acetylene welding. Welding hoses are the ones that supply oxygen and fuel gas from the cylinder to the welding torch.
Being the critical accessory of welding equipment, welding leads and hoses need to be managed carefully. The moment when lengthy leads and hoses get entangled or knotted becomes the most frustrating moment for a welder. Cluttered welding leads and hoses not only pose a tripping hazard but also may damage the insulation of leads and cause gas leakage from the hose due to cuts and abrasions.
Welding becomes a very fun activity when it is done with the right tools and one of the right tools that makes a welder’s life easy is welding lead reel and welding hose reel.
In this article, we will get to know What is a welding lead reel and a welding hose reel, the importance of these welding reels, and the types of welding reels for both welding leads and welding hose.
What is Welding Lead Reel?
A welding lead reel is a device that helps to manage and store the welding leads. Being the backbone of arc welding, organized welding leads not only ensures safety from any tripping hazard but also provides protection from damaged insulation eventually leading to the extended life of welding cables.
What is Welding Hose Reel?
A welding hose reel is a device that provides a safe way to store and manage the welding hoses. Being the crucial accessory for gas welding, a welding hose reel is the best option to efficiently manage the welding hoses, eventually protecting from any wear and tear to avoid gas leakage.
Importance of Welding Lead/Hose Reel
Welding lead reels and welding hose reels are a great help for welders working in an industry or a project where site-to-site movement is frequent. Therefore, the careful management of the leads and hoses obviously increases productivity, prevents any frustrated moment due to unorganized leads and hoses, and protects from any damage to a welder and equipment. Let’s discuss more benefits of welding lead reel and welding hose reel below:
- Both welding reels offer protection from any tripping hazard and keep our workspace safe and tidy.
- These reels also offer protection from any damage to the insulation of welding leads, be it cuts, abrasions, and punctures to welding hoses, leading to safety from current leakage and gas leakage.
- Since damaged insulation may cause any short circuit or electrocution to a welder and gas leakage from damaged hoses may lead to any fire hazard, therefore welding reels also protect welders from any type of minor/major injury.
- Welding reels can also help in maintaining the lifespan of leads and hoses by organizing them efficiently.
- Deployment and retraction of cables/hoses become easy, leading to less time for setup and cleanup eventually obtaining improved productivity.
Types of Welding Reel
Typically, welding reels are divided into two categories namely light-duty welding reels and heavy-duty welding reels. Further, these are subdivided based on features for deployment and retraction mechanisms.
Light-Duty Welding Reel
- Light-duty welding reels are commonly made of lightweight materials such as thin metal, plastic, etc.
- Lightweight material makes these reels durable at a moderate level. Therefore, best suited for occasional use.
- Light-duty welding reel is designed for shorter lengths of welding cables and thinner welding hoses.
- These welding reels support the low amperage welding lead and standard welding gas hoses comfortably.
- These welding reels come at affordable prices. Therefore, equipped with a basic spring mechanism or manual handling.
- Light-duty welding reel is the preferred choice for DIY and small project applications.
- Being lightweight these reels are portable and compact.
Heavy-Duty Welding Reel
- Heavy-duty welding reels are constructed of steel or aluminum material.
- Being made of steel or aluminum, these reels offer high durability and are best suited for frequent use in industries.
- These are designed for long/heavy welding leads and industrial-grade welding hoses.
- Comfortably supports the high ampere welding cables and industrial-grade hoses.
- These reels are more expensive as compared to light-duty welding reels. Therefore, it offers great features, such as being equipped with a motorized, spring-loaded, or advanced mechanism for deployment and retraction of hoses and leads.
- These are great for heavy projects like industrial, shipping, or construction welding tasks.
- Being used for heavy-duty tasks, these reels are either fixed or offer heavy-duty portable design.
Now, let’s get to know what type of features a welding lead and hose reel possesses that make a welder’s life easy and comfortable:
Manual Welding Reel
A manual welding reel is operated by hand for the deployment and retraction of cables and hoses. These reels are cheaper as compared to others. However, these reels require more physical effort and are less convenient for longer welding leads and hoses.
Spring-Loaded Welding Reel
The spring-loaded welding reel is equipped with a spring mechanism for automatic rewinding of the welding leads and hoses. These reels are a bit expensive compared to manual welding reels. This type of welding reel is easy to operate and provides an organized solution to store cables and hoses.
Motorized Welding Reel
A motorized welding reel is used for automatic deployment and retraction of welding leads and hoses with the help of an electric motor. This electrically powered driven welding reel is the best choice for large-scale welding projects in industries, mobile welding units, etc. Motorized welding reels are much more expensive as compared to spring-loaded and manual welding reels and offer remote operation flexibility.
Twin Welding Hose Reel
The twin welding hose reel is specifically designed for managing oxygen and fuel gas hoses in parallel for gas welding and cutting projects. This reel is also available in the market with the features of a spring-loaded and electric motor mechanism.
