How we score permanent jewelry welders

We compare permanent jewelry welders and starter kits from the brands' published product, manual, warranty and returns pages and their US prices, read on the date shown on each page (last on November 13, 2026). We haven't welded with them. Every product gets one score out of 10, and that score is the same on every page of the site.

What are the 8 criteria?

How is each criterion scored?

Each criterion is turned into a score out of 10. The measurable ones use straight-line interpolation between the anchor points below, capped at both ends.

• Price: the dated US price, compared with the median of its kind, so a kit is never punished for costing more than a bare welder. Median of the welders sold alone: $1,549; median of the starter kits: $2,998. Ratio to the median: 0.4× → 10, 0.6× → 9, 0.8× → 8, 1× → 7, 1.3× → 6, 1.6× → 5, 2× → 4, 2.5× → 3.
• Power control, from the published joule range. Top of the range: 8 J → 3, 10 J → 4.5, 16 J → 6.5, 20 J → 7.5, 30 J → 9. Half a point more when the range starts at 1 joule or lower (fine chain needs the low end), and half a point more for half-joule steps. A welder with no joule figure counts as not published.
• Eye protection in the box: nothing listed 1, shaded welding glasses 6, a screen that darkens for each weld 10.
• Training and support in the price: nothing stated 1, a manual and brand support 4, one short live session 6, a full online course 8.5, a course plus one-on-one mentoring 10.
• Warranty (years): 0.5 → 2.5, 1 → 4, 2 → 6.5, 3 → 8.5, 5 → 10.
• Portability, from the welder's weight in pounds: 2 lb → 9, 3 lb → 8.2, 4 lb → 7.5, 6 lb → 6.5, 10 lb → 5, 18 lb → 3. One point more for a built-in rechargeable battery.
• Return window (days): 0 → 1, 14 → 4, 30 → 8, 60 → 10. 2 points less when the seller's policy carries a restocking fee or a non-refundable part.
• Maker and safety paperwork: 5 points when the brand states where the welder is built, 5 points when it names a safety certification (NRTL, ETL, CE). We quote the brand's wording; we don't audit certificates.

Chain length, charms and tools are not criteria: they are consumables you will rebuy, and each review lists them so you can price them yourself. Argon is not scored either, because the brands disagree on whether you need it; we report what each one says.

What happens when a figure isn't published?

A criterion the brand doesn't publish scores 2/10. We can't credit what isn't stated, and a welder should not win on silence. A product with no published price, or fewer than 4 published criteria, gets no score at all.

How does the raw score become the score you see?

The raw score is the weighted average of the 8 criteria. Every product we list is a current one sold on its maker's own US store, so we show it on an editorial scale: displayed score = 7.5 + 0.4 × (raw score − 3.2), kept between 7.5 and 9.6. The order of the raw scores never changes. Labels: Excellent from 9.0, Very good from 8.5, Good from 8.0, Fair below 8.0.

Why do two products never share a score?

Scores are shown with one decimal, so two products can round to the same number. When that happens, the order comes from the formula first and then from a published tie-break:

1. the higher raw score (before rounding);
2. then the lower price;
3. then the longer warranty;
4. then alphabetical order.

The product placed second then shows 0.1 less than the one above it, and so on down the list, so every displayed score is different and the order is still the formula's. Scores stay between 7.5 and 9.6. Right now this applies to the Everlinx Starter Kit (formula 9.5, shown 9.4), the Pepetools Helix (formula 9.2, shown 9.1), the Sunstone Zapp Plus 2 (formula 9.1, shown 9.0), the Sunstone Legacy Kit (formula 9.1, shown 8.9), the Sunstone Momentum Kit (formula 8.9, shown 8.8), the Sunstone Zapp (formula 8.6, shown 8.5), the Everlinx EVERARC R Series (formula 8.6, shown 8.4).

How are the rankings by need built?

Each ranking first keeps the products that fit the need (kits only, welders only, eye protection in the box and a 3-year warranty for beginners, a price of $1,500 or less, a welder of 4 lb or less for pop-ups). Then it puts the same criteria in a different order of importance. The weights change the order of the list, never the score: each product keeps its one overall score everywhere.

Where does the data come from?

• Specs and prices come from the brand's official US product page and its manual, warranty and returns pages. Every review links its sources.
• Prices are the price you could pay on the date shown, in US dollars. When a brand shows a discount, we use the discounted price and say so, with the crossed-out price next to it. Coupon codes shown in banners are not applied.
• Joule ranges, weld counts and weights are quoted from the brand. Safety statements quote official pages (OSHA's eye protection standard, the makers' guides), linked where we use them. We don't give safety, legal or financial advice, and we promise no income.
• We don't use user ratings or star averages from stores.

What are the current scores?

Questions about the method? Write to [email protected].