By WeldWorthy Editorial, published by Kindred Works LLCLast updated: August 20, 2026
Almost every Sunstone shopper hits this choice: the Zapp is right there at $1,249, and for a few hundred dollars more the store offers a version with more range. Both machines are pulse-arc welders made in the USA, backed by the same 3-year warranty and US phone support you can actually reach when a weld fails in front of a paying customer. The gap between them is not brand quality or reliability. It is joules and how heavy a ring those joules can weld.
The Sunstone Zapp delivers 3–10 joules in single-joule steps on a plain dial. The Sunstone Zapp Plus 2 delivers 1–30 joules across 30 settings on a lock-in digital dial, weighs 1.9 lbs, and starts from $1,699. Roughly $450 and 20 joules separate them. Whether that gap matters depends entirely on the chain you plan to sell.
The two machines, side by side
| Welder | Energy range | Control | Metal range | Weight | Warranty | Price (Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunstone ZappEntry | 3–10 J (1 J steps) | Dial | Fine gauge; MAX POWER at 20 gauge | ~2 lb class | 3-year | From $1,249See current price |
| Sunstone Zapp Plus 2Step up | 1–30 J (30 settings) | Lock-in digital dial | Wider range for heavier gauges | 1.9 lb | 3-year | From $1,699See current price |
Specs from Sunstone product pages (August 2026); prices live-checked at Sunstone in October 2026. Price varies by color and stylus option; check the linked pages for current pricing.
Sunstone code: WeldWorthy. It applies automatically when you buy through our Sunstone links, or you can enter it at checkout.
The joule ceiling is the whole decision
Heavier rings take more energy. Sunstone’s jump ring weld settings chart (October 2024) gives starting settings for 20 to 26 gauge rings on the Zapp, the original Zapp Plus and the mPulse 2.0: silver runs about 2.5 to 7 joules on the mPulse 2.0 and 3 to 11 on the original Zapp Plus, and 14/20 gold-filled 3 to 9 and 4 to 15. It does not cover the Zapp Plus 2, platinum, or rings heavier than 20 gauge.
On the same chart, the Zapp runs every 26 gauge ring at LOWEST POWER, but 20 gauge gold-filled, silver and 14K white gold take MAX POWER with multiple welds. That is a deliberate product decision, not a defect. Sunstone built it for operators whose first season is fine chain and priced it accordingly. If fine chain is your whole menu, you will not feel that ceiling. The day you add heavier rings, you will.
Step up to the Zapp Plus 2 and that ceiling disappears. Its 1–30 joule range covers the same span as the flagship Orion mPulse®. An operator adding permanent jewelry to an existing salon or boutique, with clients already asking for heavier chain, will use that headroom from week one. A first-season pop-up artist welding fine chain at bachelorette parties probably will not.
The lock-in dial: does it matter?
Both machines are dial-driven, so neither has the mPulse touchscreen. The difference is that the Zapp Plus 2’s digital dial locks in place with a tap, holding your energy setting across a full event instead of drifting if the knob gets bumped between customers in a busy booth. For a short weekend pop-up, re-checking a plain dial is a minor inconvenience. Across a six-hour market day or a multi-operator bachelorette booking, a setting that holds is one fewer variable per weld.
If you run long events or expect to hand the machine to a trained employee and want consistent output across the shift, the lock-in dial earns its share of the price difference. If you weld in short, controlled sessions at a solo pop-up, the plain dial on the base Zapp is fine.
Portability
At 1.9 lbs and a 13.3 × 15.5 × 6.9 cm footprint, the Zapp Plus 2 is the lightest Sunstone and genuinely bag-and-go for mobile operators. The base Zapp is compact too, but if your business model is driving between venues with your welder in a tote, the Plus 2 makes the daily carry noticeably easier.
Sunstone’s own promotional video for the Zapp Plus 2 is below. It is the manufacturer’s presentation, not footage we shot.
The price gap and what the business does with it
Roughly $450 separates the two. Against the machine cost that is a large percentage; against the business it is small. At $60–90 profit per bracelet (the range operators typically report after chain and clasp cost at a correctly priced service), the gap closes in five to eight welds, easily one busy afternoon. The honest question is not which machine costs less but whether you will weld rings heavy enough to push the Zapp to its 10-joule maximum.
If the answer is yes, buying the Zapp Plus 2 now avoids paying the $450 difference twice over: once for the Zapp you outgrow and again for the upgrade. If the answer is not yet, the $450 buys a meaningful amount of sellable gold-filled chain and the Zapp does the job well.
Which Zapp should you buy?
Fine gold-filled and silver chain are your whole first season, and you would rather put the ~$450 difference into sellable inventory. On Sunstone’s chart, every 24 and 26 gauge ring sits inside the 3–10 joule range.
View Zapp at Sunstone
Heavier 20 or 22 gauge rings are on your menu, you run long events where a lock-in dial keeps welds consistent, or you already have foot traffic and want volume capacity from day one. The lightest Sunstone at 1.9 lbs; same 3-year warranty.
View Zapp Plus 2 at SunstoneBuying the Plus 2 as a kit: Sunstone sells the Zapp Plus 2 inside its Dream Permanent Jewelry Starter Kit, from $3,199 (as of October 2026), with some welder colors priced higher. Per Sunstone's listing, the kit adds the PJ Tool Kit, PJ University training, one-on-one mentoring, 27 feet of chain with jump rings, a 24-piece connector pack in a display case, and two Argon Mini tanks with a regulator. Confirm the current price and contents on the linked page; our starter kit guide compares all three Sunstone kits.
If you already know mixed metals and high volume are your trajectory, it is worth looking past both to the Orion mPulse (from $3,199), which adds a touchscreen and 0.5-joule fine steps for studio-level control. The Zapp vs Orion mPulse comparison frames that larger jump. For the budget side of the market, the Pepetools Helix reaches 1–30 joules for around $1,499. The whole field is in the welder roundup.
Either way, run the payback before you commit. Permanent jewelry is a matured, proven market: US search demand holds at around 242,000 searches a month, up about 8% year over year, on a plateau rather than in freefall. At $60–90 profit per bracelet, a $1,249 Zapp is a countable number of events; a $1,699 Zapp Plus 2 is only a handful more.
Put either price against your own event calendar and chain cost and the decision becomes math, not a guess. Our calculator turns your numbers into a break-even count, in bracelets and bookings.
Run your payback numbers →Zapp vs Zapp Plus 2 FAQ
What is the difference between the Sunstone Zapp and the Zapp Plus 2?
Range and control. The Zapp covers 3–10 joules in single-joule steps on a plain dial, which covers every 24 and 26 gauge setting on Sunstone's jump ring chart, and lists at $1,249. The Zapp Plus 2 opens the full 1–30 joule range across 30 settings and adds a lock-in digital dial that holds your energy setting across a long event, all in a lighter 1.9-lb body, from $1,699. Both are Made in the USA with a 3-year warranty and the same US phone support.
Is the Zapp Plus 2 worth the roughly $450 extra?
It depends on the metals and gauges you plan to weld. Sunstone's jump ring chart puts every 24 and 26 gauge ring inside the base Zapp's 3–10 joule window, but marks 20 gauge gold-filled, silver and 14K white gold as MAX POWER with multiple welds on the Zapp. The Zapp Plus 2 opens the full 1–30 joule range. If heavier 20 or 22 gauge rings are on your menu from day one, sizing up now avoids a second purchase later. If your first season is fine gold-filled chain at pop-ups, the $450 buys a lot of inventory.
Does the Zapp Plus 2 cover the same metals as the Orion mPulse?
On joule range, yes: both reach 1–30 joules. Sunstone's jump ring chart predates the Zapp Plus 2 and gives no settings for it. The Orion mPulse (from $3,199) adds a touchscreen interface, Tru-Fire Technology, and 0.5-joule fine steps between 1–15 joules for high-volume studio work. The Zapp Plus 2 delivers the same range on a dial for meaningfully less, trading the fine-step control for simplicity.
Which machine is better for a mobile or pop-up operator?
The Zapp Plus 2, at 1.9 lbs and a 13.3 × 15.5 × 6.9 cm footprint, is the lightest Sunstone and the easiest to carry between venues. The base Zapp is a compact desktop unit too, but if a mobile or pop-up schedule is your primary model, the Plus 2 travels more cleanly.
What does the lock-in digital dial on the Zapp Plus 2 actually do?
It lets you set an energy level and tap it in place so the setting holds across a full event without drifting if the knob gets bumped in a busy booth. On the base Zapp you re-check the dial by feel between customers. For a short weekend pop-up that is a minor difference; across a six-hour bachelorette or market day, the lock-in reduces one variable between every weld.
Read the full Sunstone Zapp review, see the whole Sunstone lineup, or check the Pepetools Helix for a full-range dial machine at a lower entry price.