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Lets hear the pros and cons on this.There are a lot of guys out there that need to know where to start.I wanna hear what they absolutely need VS what they would want.

Good question.

I'm spoiled.. I learned to weld from the Fab VP of Polaris.

He refused to spend any time with me unless I bought the gas option

I'm a fan of 135-155 110v units so they can be used in more locations.

A domestic brand normally uses easy to replace parts (tweeko guns, fuller tips etc)

Don't be afraid of quality name brand units.. they get ugly.. normally before they brake.

Get a brand that you can get parts for easily. As an example, not all tips will interchange as the thread count is different. If your local welding store repairs or sends out ask them for advice and if there are any welders that they see in for repairs more often.

You should consider a welder that has adjustable power settings. Many if not most small welders, only give you four or so settings. Two that I know of, with the adjustable settings, are Miller and Lincoln. Hobarts are not bad welders either but they only have four power settings.

110 to 120 VAC welders are OK for most buggy work. But remember, you are limited to materials of 3/16 th off an inch and under. At full power, you will have to watch your duty cycle also (2 minutes of welding out of every ten minutes is 20 % duty cycle.

A 220 VAC welder is more adaptable to material thicknesses then thier 110-120 VAC siblings, but the down side is the initial cost is much higher.

Using a gas shield is cleaner than shielded wire (like ARC welders, you have slag to chip off), but I hear that shielded wire can penetrate slightly deeper. Is it enough to justify a shielded wire, probably not unless you are stopped by the cost of the gas bottle.

My two-bits worth.

As in anything you buy the quality of the product will determine it's reliability. Any tool you buy can determine how well you can do the job. Why buy some inferior product that is going to make your life miserable? I have a off brand new chopsaw I used once. The only good thing about it is the blade. The motor on it doesn't have enough power to slice bread. My ROBI chopsaw on the other hand is hard to over power.

With the price of the Miller and Lincoln 110 volt welders being as low as they are there is no reason to buy a cheap one. Parts and service are sold everywhere. Chinese welders are like chinese VW parts not really worth the trouble.

I'm a firm believer in the old saying, "Buy the best and cry once!"

I'm currently in the market for a 110V MIG welder for doing panel replacement and exhaust tacking. I don't really need a more powerful unit than that since I already own a nice TIG welder for heavier stuff and aluminum fab work. I'll probably end up with the Lincoln 3200 MIG unit and use argon/co2 mix since my TIG welder is a Lincoln (Pro TIG-185) and I'm more than happy with it. The gas shielding does make for really clean welds, however a friend of mine who does welding for a living can weld with a cheap, off-brand gas-less wire welder and his welds look just as good as any MIG weld I've seen. So a lot of the finished product has to do with the skill of the person with the welder in his hand and not just the type and brand of welder used.