i have been welding everyday for about 2.5 years now, the one thing i have figured out is that you can never have to much welder. also stay with the big names such as Lincoln and Miller. if you need parts like tips, nozzles, and gun liners, they are uch easier to find. also you plan on welding anything in the 1/8 to 3/16 range you will need a minimum 220v machine. Where i work,
www.jbracecraft.com, we used a small 220 lincoln for a long time, but started to find it's limit with 3/16 to 1/4 wall tube and plate. so we recently upgraded to a lincoln 255 and it will burn anything.