I think there fore I post.
I did a welding course that was very entry level. As I knew nothing of welding other then what Jumpy was will the share. The course cover three aspects Oxy, Arc and Mig. We did have access to Tig but only to look at what can be done and how neat of a weld.
Something that I learnt, safety.
At the present time I have not purchased one, and neither has the friend that I did the course with. I would perfer to have access to a multi-function welder, meaning ability to Mig, Arc and Tig. I would also like to have Gas and Gasless option. Now after saying all that I would most likly be using Mig as the primary function.
I have been looking at the following considerations Duty Cycle as being on the higher percentage. As an example you have a duty cycle of 20% gives you weld time of 4 minutes every 20 minutes. I hope this is clear. Also looking at an enclosed container for the feed wire in Mig configuration. Just to prevent rust from gathering on the feed wire. If it does then you just strip out the first level to ensure that this does not feed in your hose.