[A Quiet Boom]

John,

You got my vote via PM. All purpose would be a 220V Mig. Miller, Lincoln and Hobart are all comparable. I prefer an argon blend for most welds since straight argon can be a little soft and straight CO2 is too hard. Tigs are nice toys and make beautiful welds but much slower than Mig unless you're really skilled. I can but or lap weld just as fast with either but filling holes with a Tig is difficult as is anything you can't weld at a table. Mig you can lie upside down under a car and weld jsut make sure you're well protected. With a lot of prep you can get a decent weld on 1/4" with a 110V but I wouldn't trust it for stressed areas. Here's a thought what about OA? Let's see, it's portable, requires no electricity, weld as thick as yor largest tip, cut, heat, braze etc. I've done a lot of bodywork with a #0 tip and small filler rod then turned around and welded up something like a bumper bracket. A good set of torches is in nearly every experienced welders arsenal. BTW brazing is also a good way to repair sheetmetal and you could even learn to to lead work like the old timers (something I've always wanted to learn).