i have the hobart handler 220v, i like it. i have bought all my welders used. the hobart i got for less than $350. i had to buy a few pieces -less than $20. i had to get the parts from miller and they even faxed me a manual and parts guide which was worth the 20 by itself. argon/co2 is also the way to go for mild steel i think, i don't care for the flux wire. you can also trade in bottles for welding bottles, i have never bought a new bottle. the last truck i bought had a soda co2 bottle in the bed and i took it in and they gave me a full argon/ co2 bottle and some cash back!!! you can also get them at auctions and trade them in for what you need. i have over 10 bottles and i always buy them if they are cheap enough. if you take several emptys in at once you only pay one haz material fee, that saves $$$ too. i have a tig setup i added on to my industrial hobart arc welder. i like it for mild steel again but i have not been able to do any good aluminum welding. i have only tried a few times and it looked pretty bad. i will give it more practice one of these days. i wouldn't touch that harbor freight mig with a 10' pole unless it was gave to me.
then of course why not.
