I've had the Lincoln 3200HD and two 140s. Stinkin thieves!

I really like them and never had a need for anything larger. I've easily welded everything from sheet metal to 1/4" without ever saying "I wish I had a bigger welder."

The portability is a biggie. I've hauled it around to several different places (stolen from two other homes ) to use it for structural steel and building the off road buggy amongst other things.

Unless you get into something really crazy, I doubt you'll out grow one of these. If you do, save your pennies as best you can and get a SECOND welder. That way you've still got one that can be used wherever you go.

I've seen some guys break important stuff on their cars at the track. They needed a welder. If they had the 110V unit, they could have powered it off a generator and fixed their ride.

You can do a bunch with the little $400 units. More than most people think.

However, if you decide to build ocean-going container ships or multi-lane freeway bridges, something larger would be handy.