I know that you get what you pay for. I am looking for home use, not production line. I am thinking through the idea of getting a tig welder for the garage. Yeah, Miller or Lincoln would be nice, but out of budget. I have read a lot of good reviews on the Hobart unit that is available through Northern Tools. From what I have read, it is USA made and affordable. A cheaper option would be the Eastwood Tig200 available through Eastwood or Jegs, made in China. Eastwood seems to have some issues on their reviews, but they might have fixed production problems recently, since most of the bad reviews are older. Obviously, this would be for rollcage fabrication. Also some sheet metal work in aluminum and steel, and even some header work.
While I'm on it, can I use the same shielding gas for chrome moly and mild steel?

All my welders are Lincoln but if I were to buy
new I would go with Miller.. myself I would buy
the brand names.. can you buy parts for the off
name products if needed... for the gas.. tig= 100%
argon.. mig= 75/25... for 99% of the use.. if you
get into some odd ball stuff then odd ball gas is
needed(only in some cases).. also you will find out
that the torch(the welding head) wont be what you
need for every use.. I have 3 torches for my TIG
and different sizes on the collars and tungsten..
I use a lot of 3/32 for the most of my work but I
have a whole different hose and torch for real lite
work that uses smaller everything
EDIT
Hobart is a decent lower line welder.. I wouldnt even
look at the China stuff... JMO

I have a Miller 180 Diversion, love it so far. Local dealer price was a little over $1800.00 for the unit. Bought a cart, bottle, some extras and an assortment of filler rod and tips and total out the door was about $2450.00.

I have a Everlast 200dx... I haven't had any issues with it. Use it for the same stuff you want yours for. I haven't used it on a aluminum head yet though. The accessories were lower line, torch and stuff, so I thought when they fail I'll upgrade, they haven't yet. Check out the reviews, that's what finally sold me on it.

I was looking at the Everlast also. I have a budget of around $1,000-$1,500 to spend on a welder. I would love to have a Miller or Lincoln, but it is out of the question. My only other choice would be to finish everything I can with my Mig and contract out any Tig work I need done. I'm not big with trusting other people to do work for me.

Yeah not sure about the Hobarts?? I would like to hear some reviews about them from people that have had them for years.. I use Millers at work and home and getting parts is never a problem. My tig at home is older then me,, its a Miller Gold star 330 and still welds like a champ. LOL

My next tig unit will have the cooling tank on
it... I had my brothers tig here when he was
building his new house and it had the cooling tank..
yeah its a big unit but it actually uses less power
to run than my unit and his is way more powerful..
I have been looking at rebuilt units(brand names) and
for what your willing to spend you would be right there
for a nicer unit than what your looking at

Hobart is owned by Miller. I have a Hobart generator /welder. It is the same welder as the Miller bobcat. Hobart is aimed more at farmers and individules as Miller is focused more on commercial. I love my new Hobart and it replaced a Miller I had owned for 20 years.

Get on Craigslist. Lot of people make the jump and later decide it's not for them. Lots of like new entry level equipment for sale.

I agree, Miller and Hobart are the same just different color and decals. I like Your comment as well. I see that Miller now has the Bernard Mig gun/cables line as well, anyone use the 'center fire' Bernard stuff versus standard Miller?

Biggest knock on the cheaper, low amperage welders is the duty cycle. I have an Eastwood 135 amp - 110v welder that I use the snot out of. Has the shield gas kit and infinate dials, not stepped ones. Pull the covers and you can't tell the difference from a Lincoln, and the Eastwood uses Tweeco consumables. Great for everything from sheet metal up to 3/16" mild steel, but I wouldn't want to do a whole cage with it, due to the 20% duty cycle. I have access to a Miler 200 for the finish cage welding. But the Eastwood is the best $300 I ever spent, other than bar tabs and hookers.

I found my Lincoln Tig in our free local sale ad hand-out but lots of good deals on Craigslist for seldom used welders. I took Night classes ( stick, mig, tig )at our local tech school and was lucky enough to train on the machine I ended up buying.

If your budget is $1500. then consider the Thermal Arc 186. This is quite likely made in China but Thermal Arc is a well known company who will stand behind the product and just about every welding supply carries the Thermal Arc line. Its not a "new" product - been out for a few years - so its proven itself. Accessories are readily available and reasonably priced. Now, the REALLY nice thing is that it has all the bells and whistles that the Miller 200DX has - for about half the money !!

If you do any research, about the only complaint you'll hear is that the fan is loud. I suppose if you're tig welding in library it will be an issue ... it doesn't bother me.

I also looked at the Everlast but the support and availability of accessories was a concern - particularly the foot pedal.

Lots of great info. Thanks guys. I had no idea about reconditioned units either. I might hold out for something like that. I have a local Airgas welding supply near me that supplies our torch equipment for the dealership. I might drive over there right after the holidays and see what they have to choose from. They show Miller MaxStar 150 from $1,200 and up. What would be the smallest recommended size for a cage?

Do you need AC (to weld aluminum)? If not, then you don't need these expensive welders you're considering. I have an Everlast 160sth that's my 'disposable' field welder and it has a 5 yr warranty, hf start and only cost 400 and change.

If you do need AC, and you don't want Chinese, then a good used Synchro or Lincoln is still within the budget. Also, Lincoln has introduced the POWER TIG 200, which is their new AC inverter that less than 1500. S/F....Ken M

I do weld alum using my Mig machine.. but I HAVE
to change the cable and the gun for the alum wire..
the steel cable liner is already dirty and it wont
do the alum .. you need a liner that you use JUST
FOR ALUM.. if you were to run the steel wire through
it you would have to buy a new liner(I just change the
whole thing being that its just easier).. takes a bit
to get use to but it does a nice job.. I usually lay
a piece of alum along side of the job I am working on..
get the start on the separate piece then run over to the
job.. that way the wire is up to temp.. and I do change
the bottle over to 100% argon

I would like AC capability for aluminum down the road. Airgas does list Miller and Hobart together. I would love a Miller or Lincoln within budget. I have a Snap-On Mighty Mig 140 that has Tig but I haven't been able to get it to work. Plus, when I change over cables and settings, then revert back, the wire feed calibration gets wacked. Snap-On knows about this, says to just reset the feeder potentiometer. Sounds easy enough, except that all of the covers have to come off in order to do that. Next time, I might just drill a hole in the right area to access the pot with a long screwdriver, and then get on the phone with tech support to see what is wrong with my setup. Can't seem to get an arc going no matter what power level. Mig side works super. Tig does not have foot pedal option or AC.

Years ago I did aluminum with a smaller Mig. Changed over to a nylon liner and Argon. Not pretty, but it did what I needed it to do. (Repairing gas pump nozzles in the gas stations). Airgas carries Thermal Arc also. Might be worth a visit to get some info.

I must be a sissy because I won't tig without a water cooled torch. I don't like municipal water for cooling (have had to use it) so my TIG has a built in cooler.

BTW, I paid $750.00 cash for mine used. You need to look at local welding and machine shops who may be upgrading.

I wouldn't buy a TIG I couldn't weld aluminium with.