I was looking for a new machine this summer. I had a decent 110 mig and an old AC stick for big stuff. I ended up buying a miller 220v mig. I searched and searched for a deal before realizing that people that invest in these things hold on to them and saving a hundred or two off of $1200 or so wasn’t worth the warranty and dealership support.

I really wanted a tig but I wouldn’t get one that didn’t have a nice arc start, post flow to keep the ends of the welds clean, and I really like the newer ones with pulse fearures- so slick for getting great penetration and not blowing through thinner stuff.

If you want to do aluminum and chromoly definitely spend the top of your budget and get a machine that will be a pleasure to use for years