Quote Originally Posted by nixer View Post
actually you want a mig welder!
you dont want a torch!

grinder with a cutoff wheel/ portaband/metal cutting bandsaw
a sheet metal brake
a sheet metal shear


but i cant begin to figure how much my welder has saved me and alot of ppl i know
SMAW provides a stronger weld (IE, a $300 Lincoln 120 can handle using 8020 rod where as a $600 dollar MIG with the same amperage can only produce a weld with a tensile strength up to 70,000), and you can use it outside (I really do not like flux core), so I stuck with my SMAW. I’ve done everything from TIG to submerged (not to be confused with underwater) and thermoplastic. For piddling around the house, making simple projects and doing some minor structural work, the SMAW is IMHO the most cost effective and better all around. And if you are good with a torch, you can make clean cuts, and it is not only cheaper, but takes up less room when your shop consists of a 12 foot by 12 foot shed.

But to each their own. We all have our preferences.