Hey Blackjackjacques,That all depends on what you plan on welding. If you see yourself regularly welding thick steel plates for structural purposes, then you will want a stick welder. If you plan on doing aluminum or ornamental welding, then you want TIG. If you plan on bike frame work, say steel tubular, etc, then MIG is on the menu, although TIG will also work nicely. Oxy Acet I save for burning and brazing type work. If you held a gun to my head and asked me to pick only one, I would pick TIG as I can make it work for light gauge steel or aluminum up to respectable thicknesses, but this is based on the work I do. I have all including a plasma cutter. My stick welder sits most of the time and the last time I used it was to weld 5/8-inch steel angle iron for an antenna bracket. My mig comes out when I have not too precise steel work and I need a quick way to tack together some steel. My tig is used when I want to lay down a nice bead say a stack of dimes. Not that the mig cannot lay a nice bead, but tig is more forgiving for my limited welding skill/experience. My Tig unit is a Everlast 250EX complete with water cooler and water-cooled torch, my mig is a Hobart handler 187, my stick welder Hobart LX 235 and plasma cutter Hobart 40i. I put the stick/tig and plasma on one large wheeled cart complete with tanks, while the mig sits on its own stand.
“What are you planning on ????” is a common response to my type of question. I caught the “buying old iron wood working and metal working machines” bug a few years ago after joining OWWM. So I'm sure my new metal working hobby will come in handy there. Sometimes I enjoy the journey as much or better than the destination.
Thanks,
Harry