here's my $.02
i just bought myself a welder for christmas. i asked alot of questions on forums and to friends, and called stores to find out as much as possible. all the info was a bit overwhelming, but i kept it all in check, and made a final decision that i am very happy with.
i wanted a wire feed mig welder that i could plug into the socket in my garage(110v) and learn to do metal working on my vw with.
i went to three stores. the home depot, acklands grainger and kms tools.
i looked at three different welders. lincoln 135, hobart handler 135 and the miller millermatic 135.
all claim to weld up to 3/16\" metal.
lincoln came with machine, gun, work clamp and line, sample spool and tip and crappy hand-held hemet. 3 year warranty. $500. +$80-$100 for regulator.
hobart came with machine, gun, work clamp and line, sample spool and tip and regulator. 5 year warranty. $750.
miller came with machine, gun, work clamp and line, sample spool and tip and regulator. 3 year warranty. $850.
the lincoln had 4 variable wire speed selections and 4 variable voltage selections.
the hobart had 4 fixed wire speed selections and 10 (?i think) fixed voltage selections.
the miller had 10 variable wire speed selections and 10 variable voltage selections.
the miller has an internal wire feed mechanism that is made from stainless steel (for strength) as opposed to the lincoln and hobarts plastic internals.
i figured i may as well make this investment worth it, pay an extra $200 (which isnt that much when it comes down to it) and buy the strongest, best made machine. cry once.
after buying a bottle, getting it filled with c25 (75%argon, 25% co2), buying a helmet, 10lb spool of wire, 5 extra tips, 2 pairs of gloves, and an extra visor (lighter shade), my bill came to under $1400. which sounds like alot of coin. but shit, i got the most bang for my buck, and i am one frikkin happy camper. (check my avitar). i'm no pro, but i'm learning quickly, and it helps to have a quality machine.
take matts advice and go to kms tools in coquitlam. talk with the guys there, look at the welders and try them out. go to home depot and pull one out of the box, and spend a good amount of time looking over the machine.
always ask tons of questions and find out all you need to know, and have fun. good luck.