New TIG welder thoughts, What do you suggest? Options

[obscurity]

I would like to buy a TIG welder and give it a try. What do you suggest I look at? I need it to be 110V capable as my garage has no 220V. I plan to weld mostly sheet metal and have a MIG if I need to go much thicker. It does not have to do aluminum but it wouldn't hurt. What have I been looking at?

Eastwood TIG200
Primeweld TIG225x - Leaning toward this one
Vulcan Protig205

I know there are those who will say that I should buy a $3500 Miller but that is not realistically in he cards for me as I am by no means a professional nor will I ever be. I just like learning new things and developing new skills. This will be a weekend warrior machine and not for everyday use. As you can see from the list above I have been looking in the $800-1,200 range. Most of these machines have a pedal, pulse and are AC/DC.

Anyone have any of these or should I be looking elsewhere?

[Superhawk996]

I have a Lincoln Precision TIG225 so I'll offer up my opinion. They guy you really want the opinion of is @MB911 .

My thoughts:

Forget about TIG if you don't have 220v. If you already have 110v to garage it really shouldn't be big $ to get 220V out there. I'd invest in that power upgrade 1st. Also comes in handy for other things like air compressors.

Buy a good unit once. Better to save up for a while and/or buy a used Miller, Lincoln, ESAB, or quality unit once than to mess with lower quality units.

A quality inverter based TIG can be had for about $2400 + tank.
https://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.com/linc...ASABEgKGQ_D_BwE

110v really limits your options for welders. Though I agree you don't need 220v to weld steel sheetmetal, you'll need it for other materials like Aluminum which require more current. I've TIG'd 0.064" copper and that takes about 180A!

TIG welding isn't fundamentally different than oxy-acetylene welding as far as technique goes. It's all about heat control and filler rod control. It takes a long time to get good to get the stack of dimes TIG look. Even harder if you're welding out of position on a car instead of a benchtop. So if you need work on technique, you can get practially the same thing by mastering oxy acetylene work.

Finally, a good 110v MIG is way more affordable. If you don't already have a MIG unit, conisder starting there.