weld pak 175 or SP 175 plus from Lincoln

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Decided I need a new mig welder Ive outgrown my linconl sp100 mig Im wanting to step up to a 220volt mig machine I know lincoln just came out with a 180 series but I think the 175 is good for what I need What are the main differences between the Weld Pak 175 thats sold at home depot for $599and the SP 175 plus thats about $750I know the weld pak has only 5 amp settings and the SP 175 plus has infinate amp control but is there anything else thats different on them I have a few gift cards to Home Depot laying around and the Weld Pak would be the cheaper way for me to go but I dont want to buy a piece of junk at the same timeIve heard that the Lincoln welders sold at Home Depot are no good and are made with cheaper parts is this true??If anyone has any feedback on either machine please let me know because Im looking to buy soon thanks
Reply:There were previous posts on the SP-175 and MIGPAK-15 equivalence.Here is one.http://www.weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread...1521#post71521Rick V
Reply:get the 175 plus infinte and you willl have  a wider range  for welding  RANGE have mine  for  3  years !!!!!  never look back !!!! works great!!!
Reply:Originally Posted by ralphiejantzWhat are the main differences between the Weld Pak 175 thats sold at home depot for $599 and the SP 175 plus thats about $750
Reply:The Liincoln welders at the retail stores and the SP 175 Plus are the same quality. The main difference is that the SP 175 Plus series has the variable power switch. The others at Home Depot and Lowes, etc., have the tapped transformer. Either will work but the variable power switch is considered to be more flexible.Miller Millermatic 252Miller Syncrowave 200Liincoln AC-DC 225Victor O-A Set
Reply:Personally I wouldn't be so brave as to state one way or the other unless I had one of each setting right in front of me. One can make some judgements based on past experiences but even those are yesterdays and may not hold true for today. If they are all coming off the same "line" and the only diff is some are kicked towards HD and some are kicked towards reatil shops then the cost break probably comes from guaranteed purchase quantities that only large stores can offer a manufacturer. If they are "re-badged" then there could be separate plants and/or component inventories where many piece parts could be constructed using a lesser spec with no danger of brand name damage since the unit isn't marketed/sold under the manufacturers label. Who knows, it's really up to the buyer to do a hands on stare and compare if such things are really important.  Glossy brochures isn't the place to see such things and neither are internet searches. Go look, touch, feel, pick it up and shake it.