what to look for in a new multi-process welding machine.

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as I am becoming very limited with gas welding, investing in a new welder seems like a good route. I don't weld for work so I don't NEED a top of the line welder.what exactly is "duty cycle"? what should i look for in  a Tig/Stick or even plasma cutter.Thanks.
Reply:I am liking the specs on the Econotig from Miller, I hear good things so far. There are plenty of other machines to research though. Miller Tig WeldersDuty cycle refers to the percentage of time in a ten minute period (for instance) that a machine must be allowed to cool down before proceeding at a given output. A 20% duty cycle requires a machine be given 8 out of 10 minutes to cool down or risk overload shutdown. 100% duty cycle means the machine can run continuosly without risk of overload.City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Duty cycle is the percentage of time a welder can run maxed out in a 10 minute period.If the welder says 225a Max output 60% duty cycle.  That means at 225amps you could run for 60% of 10 minutes which is 6 minutes out of every 10 minutes you need to stop welding and let it cool down.In a Tig/Stick/Plasma cutter the features you want depends on what you want to do.Think about what you are welding, your experience, the integrity of the welds and let us know.  For example, if you are welding thing stainless tubing you can get away with a low output DC only machine.  If you are welding aluminum you will need a machine that does AC (in most cases) and puts out lots of power.Let us know what you are welding, thickness, budget and the guys here are real good at pointing you in the right direction of some ideas for welders.
Reply:As for the plasma cutter.  I have to say it is one of the coolest things have ever used!  Just got one myself not that long back.  Now budget always comes into play, but go for the biggest plasma you can afford.
Reply:What do you plan to do with it? There are alot of options. As far as multi-process, they are not usually inexpensive. I have a miller xmt 304 that I really like. Small, light, portable, welds great, but again, not inexpensive. I think they are around 3k now. Me is right on the plasma, go as big as you can. Troy