Budget 110 Welder for light work

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Yes, I know - I'm one of those guys.  I've tried searching via google and haven't found much to point me in a specific direction.I'm looking for a 110 welder for some extremely light duty stuff.  Welding exhaust, intercooler piping, and body panels.  I want to be able to weld mild steel and stainless.  Having the option to go MIG with a tank so at some point I could tinker with aluminum would be NICE... however not a requirement because there is only one thing I would use it for and for the cost of the bottle, fill of argon, etc... I think I would just purchase the service to have someone do that project for me.  Not going to use this welder very often... few times a year type of thing. Which is why I'm looking at keeping this purchase under $200 and have really been eyeing up that 90 amp unit at Harbor Freight for $109.  However if there is another unit out there that has a little more adjustability or something I am more then open to spending a few more dollars but it has to be under 200.  I started looking into Ebay but then the options were to many and manufacturers that I never heard of.  That's when I figured it would be a good idea to just ask.  I tried reading the newbie post up at the top of the page but again none of those seemed to bring me back to a single unit.Sorry to be one of those guys and probably annoy some of you - but I just haven't found th e answer I'm looking for and I've been looking for the last 3 hours.Thanks very much in advance!
Reply:Yes, you are "one of those guys".If you haven't found what you're looking for yet, you prolly ain't goin' to.  A mig under 2 bills is a pretty tall order.  Even when you consider junk.Good luck with that.IF you do happen to find something, please post back so we have a direction to herd the rest of "those guys" in.My name's not Jim....
Reply:If you haven't already, read the threads attached to the sticky on 110v migs to get some basics.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=20883Forget about alum period. The 140 amp migs really don't have the balls to do more than 1/16" alum when maxed out, anything smaller isn't going to work. To do alum you need to get into a 180 amp class 220v machine minimum.Cheap small "migs" are really flux core wire machines. FC wire and super thin is a PITA. Thats where gas mig is best. Small low powered units use FC wire because it lets them burn deeper with lower power levels available. That same deeper burn will blow thru body panels and so on. Also you will find that the cheap FC only units are just that, FC only. You will have to adapt parts later if you want to use to gas. There's no "kit" usually. It will be DIY if possible at all.As posted above, you won't find a satisfactory unit for what you have budgeted. Save your money and get a unit designed to do what you need..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:4WIW, Horrible Freight, 99 bucks! Like DSW said, no aluminum. But the old saying still holds true."You Get What You Pay For"JMHO,Bruce The Welding ChefLincoln Weld-Pack 3200 NORWELD StickStanford Hill Farm
Reply:Look on craigslist... I got my lincoln weld pak 100 off of there for $100. It was from some company and had been serviced (?) every year since it was new... It welds thinner steel just fine for me, and for anything thicker, i just use the buzzbox. Its really adjustable, and has four power settings. I love it.
Reply:You need to keep hunting down the deal. I lucked out and found and open box item at Home Depot. A 110v lincoln mig weld pak (can't remember the model) for $180. I think the guy who returned it ran a quarter of a 1lb spool, fixed what he needed, and took it back. New was 500 - 600 bucks.Home Depot and lowes are good for open box items. Another time I got a Rigid 13" wood planer for $150 when the same planer was on the shelf unopened for $350+"ALL DAMAGE, NO CONTROL"
Reply:I figured the aluminum part was a tall order but I have to believe there is something out there that will allow me to well exhaust and other really small projects like that a few times a year.  One of my worries about the HF unit was the fact it only has two settings.  I wasn't sure if "low" would be low enough with out blowing through the pipe.I really like the searching home depot and lowes idea as I've found other good random deals there as well.What kind of unit or adjustment range am I looking for?  Most of my welding experience comes from fixing  trailers with much larger and deeper weld requirements with my step dad back in the day when I would help him on his side jobs.  That was all stick welding with the unit turned up pretty high.  I'm not really sure what I'm looking for on this finer work.  If I have to raise my budget much more I"m just not sure how useful it would be to me.
Reply:Originally Posted by MKEGuyWhat kind of unit or adjustment range am I looking for?  Most of my welding experience comes from fixing  trailers with much larger and deeper weld requirements with my step dad back in the day when I would help him on his side jobs.  That was all stick welding with the unit turned up pretty high.  I'm not really sure what I'm looking for on this finer work.  If I have to raise my budget much more I"m just not sure how useful it would be to me.
Reply:Awesome link, thanks!