I think I've said this before and gotten hammered but, if I could have only one welder it would be a Tig. And as mentioned above, welders (like compressors, etc) are lifetime purchaces.
Heres why:
1. An ac/dc tig can weld any weldable metal.
2. tig gives you control of the arc energy during the welding process (mig starts cold and ends hot).
3. Tig allow welding of very thick metals, as well as very thin metals, plus you can weld very thin metal to very tick metal (try this any other way)
Now, for cruiser stuff you will weld:
1. sheet metal for rust repairs. For butt welding patch panels tig excels. Flange or overlapp welds, mig or spot welders are just as good.
2. 1/8-1/4 thick metal for sliders, bumpers etc. See junks weld above.
3. Repair. Since tig provides high penetration welds in any weldable metal without the need to add filler, it's a natural for repair.
Cost- It aint cheap for a new machine, but they've been made for 50 years so they are out there used.
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