1st time welder

I have been doing welder repair for 20 years as a Lincoln dealer now and can tell you you are getting some decent advice. Stick with Lincoln or Century (Lincoln owned now) Or Miller or Hobart (Hobart is owned by miller now) Both the Hobart and Century and the big guys entry level welders. The Lincolns sold in the big box stores are Lincolns(maybe Century with a Lincoln nameplate) and are just made cheaper to meet the price range the box stores want to carry but you can get support for them.