i think buying local is a good deal too, but you will have years to buy supplies from your welding shop after your initial investment. i have only bought used welders and never got a bad deal. even the ones i resold i didn't loose money on. i currently have a hobart 220 volt mig. i paid about 250 for it and it was missing about $20 in parts. works great. i've bought 100's in wire and gas locally but my initial investment was low. also i have never bought a new bottle. you can find used ones and trade them in. sometimes i've got them for free. i even got money back one time for trading in a nitrous bottle and got the gas for free. i have almost 20 bottles of O2, acc, and sheilding gases and still buy them if i see them super cheap. you also save on the hazard mat fee if you refill multiple bottles at the same time you only have to pay one. so i use them all down till i have one left and take them all in. some places may not charge this but all welding shops do. i also bought a hobart arc welder for 200 that they couldn't sell because it was so big. this is a fantastic machine and would have cost over 1000 new. i sound a cheap skate but don't overlook the "used" factor. i wouldn't buy a 110 volt welder or you'll bet the next project will be too big for it.
