Add in the range of sticks (electrodes) available (diameters, materials, etc.), and this Lincoln welder is hard to beat. Add a commercial grade heat gun from Milwaukee and some time, and you can even weld cast iron. Hardening rods are phenomenal for making skid plates, lawnmower runners, and other equipment last longer. Thin rods, in the right hands, can weld nearly as artfully with this welder as a pencil tip wire-fed MIG. Definitely a great welder to begin with since the cost of entry is relatively low and it will continue to be a valuable tool that you won't 'grow out of'. My father's Lincoln stick was purchased in the early 80's. I sat on it like a stool when I was a kid, and we still use it regularly. Great CoolTool!

Wow. My experience with 220 welders has never been good. Some elaboration on just what is meant by "light duty" might be good. Lincoln makes extremely good welders, but I personally wouldn't consider anything less than a 440 volt. Maybe if I were a better welder, I could change my mind, but I've often had trouble getting real penetration with these small, light welders.

Also check Craigslist, a lot of businesses are liquidating right now and you can get these welders for $100. Welders are definitely a Cool Tool.

I worked in a metals fabrication shop for many years. We had TIG welders, wire guns and so forth; but the old standby was the Lincoln AC welder. These things have been around so long they qualify as stone axes. "light duty" is in some ways a misnomer. It will easily handle 1/4" stock with no problem. You can find these things everywhere. I bought mine at a swap meet. I have built everything from patio furniture to truck bumpers with it. Works best with 6011 rod, but will handle 7018 just fine. There are obviously things it won't do. You have to remember that it is an AC welder, which means you are limited in rod choices and it has a different arc characteristic than a DC welder. I have never seen a 110 volt welder that worked well. Don't waste your money.

What kind of training would it take to learn to use one of these? Assuming you start from nothing? Could reading/messing around do the trick, or is a class/training essential?

Obviously this welder is a great value, as it is about half of what I paid for my MIG welder (though I was able to go in on it with 2 other friends). But it's a testament to the wide variety of Cool Tool readers that my welder, which I consider very capable, is to others a waste of money.

With my 110v welder, I have been able to make very clean welds on the varieties of stock I've needed to make yard art, security door and windows covers, furniture and many other admittedly ~small~ projects.

In addition to not having to have 220v installed in my workshop, 110v frees me up to be able to throw it in the car and take it anywhere I need. Living in the 'burbs, I'd be hard pressed to name a single friend that has 220 at their disposal.

@Davey

I found the DVD welding guides available from Northern Tool to be excellent. (Not the Covell, but the others.)

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category_6970_114+1537+771332

Plus, the instructor has a gigantic mustache, so you know you can trust his advice.

Lincoln Electric (www.lincolnelectric.com) has a library of excellent how-to and procedural books that covers the gamut of welding processes, and don't cost a fortune. There's a good chance you can find their books in the library (you people know about libraries, right? You know, pre-computer?). For basic welding skills, check with local trade schools or even high schools- many of them teach evening classes in woodworking and welding. You really do need some basic tutorial- I know of one "self-taught" soul who burned his garage down. Get the training. By way, to Taylor- if you've got a 110 welder that works, submit it or mention in the "share" comments. I'm interested.

My father has had one of these for 30 years plus. He is a professional pipe welder and has used it for a multitude of repairs and building the support steel for his house & deck (apprx 15ft x 25ft) and two sets of spiral staircases (2-3 story tall). The "just works" comment above is very true. My father's welder is tucked back in a cubby hole and just walk over an flip the switch and start welding. The rule of thumb for stick welding amps is the decimal of the rod diameter in amps. For example 1/8" rod is 0.125" so any where from 85amps to 130amps; more or less. Based on that rule the Lincoln buzz box could run 3/16" stick rod or more. If your have trouble getting penetration; do some joint prep, turn up the heat(amps) and use a digging arc electrode like 6011. FYI Here's the Lincoln Elec page http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/equipmentdatasheet.aspx?p=2493

This seems like exactly what I need. Well not really NEED but I think the price is perfect for a lot of jobs that I have been putting off for a while. But this will work very well.

I had an old Lincoln crackerbox like the one described that lasted over 20 years in our shop and I gave it to an intern about 5 years ago. My metal shop needed another small welder for some reason so we bought another one of these Lincolns a couple of years ago since we had such good results with the first one. I'm sad to report the newer one I bought had a cheaper, poorly made amperage adjustment switch which broke after 6 months of use. The repair shop said the cost to replace the switch would exceed the cost of another welder. We had to jump ship and buy a Miller equivalent, which seems to be working ok.
You might want to ask a repair shop about the reliability of the newer Lincolns.

110 V welders do work. You need a good one though. My father's is ten years old, Italian, a gift from a Dutch shipyard, and it has welded everything on a 3,000 ton freighter that did not need a shipyard. (we owned/operated that ship for ten years). Additionally it has welded everything on his farm and welded all the steel work on his home-built Jodel airplane (100 hp, 85 kt cruise, 2 persons). This experience from a man who scoffed at it after building two steel tugs with a 220 welder. He gave it a try and has never looked back.

The "guy with the mustache" mentioned by Taylor above is definitely Steve Bleile. He has a really good welding video series. I rented those welding videos from Smartflix and yes, they're worth it.

You can find Steve Bleile's great welding videos here: http://smartflix.com/store/category/27/Welding?ct=af201956

Gosh, and I thought I was a real man because I could handle a soldering iron...

If you have a dryer or an electric range you have 220v. Most houses in the 'burbs have it - two opposing phases of 120V is a normal USA service feed.

You just need to run a line to a plug in the shop. Hire an electrician if you're not comfortable in the main power box.

Incidentally, I have never heard one of these welders called anything but a "lincoln tombstone welder". They have a great reputation for value.

@Charlie - you make a good point. The questions that would raise for me (this is for the on-the-go scenario):

Short of welding in the laundry room, I haven't seen 220v extension cords (other than six foot dryer replacement) at any of the big box stores. A quick search online reveals the prevailing recommendation is to make your own. Seems possibly pricey, but doable. (10/4 stranded - 2 hot,1 neutral,1 ground - 50'?)

Can't visualize a dryer plug right now - is it identical to the welder? A standard 220v, if you will?

As for the model I use, I'm not sure I have the insight/experience to warrant a post (really a hobby), but for the record, it's a slightly older version of this:
http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/millermatic_140_autoset/

I'm curious to know what the "Italian Job" mentioned above was.

The plug on the Lincoln 225 pictured on the sales brochure looks to me like the standard USA 220 VAC dryer plug. I couldn't find anyplace where they specified, so I'd recommend you call Lincoln and ask for the NEMA number of the plug.

Typically a dryer will be on a 30A breaker with 10 gauge wiring. In an industrial setting you can play games with derating wire sizes based on duty cycle but no inspector is going to allow the average homeowner to get away with that. Play it safe and run continuous #8 copper wire if you are going 100 feet or less, #6 if you are going over 100 feet, and put a 50A breaker on it. Heavy wire's not cheap so you want to keep the run as short as possible (I have 100A service to my barn so that's no big deal for me, but sometimes it's a problem for folks who have garage shops at the opposite end of the house from the electrical service). Building inspectors typically allow only one outlet per circuit when you're running 220/240 VAC at high current, so choose a good spot!

Oh, PS, I am not an electrician, I am some random guy on the Internet, so you should not take my word for it - talk to the Lincoln people.