Question is there a reason you are leaning towards 110 volt machine? Do you not have 240 volts available in your shop? If you have a breaker panel, with two open spaces - a short run of 6-2 wire with a 50-amp breaker and outlet will run virtually all smaller 240-volt MIG, TIG, SMAW, etc, welding machines. The larger machines (over 50 amperes supply current) are usually hard-wired - unless you purchase very expensive high-amperage industrial outlets and plugs.
I would not recommend purchasing any type of 110 volt welding machine. I own a 110 volt MIG welder, and I cant stand it. It is only good for welding thin sheet metal. If you try and accomplish a multi-pass weld on thicker steel, the joints are cold, and they fail when stressed. There simply is not enough heat for adequate penetration. I am probably going to sell my 110 volt MIG, and purchase a Lincoln 255XT, and set it up for dual-shield.
My TIG welder is a Lincoln 275. It will crank out 2 to 340 amps. It requires a 150-amp 240-volt breaker. For the majority of mild steel welding, I set the upper current limit on the machine to about 180 amperes, and I will run as low as 60 amps for thin stuff, up to 150 amps for thicker stuff. You must remember that TIG is not a high-penetration process. Its a slow process, which requires multiple and multiple of passes for any type of significant weld buildup. If you try to make a large weld beads (the size of US dimes) on mild steel with a TIG torch, the arc will boil out and spatter the metal thus its really only good for small and delicate low-production work. For TIG welding aluminum, I normally run between 220 and 250 amperes. I have only occasionally dipped into the 300 amp range of the machine, when welding cast aluminum. If you desire to weld aluminum, you need a TIG welder that will do AC also, and is capable of at least 250 amperes. If you go smaller, you will be disappointed.
That being said IF you only desire to weld steel and/or stainless steel (DC only, which means no aluminum), the new solid-state TIG welders that run on 110-volt will accomplish the task nicely.
