I had hoped to beg off because I'm a complete Lincoln believer...it's like a religion among welders, and you know what they say about debating politics and religion...*G*
My absolute first welder (the one I learned on back the 1970's) was a Lincoln 250 amp AC/DC machine (stick welder). I paid 275.00 for it new back then...fast forward 3 decades....notwithstanding Ronnie Raygun *G*...
If I was going to use a welder with any regularity and wanted high quality results (not just sticking together angle iron), I'd go with a Lincoln unit in the 4-600.00 range.
Otherwise, if welding was only to be done occasionally, I'd just rent a good unit, do the job, and save the investment for something else..
Don't forget to give your local welding supplier a shot at your purchase; they'll have machines set up to live demo and can answer most all questions you might have. Their prices aren't all that bad either, once you talk with them for awhile..*G*
Good luck!