This thread is already too long, but I have a slightly different opinion to offer, so here goes:
For your first welder, buy a mid-range welder, MIG or Stick-type, don't worry too much comparing prices, worry more about getting all the extra's. The welding helmet is critical, don't skimp there. Grinder wheels, leathers, spools of wire/sticks, spare tips, etc will cost more than the welder. Everyone here is comparing base welder prices, but you'ld be better off comparing costs of leathers. You will buy a welder once, but you'll be buying consumables over and over, and probably building up your protection gear a little here, a little there. Wire wheels don't last very long, grinder wheels get used up in 10 minutes sometimes, and those can be anywhere from $2 to $15 for similar items at different places.
The best reason to go to a welding supply place is they will help you pick the right supplies for the job you are doing, and answer your questions. If you are new to welding, they may be just as informative as going to a class at the local college. They will probably save you a lot of time and trouble, stop you from buying things you don't need and help you not to do the job twice.
Of course, doing the job twice is the best way to learn. Probably the most opinionated folks here are the type that does everything 2 or 3 times, improving each time. The old saying I like is, "He who seldom makes mistakes, seldom makes anything."
Personally, I bought a $250 MIG from Home Depot, and spent another $300 on the hood, leathers, grinding wheels, etc. Went home, read the book, did some test welding, then did some real welding. And in one day, I had fixed a bunch of galvanized steel tube horse fencing panels. I'm sure it would have cost just as much to have a professional do it, and they probably would have done a better job, but my job was good enough and its still holding today.
Then I went back and bought another $200 worth of supplies and another grinder. And then went back and bought a torch and a better hacksaw. And then bought more leathers. I still don't have a band saw, but that would be nice. I don't have a drill press or a lot of clamps, but that would be nice too. So once you start welding, you'll be on a slippery slope. Its a whole new hobby to spend money on, just like owning a tractor. So the cost of the welder itself will be a distant memory - the cost of the accessories should concern you more.
I did my first welding in shorts, tennis shoes, a cotton tee-shirt, and a hat. But I had my full-face helmet, and one long leather glove, and I kept my body as far from the welding as possible. Yes, I got stung by sparks many times, maybe I was lucky not to get badly burned, but again, you've got to experience it to understand. Being told the stove is hot is not as good as actually touching it. Also welding makes a lot of smoke - you generally can't do it indoors. The fumes will make you miserable. But I noticed that few people mention that, they just take it for granted. And grinding down the welds after you make them is a common practice - again that was rarely mentioned as a key skill or an important aspect of welding, but it is. So my point is, there is a lot more to welding than just managing the arc.
Last bit of advice - you won't know whether your welds are good or bad until months or years later. Welds generally hold in the beginning but weaken over time. And a pretty weld is not the same as a good weld. In a farm environment, functional welds that last are far more important than carrying a nice bead. In my opinion, 50% or more of the experience of welding is learning about metals and knowing when metals are weldable or not. Not everything is made of steel. And almost nobody does aluminum welding on a farm/ranch, so don't even worry about it. So my advice is to get out there and try welding - like the poster that fixed a tool by welding it. Try welding galvanized stuff, just to see. Try not cleaning the rust first, just to see. Visit that scrap yard, just to know what's available. Don't worry about doing things wrong - its all opinion anyway, and if it works for you then its not wrong, is it?!
You can't learn much about welding by just studying the specs of various welders. And every brand makes high-end and low-end versions, so quality is relative. Any welding machine will weld. Some are easier than others for beIinners, but that's about the only important difference.
In fact, its a lot like choosing a tractor - any tractor will do the job. Its all personal preference and controlled by your intended uses and your finances. Small tractors do most things that big tractors do, but slower. Small welders are the same. But you can't really learn about tractors or welders by studying their specs. You have to use them.
