Dont get me wrong, I am sure features such as arc force and hotstart are nice. I already know my Idealarc will run prettier beads than my buzz box. To hook it up, all I need to do is plug it in. I tried to sell the tombstone, with 50ft of leads, about a year ago for $150 and had so many lowballers try to beat me off that price I just decided to keep it. It sets in front of the idealarc, pretty much in the way, but easily accessable when the need arises. It does what I need just fine and I am used to it.
As for the tractor comparison, since we have already graduated from mules to tractors, I guess you could take it one step further. Do you need a 25hp tractor for your garden spot, or would a 100hp one make the job easier. Do you really need a enclosed cab with heat and air, or will a simple rollover devise suffice. I agree, this decision is subjective to the end user.
I think, and its JMO, that a lot of internet readers, looking for their first purchase of a welder, can easily be misled into buying more than they really need. If you have never welded before, dont know anything about the process, well, you really dont know what to believe. Asking questions is the only real way to find out, but asking questions from the right people is just as important. You have to admit, there are just as many novice welders, (I include myself in this group), as there are experienced people on any site about any subject. Many times the novices will offer up advise as if they are seasoned professionals. For someone that is experienced and a professional, its easy to tell who is real and who is full of bull. The novice isnt as lucky because they simply dont know. The old saying, the greasy wheel gets the grease sort of applies here. The novice, wantabe, that squeaks the loudest, is usually the one most heard. Therefore for someone who needs/wants a welder for use on a few projects, and once they are done with that project, will probably let the welder sit in a corner somewhere collecting dust. Because of what they have read on the internet, they purchase some new piece of expensive equipment, thinking the equipment will make up for their lack of skills, when they would have been just as well off buying a older, used machine, without all the bells and whistles. For someone that has been properly trained in welding and been doing it for a living for several years, they should know what they want and be able to sort thru the bull.