TIG or MIG welder

[birchy]

I've not used Portamig, so you'd have to do your own research on that. Obviously I rave about the Oxford welders because they're just good work horses. Just ask anyone who's owned one of their oil filled arc welders - most of them are about 40 or 50 years old and still going strong. Butters are decent quality, as are Esab, Miller, Lincoln, etc. Keep an eye on the power supply required. Many of the 200A+ machines will require a 16A supply. Even my 180A welder will take out a 13A fuse at the highest setting. I now have a dedicated 20A MCB for the welder socket.

I'd also make sure the welder can take a 15Kg spool of wire. It's much cheaper to buy the large spools as they're "industrial" size. Plus it indicates that the machine is capable of doing some man-work. If you're not sure what diameter to get, 0.8mm will be suitable for pretty much everything. If you'll only be welding 5mm+, then 1mm might be a better choice.