Ok I am considering the lincoln 225 arc welder and I want to know what the drawbacks are in comparison to a mig welder. If I don't get this one now I will wait a few months and get a 175 mig welder. What are some safety drawbacks and versatility drawbacks of this unit if any. I have only welded once before so this will be the welder I will be learning on. Can you hold the actual rod with a welding glove while welding or is this a safety hazard. It felt akward to hold the handle since it put me so far back from the surface I was working on. I am aware that it is supposed to be more difficult to learn on an arc welder but practice and hard work are not things I fear. I will be using the unit for basic fabrication like rock sliders, rear bumper etc. Will this unit be enough for my needs or should I just save longer and get the other unit. Is learning arc welding a good stepping stone to learning other types of welds. Thanks for your input guys.