welder comparison?

[boodlefoof]

Hi everyone,

Well, I've been promised a welder for Christmas and I have decided to get a 208/230 volt welder.

I had my eye on the Lincoln SP-175T, but just today was at Lowe's and saw the Lincoln Pro-Mig 175. I went on Lincoln's website and the SP-175T is listed under "products-mig welders" and the Pro-Mig 175 is listed under "products-retail products."

Anyway, looking at the descriptions of both items, they appear to be identical except that the one comes with a eye shield.

I've emailed Lincoln to see if there is any difference, but wondered if any of you might know what (if any) difference there is between these two items.

Thanks for any and all help. I've looked at the Miller and Hobart products too, but my grandpa was a Lincoln user and my fiancee's dad and grandfather are Lincoln users... so I'm going with what we know.



Thanks again.