Another thing to look at is the duty cycle. Those harbor freight models running that .030 or .035 wire is either gonna be run on "high" mode w/ high feed rate or the "low" mode slower. This is where the duty cycle comes in to play. A 10% duty cycle is not good. So if you run it on low, it'll take longer to weld something and chances are you will have to wait on your welder. With the high mode you can cover more quickly, but the time you have is less as well. Think of it like this... at a 10% duty cycle you have 1 min of welding time every 10 minutes.
Another thing to consider is servicing. The models from HF might give you fits trying to find someone to work on it if something goes wrong.
Bottom line you'd be better served getting a flux/mig machine like the hobart "welmark" 135 or 140. If you plan to weld sheet metal mig is a better alternative than the flux imo. Plus you will have greater adjustability with a hobart or lincoln or miller. We have a 140 hobart at work and my old man has the 135 version. They work very well and are easy to use. In fact Luvnit used one to weld his motor mounts in...
Just for reference, you can get them at a place here for $425 brand new, so my advice would be to keep your eyes on ebay and pick up a better machine than one from HF, you will be better off in the long run.
Sorry about the long post everyone.
