The SA 200 is probably the most sought-after engine-driven welder out there, but why? First, we need to understand what makes this model of Lincoln so good and what makes it so bad. This model weighs about 1400 pounds with a full tank, and a new Lincoln is about 600 pounds. This may sound bad, but an old SA 200 is solid steel compared to the newer models with thin metal and plastic; even though it weighs much more they are almost indestructible. 

Some of the downsides of an old SA 200 are that they are direct current (DC) power only, which means you can’t run any power tools off this welder without it smoking up 10 to 15 minutes in.
It is also negatively charged, which means negative is actually positive and positive is negative. This makes it hard to work on since you have to change the way you are normally thinking.

What are the upsides of this machine, and what makes it so special? Well, first off these welders

run off of a S-6090 Gasoline Engine; they are very easy to work on. Little to no electrical systems to worry about all they need is fuel, spark and air to run.

 From my personal experience, these welding machines run extremely better than any new welder ever could because there are no settings to adjust other than amperage. There are two knobs to change range amperage (100-200) and then fine amperage (10-100), so you would pick your main amperage, let’s say 100, then your secondary, 54, so it can come out to a total of 154 for your current. This is a very efficient and simple technique, unlike newer machines with a lot of fine tuning to do before you go and weld. 

All of these upsides and downsides combined, I personally believe the SA 200 is the best welder designed.