Kentucky has the crux of it.
If money was available, I'd recommend a decent MIG like a Millermatic 252, or a comparable Lincoln. The snap-on welders on not that good. Hobart is good, again something in the 250 amp class would be good. If you keep an eye out you can find the Millermatic 250 or Hobart Beta-migs from 15-20 years ago on Craigslist for decent prices, still running strong.
I run 300 amp Airco TIG and MIG machines, 'cause I like the heavy old industrial stuff and can make the 3 phase. That's where the deals are at, but they do take up space.
I use MIG by far the most often. It's just easy and welds good and strong, handles never come off billets etc.
I see you are in Kent, I have bought 2 welders off Seattle CL in the last 2 years and seen a bunch more deals.
If you're looking around waiting for used, a Miller Millermatic 250, 251, 252 etc, or Lincoln PowerMig 250 (and the equivalent sub-numbers), are Cadillac choices for home Mig. If you want something off the shelf at a good value/performance ratio, the Hobart Handler 190 kits, are very difficult to beat. If you want something new that's slightly better, but semi-affordable, check the Millermatic 211.
I wouldn't get a TIG welder unless you find a need for it. I've got a nice old 300amp transformer TIG (Esab Heliarc 252) and rarely use it. It's great for specific stuff, but the speed of MIG makes it the go to for most of my knife and steel making related duties, and gets used for a couple of hours every day.
There's lots of specific tasks that you may end up wanting a TIG or a stick setup (for special rod alloys), at some point, but they're all things you may never end up doing. A good MIG setup is IMO an essential tool, and skill, everybody that works with tools should have. I'm always amazed when I teach damascus classes and have a pile of students that have no idea how to weld, considering how simple it is to learn the basics. Usually I have them mig'ing up their own billets by the end of the first day, otherwise I"ll spend the entire class tacking them instead of teaching.
Unless you get a high end inverter mig, I highly recommend you get a 220V unit. The 110V units just don't have the power or penetration for doing any remotely structural welds, unless you really know what you're doing and understand the limitations of the machine. With the 220V units, even the smaller ones like the Handler 190, you can get good strength single pass welds, which is all you're going to need for most things. If you don't already have 220V circuits in the shop, get them. You'll find them useful for numerous other things, like getting the most HP out of your grinder motors (2hp or 3hp, instead of being stuck at 1.5hp typically), etc. However, unless you've already got 3 phase service, and don't plan to move ever, I would avoid 3 phase welders. They can be had cheap, but getting 3 phase service to a residential location can cost an arm and a leg, and usually isn't worth it IMO. Half of my shop equipment is 3 phase, but I use a medium sized rotary phase converter to power it, and I highly recommend getting one if you like machinery, however, the two items that are costly (have to size up the converter significantly) to run from phase converters are welders and hard starting equipment like air compressors. Thus I avoid those two items when purchasing industrial equipment.
