At the Fabtech show in Chicago last week there were 525 welding exhibits. It's hard to believe how many little companies (many from China) are building little scratch-start TIG/stick boxes these days, but the big guys aren't dropping prices. Instead, they're building in some pretty amazing technology.
One that caught a lot of attention is the new Rebel from ESAB. It's so adaptive that it's amazing. They grabbed students off the floor and had them weld with it; it made the kids look pretty good. It only has a few controls. You don't even have to adjust gases for MIG (although it has regular controls for the experts).
It's worth a look. The price for being a welding dummy is pretty high these days -- this one is introduced at $1,700 -- but it's nice to know what it is you'd like to have if you could justify it. It's not a hobby machine but it's perfect for well-heeled hobbyists.