Any one feel free to correct me on my assumptions but I am starting to see the bug picture behind different welding machine.
They are not all the same. They are created with an intended purpose and I am just trying to get a handle on those purposes so even though I am writing this I am also throughing this out there for you the more experienced and educated indivuduals that have been at this game much longer than I. So here goes.

From my understanding/experience Loncoln came out with the "Short Hood" pre 50's first, althogh there are older machines that they made beofre the Short hood, but I have not seen them or dealt with them but have heard of CHaindrive Lincolns and Lincoln generators paired up with a motor of your choosing, but for all intent I shall start with the Short Hood.

1.   I have heard many people love that Short Hood because they can stack metal like no other. I think this is due in part to the fact that they had a different Voltage range? And RPM are set differently thus affecting their OCV? Feel free to clarify this point.

2.   Then due to a safety issue with the voltage Lincoln came out with the "Red Face" again a metal stacking son-of-gun. I guess they didn't change their technology all that much but they must have imporived their machine because up ot this point in history everyone loves these machines and they are still coveted to this day.

3.  Then I believe the Black Face came about because;  1. copper was scarce so they tried aluminum windings, they moved the hot and cold lugs to the side ( a safety improvement?) and they started to stamp out the face plate in one solid piece. They must have also done something to the technology because they no longer are coveted by anyone as much as the older ones and they don't stack metal as well. It seems from my experience, becuase I owned one note passed tense, that Lincoln set itself back with this model? Correction please anyone?

I had an old welder point out three machines and say that "Black Face is worth about $1000 in excellent running condition, that Red Face is worht about $3k to $4k and up in running condition, and that Short Hood is worth $3k in any conditon going up from there the better it is." So that is sums up the above three stages. Do you agree??

So then Lincoln comes out with the "SAE's", the "Classics", the "Commanders", the "D series", most recently the "Vantages", and just out the SAE's agian.

Now I am going to skip the progression timeline up to the Vantage. The reason being I recently baught one 200 hours ago and am starting to realize the differences in machines and starting to appreciate why Lincoln created different machine.

So here is a question:

To my way of thinking on my Vantage the remote on it controls the amp range making it dig or be softer by simply going up or down with the amps not neccesarily adjsuting the arc because you have already set that with the "Arc Control" setting it on a "Crisp arc or a Soft arc". Is this correct? Is the Arc control kinda like setting you OCV's at a certain setting and then you are just going up and down with the amps? So in essence you set your OCV's and then change your amps as you need to?

Beause on the Old SA's the REMOTE controls your OCV's which the higher the OCV the more your arc digs at the current Amperage Range making it seem like it is hotter and in the higher amperage and the lower on your remote the lower your OCV's are therfore the lower your Amperage feels. Is this correct? So in essence when you are adjusting your box your really adjusting your OCV's and not your AMPs on older Remotes?

But then Lincoln went with older technology found in the SAE's and updated it and compacted it into a more usable and versatile machine the SAE 200 and 300. Which I believe it to have an infinite range selection on the amperage side and then you can control the OCV's just like before. So then they have seen from the past SA's that people liked Tom Fowlers 7 selector range settings, they liked the "D" seriese diesel motors, they liked the SA's OCV changability/ flexibilty, they liked the Vantage individual amp selection, and they put it into one machine. So in essnce when you are welding with one of these machine's, I haven't had the chance yet but I am envious of any of you that have had and that even now own one, you can choose the specific amperage for you rod which you can then adjust your OCV's within that particular amp setting which means that you could be welding at 113 with either a soft arc stacking metal or an agressive digging arc but still welding at 113 either on the hot side or the cold side? Is this a coorect assumption about the way the settings are on this machine?

So in closing I believe Loincoln has done a spectacular job in creating a market, staying in tune with that market, nurturing the market and helping it grow into what it is today. A machine that takes from the SHORT HOOD and the RED FACE the ability to stack metal; takes from the D series the CLASSICS and the Commanders the diesel technology; takes from SAE's and the VANTAGES the individual amperage selection and puts all of those bonuses in one very versatile machine.

Please feel free to correct my assumptions and or expand upon them as I enjoy learining about these machines and there designed purposes. Hope this helps someone else understand the history of these machine.

P.S. to all the individuals out there running a Miller I mean no disrepect to any of you I just don't know the history that Miller has with portable machines.

Also please forgive the spelling errors.