The same way that a good welder adjusts things: by sound and by feeling how smooth the wire feeds.
Seriously, you can measure the rate at which amperage increases when you start the weld to get an idea if you've got it set right, and I'm guessing the sound is correlated with a similar metric that the machine can measure itself.
FWIW--I wouldn't hesitate to start with a MiG unit. I've got a Miller 210 (roughly the same size as a 211, but without the auto-set features). LOVE IT. We put a lot of wire through it, and we run wire with gas. Never tried flux core with it, because we use it for sheet metal, in addition to big stuff like bumpers and stuff.
The biggest problem with a MiG unit to learn with is that you can make pretty looking welds, that aren't real strong. You need to do some destructive testing of your welds to know if you are doing it right, especially if you're doing important welds.
I've taught people to weld in about a half day with our MiG setup, and doing good, safe welds. They need to practice a lot more after that, but they at least know what they should be doing, and how to refine their technique to something useable.
I'm a Miller guy, for sure. I've never found the Lincoln machines to have nearly as much elegance and ease, but that's just an opinion. But there are a TON of Lincoln buzz boxes out there, and they are probably the best/cheapest route to get into stick welding.
Dan
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