
Set your amperage and wire feed speed and you are off to the races. When it comes to ease of operation, it is hard to beat a flux core machine. There is simply no shielding gas to be blown away. Since a flux core welder produces its own shielding, welding outdoors is no problem. Often times you need to create a wind block and turn the gas flow up to keep the shielding gas from being blown away. MIG welding outdoors with shielding gas can be troublesome. Often times a 50 amp breaker is recommended if you intend to operate the welder close to its maximum output. Standard outlets will work, just make sure the circuit you are plugging into can supply the amperage required by the welder. You can even throw the welder in the back seat and take it to your buddy’s house if you need to.Īdding to their versatility and portability, most flux core machines are 110v and there are no special requirements for power. Since shielding gas isn’t required, there are no gas bottles, hoses, and regulators to worry about moving. With most flux core welders weighing under 20 lbs, they are easy to move around and bring to your work. The inverter welders available today are more efficient resulting in lighter weight and a smaller size. There is large investment in gas cylinders required, nor is there gas to run out of half way through a project.įlux core welders are extremely portable. A decent flux core welder can be had for under $200 USD, and it can stick weld too! The only consumables that need to be purchased are the flux core wire, and some spare tips for the welding gun. Flux core welders are less complex than true MIG welders because they don’t have any of the components required for shielding gas. The first benefit of a flux core welder is cost. What are the Benefits of a Flux Core Welder? When you are ready to MIG weld, all you will have to do is purchase MIG wire, a tank of shielding gas, and regulator. If you plan on MIG welding in the future, it can be cheaper in the long run to buy a MIG welder from the start and use flux core wire in it. Be sure to keep this in mind when purchasing a welder. It is worth noting that flux core wire can be ran through a standard MIG welder, however you can’t run standard MIG welding wire through a flux core welder.


Flux core wire comes on a spool and is fed through the lead by a motor in the welder like a MIG welding machine. As the metal melts, the flux inside burns to create its own shield, without additional shielding gas. Flux core wire has an inner flux core surrounded by metal. Inside the lead there is also a hose for the shielding gas to travel in.Ī flux core welder shares some similarities in design to a MIG welder, however it does not use gas to shield the weld. The wire comes on a spool and is fed through the welding lead to the gun by a motor inside the welder.

In true MIG welding, a shielding gas is used to prevent contamination of the weld while a solid metal wire is melted to join pieces together. Flux core welding, by definition, is not MIG welding. Most people call flux core wire welding “flux MIG”.
