Stick vs Flux Cored Welding for Hobbyists: Which type of welding is better for you?
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- Опубліковано 26 сер 2022
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I started stick welding and when I moved to flux I thought I'd never go back........ here I am many years later and I have more stick welders than flux! Many applications for stick, It's like driving manual, everyone should learn just in case. Great video! 👍
MIG is going to be a bit better for the auto body repair, and could also work for the bumper mounts as well.
@@TimWelds 🎉😂😂😂🎉
I was so excited to get into stick welding, until I was told I also had to have a oven to store my rodes.
Is driving manual supposed to be hard? I get weirded out when there is no clutch pedal.
I have too much blue-collar blood in me to be content at my desk job - so decided to specialize my skills with welding. I visited a couple of training institutions and then consulted with my family. Decided to not go with the institutional training due to the multi-thousands of $$$ in cost and other expenses. I'll purchase a welder / table / vice / tools / helmet and get to practicing and following Tim's advise in his videos. Thanks for the work you do in producing these. Greg (garden grove, CA)
I remember back in 1989 it was the best time in my life. We took a trip to Garden Grove. It smelled like Lou Dog inside the van... oh yeah.
I’ve been trying to answer that question for myself for over a year now. well, job done! thank you TW. 👍🏼👍🏼
I'm glad you brought up data sheets - great advice for any welding electrode that you're unfamiliar with. Pull the manufacturer's data sheet off of their website and familiarize yourself with the product before welding.
For me learning the different types gives more opportunities
Keep up the fine work. I just received my Prime Weld MIG160. Fwiw.. It is dual voltage, comes ready to do Flux, Stick, and MIG. Now if Amazon would deliver my welding mask I could start practicing.
I was once in a situation that I had to weld very thin material, I think it was 18 gauge or maybe thinner. Had no wire and I did had some 1/16" 6013 rods around. They solved me the problem. Never thought it was possible to wel that thin metal, wasn't easy but doable.
I was 7 yrs old, my uncle said here’s what you need to do.
It was an old Lincoln stick welder.
By the time I was 8 I built a little trailer to pull behind my manual lawn mower without a deck on it.
Pushing 40 and bought a flux welder and threw it out shortly after.
Give me a stick welder and I’ll make about anything you want
Oh…forgot to add that I caught my winter coveralls on fire shortly after the beginning but hell…it’s a good way to learn what not to do…🤟🏼
I have to say, for a guy like me thats welded a couple times in HS shop class 940+ years ago), in other words I know jack squat about it ...Youre very informative for total noobs like myself. I get enough information watching your videos to be Dangerous now :) You are a good teacher mate, ive learned more from you in a couple videos than i have from years worth of watching other people on this platform . I appreciate that, and hopefully by next year, with some practice and more video watching ill be able to repair the motor bike frame i want to fix ... It has the Scariest welds ive ever seen,, even myself being a blind gimp could do better im sure , i wont ride it until its repaired . I have a few projects for welding and want to do it myself.. So thank you for all the information, tips and tricks youre offering here . Cheers mate .
Super great video bro! Im a straight beginner and this is very helpful. Keep being thorough, i know it takes a lot of effort to
Make these videos but they definitely help!
Tim. You are the BEST Teacher for welding. Basic instruction and everything I wanted to know.
Chuckie2009 was the best. But his channel has been shut down
I thought that I've made a bad decision to pull the trigger on a flux core machine to weld floor panels on my car. Good thing I picked the right one.
I just did my first weld just by watching your videos. I WELDED IT HELDED! Lol
Fantastic video great explanation of both processes big thumbs up 👍👍
That little Titanium 125 welder is a great HF buy. Works like a champ.
I love mine too! The cart they sell for it has the worst wheels in the history of the wheel, though! 😂
Awesome video ! Finally at the point where I need a welder to fix my atv plow which broke a weld. Been wanting to get into welding for a long time. Time to buy one and fix my own thing. Hard to pick one. I see amazon has some cheapys that people like
I love stick welding, I'm a certified structural welder for 16 years now with stick but I've used my weld pak 155 from the early 90s with 035 flux core to weld 1/2 inch. It depends on experience.
Great explanation of Flux welding, thanks Tim for your posts very helpful believe me thanks again
Wow i did not no that about flux core i have welded 1/4" many times with multi passes i usally use hobart wire from tractor supply gues i will start looking the wire up or start practicing stick. Thank you for the useful info!!!!
The classic setup of a stick machine (I prefer used transformer machines for shop use because they're inexpensive and nearly indestructible) for thick work like building your welding table, work benches and equipment repair and a small wire welder (preferably MIG capable even if it runs FCAW initially) for sheet metal like auto body (countless body shops have ~100A wire welders) is tough to beat starting out.
Stick has reach advantages (both the electrodes and running longer welding cable, including using jumper cables in a pinch since the electrons don't care!) and is more versatile since you have vastly greater filler selection including cutting rods (though they're not much better than wet 6011 IME), rods for aluminum etc. You can switch much quicker than fighting wire spools.
FCAW works well outdoors and has much less waste than stick rod stubs.
One trick you can do if you score a suitcase feeder is power it off your (suitably stout!) stick power source. Lincoln used to sell a CV conversion box but many welders self included have run suitcase feeders like my old Hobart Heftys straight off a DC stick machine. I did that welding the roof sheet metal for my shipping container shop because lifting my power source that high then putting it away each time would have sucked.
weldingweb.com/vbb/threads/336051-What-kind-of-suitcase-wire-welder-should-I-run-off-of-my-Sa-200 and other WW threads go into detail and every welder should visit that forum which is easily the best on the net.
Just because you're a "hobbyist" doesn't mean you can't read up on industrial machines then score them cheap, often cheaper than new budget gear! I'm just a mechanic who welds but most of my machines are industrial and other than the weight (I choose not to care and have some light portable machines too plus OA) they're glorious. Industrial transformer machines fell out of fashion for many shops because they use a lot of juice (not an issue hobby welding unless your hobby has eight hour shifts every day) and modern inverters have many cool features. Industrial inverter machines happen to be VERY expensive when they break while transformer machines can have very high outputs but cost less than a new inverter circuit board, like my Miller 340A/BP I snagged for 250 bucks because the seller didn't know it would work off single phase (I downloaded the manual from Miller and knew otherwise, always score the tech data!). It does 540A out which I'll likely never use and has a delightful stick and TIG arc.
Going to start welding this year. The machine l'm buying is a bit expensive but it's a 3 in 1 process (mma,mig and mag). Stick will do heavy welding while running mig/mag/flux will do the sheet metal repairs on my classic car 😊
Thanks Tim! As usual your videos are very very informative.
I started with stick but just bought a gasless mig welder I love my stick welder and still use it alot but I use my gasless MIG for the thinner stuff because it's really good for that but with the thicker steal I use my stick so to put it in diameter I can use my gasless mig up to 3 mil plate anything thicker than 3 mil I use my stick
Very recently I sold my 120v flux core welder, and bought a multi-process welder. My goal is to do MIG, but I don'y have the budget for a gas bottle and regulator right now. So I decided to try stick welding. After just a short time practicing with 6013 and 7014 electrodes, I much prefer stick welding. It may have been brand of flux core wire I use, but the smoke from flux core really made it hard to see what I was doing. Visibilty is much better with stick (for my setup anyway). I also find it easier to see the work angle with stick as compared to a wire feed torch. And, if I bend the electrode down a bit, it seems easier on my shoulder than trying to get the wire feed torch at the right angle. Hot start makes it pretty easy to strike an arc without sticking. I am a bit surpised at how quickly you burn through an electrode, but so far that'sthe only minor downside.
Feel like I could do my whole career with flux core….but so many haters!
Only the “unknowing” hate ….
Flux cored ( self shielded/gas less/ open arc/innershield …. Whatever you want to call it) most definitely has its place in the world !
Right now as i am typing this and you are reading this there is a guy somewhere in the world welding a cross country pipeline with this stuff and another guy is building a sky scraper and another guy is building a ship with it!
Only because there is a homeowner somewhere who is bird shit welding a trailer hitch on his wifes mini van with this stuff ….. that is giving this stuff a bad reputation for no real valid reason …
Sure, personal preference, you may love it and the next guy hates it …. BUT when done correctly this stuff can produce x ray quality welds and for sure is a solid welding process…!
Stick welding is the process I use in my garage I have a flux core welder but I don’t use it unless I have to weld 14 gauge metal having three old school AC stick welders is pretty handy for welding over 1/8 thick metal flux core just doesn’t penetrate
Hi Tim! Love your channel, your an amazing teacher so thanks for doing that!
One honest opinion though if that's ok! I would suggest you stay away from any marketing not related to welding. I totally get the idea and it pays the bills, I don't hate on paid advertisement at all, but when sitting down watching a welding related video and it suddenly breaks for a knife demo, that's putting the viewer off. So keep a little track of that, I mean no harm.
Keep doing what you do mate!
Hey definitely answered my questions happy new year woohoo
When welding vertical and sweeping back and forth from bottom to top the wire flux makes cleaner welds and you can continue process without changing sticks for longer welds that you are trying to complete in one pass. If you have to stop and change? it cools down the weld process and then you get more cold roll on the sides of the weld. I like Stick welding if I am doing shorter welds and don't want to set up a lot of equipment for a short job though this is just my experience.
I use MIG, Flux Core, and stick depending on the application.
if u are flux core welding get the lincoln wire. you can run multiple passes with it. if your wire says “GS” on the wire wheel thing it means “general purpose, single pass use”
Good video mate I have only been stick welding for about 4 months but the first week I was welding 2mm quite easily and was able to weld some some 0.9mm square tube but joints with about blowing holes but it was not fun at all haha and I did blow through more times than I didn't but I would say 2mm/ 14 gauge steel isn't too hard to weld for the bigger with 2.6mm - 3/32 rods i find it can help to do your tacks with 1 rod size down to what your welding with and to burn the tack rod about as hot as they will run in most of the time happy
welding to all form south Australia
I also recommend welding with big ass transformer welders as i think it makes a much more fun experience buzz buzz buzz but part might just be me hahaha
@@ryanelliott1650 yeah, I learned stick on a Northern Tool, 220v made in China buzz box,…. It was fun! and it works well 😂
That rod requires a certain amount of current to even begin fusing wich could exceed the heat the base material can handle before being blown thru,if you turn your current down the rod won't even fuse,turn your current up and the base material can't take it but with flux core you get more versatility because you use a thin wire but when more current is needed to ensure fusion with a thicker work piece,you just turn up the wire feeding speed.Also working at home those strike attempts with the rod will wreak havoc on your power.I got me a little flux core machine and I work so much faster.Also its more precise cause I can bring my torch right where I wanna tack before putting my hood down without accidentally striking an arc,because unlike with STICK,arc won't start until i squeeze that trigger
My rationale when choosing as a hobbiest on a budget, was that a cheap stick machine had a lot less to go wrong than a cheap flux core. I could easily picture a badly made mechanism jamming up all the time. The stick machine leaves more of the job to the operator and their skill, which sounded like a fun challenge, whereas a broken down flux core just sounded irritating. That said, I find myself buying more expensive steel since I'm not confident in my ability to weld thinner stuff.
Find some really thin stuff and hunt down some 1/16th 6013
super helpful video thank a lot
Thanks, Tim.
Those knifes look good !
Excellent Tutorial! I definitely plan on signing up for your classes.. (However I do wish they were avail on DVD)
What's a DVD?
Tim I need your advice. I’m in the market for a smaller packable welder for my farm. New to welding. I have fencing as well as farm equipment. What type of welder/type do you recommend and why. I’m leaning towards either Miller or Hobart. Thank you and appreciate the continued knowledge. I’d be able to hook up to 110 & 220 via generator and socket no problem.
Great vid!
I'd say there's no reason not to have both since there are dirt cheap options for both. Personally I bought a more expensive stick machine and got a budget flux core machine since I only use the latter for very very thin materials and don't need much effect.
If I really HAD to choose one, I'd keep the stick machine.
Which stick welder did you get? Or recommend
@@floridamanofficial I got the ESAB Rogue 180i Pro, and I love it. The most important thing is that it is reliable; if I dial in a certain amperage, I will get very close to what I ordered. It may sound like a given, but it ain't always the case with the cheapest machines. My first welder was a Telwin Force 165, and I don't know for sure what it gave me since I had no way of measuring it but when I used my "old" settings on my ESAB it frequently caused instant blowouts on the materials indicating that the output was WAY lower on the old machine. Also, welding at more correct settings makes it easier to strike an arc. Learning the basics on a machine that weld alot cooler than expected wasn't easy as I welded the electrodes stuck constantly. It still happens but not nearly as often.
I'm a hobbyist so duty cycles aren't very important to me, but if I ever need to weld for prolonged periods of time it has a 100% cycle at 90A at 230V (70A at 115V) and I have until now never needed more than that. I mostly use ESAB Goldrox 2,5mm electrodes and they run very smooth on around 65-70A.
Very informative video dude
How do you find out if a flux core wire weld can be welded over the top of? Is there a technical term for this to make amazon searches or in store purchases easier to carry out?
Looking good keep it up.👍👍
Amazing video!
Thank you again for a great video.
Thanks for watching!
Any recommendations of generator size I would want to buy for this? I really don't want to use household lines for it.
Great video! Worth pointing out that for most hobbyist type projects (furniture, BBQs, gates, welding carts, etc) 16 gauge (1.6mm) is thick enough for nearly everything and occasionally 1/8". Anything that needs thicker than that (axle stands, structural stuff) is likely to be safety-critical and not such a good idea for a first time amateur project anyway.
I am a hobby forger I work with exclusively thick metal the weld has to be strong enough to handle the force of the hammer striking near it without breaking
I have a question, and maybe an idea for a video - how would you weld forget iron ornaments to steal tubing (for making stairway railing)? Total newbie, have really old REL/MMA Varstroj Gorenje 160/180A I need to start practicing with and I'm planning to buy MIG/MAG Hugong Extremig 200 LCD. So I'm wondering if you could take a look at thst Hugong and give me your opinion. I'm planning to use it with pure CO2 as it's cheap and safer for my small in house shop.
I see you really know your welding, so I have decided to pop this questions to you and hope for an answer or even better a video.
All the best from Serbia!
What welding Helmet do you use?Its so clear.
Great video
Thanks man great video
I'd always thought flux welding was the way to go as the machines are more expensive but knowing this I'm off to grab a cheaper unit for stick
I have a 180amp mig/flux unit. It’s supposedly good enough for 5/16.
Can I use google the helmet is hard to see though it
Good information 👍
What stick welding machine is that??
Do you have, or can you maybe do a video, on the types of metal you can weld with different processes? Like types of metal you can weld flux core for example
Great suggestion. Thanks!
Tim welds box cutter blades with a stick welder but does not recommend welding anything thinner than 1/8” 😂😂😂👍
It’s doable, but it’s a real pain. 😀
Thanks!
Thanks for the awesome video! Help! I have 1 huge question: What do you think of using a protective sheet from splatter, with something like maybe bands of aluminum flashing strapped around the work during flux mig ? I had idea to maybe rivet sheets of the flashing in a band to go around the work, a bit out from a joint, as a way to use flux mig with art where aesthetics / no splatter mess is important. Although I do currently have a large metal assemblage sculpture in progress, for most work, I expect to use mostly tack welding, & short joints, for mixed media art work, where I will just be creating metal support structures to hold other materials on top (like pieces of wood, or plaster or cement). So it seems flux mig is my best option, (probably with a 3 in 1 machine that gives option for stick & lift tig as well for the occasional more extensive use of metal in a sculpture).
I think you could use a protective sheet. I'd probably look at using anti-spatter spray instead to keep the spatter from sticking. It works pretty well.
Stick over flux cored ( out of a “home owners machine” ) any day of the week!
Thoughts on using the flux core just to tack everything up. Then finishing the actuals welds with stick.
Usually welding what would be considered scope for a stick process..
Thanks!
Depends on the thickness of the material especially if it’s either a tack/stitch weld and what is it you are welding.
Personally, I just could not get down with flux core, even though that was my first welder. It's arguable if I'm down with stick either, but I can weld good enough with it for my needs.
someone told me that if I learned stick, my flux core/MIG welds would improve…. And he was right. Made a noticeable difference.
What contact tip can/should be used in the titanium easy flux 125? The manual doesn't call it out specifically.
Depends on the size of the wire you are using when choosing the correct contact tip
Started at 14 with a stick and built a drift trike with a mig, then a month ago we built a reverse trike with a stick now I'm waiting for the tig machine my dad shipped for me
Hey Tim,
I received an old Lincoln Electric AC stick welder as a gift not long ago and as much as I love it and use it well, i cannot figure out something simple like welding two 1/8” or 1/16” washers together. I know from your video, its not advisable to stickweld less than 1/8”, but still, i dont want to buy a second machine just to tack two thin pieces of metal together without sticking my rod or melting the crap out of the washers. Do you have any suggestions as to best electrode, thickness amperage and angle even if after, i need to grind out the lumps and spatter!
Signed Yours Hopefully
Alan
Try 1/16” 6013 rods. Low penetration. You may still need to be quick welding thin stuff. Strike the arc and move!
Everyone should start with stick and oxy/acetylene welding in my opinion, get them down everything else comes kinda easy.
Agreed
what would you recommend using on automotive exhaust flux or stick
Definitely flux core. MIG with gas would be even better, but flux core can get you by just fine.
I want to learn welding as a hobby so I can make up some gates, stands, etc. around the house and garage. I had assumed stick would be the way to go, but are you saying flux core would be better for a hobbyists? If so, is a flux core welder a specific thing or do you buy a mig welder and run flux core in it. I did a search around my area for flux core welders and didn't see any specifically marked as such.
I just learned a bunch from Tim and others. You can get machines that are dedicated to 1 type and you might do that without knowing. I went with the PrimeWeld MIG160. It is 120/240, comes ready to do stick or flux core and can do MIG if and when ready to buy gas.
Great question! If you’re welding thinner than 1/8” (3mm), flux cored will be a lot easier than stick welding. MIG would be even better if you’re willing to buy a gas cylinder. Pretty much all MIG welders can run flux cored wire (you just have to change polarity and use the knurled drive roll that comes with most of them). MIG welders are generally better built and higher quality than dedicated flux cored welders. You can buy dedicated flux cored welders on Amazon or at most big box tool and hardware stores and are often called gasless MIG.
Tim is essentially correct with his suggestions. However, just to draw out some distinctions. This video seemed more about the baseline use ability comparison from a 7018 (SMAW) to some as called Flux Cored spooled tubular wire(FCAW). The direct comparison was the selfshielding* flux cored family of wires. Other as called Flux Cored wires are gas shielded & metal cored (mild & alloyed) tubular wires. Even cored wires for sub arc welding. As a point of interest for the home user semi-automatic welding seems to be the growth area. Stick welding a 14" rod with a 2" stub loss & lifting your helmet up & snapping it down plus a struggling arc initiation(even though power sources have much improved). Also let's not forget the challenged eye & hand coordination in consuming a welding rod running a bead.
*selfshielding is the more proper nomenclature. There's chemical components in the core that break down through the welding arc to selfshield the arc from outside contamination. This is the same logic to the stick electrode.
I bought one of those little lunchbox flux core welders a couple of years ago for making around 100' of guard rail atop a retaining wall.
Since then I've found it really helpful for little jobs on site.
Stick welding is great for structural but the wire welder works better (for me) when I have lighter gauge OOP
Do you have any recommendations for multi pass wire? I've never used it, but would be willing to give it a try.
If you're looking fot selfshielding type FCAW, the T-8 would be the closest match to a 7018.
Can any one explain pulse mig welding. Used it today on our welder today seemed to better for overhead.
Pulsed MIG uses gas and solid wire in the spray transfer mode, where the arc is always going. Standard spray transfer is a very hot process, making it difficult to weld out of flat and horizontal positions (except on aluminum). Adding the pulse reduces the heat input while still maintaining a spray arc transfer. That makes it awesome for different welding positions and thinner material. Thanks for the question, might make a good future video topic.
@@TimWelds thank u for the reply. Just got a new miller 225 and haveing a hard time getting it dialed In. Was welding thiner square tubing and the pulse worked great .u should do a video o. What gases to use with it I had regular argon not recommended buy worked well.
Hello, I'm currently building a talkbike but have no idea which type of welding is best for my project. I'm a complete beginner and have no clue what so ever. Only thing I know is that I want to either start with stick welding or flux core welding. Welding with gas seems a bit to complex for me. I'm on quite a tight budget and will only use it rarely mostly for steel bike frames. Maybe you could help me deciding?
Thanks for the comment! Out of the two, flux core will be a better choice. I'm not sure what level of bike frame you're building, but custom bikes are generally TIG welded, which is a better choice, but it is more complicated to learn and more expensive.
@@TimWelds Thanks very much!!
Which one has slag that is easier to clean up?
Depends. Stick welding with 6010 is a dirty rod and can leave a mess behind. 7018 however is a nice one. Flux core can be said the same thing too. Really depends on what you are welding.
Hey Tim!
I am a builder and recently I started my adventures with stick welding. I am a small UA-camr also, so of course, I made a video about my first welding project. I quess, that you are too busy for watching my video?
Anyway to summarize my experience. I had 7018 and a 2,5mm rods. Deko amazon welder. The first notice is, that I got some progress when I turned the machine on 120 amps. Although you have done it with 85 amps with the same tools. Can it be, that my welder is not identical to yours? That actually it is way lower than it shows? With less than 100 amps I didn't get running sparks at all. Just some sticky welding. And I practiced for many hours.
Under my video in the comment section, some guys recommended me to try the 6013 rods instead. Can you please comment your thoughts?
Cheers from Estonia!
Hello I also have one of these Deko machines and have found that it outputs about half of what it says on the dial ergo120 amps is actually 60 in the real world.
I assumed that my machine is faulty and am in the process of returning it.
Just bought a $2000 kitchen knife set for $256😄 thanks Tim!
So flux weld for thin metals and stick welding for thicker?
Flux core on thin gauge is doable but not recommended. It’s mean for more heaver gauge material thickness like stick. MIG and TIG are usually good for thin gauge
Laser welding is the only way to go
There’s about a million videos on welding in YT, hardly any mention that rods need to be stored hot ovens.
Most of them don’t and the ones that do will work fine anyway for most people.
Flux Core it is all the DIYs around the home, cars, motorcycles etc...
Why not MIG, not much to clean up?
Thank you for your reply Tim. I agree stick (arc) is my preference. I have found stick has better ductile properties, has properties more like the parent metal. And with 6010 0r 6011 you can great penetration, then cover with 7018 for a good weld. But for thinner material I would prefer MIG or Flux Core.
Great thoughts! I did a similar comparison of gas shielded process (MIG and TIG) earlier this week.
👍👍👍
Why no oxy acetylene welding? 😊
Gas welding is great, just not as common these days.
Gas welding is great, just not as common these days.
👏👏👏
DCEN = Thin Metal
funny how cost was never mention, stick welding is way more expensive to do then flux, compared to the price of a roll of flux core wire, electrodes for stick welding are quite expensive and burn up fast, you an go a long way on even a 2lb spool of flux for under $20.......
It depends on where you buy them, but in 10lb quantities, flux core wire is around $6/lb and stick rods are around $4/lb.
So get both lol
👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👌🏼🍺😎
you missed a valuable point- ---Price---
cost of machine
cost of sticks vs wire
Great point! That could be a good analysis to do in a future video. Thanks!
First person I've heard say that stick is more productive than mig, even for flux core. Gotta disagree with you there, and I stick weld almost everything.
Stick is not more productive than MIG in general. I might not have explained it well, but my point was specific to small entry level equipment. The small 120 volt hobby flux core welders require such a slow travel speed that you can easily outrun it with a basic stick welder. With the right equipment, wire feed will blow stick welding out of the water on productivity.
Kamikoto knives are made from the cheapest steel. I watched some videos and read so e articles on the durability and type of steel used in the blades, and im not a fan. They might come sharp but due to how soft the steel is are likely to dull pretty fast. This is fine if you know how to sharpen knives, but realistically not ideal for 99% of people nowadays.
Why does people ALWAYS use gas less flux core in their vids that’s so annoying I’ll use a stick welder before I use gas less flux core
I have lots of videos with GMAW, GTAW and dual shield. I used self shielded flux core in this video because entry level equipment cost is similar to stick welding.
When did the active self protection guy start doing welder vids? Lol if ya know, ya know.
Don’t buy these Kamikoto knives, they’re poor quality knives manufactured in China. If they’re discounting from $1200 to $200 then you know it’s a scam. I have nothing against Tim promoting them as he needs money to keep his channel going but these knives are not what they’re touted as. They’re using 420J2 steel (not very good steel) and don’t have a full tang (blade doesn’t go all the way through the handle)
Thanks for the info!
It hurts to watch a a guy who works with tools and metal say that the krapikoto "knife is good" sure it's a ad and all but cheap steel is still cheap steel and you actually can't get cheaper than the steel that the ad brand uses . Every time I see a add from that brand it gets under my skin . I think it worse for a channel that trys to seems decent rep a bad product than to not do a add at all imo .
my suggestion is buy a machine which can do both and find out which ones you're more comfortable with. personally for most stuff you can get away with flux core. if prepped right and the machine is cranked up ive done single weave pass on 10mm material that's got to hold 100+kg and its worked just fine. i would run 3 stringers now just be sure but i have confidence that flux is just as good as stick at digging in and getting penetration its just it needs more passes to fill the gap and cap due to smaller diameter material going in the puddle. would love to see some flux core strength tests . maybe get a bottle jack and make a hydraulic press to test strength and multiple passes with each process. a bit of red neck science. great video as always Tim
I work for a company that builds ladles, scrap hoppers, bottle cars etc etc. all we use is flux core.