Which is better, flux core wire fed mig welders or stick mig welders?

hope this helps you i have used both there are disadvantages to both of them but as far as i am concerned the wire welder is the best for the home owner this is why i think you have to keep the rods dry on stick welder the electrodes burn UP very easily if you do a lot of welding you will probably never need the amps that stick welder has any way we had a stick welder when i was growing up and i cut my teeth on one learning how to weld i was pretty good at the heavy stuff of course heavy on a farm like we had was plow sheer or a pair of post hole diggers that need new point s the wire welder needs a lot less maintains it will do any thing that you will need to do the only thing that i would say is get the one that use argon not flux core it looks like it more expensive but if you get right down to it you will get better welds with it then with flux core with a lot less slag then the flux core and you can a little thicker material if you need to You may not need to a buy a brand mane like Lincon or miller there or some out there that are just as good for people like you and me the one i have is Titian it is not made to be used every day but then i am not not use=ing to make a living either it will weld up to 5/16 if you let take it s time it will do ever thing that you want i think let me know what you think douglassmith1957@yahoo.com put ask in the subject line

Douglas pretty well summed it up. I own both stick and mig welders. I have been welding for approx 30 yrs, mostly building trailers and misc jobs. I bought a Miller mig welder about 10 years ago as i also build BBQ grills out of barrels and was tired of burning holes in them with the stick welder. The stick works good for a lot of jobs but for the 1/4" or smaller metals to include sheet metal is done best with the mig welder. It is simpler, you do not have to worry as much about burning up the metal, of course you can still do that with the mig, but with some practice you can resolve that.

Like Douglas says spend the extra money up front and get the gas model. It will pay for itself with the better results you obtain versus using the flux cored wire. Most gas models are adaptable for both with or without gas(flux cored). Also if you need more info contact me at daviddually01@msn.com and put welder in the subject line.

Good luck!!

I'd go wire feed if I were you...

The wire feed is super easy to pick up and learn especially if you have successfully done stick welding. Wire is easier to control... not such a big worry about arc length as you are welding... super easy to tack weld. Less slag to chip off. It tends not to blow holes in thinner metals like a stick will if you don't keep that arc length tight. No sticking when trying to start like a stick. Just push the trigger and go. Also, the flux on welding rods can absorb moisture when stored incorrectly - not such a big worry with flux core because flux is stored surrounded by the steel.