Best Flux Core Wires 2022 – Reviews & Top Picks

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Welding enthusiasts know that you use a MIG welding machine and flux core wire to perform welds. It requires no external shielding gas and works better in outdoor situations. Many of our readers have reached out to us to help them determine the best flux core wire to buy.

There are a lot of varieties of this wire available so we reached out to a panel of welding experts who use flux core wire in their daily activities and asked them which wires they used and recommended. The panel of specialists gave us a list of the preferred flux core wire, and they detailed what they look for when they are buying this wire.

Compare Between Our Top Picks

Best Flux Core Wires Reviews 2022

1. INETUB BA71TGS .030 Flux Cored Welding Wire

You do not need shielding gas when you use this wire. It can be used when you are welding on zinc-coated steel items, tanks, boilers, and many other projects.

This wire creates very little splatter and it is very easy to remove any slag that is created during the welding process. Your projects look better and have a welded tensile strength of 82.7 KSI when completed.

This wire is wonderful if you are going to be working outside of your shop or garage. It can handle drafts and outdoor wind conditions and allow you to keep right on working. That means that you can take your welding to where the work is instead of bringing the work into your shop or garage setting.

This wire is specialized for use on direct current electrode negative or straight polarity devices and situations. It is versatile and can be used on galvanized metals, auto body parts, structural steel and more.

Pros

2. Blue Demon E71TGS Spool Gasless Welding Wire

If you are car enthusiasts and you plan to be repairing automobile sheet metal like door panels, front clips and more then you definitely want to give Blue Demon a try. It is specifically designed to provide you with the best welds, that are easy to clean up and the most aesthetically pleasing.

If you are joining galvanized roof metal and want a stronghold that looks good too, then Blue Demon is the perfect flux core wire for your job. It can even be used to make strong and appealing lap welds and butt joint connections.

You can save time using Blue Demon because it is designed to be a single pass all position welding wire. You are not going to have to go over the weld repeatedly to get full coverage.

You do not need any external shielding gas so you save money and do not have to lug around an extra gas bottle, regulator, and other gas-related accessories. The wire comes as a 10# spool that measures 3 inches in width and 9 inches in diameter. 

Pros

Cons

3. Lincoln Electric ED030584 MIG Welding Wire

If the bead appearance of your weld matters to you then you need to consider this wire as the only flux core wire you will ever use again. It creates the best looking bead that you can imagine. The welds you will make using this wire will be clean and almost flawless.

It has amazingly fast freezing characteristics and creates the bare minimum amount of slag. What slag is left behind from using this wire is very easy to do away with, and the weld that is left is clean and pristine?

You are able to use this wire outdoors in mild wind situations without creating a tent or worrying about whether you will be able to create the weld you need. That frees you up to work outdoors on the projects that are simply too big to bring into your shop or garage. You can take the welding machine to the work rather than bring the work to your machine.

This wire is crafted for use with a wire feed welding machine that performs MIG welding processes.

Pros

Cons

4. Forney 42300 Flux Core MIG Wire

For all position welding that may need to be done outdoors or indoors then this is the flux core wire, you have been waiting for. It is a self-shielded wire so you will not need any other shielding gas, no extra tanks, or specialized gas regulators. You simply need a welding machine capable of doing a MIG welding process or flux core welding process.

This wire is perfect if the material you are working with is not perfect. It can be used to weld rusty metals, dirty metals, and even painted metals. It is created to be used in a single pass application. It works fast and makes the weld you need without you having to go back over the weld several times.

This wire will run hotter than solid wires of the same diameter would. It can make a perfect weld even when you are making fast passes. If you need to work outside on a windy day this wire will still make the bead that you need without giving you any grief.

Pros

Cons

5. WeldingCity E71T-GS Mild Steel MIG Welding Wire

This self-shielding wire has an outer wrapping of vacuumed aluminum foil. It is designed to create a single pass fillet weld that is beautiful to look at and as strong as possible.

You do not need shielding gas when you use this wire. It is available in all of the favorite flux core wire diameters, and it comes on an eight-inch spool that has a two-inch center hole. It is a 10-pound package of wire.

This wire is 1.5 inches thick and round. It is designed for use with a MIG welding process machine that has wire feed capabilities. When the weld is created they will easily brush to a high shine leaving you with the most aesthetically pleasing bead possible. You will have very little spatter to deal with and the splatter that is created will scrape away very easily.

You will find your welds to be less porous and have half the amount of slag that is created by other popular flux core wires. When looks matter and strength is desirable, then this wire is your best option.

Pros

Cons

6. Hobart H222106-R19 Carbon Steel Welding Wire

When welding on thin gauge metals or something made of galvanized steel you need a welding wire that will bond perfectly. This is the wire that is designed for use on those metals and designed to bond flawlessly to them.

This wire is excellent for single-pass welds, but it also can be used when you have to make multiple passes to create the weld you are striving for. This wire is optimum for your needs no matter what those needs are. It is versatile and forgiving of minor mistakes or flaws in the metal you are working with.

It comes in a two-pound spool and can be used with any welding machine that is capable of doing flux core welding. It can be used for prefab construction purposes, fabrication of machinery parts and pieces, light structural welding, short assembly welds, general fabrication, railroad car repair and restoration purposes, and more.

This wire needs no shielding gas and is good to use in outdoor scenarios where there may be an issue with winds. It creates a great bead that has very little splatter or slag. Your clean up time will be minimal and your work time will be shortened when you use this wire.

Pros

Cons

Things to be considered before buying

Before you buy flux core wire familiarize yourself with this product, and the options concerning this product so you can choose the wire that is perfect for the job you are doing.

0.030 flux core wire

This wire is best when you are welding thinner materials. This wire does not burn as hot and does not penetrate as deeply so the metal that is thinner is not distorted or damaged as you weld.

This size of wire is perfect if you plan to do some welding on galvanized metals like roofing tin. If you are doing some auto body repair work this size is perfect for that application as well.

This size of wire works exceptionally well with welding machines that are 210 Volt.

0.35 Flux Core Wire

This wire is perfect if you are going to be working with metal that is less than ¼ inches thick.

This size wire will work well in moderate wind conditions. This size also has fast freezing characteristics.

This size of flux wire will work exceptionally well with welding machines that are 250 Volt or more.

0.45 Flux Core Wire

This wire size is ideal if you are welding ½ inch thick steel. This size burns hotter and makes the perfect amount of filler for the thicker metal segments.

Spool Size

The wire you purchase has to be in a spool size that is acceptable by your welding machine. Four-inch and eight-inch spools are very common sizes. Make sure you know the spool sizes your machine can handle and then check the wire to see the size of the spool it is on.

Check the diameter of the center hole of the wire spool. Most of the flux core wires are placed on spools with a two-inch center hole. 

Tensile Strength

On the flux core wire that you buy the manufacture will list the tensile strength of the weld created by that wire. You want to check the tensile strength according to what you are welding and how strong you need that weld to be.

Slag removal

The wire manufacture will tell you on the package if the wire you are purchasing has easy slag removal. You want to wire that says it has easy slag removal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does flux core wire need gas?

The beautiful thing about flux core wire is that you do not have to have a separate shielding gas to weld with it. Flux core wire makes it more convenient when you have to work outside of your shop or garage because you do not have to carry a tank of shielding gas with you.

What is flux core wire used for?

These wires are especially great when you are welding thicker pieces of metal. They lay down filler that joins the metal segments together perfectly. The slag produced when welding with flux core wire is easy to remove so the final product is prettier to look at. This wire is also used when the welder has to work in out of position applications.

How do I know if I have flux core wire?

Typically flux core wire has a rough finish to it and it is magnetic. The copper-colored wire is generally a wire used with shielding gas. The wire that is not magnetic is generally aluminum or stainless, not flux core.

Final note