Best Flux Core Welders – Reviews and Top Picks

The Lincoln Electric Easy MIG 180 is a 240-volt flux-core welder that has an internal gas solenoid to double as a MIG welder. The machine is easy to use, with a settings chart on the cabinet door and only two knobs. The power setting is set by clicking to taps at five preset levels. The wire feed is adjustable from 50 to 500 inches per minute. There are reports of feed problems, but they seem to be related to the quality of wire.

Lincoln’s smooth-arc starting technology makes it easy to strike an arc. The Lincoln Electric Easy MIG 180 adjusts current dynamically for a better arc. 30 amps will get down to 24-gauge sheet metal while the 180-amp top end welds up to 3/8-inch steel plate. Some owners say you can weld 1/2-inch steel in flux-core mode.

The Lincoln Electric Easy MIG 180 has a precision all-aluminum wire drive and housing for hassle-free wire feed. The torch connection gun connections are brass-to-brass, minimizing any current loss and delivering more power at the work piece. It mounts both 4-inch and 8-inch wire spools and has a 10-foot gun. If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, you want to compare this to the Eastwood 175.

The Hobart Handler 140 combines professional quality and convenient home shop features. With an output current range of 25 to 140 amps, it’s able to run welds on 24-gauge sheet metal and also weld 1/4-inch steel in one pass. This machine can be converted from straight gasless flux core to full gas MIG welding. Hobart includes a high quality Miller gas regulator.

Because the Hobart Handler 140 runs on 120 volt input power, you can plug it in anywhere you go. It will run on a 4000 watt generator. It can use either 4-inch or 8-inch wire spools and you’re able to select different gauges of welding wire. Hobart equips the Handler 140 with a solid metal wire feed drive. One thing users didn’t like about this machine was that it takes a wrench to set the spool tension. A wing nut here would have been a better idea.

With a lot of power for a 120 volt machine, professional build quality, compact size and weight with a 3-year warranty, the Hobart Handler 140 is Hobart’s most popular welder and a great choice for craftsmen.

The YesWelder MIG Welder 250A MIG Pro is a multi-process welding machine featuring flux-core and MIG along with stick arc and TIG capability. This 240-volt machine has an output range of 20 to 225 amps. That’s enough to weld 1/2-inch steel, with a light enough touch for 28-gauge sheet metal.

The TIG uses a lift-type arc start, but the YesWelder MIG Welder 250A MIG Pro doesn’t include any TIG equipment like a regulator, TIG torch or heat control pedal. Although it’s called an aluminum welder, there’s no connection for a MIG spool gun to do this with. MIG is the best way to weld aluminum with DC current, but there are likely to be feed problems trying to run aluminum wire the full distance.

The YesWelder MIG Welder 250A MIG Pro also includes an electrode clamp for stick arc welding, offering another potential way to weld aluminum by using an aluminum electrode. Users generally give this machine high marks for its flux-core welding. There are three different wire spools included. You’ll need to buy a regulator and shielding gas to use it as a MIG welder.

The Eastwood MIG 135 Welder is a high quality, affordable machine that mounts both 2-pound and 10-pound wire spools. It’s a great alternative to the Hobart 140 and it’s got a quick-release spool design. This machine includes a hose and a gas regulator so you’re MIG ready, but if you want to run flux-core welds, you’ll need to buy a drive spool for flux-core, available separately. This machine comes in under 500 bucks and comes with a Tweco-type MIG gun that’s easy to find parts for.

The settings are infinitely adjustable rather than stepped to certain values, great for adjusting your weld quality on the fly. The Eastwood MIG 135 Welder includes a settings chart to make those changes quickly when changing from one task to another. Some users don’t like the 10-foot connections and the plastic wire drive.

The Eastwood MIG 135 Welder puts out up to 135 amps, good for 1/4-inch steel. The lower limit of 25 amps will let you work on 24-gauge sheet metal like what’s found on modern vehicles. Eastwood offers an optional spool gun for welding aluminum. This machine gets high marks from users and it comes with a 3-year warranty.

The Hobart Handler 210 is designed to be easy to use and it’s built to industrial standards by one of the top names in welding machines. Hobart designed the Handler 210 with a solid metal wire feed drive for precise control and includes a gas solenoid and dual-gauge regulator to convert to full MIG operation with gas shielding.

The Handler 210 is designed for dual input voltage, either 120 or 240 volts and it comes with an adapter that lets you switch power sources simply by changing the connector. With 7 power level settings and 10 feed speeds, the Hobart Handler 210 can weld thin 24-gauge sheet metal for auto body work. Turn the heat up and increase the speed and you’re ready to weld 3/8-inch steel plate.

Hobart machines are favorites among steel workers and fabrication specialists because they have a strong reputation for reliability. User reports for the Hobart Handler 210 MIG and flux core welder are no exception. This machine comes with 10-foot leads, handles both 4-inch and 8-inch rolls and is backed by Hobart’s 3-year warranty.

The Forney Easy Weld 140 Multi-Process is a 3-in-1 machine (Stick/MIG/TIG). It’s lightweight at 25 pounds and easy to use. The adjustments for current level and feed speed are infinitely adjustable. The current level ranges from 10 to 140 amps. You can weld thin auto body sheet metal from 24-gauge thickness on up to 1/4-inch steel plate.

This machine is gas MIG capable, although you have to buy a gas hose and regulator separately. One thing that users didn’t like was that the TIG process on this machine isn’t compatible with a foot pedal. It does use a standard 25 series TIG torch. Unfortunately, the TIG torch is another accessory you have to buy separately.

This review is about flux core welding, however. In that regard the Forney Easy Weld 140 MP gets stellar reviews from users. It uses Forney’s Easy Start technology for scratch-starting the arc and produces clean, beautiful welds with great penetration. This machine accommodates both 4-inch and 8-inch spools, features a metal drive and is backed with a 1-year warranty.