Taking the plunge and buying a flux core welder, would ...

First off, a flux core welder is NOT a MIG welder.

MIG (technically GMAW for Gas-shielded Metal Arc Welding) uses a solid wire electrode and a cylinder of shielding gas to shield and protect the arc and the molten metal from the air until the metal solidifies.

Flux core welding (technically FCAW for Flux Core Arc Welding) uses a tubular wire electrode that is filled with flux powder. Pretty much like a stick electrode (which is technically SMAW for Shielded Metal Arc Welding) turned inside out. FCAW can be self shielded (FCAW-S where the flux provides the shielding of the molten weld metal) or it can also use a shielding gas (FCAW-G where the shielding gas also provides shielding as well as the flux providing some shielding and/or some arc and/or weld puddle effects).

There is a variant of GMAW call MCAW (Metal Cored Arc Welding) that uses shielding gas but where the wire electrode is a tubular wire filled with (no surprise) a metal powder blend.

Small home-use machines will usually be of the GMAW or FCAW-S types. Bigger 'industrial' type machines are typically needed to run MCAW or FCAW-G wires.

Enough quick background, on to your specific questions (both asked and not specifically asked) ...

IMNSHO, skip getting an FCAW-only machine.

FCAW is certainly a 'good' welding process for some applications. But because of some arc physics, FCAW runs 'hotter' compared to similarly sized solid wire GMAW. Which is not so good for welding on thin sheet metal (like on a car). It is also a little bit of a dirtier welding process than GMAW, with typically more weld spatter and slag residue to clean up after welding before you can paint or otherwise finish the pieces.

GMAW with C25 shielding gas (a gas blend of 25% CO2 and 75 % argon, one of if not THE typical short-circuit transfer mode GMAW shielding gas mixes) and solid wire is the typical go-to for GMAW aka 'MIG' on thin steel sheet metal.

If you buy at least a semi decent MIG welder, those will usually let you weld using GMAW (solid wire electrode with shielding gas) or FCAW-S (fluxcore wire electrode with no shielding gas) just by switching the wire electrode you use and then also switching the (+) and (-) wiring to the wire electrode (on the 'gun' or torch) and the 'ground' clamp.

You can get small machines that can do GMAW and FCAW while running on 120V power. Like the mentioned 140-class machines. Lincoln, Miller, Hobart, ESAB are the four big brand names, there are other brands that are good/decent as well. And there are also not-so-good brands and machines.

There are also machines that can run on either 120V or 240V input power. If you got one of those type machines, you could run it on your existing 120V outlet and when (notice I said "when" and not 'if') you outgrow the power output limitations from using 120V power, you can then figure out a way (have a 240V outlet put in the garage, run a 240V extension cord from an electric dryer outlet to connect to the welder, etc) to run the machine on 240V input power for more available output power.

Your budget of $200 is pretty limiting.

You still NEED the wire electrode (btw, FCAW wire spools are MUCH more expensive than solid wire electrode spools, just talking the common mild steel electrode variants like Lincoln NR211-MP FCAW wire and Lincoln L-56 GMAW solid wire), and welding gloves, and a welding helmet.

Even the HF web page for the FCAW machine 'suggests' getting a spool of wire, a welding helmet, and some gloves. Which comes out at ~$400, all right from HF.

You will want some angle grinder(s) with wire wheels and flap disks and grinding wheels and maybe some cut-off disks, instead of cutting things with a hack saw and trying to clean them up with a hand powered wire brush. Even a low-end HF angle grinder beats trying to clean up metal or welds by hand (10k+ rpm versus hand power ). A welding jacket to protect yourself. Some sort of surface to weld on instead of crouching on the ground all the time (BTDT) is very nice to have (HF portable welding table is actually pretty good as a light weight light-duty welding table, on sale it's usually less than $100).

I would not buy either of your mentioned FCAW-only machines. Mostly because they are FCAW-only.

Get a used or new Lincoln 140 or similar. Then you have the choice of GMAW (solid wire and shielding gas) or FCAW (flux core wire and no shielding gas). And you will not be fighting the machine limitations and/or quirks as much as you are trying to learn and weld.

Even the HF Titanium MIG 140 would be better than the FCAW-only machine(s). Try to get it 'on sale' or with a coupon and the price should come down near $400, give or take. Check

MIG 140 Professional Welder with 120V Input

Amazing deals on this Mig 140 Professional Welder at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

sino welding are exported all over the world and different industries with quality first. Our belief is to provide our customers with more and better high value-added products. Let's create a better future together.

Welshie,First off, a flux core welder is NOT a MIG welder.MIG (technically GMAW for Gas-shielded Metal Arc Welding) uses a solid wire electrode and a cylinder of shielding gas to shield and protect the arc and the molten metal from the air until the metal solidifies.Flux core welding (technically FCAW for Flux Core Arc Welding) uses a tubular wire electrode that is filled with flux powder. Pretty much like a stick electrode (which is technically SMAW for Shielded Metal Arc Welding) turned inside out. FCAW can be self shielded (FCAW-S where the flux provides the shielding of the molten weld metal) or it can also use a shielding gas (FCAW-G where the shielding gas also provides shielding as well as the flux providing some shielding and/or some arc and/or weld puddle effects).There is a variant of GMAW call MCAW (Metal Cored Arc Welding) that uses shielding gas but where the wire electrode is a tubular wire filled with (no surprise) a metal powder blend.Small home-use machines will usually be of the GMAW or FCAW-S types. Bigger 'industrial' type machines are typically needed to run MCAW or FCAW-G wires.Enough quick background, on to your specific questions (both asked and not specifically asked) ...IMNSHO, skip getting an FCAW-only machine.FCAW is certainly a 'good' welding process for some applications. But because of some arc physics, FCAW runs 'hotter' compared to similarly sized solid wire GMAW. Which is not so good for welding on thin sheet metal (like on a car). It is also a little bit of a dirtier welding process than GMAW, with typically more weld spatter and slag residue to clean up after welding before you can paint or otherwise finish the pieces.GMAW with C25 shielding gas (a gas blend of 25% CO2 and 75 % argon, one of if not THE typical short-circuit transfer mode GMAW shielding gas mixes) and solid wire is the typical go-to for GMAW aka 'MIG' on thin steel sheet metal.If you buy at least a semi decent MIG welder, those will usually let you weld using GMAW (solid wire electrode with shielding gas) or FCAW-S (fluxcore wire electrode with no shielding gas) just by switching the wire electrode you use and then also switching the (+) and (-) wiring to the wire electrode (on the 'gun' or torch) and the 'ground' clamp.You can get small machines that can do GMAW and FCAW while running on 120V power. Like the mentioned 140-class machines. Lincoln, Miller, Hobart, ESAB are the four big brand names, there are other brands that are good/decent as well. And there are also not-so-good brands and machines.There are also machines that can run on either 120V or 240V input power. If you got one of those type machines, you could run it on your existing 120V outlet and when (notice I said "when" and not 'if') you outgrow the power output limitations from using 120V power, you can then figure out a way (have a 240V outlet put in the garage, run a 240V extension cord from an electric dryer outlet to connect to the welder, etc) to run the machine on 240V input power for more available output power.Your budget of $200 is pretty limiting.You still NEED the wire electrode (btw, FCAW wire spools are MUCH more expensive than solid wire electrode spools, just talking the common mild steel electrode variants like Lincoln NR211-MP FCAW wire and Lincoln L-56 GMAW solid wire), and welding gloves, and a welding helmet.Even the HF web page for the FCAW machine 'suggests' getting a spool of wire, a welding helmet, and some gloves. Which comes out at ~$400, all right from HF.You will want some angle grinder(s) with wire wheels and flap disks and grinding wheels and maybe some cut-off disks, instead of cutting things with a hack saw and trying to clean them up with a hand powered wire brush. Even a low-end HF angle grinder beats trying to clean up metal or welds by hand (10k+ rpm versus hand power). A welding jacket to protect yourself. Some sort of surface to weld on instead of crouching on the ground all the time (BTDT) is very nice to have (HF portable welding table is actually pretty good as a light weight light-duty welding table, on sale it's usually less than $100).I would not buy either of your mentioned FCAW-only machines. Mostly because they are FCAW-only.Get a used or new Lincoln 140 or similar. Then you have the choice of GMAW (solid wire and shielding gas) or FCAW (flux core wire and no shielding gas). And you will not be fighting the machine limitations and/or quirks as much as you are trying to learn and weld.Even the HF Titanium MIG 140 would be better than the FCAW-only machine(s). Try to get it 'on sale' or with a coupon and the price should come down near $400, give or take. Check https://www.hfqpdb.com/ in case you didn't know about that site, it lists all current/recent/recently-expired HF coupons. Or do the HF promo 'club' or card and get 10-20% off that way.

Are you interested in learning more about China Welding Flux Wire Price? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

Sourcing Guide for Flux Cored Wire:

With hundreds of thousands of products to choose from and an ever growing product range, your industrial equipment needs are sure to be met here. Our China manufacturers & suppliers will provide a full-service to keep you up and running and meet your unique equipment requirements. If you are interested in China Flux Cored Wire, You will be amazed by the variety of the product choices such as welding wire, flux cored welding wire, copper wire. Besides, their competitive & cheap price of Flux Cored Wire factory would get you an edge in your own market. It's well known that product quality and safety is a stronger priority for this equipment industry and also for the buyers, here you are offered a greater chance to find trustworthy manufacturers & factories who are delivering high levels of performance, efficiency and reliability in their products all the time. With thousands of quality suppliers & manufacturers, we are sure that they can provide all equipment for sale, services and solutions for your various industrial applications.

For more information, please visit China Flux Welding Wire Price.