If you’re a welder or a boilermaker, we’re sure you’ll agree with us when we say that aside from your skill — the wire is the biggest factor when it comes to the quality of your welding.

For those working with low quality wire, you’re not going to stand a chance when it comes to getting a good quality weld.

That in mind, we know a lot of our welder readers don’t have the time or the money to go out and buy new flux core wire just to test it and find that it might not be for them, and so we have a comprehensive list to help you out.

We’ve taken a look online, done our research and compiled a tonne of user reviews on flux core wires to ensure we suggest the best wire for you this year. You’ll be able to rest assured you are getting your hands on the best flux core wires, and not taking a gamble when it comes to your clean, precise welds.

All that said, let’s get into our list of Australia’s best flux core wires for this year.

Some Things to Consider

To kick things off, we want to go over some tidbits that will put your mind at ease.

We know that in the welding trade, you can’t really risk investing a few hundred dollars into a new box of flux core wire that isn’t going to get you great results. You have to sit and use it up (typically) until it’s all done before moving on to something else — and we know this is a make or break for some people.

And with that said, we have a list of all the considerations that went into our flux core wire deciding process. Here you will find that we did all that we could to make sure we tested and are suggesting only the best wire for our readers.

You’ll be in good hands with all of these considerations, and you can even use these to help you decide on some new flux core wire of your own.

The Welding Wire Diameter or Thickness

Off the top, one of the bigger factors was the welding wire’s diameter and so we took a look at all of the more standard sizes when it came to fitting this wire through standard MIG guns.

Adding to this we also considered some key factors like the amperage and the wire’s thickness too, to make sure that it would work with a large range of welders out there.

For the welders with lower amperage, for example, you’re going to want to choose a wire that is rather small in diameter because you’re going to want a nice clean result here, rather than something that is a little spluttery and unideal.

The higher amperage welders on the other hand would do well with the thicker or large diameter wires on the list, and so we considered a few of these in our reviews further in the article.

In all we wanted to ensure that all types of welders and wire thicknesses were considered here, and that means you’re in good hands when it comes to choosing a wire that suits you feed rates the best.

Choosing Between Either Flux Core or Solid MIG Wire

A second thing we considered with our flux core wire suggestions was whether some of these wires were better or offered a better performance per volume than MIG wire.

To keep things simple, the E71T-11 wire is the option for you if you’re looking for something that works well in the higher paced and high production environments, and also for those welders who don’t have a great level of skill just yet.

This wire was also ideal in that it had a rather quick freeze rate and so you weren’t waiting too long for things to stabilise after your weld.

In line with this, you’re probably already using the E71T-11 considering that it is the global most popular when it comes to everything from welding structural steel, building ships and also fabricating products.

Another key factor for us in the MIG vs Flux category was performance and the versatility that comes with the manufacture of this type of wire. As you might already know, additives can be integrated into the flux wire material which helps to increase performance and improve results when compared to solid MIG wire.

In all, for the better, cleaner and less complicated welds, you’re going to have a better experience from flux — even on scaly and older, rusty materials.

Determining What You’re Welding

Another key consideration we kept in mind during our selection of the best flux core wire was versatility in the welding process.

We know that our readers have a tonne of different workflows they undertake every day and that meant that getting a wire that worked with a vast number of different alloys was important to us.

To add, consistent quality was also integral in our selection process, and reviews online that touted this from each type of flux wire were greatly appreciated and used to dictate the better wires for us when testing wasn’t possible.

Our Top Choice Flux Core Wires

With some of our considerations out of the way, we’ll now dive into our list of all the best flux core wires for 2021 and give you some insight into which could be the best for you this year.

Always work to keep in mind your own workflow and use case when deciding upon a type of flux wire and you’ll be in good hands. You don’t want a type of material that doesn’t work well for you or how you like to weld, and with that in mind, you’ll want to do a quick assessment of your most common welding workflows before making a choice of new welding wire.

For example, if you’re often overhead welding or welding on the diagonal it’s a good idea to invest in a wire that explicitly helps you to do this. In keeping with this, if you’re needing a wire that works best for a specific material — factor this in too.

All that said, you should go for a flux core wire that makes you work faster and more effectively at work, rather than slows you down or doesn’t improve your workflow or speed of welding at all.

The Fabshield E71T-11 .030 Welding Wire by Hobart

Off the top, our favourite flux core welding wire comes from the team at Hobart — considering that the wire is rather versatile, comes in the highest quality and goes on smooth on thin sheet material as well as galvanised steels.

You’re going to find that this is one of the better flux core wires out there in regards to quality and strength and it’s available in a standard .030-inch diameter which makes it a good option for just about all welding rigs out there on the market today.

We’re happy to say that the wire also does well in just about all positions whether horizontal, vertical and on the diagonal if needed, and this is a great perk for the welders who are unable to freely move the materials they’re welding to better suit their wire.

In line with this, coming in at that .030-inch diameter means you’ll find that you may need a little more heat or a higher amperage than some other wires, however, the outcome is a higher quality wire and a harder steel being used here by Hobart — essentially you will need more heat for a higher quality wire.

Online, some users have noted that the splatter coming from this wire can be quite excessive and a little over the top in some cases.

Hobart has since made a comment on this issue and noted that making use of an even higher amperage will generally fix the issue for most people.

On to the spooling issue that you may have already read about online, there is an issue with wires being unspooled out of the packing, which is something to be mindful of, however, it is good to keep in mind that just about all flux core wires do come unspooled in some cases — it’s generally a common issue.

With all of out that out of the way, the E71T-1 wire is our top choice for all our readers in that it’s the most dynamic and versatile and is also coming in with a higher quality than just about anything else out there. You will note that the wire feeds through welders incredibly smoothly and the welds from this wire are cleaner and more precise than essentially all other types of flux core and solid wires on the market.

Our Favourite Perks

• It’s a Carbon Steel Welding Wire
• Useable on Thin Sheet Materials
• Support for Galvanised Steels
• Comes in a 2lb Roll
• Supports Rusty Material
• Can Be Used Outdoors

The E71T-GS .030 Flux Core MIG Wire by Forney

Another excellent flux core wire to consider is the Forney E71T-GS.

Coming in that ideal .030-inch diameter, this wire is one of our favourites given that you can also use it in just about all directions and on the diagonal without too much of an issue.

You will also find that the wire is incredibly strong and getting into the numbers it’s actually a 79,000 PSI wire. The splatter rating here is quite low too, which means you’re not going see too many messy welds coming from this flux core wire, and to reduce the already-minimal splatter you can also switch to an Argon or CO2 gas mixture on supported MIG welders.

To add, a higher amperage like the Hobart suggestion can also be used here to help improve the overall experience when using this wire.

One of the bigger let downs coming from some users online is that the wire has a tendency to break a little too easily — which is a key reason it lost points for us. On top of this, you might also find that the coating from the manufacturing line is far too thick.

That in mind, if you do choose to go with this wire, it might be a good idea to invest in a wire cleaner for your welder given that the coating is simply so thick it can affect your welds in some circumstances.

For those of our readers with a Lincoln Welder, we will ask that you pass on this wire due to the fact that the feed is a little sticky. You’ll notice that it won’t typically feed very well on these welders and until there’s a fix, we’ll ask you look to the Hobart wire.

Like most other flux wires, the spool will often come unwound or a little out of whack mid-weld or mid-use which is a big issue for some people. Keep in mind that you might need to tweak your feeder or invest in a better feed mechanism to remedy this problem.

To end, this flux core wire does have a tonne of happy customers despite some of the shortfalls. It remains a high quality flux core and you’ll be hard pressed to find an issue with this wire.

Our Favourite Perks

• It’s a Carbon Steel Welding Wire
• Useable on Thin Sheet and Plate Materials
• Support for Galvanised Steels
• Comes in a 2lb Roll
• Works Well in Windy Conditions
• Supports Rusty and Painted Material
• Can Be Used Outdoors

Innershield NR-211-MP .035 MIG Wire by Lincoln

To the wire that will work well for the Lincoln Welders, of course, comes from Lincoln themselves and is in the form of the 0.035-inch NR-211-MP flux core wire.

One of our favourite perks of this welding wire is that you’re going to be able to make good use of it on just about all surfaces which means you’re able to get excellent penetration and a nice clean weld even on coated, painted, rusty and galvanised surfaces.

That in mind, if you do often work with treated, coated or old material surfaces this is the wire that’s going to boost your efficiency. You can simply get to work on just about every surface and not need to do much fiddling when it comes to prep — more work and less downtime.

As this is a flux wire, you’ll be able to use it outdoors with no worries and a lot of users have noted that this is their favourite outdoor welding wire given that it’s essentially completely resistant to breezes.

One thing to note though is that this wire is a little more expensive than a lot of other wires on the market today, and that’s down to the fact that you’re getting it one pound rolls rather than a two pound. That said, you’re paying a similar price for one pound, when compared to two.

Intelligent material engineering also means that this wire is a fast-freezing variant and hardens more quickly than just about anything else on the market today. Because of this, you’re going to find that this welding wire is ideal for those situations where out of position environments are important.

For example, any of our readers who do a lot of overhead welding or tacking will be happy to note that this flux core wire might be the best on the market for you. The joints and welds simply freeze near instantly.

To end, though there are very few downsides to this wire, some welders have mentioned that it does have a tendency to split or break from time to time. Not too much of a big deal, though a wire split or kink can majorly slow down a task.

Our Favourite Perks

• Ultra-fast Freeze Puddle
• Support for Galvanised Steels
• Comes in a 1lb Roll
• Ideal in Windy Conditions
• Supports Rusty and Painted Material
• Can Be Used Outdoors

The E71T-GS .030 Welding Wire by Yeswelder

Similarly to the Lincoln wire above, you’ll be able to rely on this welding wire for getting out of position tasks done with ease.

It’s another 0.030-inch diameter wire which means it is standard in size and going to work with all of your typical welders out there.

One of the biggest perks here is that the bead appearance is highly praised and you’re going to find that it also features a very easy slag removal process. On top of this, for those who need a low splatter option, this is the best flux core for you.

Another key thing to keep in mind that being so easy to use, working well in all positions and with easy to remove slag, this is one of our top choices for the newbie or beginner welders — or the off-siders in a workplace.

A drawback here is that in some cases you might find that the wire simply blows through the metal that you are welding, which is a major issue. You will need to be a little pedantic about this and that will mean changing the way you weld — essentially you will need to run tack welds across seams before you completely weld the seam.

This may become an issue when efficiency is concerned, but with this flux core wire offering such a clean weld and being beginner friendly, it’s a trade-off you might be able to look past.

A second important point to note is that most boilermakers have mentioned that the beads that come from this wire are very easily grind-able and you’ll be able to clean up and finalise your welds without too much of an issue.

To end, one point to note is that due to the Yesweld wire coming out of Hong Kong rather than US and EU locations is that you can’t work on certified jobs for the EU and US market.

Our Favourite Perks

• Ultra-low Splatter
• Ideal for Out of Position Welding
• Support for Carbon and Manganese Steels
• Comes in a 2lb Roll
• Ideal in Windy Conditions
• Supports Rusty and Painted Material
• Can Be Used Outdoors

The E71T-GS .035 Flux Cored Welding Wire by Blue Demon

To our final winning flux core wire, the Blue Demon .035 inch is coming to cap off the list.

You’ll be able to rely on this wire to self-shield and be able to work with either manganese and carbon steels, which means you’re getting a little more versatility here. There is support for both multiple and single pass welding, again, adding to the versatility and getting more done at work without slowing down.

We’re happy to say that you’re in good hands when it comes to stitch welding or gap-filling, as it’s also an ideal welding wire for these workflows. The slag removal process here is a little easier than just about everything on our list above, helping to make it an ideal wire for those times when multiple pass welds are an essential.

For the single pass welds, there’s an ideal penetration for plates that hit up to 5/16-inch and that means you’re going to be getting and a safe and reliable weld here.

One of the downsides that were routinely reported were the feeding issues with the wire, with the only real remedy to this being to invest in a different wire feeder that’s been designed for this type of wire.

Online reviews have touted that you’re in good hands when it comes to bead appearance and actually getting the wire to feed correctly, and that’s good news for getting your welds done in an efficient manner.

A second thing to keep in mind is that when it comes to splatter there are a few issues that can present themselves such as the splatter being a little too over the top, or even affecting the weld itself.

Like the Yeswelder wire, it’s also developed and manufactured in a country outside the US and EU which means you’re not able to work on certified and government projects given that it isn’t able to meet the requirements and standards for these locations.

Our Favourite Perks

• Work for Single and Multi-gas Welding
• Able to Weld Galvanised Steels
• Easy Slag Removal
• One of the Best Beads Out There
• Works Ideally on Both Rusty and Painted Surfaces
• Offers Great Gap Coverage

Conclusion

With all of those wires considered and our main considerations out of the way, it’s clear to see that there are a few great flux core wires out there that you can make use of today for your welding processes at home or at work.

It’s important that you always consider what your ideal outcomes from your welds should be and whether you need a low splatter wire, or a wire that freezes as fast as possible for those overhead welds that could present an issue.

Keep in mind that your welding wire can greatly affect your efficiency at work and make things easier or harder for yourself. It’s always good to choose a product that keeps you going for as long as possible without a hiccup and you’ll be able to get more done in less time.

In all, with the flux core wires on our list, we’re confident you’ll be able to choose one that suits your workflows the best — or at least be able to use our list of considerations to choose the best flux core wires for 2021 on your own.