Mig vs tig vs stick: which welding process fits your projects
What mig, flux core, tig and stick welding are in plain words, what each suits, what each needs you to buy, and which to learn first.
You want to build a welding table and fix a gate. The listings talk about mig, tig, stick, flux core and “multiprocess”, and none of them says which one you need.
For a first welder and ordinary steel projects, learn wire feed welding: flux core if you want the cheapest start or will work outdoors, mig if you want cleaner welds and thinner metal. Stick is the rugged outdoor option. Tig is precise, slow and better as a second process.
What they have in common
All four are arc welding. The machine pushes current across a small gap between an electrode and the workpiece, and that arc (an electrical discharge hot enough to melt steel) fuses the pieces, usually with added filler metal. Molten metal reacts badly with air, so every process also shields the puddle. How the filler arrives and how the shielding is done is the whole difference.
Side by side
| Flux core | Mig | Stick | Tig | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filler | Wire fed from a spool | Wire fed from a spool | A consumable rod in a clamp | A rod fed by your other hand |
| Shielding | Inside the wire | Gas cylinder | Coating on the rod | Gas cylinder, normally pure argon |
| Learning curve | Shortest | Short | Medium | Longest |
| Cleanup | Spatter and slag to chip | Little | Slag to chip | Almost none |
| Wind | Tolerates it | Gas blows away | Tolerates it | Gas blows away |
| Thin sheet | Difficult | Good | Difficult | Best |
| Extra to buy | Wire | Wire, cylinder, regulator | Rods | Torch, tungsten, cylinder, regulator, filler |
Trade names you will see: mig is GMAW, flux core is FCAW, stick is SMAW and tig is GTAW. Manuals and spec tables use the letters.
Flux core
The simplest way in. There is no gas bottle, the machines are the smallest and cheapest, and it copes with slightly rusty or painted metal better than mig does, though clean metal is always better. The trade-offs are smoke, spatter and a crust of slag over each weld that you chip and brush away. It produces a lot of fume, so it needs moving air that carries the fume away from your face.
Good for: gates, brackets, carts, garden and farm repairs, working outside. More in flux core welders explained.
Mig
The same trigger and wire, with shielding gas through the gun. Welds come out cleaner with little cleanup, and it is much easier on thin material such as sheet and tubing. You pay for that with a cylinder, a regulator and refills, and you lose the ability to weld in a breeze.
Many wire feed machines run both, so you can start on flux core and add a cylinder later. Some cheap ones are flux core only. Check before you buy: our beginner roundup marks which is which.
Good for: welding tables, furniture, auto body, general indoor fabrication. More in mig welders explained, and ranked picks in best mig welders.
Stick
A clamp holds a coated rod about a foot long. The coating burns to shield the weld and leaves slag. Machines are simple and cheap, there is nothing to feed and no gas, and it works outdoors on thick or dirty steel. The rod gets shorter as it burns, so your hand is always moving in, and starting the arc without sticking the rod takes practice. Thin material is hard.
Good for: heavy repairs, fences and farm equipment, working far from the shop. More in stick welders explained.
Tig
One hand holds a torch with a tungsten electrode that does not melt. The other feeds filler rod. A pedal or a control on the torch usually varies the heat. It is the most precise process and the cleanest, and it is how most fine work on stainless and thin material is done. Welding aluminum with tig needs a machine with AC output, which many budget machines lack. It is slow, and everything must be very clean.
Good for: thin stainless, bike frames and tubing, visible welds, precise work. More in tig welders explained.
Which to learn first
- Most people: wire feed. Start with flux core, or mig if you will mostly work indoors on thinner metal.
- Working outdoors on heavy steel: stick.
- You know you want tig: learn it directly, and expect it to take longer.
Skills carry across. Reading the puddle, holding a steady travel speed and preparing a joint are the same job in every process.
Before you choose a machine
The process decides the machine, and your outlet decides how much machine you can run. A welder that claims 200 amps needs far more than a household outlet supplies. Read 110v vs 220v welders before you compare models, and if one machine for everything appeals, see best multiprocess welders.
Frequently asked questions
Which welding process is easiest to learn?
Wire feed welding, which covers mig and flux core. You pull a trigger and the machine feeds the wire, so one hand or two steady the gun and you concentrate on speed and angle. Stick takes longer because the rod burns shorter as you weld. Tig takes longest because both hands and usually a foot are busy at once.
What is the difference between mig and flux core?
Same gun, same wire feed, different shielding. Molten steel has to be protected from the air. Mig uses a bottle of shielding gas that flows through the gun. Flux core wire has the shielding material inside it and needs no bottle, which makes it cheaper to start and better in a breeze, at the cost of more spatter and a slag crust to chip off.
Can one machine do all three?
Yes. A [multiprocess welder](/multiprocess-welder/) runs mig, stick and tig from one power source. You still buy the torch, gas and consumables each process needs, and tig torches are often sold separately. Check what the machine needs from your outlet before you buy.
Which process is strongest?
Any of them can make a sound weld and any of them can make a poor one. Strength depends on the joint, the material, the settings and the person. This site does not say whether a weld will hold a load. Structural work, trailers, lifting gear and anything under pressure belong to a certified welder.