price of .030, .035 flux wire

tawilson · Apr 14, 2005

I'm confused. I checked around for prices on 10 lbs. of .030 flux wire for my Miller 135 and found a range of $65-77. I went to Lowes and found a roll of .035 flux wire for $44. Beside it was a roll of .030 solid steel for $36. I bought the .035 and some tips and will start using it when the roll of .030 runs out. But why is the .035 so cheap? Was it a mistake? Did they put the solid wire price on it? I presume I will have no trouble with the bigger wire. I have never used it before. I know there is some welding forums but those guys are real welders and I'm afraid they'll scoff at my little 110v welder question. I'd rather be scoffed at by tractor guys.

MadReferee · Apr 14, 2005

Don't be afraid to ask any type of welding question on the Miller/Hobart welders forum . The folks there are not all professionals and they welcome questions from new welders. You will get more and better answers there without being scoffed at.

Flux core wire is usually 2-3 times more expensive than solid core wire. I think the .035 flux wire is cheaper because there is more flux and less wire, but I could be wrong.

I have started buying my 10lb spools from Harbor Freight. They are about $8 per spool less than my local supplier for the same ER70S-6 solid wire. Thier flux wire is similarly priced.

tawilson · Apr 17, 2005

Thanks for the reply and the link. After doing some more research and asking some more questions, the answer is that because the .030 is smaller it is more expensive to manufacture. Amost twice as much.

wroughtn_harv · Apr 17, 2005

There was probably a mistake. I've never found HD or Lowes cheaper than my welding supplier. (A thirty pound roll of .035 solid wire was around fifty dollars the last time I checked. I usually buy the forty four pound ones for even less per pound.)