Gasless only against gas-capable
Is a gasless-only machine ever the better buy when the dual machine costs €20 more?
These two sit next to each other in price and are not interchangeable. One cannot ever run gas; the other can do four processes. The question is whether you will weld outdoors.
| Compared on | FLUX 160 ST Digital | MIG/MAG 160 M |
|---|---|---|
| Gasless flux-cored | Yes — the only process | Yes, by reversing polarity |
| MIG under gas | No — no gas valve fitted | Yes |
| Stick (MMA) | Yes | Yes |
| Lift TIG | Yes | Yes |
| Current range published | 160 A maximum | 20–160 A |
| Weight | Not published | 6.8 kg |
| Bottle needed | Never | For clean MIG work |
| Price | ≈ €200 | ≈ €220 |
A tick marks the better answer on that line only. Counting ticks does not decide the page — the two verdicts below do, because these machines answer different questions.
Buy the FLUX if your welding happens outdoors — gates, fences, trailers, machinery in a yard. No bottle to rent, store or carry, and no shield to be blown away.
Buy the 160 M for almost everyone else. Twenty euros buys the option of clean, spatter-free welds indoors, and the published 20 A lower limit is what makes thin sheet possible.
No, and that is its defining limit. There is no gas solenoid and no connection to attach a regulator to, so the capability cannot be retrofitted at any price. A machine sold as MIG/MAG with a FLUX function does both; a FLUX machine does one.
Dirtier rather than weaker. Flux-cored wire carries its shielding in the core, and the flux becomes slag on top of the bead that must be chipped and brushed off. Spatter is heavier. A properly laid gasless weld is structurally sound — a great deal of site steelwork is welded this way.
160 A · gasless only · 3-in-1 · €200
A gasless-only machine, on purpose: no bottle, no regulator, no shielding to be blown away — for people who weld outdoors.
Best for: Gates, trailers, fence posts and anything welded where you cannot close a door
≈ 200 €
20–160 A · 4-in-1 · 6.8 kg · €220
Four processes in a 6.8 kg case, and the only machine here whose lower limit — 20 A — is published as well as its ceiling.
Best for: A small workshop that wants one box for occasional stick, TIG and MIG work
≈ 220 €
Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
