Flux core does have it's place -- working in a stiff breeze will blow your shield away -- but I use gas anyway outdoors, and either rig a shield, or cup my hand around the nozzle. Gas mix makes for a much cleaner job.

Check the duty cycle on the welder -- some of them get down to about a 10% duty cycle at max amps -- not worth having -- think of letting the coil cool down for 54 minutes out of every hour of "welding" (six minutes).

DP