Comparison
TIG vs Stick: Which Should You Choose?
The short answer
TIG for thin, precise and exotic metals; stick for heavy, dirty and outdoor repairs. The quality tool versus the site tool — most serious welders own both skills.
The verdict
TIG for thin, precise and exotic metals; stick for heavy, dirty and outdoor repairs. The quality tool versus the site tool — most serious welders own both skills.
TIG — strengths and trade-offs
TIG welding (GTAW — Gas tungsten Arc Welding): a non-consumable tungsten electrode arcs under pure argon while you hand-feed filler rod. Best for stainless steel, aluminium, thin material. Gas: pure argon (100%). Difficulty: the hardest common process to master — both hands and one foot.
- Dipping the tungsten into the pool — contaminating the electrode and the weld
- Too much torch angle: 10–15° from vertical is plenty
- Forgetten post-flow gas: tungsten oxidises and turns black as it cools
Stick — strengths and trade-offs
Stick welding (MMAW/SMAW — Manual Metal Arc Welding): a flux-coated consumable electrode burns under its own shielding gas, with slag chipped off after. Best for outdoor and site work, thick steel, dirty or rusty metal. Gas: no shielding gas needed. Difficulty: moderate — harder to start than MIG, easier than TIG.
- Arc too long — stick wants a rod-width gap or less
- Dragging too fast, leaving thin, weak, undercut beads
- Not chipping and brushing slag between multi-passes — slag inclusions
Side by side
| TIG | Stick | |
|---|---|---|
| Difficulty | the hardest common process to master — both hands and one foot | moderate — harder to start than MIG, easier than TIG |
| Shielding | pure argon (100%) | no shielding gas needed |
| Best for | stainless steel, aluminium | outdoor and site work, thick steel |
| Australian context | Aluminium work in Australia needs an AC-capable TIG — DC-only machines handle st… | The Australian site standard: 3.2 mm E4813/E4824-class rods at 100–140 A cover m… |
The honest answer
Most Australian workshops eventually run both — the decision is which to buy FIRST. Match it to where you weld (indoors/outdoors), what you weld (thin/thick, clean/dirty) and what you already have for power and gas. Our machine quiz settles it in six questions.
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