For sure a tiny welder is better than nothing, no way I could get very far without one.

I have used the flux cored and for some work its fine. It does leave slag thats a pain to clean up, but it also lets you do thicker metal with a smaller welder.

I paid about $500 for my Hobart handler and its has been great. IMHO having shielding gas was worth the extra money. The unit while not a powerhouse like my old 220 volt miller I had has handled every general fabrication job I have done in my shop.

I have not done a set of sliders yet.... But I have been able to properly weld brackets to the frame.

If your aware of the limitations of what you buy and that ok.. fine. You can always sell the unit used if you want another. However, I really like having the shielding gas and strongly recomend it. It also spatters less....

I was adding a new AC fan yesterday to repalce the OEM unit that died. Being able to weld two tangs on the factory bracket made the job come out so much better and saved a lot of work. I cant imagine not having some type of welder.

Kevin