Wow have welding gas prices gone up.

[mcmxi]

That flux core definitely doesn't give the penetration of argon/co2 mix.

I run Hobart Fabshield 21B with my Millermatic 185 (220V) and the results are every bit as good as shielded hard wire, maybe not as pretty on clean steel, but you'd be hard pressed to show any mechanical differences in the strength of the welds. Kind of hard to beat that wire for a lot of general work around a farm or on a construction site where dirty, rusty steel is the norm. Generally I prefer 6011 and 7018 for most welding projects that I work on, or at least a combination of wire and stick. I'll often tack pieces together using wire and then transition to stick for the bulk of the welding.