I think there will always be stick electrodes(rods) available Sonny, its a weld process that can go anywhere,farm field or battlefield if you must,with ease of use and utility..the small wire feed fluxcore or MIG machines have really taken off in the past 10yrs,it seems everyone has one now with the proliferation of the handyman and car craft TV shows featuring them they are very popular..plus anyone can use one with little to no training..go hand a stinger and a couple rods to the average newbie and watch what happens..biggest thing I can tell ya is to watch the puddle behind the arc(when pushing)-thats the weld metal thats holding it together..and run it hot enough to get good fusion