Contact tips come in all sorts of shapes and sizes

The tips function is to provide an electrical contact for current transfer to the welding wire.

There are many different brands and designs on the market.

Contact tips are the last point of exit for the welding wire coming out of the mig welding gun.

They can be made from different materials, which offer different performance levels.

You have "standard" tips which are for general welding work or "high performance" tips which offer greater current handling capabilities and longer service life.

The quality of the raw materials used in the manufacturing process, play an important part to the final quality of the finished product.

The machining of the "hole" or the bore is also a factor in determining the quality of a contact tip. Some bores can be rough and not perfectly round.

Some contact tips will be harder than others and some softer.