Though wire flame spraying is a relatively old thermal spray process, modern equipment permits production of high quality coatings featuring outstanding homogeneity, high density and low roughness due to increased particle velocities as a result of increased combustion gas velocity. Typically spray particles are accelerated to velocities exceeding 250 m/s, if the wires are atomised adequately. In order to make a wide spectrum of coating materials available for wire flame spraying use of cored wires needs to be considered. A highspeed camera is used to characterize the melting behaviour at the wire tip and to determine the particle velocity depending on processing conditions for compact, grooved cored and tube cored AISI 316L wires. Thereby the influence of the wire design without simultaneous influence by the chemical composition is studied. Additionally nickel based self fluxing alloy and carbide reinforced coatings are sprayed and characterized concerning their microstructure and properties in use.