best brand of welding electrode

[precivilization]

What about Hobart?

[52 Ford]

Yeah, definitely add Hobart to the list. That's what's sold at Tractor Supply.

Another one you might wanna try is "US Forge". That's what they sell at Argri-Supply. A big farm store down here (VA, Carolinas, Georgia)

Here's a link to US Forge 1/8" 7018 https://www.agrisupply.com/welding-rod-package/p/12209/

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[Oscar]

ok, I think I can pick up a box of Hobart E7018 this weekend.

[52 Ford]

ok, I think I can pick up a box of Hobart E7018 this weekend.

A box is only 5lbs. You aught to be able to get it. Just make sure to lift with your legs.

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[426hemi]

I like Lincoln personally, I wouldn’t buy rod or anything else welding related from Amazon myself brand name stuff tends to actually be cheaper at the local welding supply. Sure Amazon has off brand stuff bought some tungsten from them I threw the whole package away (wouldn’t hold a point for long we’re talking having to sharpen it every 5 minute bad) horrible stuff! I also bought a stubby gas lens kit the quality was horrible collets were so bad they didn’t last 5 minutes before they wouldn’t hold the tungsten, gas lenses needed twice the CFH as a name brand, back caps warped on a water cooled torch, the list goes on. I find the saying “a good tool only hurts once” to hold true.

[old miner called Pop]

ok, I think I can pick up a box of Hobart E7018 this weekend.

Oscar...Im not sure how much more you want to put into this but there is 2 brands pretty common around here...Inweld and Victory. Victory was started by one of the original partners at Inweld and I guess he and the other partners got into a tiff or something.

Joe gets these rods from somewhere I know it aint any of the weld suppliers around here but he orders a couple hundred pds evry 2 or 3 months. He gets the Victory rods now but he was gettin the Inweld rods before Victory came out. I dont know if he gets em off the innernet or what..if you want me to I can ask him when I get to see him. Most evryone I know seems to be happy with them...I know they work fine for me.

[Oscar]

Oscar...Im not sure how much more you want to put into this but there is 2 brands pretty common around here...Inweld and Victory. Victory was started by one of the original partners at Inweld and I guess he and the other partners got into a tiff or something.

Joe gets these rods from somewhere I know it aint any of the weld suppliers around here but he orders a couple hundred pds evry 2 or 3 months. He gets the Victory rods now but he was gettin the Inweld rods before Victory came out. I dont know if he gets em off the innernet or what..if you want me to I can ask him when I get to see him. Most evryone I know seems to be happy with them...I know they work fine for me.

Not much more. Not gonna scour the earth for 5 years to get every single one, just using what I have and already know how to get. Besides, this test would be meaningless to you and Joe, according to your post.

Find a rod what works for you and keep getting them or do like I do use what you can get and deal with it

[Louie1961]

Jody at Weldingtipsandtricks.com did a shoot out of the Lincoln Excalibur 7018 vs the Hobart 7018 from TSC. Oscar you may want to watch that first to see how he tested.

[old miner called Pop]

Not much more. Not gonna scour the earth for 5 years to get every single one, just using what I have and already know how to get. Besides, this test would be meaningless to you and Joe, according to your post.

Good point there but it would make for some intresting reading. Doin a shootout test like that could get pretty expensive as well which is why I said I didnt know how much more you wanted to get into it

[Oscar]

Jody at Weldingtipsandtricks.com did a shoot out of the Lincoln Excalibur 7018 vs the Hobart 7018 from TSC. Oscar you may want to watch that first to see how he tested.

Good call, it hadn't come to mind. I'll check it out to see what he did.

[ToolFanGeoff]

Thank you for keeping this going. Just this week I had a project that used a couple of pounds of 7018. I used Lincoln rod that I had in my sealed container. The original package had been opened at least a year ago. All unused rod was put in the container with an o-ring seal at that time. The rod seemed fine. No porosity at the start of the bead. smooth easy starts. This was not code work, and did not require any type of inspection. It just needed to be a solid connection.
I few years ago, I would have made the weld, and not given it a second thought. Now, this thread was in my mind, and I considered throwing out the old rod, and opening a new sealed box. In the end, I just used the old rod, and it was fine.

With the money I saved not using a new box of rods, I would like to offer support to this project. Oscar, how can I help?
Can I send you boxes of rod to test?
Geoff

[Oscar]

Thank you for keeping this going. Just this week I had a project that used a couple of pounds of 7018. I used Lincoln rod that I had in my sealed container. The original package had been opened at least a year ago. All unused rod was put in the container with an o-ring seal at that time. The rod seemed fine. No porosity at the start of the bead. smooth easy starts. This was not code work, and did not require any type of inspection. It just needed to be a solid connection.
I few years ago, I would have made the weld, and not given it a second thought. Now, this thread was in my mind, and I considered throwing out the old rod, and opening a new sealed box. In the end, I just used the old rod, and it was fine.

With the money I saved not using a new box of rods, I would like to offer support to this project. Oscar, how can I help?
Can I send you boxes of rod to test?
Geoff

Thanks Geoff, but I already have Excalibur 7018 and Lincoln 7018AC from home depot, so I think I have the Lincoln corner covered. Unless you mean sending me some rods other than the ones I already have listed? If so, which ones ya got?

[ToolFanGeoff]

Oscar,
If you are going to go to the effort of running the test, do you think it would be interesting to try some other available options?
Hobart? Forney? US Forge? Weldcote? Other?
Just making the offer.
Geoff

[Oscar]

I think so. I picked up a 5lb box of Hobart, so I have those. If you wanna send some rods of those other 3 I could include them in the tests. Remember, I'm only testing 3/32" rods.

[Oscar]

it would make for some intresting reading.

I agree. Send me a few pounds of 3/32" and I'll add them in to the mix

Another one you might wanna try is "US Forge". That's what they sell at Argri-Supply. A big farm store down here (VA, Carolinas, Georgia)

Here's a link to US Forge 1/8" 7018 https://www.agrisupply.com/welding-rod-package/p/12209/

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Send me a few pounds of 3/32" (that's the size I plan to test) and I'll add them to the mix.

While y'all are at it, y'all can also send me some:

McKay
Radnor
Longevity
Anchor
Hyweld
Forney
Harris
Techniweld
Westward
Sumy-Electrode
Blackstone
Unifil
WeldingCity
HotMax

[old miner called Pop]

I agree. Send me a few pounds of 3/32" and I'll add them in to the mix



Send me a few pounds of 3/32" (that's the size I plan to test) and I'll add them to the mix.

While y'all are at it, y'all can also send me some:

McKay
Radnor
Longevity
Anchor
Hyweld
Forney
Harris
Techniweld
Westward
Sumy-Electrode
Blackstone
Unifil
WeldingCity
HotMax

Sure...send me your adress and I will bundle up a pack of the Victory and a pack of the Inweld and send them to you.

Popeye

[StandarDyne]

I bought a can of 3/32 7018 on ebay that is absolute murder to run. It sticks, then when you try to shake the electrode to break it loose, all the flux breaks off the stick where it bent. I should send you some of those...they're all but useless to me.

[Oscar]

Sent you my address, check PM's.

[smithdoor]

The problem is wet or got wet.
Try backing in a oven at 350° for few hours.

Dave

I bought a can of 3/32 7018 on ebay that is absolute murder to run. It sticks, then when you try to shake the electrode to break it loose, all the flux breaks off the stick where it bent. I should send you some of those...they're all but useless to me.

[StandarDyne]

The problem is wet or got wet. Try backing in a oven at 350° for few hours.

It's been that way since the moment I unsealed the can. I think it's some kind of oddball rod. Lincoln Electric EDM13182833 Murex B7018 MR

[smithdoor]

Low hydrogen will pick water from air.
Also shop will sell there old rod even seal if they out of date.
Myself I old purchased new rod and if out date I use rod on AG work only.

Low hydrogen rod is a pain to use for most work. It is limited type of work that needs this type rod.

Dave

It's been that way since the moment I unsealed the can. I think it's some kind of oddball rod. Lincoln Electric EDM13182833 Murex B7018 MR

[albrightree]

For Stainless Steel rods, I have always been happy with the way "McKay" electrodes :








They've been around a while, and seem to have been bought out by Hobart, but they still offer their brand at Grainger.

[whtbaron]

You should test some Aussie rods too... to see if they swirl in the opposite direction...

[52 Ford]

You should test some Aussie rods too... to see if they swirl in the opposite direction...

LOL I see what ya did there

I wonder... MAYBE they'll suck welds back up, since we're using them upside down.

I think it's kinda like how we send American vehicles down under and they ended up having to drive them from the passenger seat.

Edit: I thought about it for a second... Maybe you have to run reverse polarity.
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[old miner called Pop]

Low hydrogen will pick water from air.
Also shop will sell there old rod even seal if they out of date.
Myself I old purchased new rod and if out date I use rod on AG work only.

Low hydrogen rod is a pain to use for most work. It is limited type of work that needs this type rod.

Dave

Dave I have to disagree with you about lo-hydrogen rods bein a pain to use. In my opinion lo-hydrogen rods are the easiest thing to use...to me its like spreadin butter on a piece of toast.

Years ago when I was runnin my first rig an old boy bought tons of 7018 rods from a job. I believe he said they were leftovers from a power company down near Philadelphia PA. the brand name was Uni-weld. He had them stored in big wooden potata bins in a barn in the woods. Nothing fancy to keep em dry just the way they were wrapped in the packs they came in, all that was a plastic wrap and some thin brown paper or cardboard. I would buy 300 pds of these rod evy 2 weeks from 3/32 up to 5/32. They were some of the smoothest rod i ever used and all I did was keep them in my truck...I would open them up and stick 50 pounds in a tin can that the Lincoln rods came in. I bought 3/16 and 1/4 inch lincoln rods from what used to be Seiler Welding Supply which is now owned by Linde...used to be Praxair. The Uni-weld rods ran smoother than the Lincoln rods...I think the Lincoln rods were the Code Arc variety they carried...they ran like butter too but not quite as smooth as the Uni-weld rods...but then again they were bigger rods maybe that had somethin to do with it. I was using my old Pipeliners that I put together from scratch and those weldin machines ran anything I wanted to run like butter.

But as I said in my opinion Lo-hydrogen is the easiest...at least for me and I dont take any special precautions about dry rods unless its a busted boom like thisThen i have some portable rod ovens that I use.

Oscar...I am goin to see if they have any of those Uni-weld left...if they do I will send some of them along with the Inweld and Victory rods. If all they have left is 1/8" would you like me to send a pack of them along as well?