Wire

[MarineScott]

I do home repairs and hobbies with my welder. I am using .030 solid wire through my HH140. What is the best bang for your buck, or best all around use welding wire?
I used Hobart brand for a while, then switched to Harbor Freight brand, Vulcan, and it has more sparks and splatter. How do other brands perform in comparison to others?

 

[Yomax4]

Pretty much get what you pay for. There are a couple diamonds in the rough out there but they mainly come from the larger OEM companies like Hobart, Lincoln, ESAB etc. I personally wouldn't use HF wire at all. Others have some luck with it.

 

[bplayer405]

I have a Handler 190 and have stuck with Hobart wire. I mainly use .030 even on thin gauge because I get a bigger spot weld with it. I have used some wire from Praxair and it works well also. Just easier to buy from a local farm supply that has sales quite a bit on wire.

 

[MarineScott]

Thanks for the replies. I am currently using the Harbor Freight brand, which isn't bad, but throws more sparks than the Hobart brand. I think I am returning to the Hobart wire.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I just bought some .025 Vulcan MIG wire and I agree that it does throw lots of sparks but it does feed and weld smooth with my Vulcan OmniPro 220. I needed some to do a repair to a customers lawnmower deck and didnt want to drive to my LWS since HF was a lot closer. Unfortunately all they had was an 11# spool for $34 so I guess I will be welding with it for a while. I also picked up a .30cal ammo can to store my 2# spools of wire in and tossed in a couple of small gel packs to take up any moisture that it may have in it.

 

[sonny580]

Hobart or Lincoln here -----dont waste money on off brands

 

[Gary Fowler]

Hobart or Lincoln here -----dont waste money on off brands

Those brands are great if you are making pressure vessels, but for my everyday use, the Vulcan wire from HF works well enough. I dont waste money on brand name unless the cheaper brands dont work for me. A few extra sparks from HF wire dont bother me enough that I am willing to spend twice as much per pound for Lincoln wire. The weld appearance and weldability is good enough that I dont think any one could identify which is which in the as welded condition.

 

[WranglerX]

Personally I like "Prostar" S-6 with C25 in my HH 140.... Like it so well I found a deal on a 5 roll (2#) bundle and bought it, not going to run out of wire for a while.... Usually when I get spatter, its when I am not watching my stick out very well.......

This link seem to (refresh) help me when my weld go to crap...

Dale