Harbor Freight
- Thread starter marhar
- Start date
5030
Epic Contributor
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2003
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- 24,597
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- SE Michigan in the middle of nowhere
- Tractor
- Kubota M9000 HDCC3 M9000 HDC
Not a clue. If I were you I'd get Lincoln sticks. I do know that the wire HF sells is INE which is Itallian made and dang good wire.
Hay Dude
Super Star Member
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- Aug 28, 2012
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- Challenger MT655E, Massey Ferguson 7495, Challenger MT535B, Krone 4x4 XC baler, Kubota F3680 & ZD331 Ram 5500 Cummins 4x4, IH 7500 4x4 dump truck, Kaufman 35’ tandem 19 ton trailer, John Deere CX-15
I’ve used them before. They’re ok in a pinch, but not a go to stick.
Hersheyfarm
Veteran Member
What about the everlast welders. Seem yo be just a little more than HF.
personal I use a Hobart stickmate dc.
GeneV
Elite Member
Well I'm a fairly new welder as well, and I don't run nice uniform beads neither....and nearly all I ever welded with are them harbor fright rods.
Right now my skill is the limiting factor, not the type of welding rod I am using. And I am usually welding a small repair not fabricating a piece of equipment. All of that being said I am tempted to used a few HF rods. I have a lot more practice for my skill to exceed the rod's ability.
Sebculb
Gold Member
I think it's other way around. It takes more skill to make a cheap rod do its thing properly and a name brand rod is more forgiving. Stays lit better, puts down smoother beads, doesn't burn holes randomly as much. I think a cheap Flux coating really makes generic rods more unpredictable.
fatjay
Veteran Member
I bought a HF stick welder and it sticks. Not enough current flows to keep the bead going.
If I were new, I would get a wire feed welder, much easier than stick welders. Even gasless you can still get 3/8" penetration.
90% of my repairs are performed by a lincoln HD 125 gasless wire feed welder from home depot and are faster and easier than any stick welder ever will be.
If I were new, I would get a wire feed welder, much easier than stick welders. Even gasless you can still get 3/8" penetration.
90% of my repairs are performed by a lincoln HD 125 gasless wire feed welder from home depot and are faster and easier than any stick welder ever will be.
GeneV
Elite Member
Their 7018 seem pretty good, the nicest weld I could produce is with that rod. Hard to restart (but that's the nature of the rod), so I've used their 6013 more often.
I tried their 6011, I dunno I think I just suck on that rod, the whip and pause thing throws me off. So I don't really use that rod at all.
More on the 6013...once you stumble on 7014, 6013 is a memory. But harbor freight doesn't carry 7014, so I just ordered on Amazon. And then the other day at Tractor Supply, I wondered to their welding section and OMG but all this 7014 they got!
Sonny580
Platinum Member
Lincoln or Hobart are the best rods I ever used for general purpose welding. as for HF rods,---never tried them, so cant give opinion on them.