Stick Electrode Guide

[SeanMurphy265]

Unless you can get free shipping it would be hard to get a good price online for welding rods. I have an Amazon Prime membership and I get free 2 day shipping, but I have found better deals at the LWS. I found rods at the LWS for half of what the chain tool and farm stores sell their rods. I can't remember the name, but I have several boxes of rods it's a blue plastic box that I picked up at Nexair for $7.00 for a 5lb box and $14.00 for a $10.00 box. I just picked up a 10lb box of 7014 Uweld 3/32 rods for $14.00 and change. I find better deals on rods and wire when I go to an actual welding store. I have had bad luck with some of the rods I picked up from Tractor Supply, but I think it had more to do with how long they were sitting on the shelf. I have had better luck with LWS rods most likely because they are constantly selling them. I have also had good luck with Forney 7014 and 7018ac rods from the local hardware stores.

[I_Love_Plasma]

Dave,
Thank you, that's pretty sizzlin warm for some of those 70 low hydrogen rods! 800F* sheesh.

Sean,
Thank you for that info. I just bought rods from my local Ace Hardware at 3 bucks a pound :'( $30 for 10LB. So 14 dollars sounds REALLY good to me. I was thinking about buying some more from my local Thiesens store, buy now that you mention that it is cheaper to buy from the LWS....I'm going to call my Praxair. I will post my findings with an "edit" to this post... Can't remember what it cost per pound at T.S.Co. but it was substantially more than Ace.

I'm crushed, my prices are double and then some over you prices. Thiesen's Farm and Auto is the best price at about $25/10LB. Praxair is $41/10LB. LWS is a hair cheaper than Praxair. Good grief, do you step on the guy's foot until he gives you half off? I mean that's dirt cheap.

Thanks,
ILP

[bobwills]

I got ripped of at tractor supply on them a few weeks ago. for 7018ac 1/8 5lbs it was like almost $20! It was crazy. Used to be about $12 for 5lbs of others ive bought. Are 7018 ac more expensive?

[DaveO]

In this thread I'm seeing references to "7018 ac"... but according to the charts I've seen, _any_ 7018 should work in an AC welder. Is there a 7018 electrode specifically designed to work better with an AC machine?

[I_Love_Plasma]

In this thread I'm seeing references to "7018 ac"... but according to the charts I've seen, _any_ 7018 should work in an AC welder. Is there a 7018 electrode specifically designed to work better with an AC machine?

Yes there is. Forney makes a special 7018AC rod for the use on AC only There may be other brands too, but I know 100% that Forney make them.

[bobwills]

Hobart makes them too. And yeah a regular ol 7018 will work on either. Ive used regular ones alot on ac but the ones made for ac run so much better. They got much less spatter and just run smoother. Anyone ever run the 7018ac rods on dc though. I had to the other day. They run fine just kinda seem to have a funny smell while your burning them it seems

[SeanMurphy265]

I run the 7018ac on my power arc 200 and 140st. I like how they run, and they do not seem to be as sensitive to moisture as 7018. I got on a project back in the summer and my 7018 were old and I struggled getting the rods to run, I probably stuck 5lbs of rods. I switched to 7018ac and they ran like a champ. I'm not sure but I wondered if the 7018ac run better on inverter power.

[bobwills]

Yeah they dont run bad on dc. But do you notice a different smell. And they could since its got that extra attitive in it not as much of the other stuff that makes them so sincitive to mostier. But i have no clue. And i havnt tried an inverter yet. Always used transformer but got a inverter coming. I was using the 7018ac on a engine driven miller 140. It worked real nice I must say.

[Cippee]

Isn't the power arc 200 an inverter?

[welderdude]

The Power Arc is inverter based. The 7018ac rods have an arc stabilizer compound added just like 6011s so its no surprise they run good on dc. I dont know if that relates to them running better when moist or if they were already moisture resistant like some of the more expensive rods are. I have some 3/32 forney 7018ac rods that have been sitting out in the open and they run great on both my inverter welder and my transformer based welder on dc. They run like crap on ac though. If i burn half the rod and smell it the rod, I can smell the moisture evaporating off of them.

[bobwills]

Every everlast welder is inverter based.