Welding rod brands

I know there a lot of welders on here. Just wondering if any have a preferred brand of welding rod. I'm just a dabbler in it, so I don't really know if there are any differences between brands.

McKay,in my opinion are the best. That being said,if you are just messing around the shop, you can get by with about any brand.

I like Lincoln rods the best. From a welding store. Not box stores. They are a few others. But, Lincoln is the go to!!

I had some Hobart 6011 I was practicing with, but they would not run on the little DC inverter welder i just bought. The arc would not stabilize, it just kept going out after about an inch. I had some Lincoln 6011 also, so i gave them a try. They ran without issue. I have no idea why. I do know the flux on them were different colors for whatever reason. Thanks for the replies.

Difference in rods between AC and DC. That might be your problem.

Difference in rods between AC and DC. That might be your problem.

Lincoln 7018s or 5p (6010) in the field.Lincoln dual shield flux core in the shop. Just retired Friday after 45 years.

Diameter is important when comparing. Larger requires more amperage to run.

absolutely

I like Lincoln or Hobart

If you find a rod that works stick with it. Reversing the polarity helped on my little buzzer.

Yes, there is a big difference between brands as well as welding machines ,as sniper said find what your welder likes . get a couple pounds of every rod brand you can find keep them labeled ,it wont be long to you see what were saying . hobart has gotten a little sucky in the last few years. Pick you up some Fornays in the green box they work pretty good on small machines

This is me also!

Been trying to pick up a few different types and brands in the small boxes locally to see what works best. TSC has the Hobart in 1lb boxes and just found some Fourney at Ace Hardware today to try. That's about it locally. I've only found Lincoln in 5lb boxes here so far. Thanks for the input.

Also depends on what you want to accomplish...what are you welding? Original question was brand, but sometimes application matters.

Nothing in particular. Been doing some small trap mods. Just playing around with it right now. Practicing running beads on scrap. Just find it interesting.

Big subject! Much rather sit down and talk than type out a book! Like said, Find one tha'll run on your machine, and stay with it. There are rods made for welding all alloys of steel, except heat treatable tool steel. Sounds like the buzz box you have, will prolly only be usable for mild steel, which ain't a problem, as long as it will run the rod size you need to do the job. Your best selection will be in Lincoln rods. It would help to know the output of the machine to be able to recommend size, but most little buzz boxes that are AC, you will prolly want a 3/32 6011, or for sheet metal, 6013 works pretty well. It will leave slag pockets, if net run hot enough, and I personally haven't run it in years, but it is a good beginners rod. The 6011, is a good all around AC rod, and Lincoln makes two of them. Most pros run DC machines, and therefore use different rods. The 6011 rod will leave a rough finish on the bead, which is normal, and it throws more sparks than some of the smoother running rods. Stay away from speciality rod brands, they are no better than anything else and will cost enormous amounts of money. They are made to sell to people that arn't welders to begin with. Good luck.....book is long enough!