which brand filler metals?

[dredgewelder]

was woundering which brand do u guys like the best? I want to know because i want to stock some in my shop.mig and tig.for steel, sainless and alum. and self sheilded mig. just wanted 2 say thanks for all the input ive gathered from u guys.keep up the good work.

[TexAg]

the brand rundown

MIG wires: Hobart (very economical and very consistent in quality). Go with HB28

TIG Wire: McKay for your stainless/AL, Avesta is darn good for Aluminum also

For the closed-arc wire you seek, I'd lean towards either Esab Core-Shield or Lincoln's Innershield lines.

happy hunting!

[DDA52]

A lot of what will work best depends on the machine. Some will run any wire or filler and never look back, others gasp and choke. My old Bobcat, an 88-89 model, would NOT run a Hobart rod worth a crap...nor a Lincoln 6013. It was just what it did and there wasn't really any getting around it.

Myself, I try to stay with Hobart wires, but they are getting hard to find here. Lincoln wire is good, as is Radnor. While doing some testing recently, I discovered that the Hobart Weldit wire wasn't bad at all. I tested both steel and alu...both were surprisingly good for a cheap wire. The HB-28 is still better by far. Lincoln Innershield and Outershield are both good flux cores, but IMO, Hobart Fabshield 21B beats the Innershield any day.

Rods, I am currently using a mix of Lincoln and Hobart. The TB likes them both. Good thing it isn't as picky as the Bobus.