I've done welds with .030 harbor freight flux core that you would swear was done with gas after I knock off the tiny spatter balls and were good strong welds
Harbor Freight wire is repackaged INE wire. I've used the Lincoln gas less wire and the INE. I prefer the INE wire myself. I just feel I get overall better welds with it. There's so many factors at play though. My skill, the machine I'm using, my settings, my metal prep. This guy made both welds look good. It's like what I've always been told with shooting pool. In the hands of a master even a crooked stick can win the tournament! Me, I'll just continue to practice!
Just bought a HF titanium 125 fluxcore welder.. I figuer i will learn on the HF wire first and maybe when i will buy better stuff when i have some skill..
The only thing I don’t like about the E71T-GS wire is that it is not multi pass rated, where as E71T-11 is. You really won’t notice much of a difference in the performance of the two wire types until you start trying to stack welds
Bob,a friend has the Harbor Freight welder you are using.He was about to give up on the machine when someone told him to to research on You Tube, how to modify the Harbor Freight welder.The motor that feeds the wire is being denied the correct voltage when you are welding.We modified the welder and it solved the wire jumping issue.The cost was 37.00.There are a number of videos on YT,some better than others, and if you're going to use this machine,then this is money well spent.Thanks for a well informed video.
Lincoln is SUPERIOR on ALL consumables!!!!! Every company tries to compete with them, but no one comes close. UltraCore self-sheilded wire is as sweet as chocolate cake. You have to really work at making a defective weld. If you're running right, it melts like butter. We can argue red/blue/yellow all day, there's no argument with consumables. Lincoln is KING! No disrespect, but am also a CWE/CWI, Instructor, Program Director, with 30+ years structural, pipe, and manufacturing. I can appreciate your approach and respect your well earned and qualified "opinion".
What I don’t like about the E71T-GS wire from harbor freight is that it is not multi pass rated. Where as E71T-11 from Lincoln or any brand is, and you can tell the difference when you start stacking a couple welds. As far as Lincoln producing superior electrode I completely agree. In structural ironworking you hardly see any contractors these days purchasing anything other than Lincoln Excalibur 7018 for stick, and lincoln flux core 232 or 233. For 6022 deck rod I’ve seen other brands but that’s because quality is not as essential in welding deck. I actually have a pipe fitter buddy who went to the Hobart welding school, and at the Hobart welding school they were using Lincoln welding rod funny enough. Hobart 7018 has gained a reputation of not having the filler material properly centered in the flux of the rod.
I did a test over the summer with HF wire and Lincoln wire. The Lincoln wire gave me a cleaner weld, and it seemed to just weld easier. not a huge difference, but hands down the Lincoln wire was twice as good.
Thanks for taking the time to make this video. I appreciate you mentioning my question in the video also. Looking forward to seeing part 2. I guess another test you could do is to see how much force it would take to break or bend both of the welds. I am surprised how similar they ran though. To me, the harbor freight wire does seem to run just a little smoother and less jumpy than the Lincoln wire. It's almost the same though. Great video.
Thanks for the video , I always appreciate people taking the time to make videos ......I have had this same issue many times and it has nothing to do with the wire make and everything to do with the tension of the the spool inside your machine . I had a fabrication years ago and do alot of hobby fabrication and have toyed around with many different flux core wire brands including harbor freight . The only difference I have ever seen and experienced is generic brand wires is more throat irritation , my welding lens gets full of smoke quicker and more splatter , in other it runs dirtier. Weld integrity and arc consistentcy is the same on all brands. I prefer to weld with Lincoln wire but if splatter and smoke is not an issue generic brands give you more for less .
I had the same inconsistent feed issues with the harbor freight wire .030" but the welds still looked ok. My sister is an engineer at Lincoln and I do like their wire a little better for the feed issues but the welds look the same to me. Great video!
I welded up a 20x20 shop for my dad. I was using an old tapped Lincoln 220v mig, that Ive had for 25 years I ran out of Lincoln wire, so my dad went to get some more. I told him to "pick up a 10 pounder of oh-thirty flux core. He came back with a Harbor Freight bag. I decided what the hey, I'll try it. I preferred the the Harbor Freight wire. It seemed to run smoother on rusty metal and had a better appearance.
I believe, because my wire has done the same, it has to do entirely with the spool. I have to adjust tension on the roll itself to keep it from jumping like that. I run Hobart for the record but have run both Lincoln and Harbor Freight, and you have to really tune in drive roll tension and the tension on the spool itself.
I have the early blue 120 volt AC welder. Not HF but same thing I'm sure. I built an adapter for a ten pound Lincoln spool out of a 1 pound spool. It works perfectly, has for years and one problem I don't have is feeding issues.
I also appreciate you putting this together. I have not welded since high school in the '80s. No Mig back then. All constructive advice for the novice shortens my learning curve. Most welds will not be load bearing with heavy loads. However a few will be. Thanks again this is the first time I have been here you have a new subscriber.
Great video and I appreciate the comparison. I built a set of forks for my wheel loader, and used FCAW due to outdoor use & dirty metal. Penetration was excellent with a MM252 (using 10# spools) turned up. I've had the pulsating sound before, but was able to adjust the settings until it ran smooth; in this case it sounds like you may need to turn the voltage up, or the w/s down. I realize that you're an instructor & hesitate to even make the suggestion, but it may solve the problem. Thanks again for the informative video. Looking forward to part #2.
I have the titanium 125 and the wire it came with I thought wasnt too bad, until I put some decent lincoln wire in it. Holy smokes, the difference was incredible. The spatter was reduced dramatically. Dont let the shit talkers get to you. You're the best instructor I've found on youtube.
I just got a jobsmart about same as harbor freight I believe you are correct they all do the same thank you for sharing will definitely be watching in the future
Very interesting. I'm a noob to welding and have a cheap 110V welder. I was using a Lincoln brand of flux core wire for quite a while. I had a lot of issues with inconsistent feed. I tried everything I could think of to fix it. I had figured it was me or just the cheap machine. Recently I was working on a project and ran out of wire. I went to my local small hardware store to get some more. They only carry the Forney brand. I was thinking I was getting myself into more trouble with my crappy welds. I loaded the wire and was I ever surprised! The wire fed like it should, nice and consistent, I had the nice "bacon fry" sound, and the welds were a whole lot better! I don't know if this is due to wire quality or just machine compatibility. Maybe it is related to consistency of wire diameter . . . ? I didn't change the feed tension. Who knows . . . ? Maybe I had the wrong type of flux core wire?
@@gizzyguzzi Very true. Common suggestion for new HF users is if the supplied wire is not working, change to replacement role and problems will go away.
I found with my old Autoplus welder that it welded smoother with the largest roll that the machine could carry. I believe that smaller diameter rolls tend to want to resist uncurling and may give the rollers ...and the liners difficulty in providing a smooth and consistent rate through to the gun. I think it has to do with the smoother inertia the heavier and straighter feed from the roll.
That makes sense, my welder has been acting up lately like the wire keeps sticking for some reason and I. Pretty sure it's because the smaller rolls I always use aren't tight and make the wire scrape the liner.
I have a Lincoln 140 (120vac) that I've run at least 40 lbs of Lincoln mig wire thru and I don't have your problems. I use a serrated drive ring on any of the 4 settings. welded 3/8" steel w multiple passes and I've never had a problem. love my Lincoln.
I know what the problem is. You have to orient your table to true north and keep your knees bent. One thing you get lots of is expert advice. Thanks for these videos.
Donald Kasper and for welders that only use 4” spools, what then? This test was t for welding 1/2” plate. It was for guys who hVe small machines and aren’t professionals.
To Don K. and Mel G. . I think both of you are correct. I own an HTP mig 240 and I have tested switching back and forth from a 4 inch spool to an 8 inch spool and will get that bouncy type of feed with the smaller spool. I think it is because of the adapter for the smaller spool which hangs off of the drive hub . On a small machine the 4 inch spool bolts direct to the drive hub so you get a consistent feed.
i agree with what he is saying. i have been using flux core for field repairs for years on both lincoln and hf welders. the small spools from all manufactures seem to do this. you have to set the tension high. when i switched to large spool lincoln wire from home depot, it solved this issue. i had very steady wire feed. for the home diyer the hf welders work fine. for better wire control you gotta have dial adjustable speed and current.
I would like to see you try a name brand wire in the Harbor Freight welder. I had one of HFs flux core welders and the wire it came with was junk. After I put in a roll of .030 Lincoln wire it would actually weld.
My experience was the 1st 10% of the included wire was terrible. Had to prefeed off the role to make it work. Then all of a sudden the problem went away and never came back.
Just bought a cheap Campbell Hausfeld flux core welder off of marketplace. He had Lincoln wire in it and he wanted to keep his wire. I brought the welder Home. And the shop that sells welders was closed and I'm trying to get a project done for my grandson. So I went to Harbor Freight and bought a spool of wire. Not saying it's a good wire. But I definitely noticed a difference between when the guy tested the welder with Lincoln wire. And I'm using the Harbor Freight wire. I'm seeing less sbattere. And less kickback on the Stinger. Who knows maybe Harbor Freight flux core wire probably ain't that bad. We all need to do more testing. But for now I definitely have questions on it too.
Good video. Well done. I experience the same fluctuations with flux core and I was told to use the serrated rollers for it. Need to buy some rollers and give it a try. I only use flux core for static loads, never dynamic. That's just me. Good job!
Good evening, I'm new to your Channel and I'm new to welding. Thank you very much for putting these welding videos together. I need to learn how to weld because I have a cabin in northern Maine. I have a small pieces of equipment used for hunting and fishing out in the bush. I am very interested in flux welding. I appreciate you doing this video here today because I had seen and other videos about the quality of wire from Harbor Freight to someone else. I do believe that they were saying the Lincoln wire. I will be purchasing a titanium welder from Harbor Freight so I will be getting my wire from them also. Your video here today has been very helpful in my decision making process. I hope you have a great evening and once again thank you for this quality video. Tom
Damn they are both good. 1 pound of Lincoln wire is 13 bucks. Harbor Freight has a 2 pound for 13.99. I think I'll go with the Harbor Freight based on the video
Recently bought the Harbor Freight 125 flux core welder. Price was very reasonable. While at Home Depot though I noticed they sell the .030 wire (1 lb spool) which is what the Harbor Freight welder came with for $13.99 whereas Harbor Freight charges $20. If as you say you can't see any difference then I think I'd go with Home Depot for the wire.
I have the same problem with lincoln flux core wire.. not all the time but it started to happend more and more so thi week i'm getting a bottle of 100%co2 and it'll be my first week trying mig welding 👌
I think amperage makes a difference. I've used both the ER70S-6 MIG wire and Harbor Freight ER70S-6 wire in my Pro Mig 140 and I definitely prefer the Lincoln wire.
Bob, Thanks for your videos. I use the older 90 Amp 120 Volt H.F flux core welder on the high setting with #3 to #4 speed for most of the metals I weld using Lincoln flux core wire .30 and change the tip when it starts to stick. When I bought it many years ago I read not to use H.F. flux core wire and to use the smaller .30 Lincoln flux core wire. The price is right for a Do It Yourself Mr. Fix It person with an occasional project in the garage. I've used it on a utility flatbed trailer railings, gate/ramp, Desert Go Kart, ATV fender brackets, built a 2" square tubing carrier for a Motorized Drift Trike for my SUV 2" hitch to name a few.
Good video. Inconsistent welding feed is due to a number things. 1. Cast & pitch. The larger the cast / the closer to zero pitch the better the feed. 2. Surface lubricant. Intermittent feeding is caused by a lack of or varying amounts of surface lube on the wire surface. 3. Inconsistent internal flux percentage. During manufacturing dry chemicals are added to the tube. This is monitored & tested during production. 4. Are the 2 wire comparable. Both are indeed gas less but are they the same T-?? classification & do they use the same settings? Thanks again for your video. I have not yet watched part 2.
I have a small lincoln flux core machine, and I've only ran the mp211 in the small spools and I've noticed it doesn't feed as well till the spool is almost 3/4 of the way gone than with a full spool. feels stabby at times, and sounds like its pulsing. I tried changing up wire speed, roller tension, but eventually when the spool runs low is when it runs it's best. I want to get a bigger spool to see if it makes a difference or not.
I dug out a Speedway Series (green) 125A flux welder we got kicking around. Pain in the arse. Hardly worked. It's sat for years. I put a new 200A HF ground clamp on it for $7, cleaned it up inside, put a spool of Lincoln NR211 in it, I'll be damned it works!!
Bob, I love your reaction to a certain few who have all the answers.....good job......your videos are always interesting, and smart....I subscribed and like all of them...keep up the good work......
The slag on the Lincoln weld was harder to remove than the slag on the Harbor Freight weld. The slag on the HF weld seemed to just peel right off. No so with the Lincoln weld.
Great instructional video. I'm going to need to do some flux core welding with my everlast mig welder. Got some welding that needs done outside and there is always some kind of breeze blowing.
I strictly run flux out of the same welder he used for that very reason, I honestly have it tuned in so nice that after I knock the slag off you can't even tell the difference between flux and mig wire with gas
The wire is oxidized or oil contaminated, you can't get a stable arc without good electrical conductivity. The Vulcan wire is typically oxidized and the Lincoln wire is typically oily to the point that the label soaks it up over time. Hobart wire runs smooth electrically but has massive amounts of spatter.
I have used both kinds of wire in my harbor freight $100 welder and I prefer to use Lincoln electric wire. I have grounded down the nozzle of my gun to be even with the tip so I can weld with the nozzle on because it deflects the popcorn a little bit. I find that the Lincoln wire penetrates better and flows better. The Lincoln electric wire was spooled badly, I had a big backlash mess the first time I opened a roll but got it all wrapped back up and it worked great.
I noticed the sound of the wire when welding, first thing it tells me that the feed was too high, that's why the arc was jumping around, and the second tell tale sign was the spatter. if the speed is set right, there is very little spatter if at all. but I have made the same comparisons and they are almost identical in all aspects. I have welded a lot of gasless flux core wire and it holds just as well as dual shield flux core.....thanks for the vid.....
Try again with the Vulcan wire I can see a difference over Lincoln wire. The arc is just so crisp, all the time. The welds are better quality, and those Italian fellows make the best wire Imho.
I love your videos. It is obvious that you have a lot of time earned skill and knowledge when you talk about welding. I'm still fairly new to welding and between your videos and others (Weld Fever, Welding Tips and Tricks, and ChuckE) I'm learning a lots. Keep up the good work and don't worry about the goof balls who get on forums and claim to know everything. There will always be naysayers.
I have some Hobart wire on my older flux core only EZ125 Hobart welder and I was wondering if I should replace that wire?does it go bad after three years or so because I believe that’s how old mine is,,,,,or is it OK to keep using it,,, I just go out in the garage and tinker around once in a while or try and fix something that breaks that’s all I use my little welder for I don’t do a whole lot of welding,,, The last thing I use my welder for was to make some little tiny tail pipe muffler pipe for a 15 hp Briggs & Stratton opposed twin engine it didn’t have a exhaust on it so I use some pipe from Menards and welded some up
You have a new subscriber based on what appears to be honest and helpful feedback. I am a new/hobbyist welder and have that level of equipment. But I want to learn more and make better welds. I just updated my welder from an old transformer based MIG-100 to a Titanium Flex-125 that is a DC induction based machine. Much much lighter at 15 lbs or so. Still an entry level machine but should work fine for me. I was doing research on if it would help me to upgrade my wire. This video seems to say, no real need. Appreciated. I will check out other videos and see what else you have for info.
Bob you are the man no doubt about that but I don't think this is an equal comparison. The Lincoln wire is t11 which conforms to aws d1.1 with a limited thickness of 1/2". The harbor freight is a gs wire and is made to manufacture specifications.
I know you didn't want to see anyting. But it seemed like the Harbor Freight flux core laid down a better bead. And not much jumping on the Stinger. But like you said it could have been just the way they were spoiled. One could have been wrapped tighter than the other. And causing jumping on the feeder
Its not as bad as you think, my 1st experience was with flux core now i mig. Flux burns hotter and the weld pool is not the same, id recommend watching more of these videos.
The smaller spools of wire seems to be wounds tighter. Another thing is making sure that the tension roller has the center where it mounted correcting.
im subbed and i like your videos.. i pray that you dont get discouraged from negative comments.. most people on youtube fake being experienced and maybe know just enough to trick you into an argument.. i know how to build engines and auto wiring and i have never in my life watched a youtube video on either subject.. all im trying to say is that the people arguing with you are probably not welders at all.. im trying to learn how to weld ... thats why i watch your videos.. please dont ever disable your comments..
Bob, first-sorry to comment on this two year old video. I'm just getting back into welding as I'm restoring a car. I've been practicing a lot with the gasless flux core (running a straight bead, zig-zag, little c's etc. I learned from my dad and in high school (years ago) with just the ol' stick arc welder. I'm having trouble dialing in the voltage and wire speed. I'm following the chart on the welder but I'm not getting very good results and not sure how to trouble shoot. Any suggestions would be appreciated. BTW, ignore the asshat that pissed you off. Your channel and the info you are sharing is invaluable for thousands of people out here is youtube land. just saying.
I think that the flux core welds better with the shield also. It helps keep spatter off your tip. I've try welding without the shield and not even a second later my tip was getting gummed up and would break the wire/ wire welding/ arcing in the tip. I have a hate/ love relationship with flux core welding.
Excellent Video Bob! I have 2 HF Welders & absolutely LOVE em'. A LOT of Bang for the buck! btw...I Liked & Subbed! Looking forward to seeing all your videos! Have A Super Week!.....Gus
I've had spooling problems with these before, I believe its the hole in the spool I ran a half inch sanding spindle through the center, made it smooth out a lot.
I just came to read the comments. I already know every UA-cam expert is going to come by and blame and point out errors cause they don't like the answer lol
I have a question. I dont have much experience with flux core but on the second weld near the bottom. The arc didnt sound smooth. What causes that or is that the way its supposed sound?
As an AWS CWI, I'm going to tell you that I'm biased towards Lincoln electrodes. I've tested hundreds of PQRs and the mechanical properties of these two manufacturers are night and day. If I remember correctly, HF is rebranded Hobart. I feel as though you may have bumped something when setting up to shoot. It sounded like you needed quite a bit more wire. The pulsing is your electrode burning back up toward the contact tip. As it does, your voltage reduced and allowed the electrode to feed until its proximity to the workpiece increased the current again. Since I'm already talking about sounds, there is a noticeable difference between the HF and Lincoln electrodes. I would happily go into the differences I find with these two wires but I feel like we cannot establish a proper platform for debate until we've run these two electrodes within their proper parameters.
Try warming the flux core wire in not an oven but just warm the spool up for a few hours and just like stick electrodes the flux soaked up moisture and effects the weld, also could you make a video of the really cheep 130 amp ac flux core welders? Ps. I really think warming the spools and drying out the flux will really help
While heating may well alter the wire somehow, the result has nothing to do with moisture sorption. Metal is totally impervious to moisture vapor, and since the flux is on the inside, nothing in or out.
Dunno.. I weld body panels, I do a lot. I stumbled across a brand - "Super 6" that do 0.8mm flux core mild steel wire. It's far from the cheapest - it's actually pretty pricey - however, if you gave me the choice of running Super 6 flux core or a premium solid wire with gas, I would pick the Super 6 flux core every single time in a heartbeat. It is about 10 times as precise when it comes to filling them tiny little "missed spots" on panel welds - it gives a much softer, smoother, flatter weld that grinds down lovely, it blows less holes in thin stuff than solid wire (even 0.6 solid) plus I can grab the torch, hit one button for "On" without having to dick about turning on gas, messing with flow rates, wondering is the bottle nearly empty.. going off for half a day to get gas, lugging bottles..blah blah - and it gives me a BETTER weld than all the faffing with gas did?? I'm OK with paying slightly more for wire for those benefits. You seen the price of gas?? Good flux core becomes a total no-brainer - every time I pick up a torch loaded with it, I smile - people who say it's rubbish, for hobbyists, blah blah - they just aren't doing it right.
I know that the casting on the spoil definitely effects the feeding of the wire , I have a Lincoln that I noticed that it runs super smooth when i don’t have casting or a birds nest 😋
I was able to guess the difference. The left had more ripple in the beading, going on that I was able to guess correctly. I am a novice just to let you know. I agree with your determination though. Thanks for the video.
Hi Bob l enjoy your video's your an awesome teacher. Young blokes in the trade are in good hands keep up the good work .I've been welding most of my working life I'm semi retired now and i find flux core very handy at home those 1 kg rolls bug me big time. I'm not sure but i think they may work better on a spool gun ? I don't know I've never used one. At home though i only ever use the 5 kg rolls there much better. You don't use as many tips the liner is much cleaner and the machine runs smoother thats been my experience. Get one and give it a try keep up the good work Terry edwards TAS Australia
I have the blue harbor freight flux welder. Its a/c output which sucks but it works. I found that using lincoln wire spools from home depot worked better than the harbor frieght wire it came with.
Another question. Using fluxcore vert position. Can you weld from bottom to top or do you have to weld from top to bottom. On a thicker piece of material. Im used to 7018 stick. Thanks for any help.
love the videos only thing i would add is that it is not a ground it is a work lead. there is no ground in the welding circuit only the lead side of the transformer plugging the unit into the power source. awesome videos keep it up! as for my opinion on HF vs Lincoln. both are Chinese parts. it comes down to the welder.
The settings, the angle, everything is why it ran like that. I think out of position or some less than ideal conditions (wind, dirty metal) would make a better condition. That's where you really start to notice differences.
If the nozzle is on is there any difference in quality of weld ? I have a cheap 130 amp welder ( gasless ) and i always keep the nozzle on because it sort of gives me a better point of reference when im starting the weld. I've had people say Why do you keep the nozzle on and my only response is " i just prefer it on " but no one has ever said to me that the quality of the weld will be any different.
i've done flux core for a bit at school now. had similar feeling where the wire didn't come out consistently. i'd also had problems with the same wire on 3 machines getting porosity. i'd tried different positions and speeds and settings and techniques and it was all the same so idk why flux core is so different. however i have gotten better arc length consistency by turning up a lil of the voltage and wire speed and reducing my gap by 1/8th. Flux core is so strange to me, i've done GMAW and SMAW for 6 years so i figured it would be in between them both but i never had such problems with either. the wire was nr211 0.035 and the machines were a new lincoln and 2 millers of different types and age. failed a 1 inch 3g because one of my bends had porosity cracks. really dissapointing but nothing i did changed that. if anyone has a suggestion im all ears!
Why has the "Elephant in the room" not been addressed? The HF wire is E71T-GS, meaning single pass only wire. E71T-11 is multi-pass wire. The Lincoln NR211-MP wire is multi pass wire as well. So we can play the "What lays downs a better bead" game all day, but if you are using the wrong wire and have to make another pass over it, wrong wire in the first place is not going to end well.
I avoid the 2 lbs spools because of the cast. The 10 lbs rolls are much better and you can hold the proper stick-out without it curling out of the arc.
I've ran alot of np211. only times I had that insistent feed was because I either had it set too low or didn't have the feeder tensioned enough so it was grabbing.
Really looked/ sounded as though the wire speed was too high on both runs. Did you play with the settings to fine tune the machine or did you just go of the guideline chart that came with the welder?
Think I’ll stick with your experience and opinion Bob rather than the brilliant jack ass key board professionals. Thank you so much for making all the vids and sharing your expertise. It helps a lot...
@bob, did you ever figure out why it was feeding inconsistently?? i am noticing that with my welder atm and cannot figure out why. also when you stop welding and releases the trigger i notice the arc goes away (like curtains closing at a show in ) and makes a funny noise. ever notice this?
Saw this video is still getting attention. One thing I learned about Flux core was switching the feed wheels from the smooth ones to the grippy ones, I forget what they're called now though.
From what I saw there was a pulsation happening on both the harbor freight wire and the Lincoln wire I did notice that the Lincoln smoked a little bit less than the harbor freight and what is your opinion on Hobart wire
Excellent example of how one can teach and do at the same time, thank you Bob for your wonderful contributions.
I've done welds with .030 harbor freight flux core that you would swear was done with gas after I knock off the tiny spatter balls and were good strong welds
Harbor Freight wire is repackaged INE wire. I've used the Lincoln gas less wire and the INE. I prefer the INE wire myself. I just feel I get overall better welds with it. There's so many factors at play though. My skill, the machine I'm using, my settings, my metal prep. This guy made both welds look good. It's like what I've always been told with shooting pool. In the hands of a master even a crooked stick can win the tournament! Me, I'll just continue to practice!
Just bought a HF titanium 125 fluxcore welder..
I figuer i will learn on the HF wire first and maybe when i will buy better stuff when i have some skill..
The only thing I don’t like about the E71T-GS wire is that it is not multi pass rated, where as E71T-11 is.
You really won’t notice much of a difference in the performance of the two wire types until you start trying to stack welds
I like using a nozzle with gasless to keep spatter off of the threads for the nozzle for when I do use shielding gas.
Bob,a friend has the Harbor Freight welder you are using.He was about to give up on the machine when someone told him to to research on You Tube, how to modify the Harbor Freight welder.The motor that feeds the wire is being denied the correct voltage when you are welding.We modified the welder and it solved the wire jumping issue.The cost was 37.00.There are a number of videos on YT,some better than others, and if you're going to use this machine,then this is money well spent.Thanks for a well informed video.
Lincoln is SUPERIOR on ALL consumables!!!!!
Every company tries to compete with them, but no one comes close. UltraCore self-sheilded wire is as sweet as chocolate cake. You have to really work at making a defective weld. If you're running right, it melts like butter.
We can argue red/blue/yellow all day, there's no argument with consumables.
Lincoln is KING!
No disrespect, but am also a CWE/CWI, Instructor, Program Director, with 30+ years structural, pipe, and manufacturing.
I can appreciate your approach and respect your well earned and qualified "opinion".
What I don’t like about the E71T-GS wire from harbor freight is that it is not multi pass rated. Where as E71T-11 from Lincoln or any brand is, and you can tell the difference when you start stacking a couple welds.
As far as Lincoln producing superior electrode I completely agree. In structural ironworking you hardly see any contractors these days purchasing anything other than Lincoln Excalibur 7018 for stick, and lincoln flux core 232 or 233. For 6022 deck rod I’ve seen other brands but that’s because quality is not as essential in welding deck.
I actually have a pipe fitter buddy who went to the Hobart welding school, and at the Hobart welding school they were using Lincoln welding rod funny enough. Hobart 7018 has gained a reputation of not having the filler material properly centered in the flux of the rod.
I did a test over the summer with HF wire and Lincoln wire. The Lincoln wire gave me a cleaner weld, and it seemed to just weld easier.
not a huge difference, but hands down the Lincoln wire was twice as good.
Thanks for taking the time to make this video. I appreciate you mentioning my question in the video also. Looking forward to seeing part 2. I guess another test you could do is to see how much force it would take to break or bend both of the welds. I am surprised how similar they ran though. To me, the harbor freight wire does seem to run just a little smoother and less jumpy than the Lincoln wire. It's almost the same though. Great video.
We plan on doing the bend test in the next part. Thanks for the questions
Weld.com Awesome. Thanks.
Harbor freight has stepped thier quality up significantly. It would be a very interesting video on their newer stuff
Thanks for the video , I always appreciate people taking the time to make videos ......I have had this same issue many times and it has nothing to do with the wire make and everything to do with the tension of the the spool inside your machine . I had a fabrication years ago and do alot of hobby fabrication and have toyed around with many different flux core wire brands including harbor freight . The only difference I have ever seen and experienced is generic brand wires is more throat irritation , my welding lens gets full of smoke quicker and more splatter , in other it runs dirtier. Weld integrity and arc consistentcy is the same on all brands. I prefer to weld with Lincoln wire but if splatter and smoke is not an issue generic brands give you more for less .
I had the same inconsistent feed issues with the harbor freight wire .030" but the welds still looked ok. My sister is an engineer at Lincoln and I do like their wire a little better for the feed issues but the welds look the same to me. Great video!
You got family at Lincoln and you're buying Harbor Freight? Man I would be trying to get a free machine and a pallet of wire.
Thanks for a very nice video. It is very helpful to hear someone not biased from the get-go. Very helpful for us non-pros.
I welded up a 20x20 shop for my dad. I was using an old tapped Lincoln 220v mig, that Ive had for 25 years I ran out of Lincoln wire, so my dad went to get some more. I told him to "pick up a 10 pounder of oh-thirty flux core. He came back with a Harbor Freight bag. I decided what the hey, I'll try it. I preferred the the Harbor Freight wire. It seemed to run smoother on rusty metal and had a better appearance.
I believe, because my wire has done the same, it has to do entirely with the spool. I have to adjust tension on the roll itself to keep it from jumping like that. I run Hobart for the record but have run both Lincoln and Harbor Freight, and you have to really tune in drive roll tension and the tension on the spool itself.
I have the early blue 120 volt AC welder. Not HF but same thing I'm sure. I built an adapter for a ten pound Lincoln spool out of a 1 pound spool. It works perfectly, has for years and one problem I don't have is feeding issues.
I also appreciate you putting this together. I have not welded since high school in the '80s. No Mig back then. All constructive advice for the novice shortens my learning curve. Most welds will not be load bearing with heavy loads. However a few will be.
Thanks again this is the first time I have been here you have a new subscriber.
Great video and I appreciate the comparison. I built a set of forks for my wheel loader, and used FCAW due to outdoor use & dirty metal. Penetration was excellent with a MM252 (using 10# spools) turned up. I've had the pulsating sound before, but was able to adjust the settings until it ran smooth; in this case it sounds like you may need to turn the voltage up, or the w/s down. I realize that you're an instructor & hesitate to even make the suggestion, but it may solve the problem. Thanks again for the informative video. Looking forward to part #2.
I have the titanium 125 and the wire it came with I thought wasnt too bad, until I put some decent lincoln wire in it. Holy smokes, the difference was incredible. The spatter was reduced dramatically. Dont let the shit talkers get to you. You're the best instructor I've found on youtube.
I just got a jobsmart about same as harbor freight I believe you are correct they all do the same thank you for sharing will definitely be watching in the future
Very interesting. I'm a noob to welding and have a cheap 110V welder. I was using a Lincoln brand of flux core wire for quite a while. I had a lot of issues with inconsistent feed. I tried everything I could think of to fix it. I had figured it was me or just the cheap machine. Recently I was working on a project and ran out of wire. I went to my local small hardware store to get some more. They only carry the Forney brand. I was thinking I was getting myself into more trouble with my crappy welds. I loaded the wire and was I ever surprised! The wire fed like it should, nice and consistent, I had the nice "bacon fry" sound, and the welds were a whole lot better! I don't know if this is due to wire quality or just machine compatibility. Maybe it is related to consistency of wire diameter . . . ? I didn't change the feed tension. Who knows . . . ? Maybe I had the wrong type of flux core wire?
I use a knurled drive roller in my pro mig 140.
I bet they were both made in the same factory..just different sticker
NOT! harbor freight wire is junk. use lincoln wire in hf welder & you have a very decent welder.
Not actually true. Lincoln doesn’t make most of its wire here anyway.
Harbor frieght wire is made in italy, well the Chicago electric spools that i have from 06 but its solid wire.
@@wildb9864 I bet the wire that comes with a HF welder is not the same as what they sell on the shelf.
@@gizzyguzzi Very true. Common suggestion for new HF users is if the supplied wire is not working, change to replacement role and problems will go away.
I found with my old Autoplus welder that it welded smoother with the largest roll that the machine could carry. I believe that smaller diameter rolls tend to want to resist uncurling and may give the rollers ...and the liners difficulty in providing a smooth and consistent rate through to the gun. I think it has to do with the smoother inertia the heavier and straighter feed from the roll.
That makes sense, my welder has been acting up lately like the wire keeps sticking for some reason and I. Pretty sure it's because the smaller rolls I always use aren't tight and make the wire scrape the liner.
I have a Lincoln 140 (120vac) that I've run at least 40 lbs of Lincoln mig wire thru and I don't have your problems. I use a serrated drive ring on any of the 4 settings. welded 3/8" steel w multiple passes and I've never had a problem. love my Lincoln.
I know what the problem is. You have to orient your table to true north and keep your knees bent.
One thing you get lots of is expert advice. Thanks for these videos.
it definitely looks like the Harbor Freight did better in my opinion it sounded like you were having more trouble with the Lincoln Electric wire.
Donald Kasper and for welders that only use 4” spools, what then? This test was t for welding 1/2” plate. It was for guys who hVe small machines and aren’t professionals.
To Don K. and Mel G. . I think both of you are correct. I own an HTP mig 240 and I have tested switching back and forth from a 4 inch spool to an 8 inch spool and will get that bouncy type of feed with the smaller spool. I think it is because of the adapter for the smaller spool which hangs off of the drive hub . On a small machine the 4 inch spool bolts direct to the drive hub so you get a consistent feed.
i agree with what he is saying. i have been using flux core for field repairs for years on both lincoln and hf welders. the small spools from all manufactures seem to do this. you have to set the tension high. when i switched to large spool lincoln wire from home depot, it solved this issue. i had very steady wire feed. for the home diyer the hf welders work fine. for better wire control you gotta have dial adjustable speed and current.
I would like to see you try a name brand wire in the Harbor Freight welder.
I had one of HFs flux core welders and the wire it came with was junk.
After I put in a roll of .030 Lincoln wire it would actually weld.
Did you have the leads on correctly?
@@saturnmedia1 The problem is the included wire. It's horrible. Has nothing to do with the machine.
My experience was the 1st 10% of the included wire was terrible. Had to prefeed off the role to make it work. Then all of a sudden the problem went away and never came back.
Just bought a cheap Campbell Hausfeld flux core welder off of marketplace. He had Lincoln wire in it and he wanted to keep his wire. I brought the welder Home. And the shop that sells welders was closed and I'm trying to get a project done for my grandson. So I went to Harbor Freight and bought a spool of wire. Not saying it's a good wire. But I definitely noticed a difference between when the guy tested the welder with Lincoln wire. And I'm using the Harbor Freight wire. I'm seeing less sbattere. And less kickback on the Stinger. Who knows maybe Harbor Freight flux core wire probably ain't that bad. We all need to do more testing. But for now I definitely have questions on it too.
Good video. Well done. I experience the same fluctuations with flux core and I was told to use the serrated rollers for it. Need to buy some rollers and give it a try. I only use flux core for static loads, never dynamic. That's just me. Good job!
Good evening, I'm new to your Channel and I'm new to welding. Thank you very much for putting these welding videos together. I need to learn how to weld because I have a cabin in northern Maine. I have a small pieces of equipment used for hunting and fishing out in the bush. I am very interested in flux welding. I appreciate you doing this video here today because I had seen and other videos about the quality of wire from Harbor Freight to someone else. I do believe that they were saying the Lincoln wire. I will be purchasing a titanium welder from Harbor Freight so I will be getting my wire from them also. Your video here today has been very helpful in my decision making process.
I hope you have a great evening and once again thank you for this quality video.
Tom
Damn they are both good. 1 pound of Lincoln wire is 13 bucks. Harbor Freight has a 2 pound for 13.99. I think I'll go with the Harbor Freight based on the video
I feel the same way about Walmart wire. seemed to work as well as any other flux core. but I'm not a welder, I just own a welder.
I guess it may depend on what you are welding and critical it is. I use lincoln wire in my everlast with no complaints.
Recently bought the Harbor Freight 125 flux core welder. Price was very reasonable. While at Home Depot though I noticed they sell the .030 wire (1 lb spool) which is what the Harbor Freight welder came with for $13.99 whereas Harbor Freight charges $20. If as you say you can't see any difference then I think I'd go with Home Depot for the wire.
I have the same problem with lincoln flux core wire.. not all the time but it started to happend more and more so thi week i'm getting a bottle of 100%co2 and it'll be my first week trying mig welding 👌
i would take the fizzle out by raising intake throttle,lower the splatter by lubricating with pb blast and crimp the headbob for a smoother run.
Adam Coyne lubricate how with pb? Thanks
I think amperage makes a difference. I've used both the ER70S-6 MIG wire and Harbor Freight ER70S-6 wire in my Pro Mig 140 and I definitely prefer the Lincoln wire.
Bob, Thanks for your videos. I use the older 90 Amp 120 Volt H.F flux core welder on the high setting with #3 to #4 speed for most of the metals I weld using Lincoln flux core wire .30 and change the tip when it starts to stick. When I bought it many years ago I read not to use H.F. flux core wire and to use the smaller .30 Lincoln flux core wire. The price is right for a Do It Yourself Mr. Fix It person with an occasional project in the garage. I've used it on a utility flatbed trailer railings, gate/ramp, Desert Go Kart, ATV fender brackets, built a 2" square tubing carrier for a Motorized Drift Trike for my SUV 2" hitch to name a few.
Good video. Inconsistent welding feed is due to a number things. 1. Cast & pitch. The larger the cast / the closer to zero pitch the better the feed. 2. Surface lubricant. Intermittent feeding is caused by a lack of or varying amounts of surface lube on the wire surface. 3. Inconsistent internal flux percentage. During manufacturing dry chemicals are added to the tube. This is monitored & tested during production. 4. Are the 2 wire comparable. Both are indeed gas less but are they the same T-?? classification & do they use the same settings? Thanks again for your video. I have not yet watched part 2.
I have a small lincoln flux core machine, and I've only ran the mp211 in the small spools and I've noticed it doesn't feed as well till the spool is almost 3/4 of the way gone than with a full spool. feels stabby at times, and sounds like its pulsing. I tried changing up wire speed, roller tension, but eventually when the spool runs low is when it runs it's best. I want to get a bigger spool to see if it makes a difference or not.
i run a nozzle on my welder with gasless flux core wire also !
I dug out a Speedway Series (green) 125A flux welder we got kicking around. Pain in the arse. Hardly worked. It's sat for years. I put a new 200A HF ground clamp on it for $7, cleaned it up inside, put a spool of Lincoln NR211 in it, I'll be damned it works!!
Bob,
I love your reaction to a certain few who have all the answers.....good job......your videos are always interesting, and smart....I subscribed and like all of them...keep up the good work......
The slag on the Lincoln weld was harder to remove than the slag on the Harbor Freight weld.
The slag on the HF weld seemed to just peel right off. No so with the Lincoln weld.
Great instructional video. I'm going to need to do some flux core welding with my everlast mig welder. Got some welding that needs done outside and there is always some kind of breeze blowing.
I strictly run flux out of the same welder he used for that very reason, I honestly have it tuned in so nice that after I knock the slag off you can't even tell the difference between flux and mig wire with gas
The wire is oxidized or oil contaminated, you can't get a stable arc without good electrical conductivity. The Vulcan wire is typically oxidized and the Lincoln wire is typically oily to the point that the label soaks it up over time. Hobart wire runs smooth electrically but has massive amounts of spatter.
I have used both kinds of wire in my harbor freight $100 welder and I prefer to use Lincoln electric wire. I have grounded down the nozzle of my gun to be even with the tip so I can weld with the nozzle on because it deflects the popcorn a little bit. I find that the Lincoln wire penetrates better and flows better. The Lincoln electric wire was spooled badly, I had a big backlash mess the first time I opened a roll but got it all wrapped back up and it worked great.
I noticed the sound of the wire when welding, first thing it tells me that the feed was too high, that's why the arc was jumping around, and the second tell tale sign was the spatter. if the speed is set right, there is very little spatter if at all. but I have made the same comparisons and they are almost identical in all aspects. I have welded a lot of gasless flux core wire and it holds just as well as dual shield flux core.....thanks for the vid.....
Try again with the Vulcan wire I can see a difference over Lincoln wire. The arc is just so crisp, all the time. The welds are better quality, and those Italian fellows make the best wire Imho.
I love your videos. It is obvious that you have a lot of time earned skill and knowledge when you talk about welding. I'm still fairly new to welding and between your videos and others (Weld Fever, Welding Tips and Tricks, and ChuckE) I'm learning a lots. Keep up the good work and don't worry about the goof balls who get on forums and claim to know everything. There will always be naysayers.
I have some Hobart wire on my older flux core only EZ125 Hobart welder and I was wondering if I should replace that wire?does it go bad after three years or so because I believe that’s how old mine is,,,,,or is it OK to keep using it,,, I just go out in the garage and tinker around once in a while or try and fix something that breaks that’s all I use my little welder for I don’t do a whole lot of welding,,, The last thing I use my welder for was to make some little tiny tail pipe muffler pipe for a 15 hp Briggs & Stratton opposed twin engine it didn’t have a exhaust on it so I use some pipe from Menards and welded some up
You have a new subscriber based on what appears to be honest and helpful feedback. I am a new/hobbyist welder and have that level of equipment. But I want to learn more and make better welds. I just updated my welder from an old transformer based MIG-100 to a Titanium Flex-125 that is a DC induction based machine. Much much lighter at 15 lbs or so. Still an entry level machine but should work fine for me. I was doing research on if it would help me to upgrade my wire. This video seems to say, no real need. Appreciated. I will check out other videos and see what else you have for info.
Bob you are the man no doubt about that but I don't think this is an equal comparison. The Lincoln wire is t11 which conforms to aws d1.1 with a limited thickness of 1/2". The harbor freight is a gs wire and is made to manufacture specifications.
I know you didn't want to see anyting. But it seemed like the Harbor Freight flux core laid down a better bead. And not much jumping on the Stinger. But like you said it could have been just the way they were spoiled. One could have been wrapped tighter than the other. And causing jumping on the feeder
Ive never had much luck with flux core, i think its harder to weld than regular gas mig! Great video!
Its not as bad as you think, my 1st experience was with flux core now i mig. Flux burns hotter and the weld pool is not the same, id recommend watching more of these videos.
The smaller spools of wire seems to be wounds tighter. Another thing is making sure that the tension roller has the center where it mounted correcting.
im subbed and i like your videos.. i pray that you dont get discouraged from negative comments.. most people on youtube fake being experienced and maybe know just enough to trick you into an argument.. i know how to build engines and auto wiring and i have never in my life watched a youtube video on either subject.. all im trying to say is that the people arguing with you are probably not welders at all.. im trying to learn how to weld ... thats why i watch your videos.. please dont ever disable your comments..
Not to worry, Chris. A few trolls won't influence the channel. We have fun with them.
Bob, first-sorry to comment on this two year old video. I'm just getting back into welding as I'm restoring a car. I've been practicing a lot with the gasless flux core (running a straight bead, zig-zag, little c's etc. I learned from my dad and in high school (years ago) with just the ol' stick arc welder. I'm having trouble dialing in the voltage and wire speed. I'm following the chart on the welder but I'm not getting very good results and not sure how to trouble shoot. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
BTW, ignore the asshat that pissed you off. Your channel and the info you are sharing is invaluable for thousands of people out here is youtube land. just saying.
I have had the same issues with the Chicago Electric flux core. I switched to the Hobart flux core and haven't had an issue since.
I think that the flux core welds better with the shield also. It helps keep spatter off your tip. I've try welding without the shield and not even a second later my tip was getting gummed up and would break the wire/ wire welding/ arcing in the tip. I have a hate/ love relationship with flux core welding.
might check your liner that's most likely the prob with the wire feeding inconsistent
This was my thought too.
I'd be really surprised if this guy doesn't know to check the liner. He's a certified instructor and has over 30 years in the trade.
Excellent Video Bob! I have 2 HF Welders & absolutely LOVE em'. A LOT of Bang for the buck! btw...I Liked & Subbed! Looking forward to seeing all your videos! Have A Super Week!.....Gus
I've had spooling problems with these before, I believe its the hole in the spool I ran a half inch sanding spindle through the center, made it smooth out a lot.
Gassless always seems less smooth. This video was great. Much thanks.
Did you change drive wheel in the machine? That may be the jumping arc... idk
I hadn't considered the small spool size could cause feed issues, but makes sense!
Good unbiased comparison.
I just came to read the comments. I already know every UA-cam expert is going to come by and blame and point out errors cause they don't like the answer lol
I have a question. I dont have much experience with flux core but on the second weld near the bottom. The arc didnt sound smooth. What causes that or is that the way its supposed sound?
I have the Harbor Fright-and i always run in on MAX and wire speed on about 3-How thick were your plates, and were you running .030 or .035 wire?
As an AWS CWI, I'm going to tell you that I'm biased towards Lincoln electrodes. I've tested hundreds of PQRs and the mechanical properties of these two manufacturers are night and day. If I remember correctly, HF is rebranded Hobart.
I feel as though you may have bumped something when setting up to shoot. It sounded like you needed quite a bit more wire. The pulsing is your electrode burning back up toward the contact tip. As it does, your voltage reduced and allowed the electrode to feed until its proximity to the workpiece increased the current again. Since I'm already talking about sounds, there is a noticeable difference between the HF and Lincoln electrodes. I would happily go into the differences I find with these two wires but I feel like we cannot establish a proper platform for debate until we've run these two electrodes within their proper parameters.
Try warming the flux core wire in not an oven but just warm the spool up for a few hours and just like stick electrodes the flux soaked up moisture and effects the weld, also could you make a video of the really cheep 130 amp ac flux core welders?
Ps. I really think warming the spools and drying out the flux will really help
While heating may well alter the wire somehow, the result has nothing to do with moisture sorption.
Metal is totally impervious to moisture vapor, and since the flux is on the inside, nothing in or out.
Dunno.. I weld body panels, I do a lot. I stumbled across a brand - "Super 6" that do 0.8mm flux core mild steel wire. It's far from the cheapest - it's actually pretty pricey - however, if you gave me the choice of running Super 6 flux core or a premium solid wire with gas, I would pick the Super 6 flux core every single time in a heartbeat.
It is about 10 times as precise when it comes to filling them tiny little "missed spots" on panel welds - it gives a much softer, smoother, flatter weld that grinds down lovely, it blows less holes in thin stuff than solid wire (even 0.6 solid) plus I can grab the torch, hit one button for "On" without having to dick about turning on gas, messing with flow rates, wondering is the bottle nearly empty.. going off for half a day to get gas, lugging bottles..blah blah - and it gives me a BETTER weld than all the faffing with gas did?? I'm OK with paying slightly more for wire for those benefits.
You seen the price of gas?? Good flux core becomes a total no-brainer - every time I pick up a torch loaded with it, I smile - people who say it's rubbish, for hobbyists, blah blah - they just aren't doing it right.
I know that the casting on the spoil definitely effects the feeding of the wire , I have a Lincoln that I noticed that it runs super smooth when i don’t have casting or a birds nest 😋
I was able to guess the difference. The left had more ripple in the beading, going on that I was able to guess correctly. I am a novice just to let you know. I agree with your determination though. Thanks for the video.
Hi Bob l enjoy your video's your an awesome teacher. Young blokes in the trade are in good hands keep up the good work .I've been welding most of my working life I'm semi retired now and i find flux core very handy at home those 1 kg rolls bug me big time. I'm not sure but i think they may work better on a spool gun ? I don't know I've never used one. At home though i only ever use the 5 kg rolls there much better. You don't use as many tips the liner is much cleaner and the machine runs smoother thats been my experience. Get one and give it a try keep up the good work Terry edwards TAS Australia
I have the blue harbor freight flux welder. Its a/c output which sucks but it works. I found that using lincoln wire spools from home depot worked better than the harbor frieght wire it came with.
great video- gonna get a flux core for my project honda - thanks
Love your videos!! Straight and to the point
I just realized
you're wearing an OU hair cover.
Another question. Using fluxcore vert position. Can you weld from bottom to top or do you have to weld from top to bottom. On a thicker piece of material. Im used to 7018 stick. Thanks for any help.
love the videos only thing i would add is that it is not a ground it is a work lead. there is no ground in the welding circuit only the lead side of the transformer plugging the unit into the power source. awesome videos keep it up! as for my opinion on HF vs Lincoln. both are Chinese parts. it comes down to the welder.
The settings, the angle, everything is why it ran like that. I think out of position or some less than ideal conditions (wind, dirty metal) would make a better condition. That's where you really start to notice differences.
If the nozzle is on is there any difference in quality of weld ? I have a cheap 130 amp welder ( gasless ) and i always keep the nozzle on because it sort of gives me a better point of reference when im starting the weld. I've had people say Why do you keep the nozzle on and my only response is " i just prefer it on " but no one has ever said to me that the quality of the weld will be any different.
do it with a HF welder. Should be a low budget film to make.
Like $80
i've done flux core for a bit at school now. had similar feeling where the wire didn't come out consistently. i'd also had problems with the same wire on 3 machines getting porosity. i'd tried different positions and speeds and settings and techniques and it was all the same so idk why flux core is so different. however i have gotten better arc length consistency by turning up a lil of the voltage and wire speed and reducing my gap by 1/8th. Flux core is so strange to me, i've done GMAW and SMAW for 6 years so i figured it would be in between them both but i never had such problems with either.
the wire was nr211 0.035 and the machines were a new lincoln and 2 millers of different types and age.
failed a 1 inch 3g because one of my bends had porosity cracks. really dissapointing but nothing i did changed that.
if anyone has a suggestion im all ears!
john creamer could it have something to do with your ground clamp?
@@charlescooperderose8872 3 different machines, 3 different clamps, changing settings too. i melted the tip turning it up too high once.
Why has the "Elephant in the room" not been addressed? The HF wire is E71T-GS, meaning single pass only wire. E71T-11 is multi-pass wire. The Lincoln NR211-MP wire is multi pass wire as well.
So we can play the "What lays downs a better bead" game all day, but if you are using the wrong wire and have to make another pass over it, wrong wire in the first place is not going to end well.
Nothing beats Lincoln NR211-MP in my opinion
I avoid the 2 lbs spools because of the cast.
The 10 lbs rolls are much better and you can hold the proper stick-out without it curling out of the arc.
I've ran alot of np211. only times I had that insistent feed was because I either had it set too low or didn't have the feeder tensioned enough so it was grabbing.
Really looked/ sounded as though the wire speed was too high on both runs. Did you play with the settings to fine tune the machine or did you just go of the guideline chart that came with the welder?
Thanks for the honest review
thank you for the videos. I appreciate them
Think I’ll stick with your experience and opinion Bob rather than the brilliant jack ass key board professionals.
Thank you so much for making all the vids and sharing your expertise. It helps a lot...
@bob, did you ever figure out why it was feeding inconsistently?? i am noticing that with my welder atm and cannot figure out why. also when you stop welding and releases the trigger i notice the arc goes away (like curtains closing at a show in ) and makes a funny noise. ever notice this?
Saw this video is still getting attention. One thing I learned about Flux core was switching the feed wheels from the smooth ones to the grippy ones, I forget what they're called now though.
But it's important for the wire to stop with back pressure.
I appreciate your videos, very helpful.
I run the mp 211 wire. Don't have much luck running it down hand. All uphill
So who favors what wire better? HF. Or Lincoln? I only used Lincoln but either or looks just as great, I have a splatter problem with the Lincoln .35
From what I saw there was a pulsation happening on both the harbor freight wire and the Lincoln wire I did notice that the Lincoln smoked a little bit less than the harbor freight and what is your opinion on Hobart wire