pros and cons of smaw welding w/ inverters

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hi       i demoed a cst 250,      there was some things that i liked and didnt like.    i am used to welding w/ older,heavier welders.     id like to by the best stick inverter out there for reasons of mobility.       now the cst is smaller and very desirable to me size wise.   i havent had the opportunity to demo a xmt304 or 350 or intervec 350        have any of you welded w/ differnet inverters in stick mode , and can you say any differences between them.       mainly do the bigger multiprocess inverters have any different smaw charactaristics or benefits over the cst.    and do you feel the lincon or miller is better than the other and why     thanks
Reply:I Have an invertec v350 pro.  I absolutely love it.  In stick, it welds with 7018 better than any other machine I have used.  With bare wire its simply awesome.I also have an arcmaster 185.  That one stick welds ok, but with 7018 its not that great to me. It still welds, but the beads with the invertec are much better looking.  These are the only two I have used.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:I had an HTP Invertig 201 that I ran a bunch of stick with and had great results.  I can't say that I noticed a difference from the buzz box that I normally use.MichaelMillermatic 25115" Rockwell Drill Press10" Logan Lathe5hp - 2-stage 80 Gallon CompressorHome Made Sand / Soda Blaster
Reply:hi, I have the CST 280 and just love it. We have the 304 at work and I think they do not compare. The best feature of the CST 280  is the 6010  and 7018 soft  stiff setting, AWESOME !!!!! The shop bought the 304's because of the auto link but the 280 are really better . All we use in pipe stick welding is 6010 and 7018 and the 280 is my favorite. There is NO NOISE until the fan cycles on PLUS , the electrical consumption is almost 1/2 of what the transformer machine use. My wife noticed it right away on our electric bill . A real noticable savings.
Reply:Ditto on the energy savings.  My V350 uses 1/3 the power to weld the same parameters as my wirematic 250.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:I prefer stick welding off an inverter, but that's just me.
Reply:I "adopted" an Invertec V350 Pro at school and tested with the same machine in mig and stick, it's great! Lots of machines are available for us to use at school, this one tops 'em in my book!City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:If you study the theory of inverters Current from AC.  dON'T use THE OLD 5p BECAUSE it was mfg. to be used with DCRP only.  The flux was designed that way for better penetration.  5P+ is better because of the iron powder helping the flow of current.  This info is for invertewrs only.
Reply:I have a small Lincoln Invertec, not sure of the number but it will handle all the rods I want but I find it really excells on low hydrogen rods although I used it on some pipe today with 6013's and it was fine.Clive