Is all welding wire created equal?

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Is cheap wire the same as brand-name wire?I just burned through my first spool of wire and from what I can tell it was good to work with, I was very happy with the way the welds looked when I was done.  I went down to the welding supply store and bought some off-brand cheapo wire and feel like it is decent stuff but the welds do not come out the same.  Perhaps it is just because I haven't welded in a few days and am off.  I had Hobart .030 standard wire before, and now I have the same stuff but different brand.
Reply:If you go to the Miller web site and look for the “Gas Metal Arc Welding” manual, on pages 51 -59 there are tables that list the recipes for all the standard wire classes. And then you’ll have your answer.
Reply:Filler wire is just like anything else. It's only good as the tolerances the producer accepts. Brand names are pobably going to have more stringent requirements for the chemical makeup of their wire vs. what the cheap brands will allow. For example when you buy mild steel wire, there's more in that wire than just ferrite and X% carbon. There are traces of other elements in there. Better brands will not allow as much of these extra elements.
Reply:Grimm, I don’t totally agree. Take ER70S-6, the allowable range for Manganese is 1.4 to 1.85%. manganese influences how wet the puddle is and the strength of the bead, the more the better the puddle flows and the stronger.Unless the manufacture is cheating, things that don’t belong in the recipe should not be included. Although you get less of the good stuff with off brands.
Reply:Here's my take on it...Is all toilet paper the same?It all wipes your a$$.
Reply:X2  .....The mind can only absorb what the a$$ can bear.                                                                                             Equipment: Snap-on mig, Airco stick, Harris torch, Thermo Dynamic plasma
Reply:the answer is "depends"wire usually has to conform to a spec and will have an allowable range for elements (including the ones not wanted like sulfur and manganese)  If two wires meet those specs in theory they should run the same.however as we all know people can and will cut corners on quality and cost and sometimes wires will be out of spec. OR have messed up things like cast and helix.  I've found that if I take two pieces of 70s-6 they both should and will run about the same, BUT, if ones a brand that has a bad reputation what we might find is that 1-in-10 spools won't run right, or doesn't perform well, or has  messed up cast and wants to walk in the puddle etc.out in the industrial world we usually buy based on price and production rate.  We've been burned a few times by batches of bad wire but if we can proove it's not running right we've had good luck getting our money back.  On the hobbiest level  I run cheap-o stuff cause it works.
Reply:Originally Posted by daddyHere's my take on it...Is all toilet paper the same?It all wipes your a$$.
Reply:NO, I can tell between Lincoln, Hobart, and ESAB on the E71T-1  dual shield wire, yet the AWS spec is the same. I can tell between Excalibur and Hobart 418 7018, as well as cheapo 70S-6 MIG wire and the Hobart HB-28. Sure it all gets the job done, but I like what I like.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:I'm just summing up what a lincoln sales rep and a weld engineer told me. When I was working on aircraft each batch of wire that came in had to be independantly chemicaly anilized, because even though certain chemicals are measured and kept within certain tolerances, the manufacturers don't always check for other elements that may get into the mix.
Reply:1. Compliance to AWWS specs is voluntary and up to the manufacturer to monitor: There is no wire police.2. I have never ran a wire that would not meet the minimum specifications required by the AWS.3. The AWS certs. deals with the deposit, how a manufacturer meets that specification is up to them.4. After more than 35 years of welding, I have found that Lincoln ( USA made, not in Mexico), ESAB and Hobart consistently provide all the qualities need for a high quality weld and aesthetic appeal when applied by a qualified welder following a proven procedure.
Reply:I dont know about weld quality but my little 110 mig does not feed the tractor supply stuff very well. I called the welder company and the first think they asked was "what wire are you using"?. I got another spool from indy oxygen and problem resolved. Just my $.02.1995 supra 6-speed. 9.91 @148 mph on e85
Reply:Originally Posted by TozziWeldingNO, I can tell between Lincoln, Hobart, and ESAB on the E71T-1  dual shield wire, yet the AWS spec is the same. I can tell between Excalibur and Hobart 418 7018, as well as cheapo 70S-6 MIG wire and the Hobart HB-28. Sure it all gets the job done, but I like what I like.
Reply:The answer is no, not even hard wire.Tramp elements are a biggie.  With carbon steel, not necessarily a big deal, but get up into the chromes with creep strength enhanced ferritics, and it can change mechanical properties quite a bit, impact weld cleanliness, and alter required postweld heat treat ranges.The outside of the wire has an impact, too.  For example, Lincoln Electric coats their GMAW wires with a lubricant that includes arc stabilizers.  This caused havoc when used in an orbital GTAW process.  We went to ordering clean wires (copper coating and lubricants stripped) with no issues.Out of all the wires I've dealt with, Washington Alloys was by far the worst in terms of trash that floated to the surface, and inconsistencies between lots.  Not surprised, as they simply rebadge.
Reply:We use Lincoln wire all the time at work, and even pallet to pallet we can notice the difference. Most will feed and weld beautiful, some will feed good, but splatter like crazy, and not penetrate as well, some just refuse to feed. We just finished one pallet of wire that really sucked,It was like we were welding through water or something.This new batch is way, way better. If the cheap stuff welds like the bad batches we get, I would rather pay more for the quality wire.
Reply:Originally Posted by daddyTozzi, what do you like better, the excalibur or 418?I like the 418 myself.
Reply:Originally Posted by SupeOut of all the wires I've dealt with, Washington Alloys was by far the worst in terms of trash that floated to the surface, and inconsistencies between lots.  Not surprised, as they simply rebadge.
Reply:418 out of sealed tins, ( the only way  I can buy it ) is as good as I can ask for on 7018I'll even say this...If you are an excalibur fan, I'd bet you like the hobart 418 better.Friends of mine may get preference on free  samples...
Reply:I've had mixed luck with the "firepower" brand napa sells, it was all my old boss used to run in his auto shop because we had a charge account with napa and not the LWS.  Mostly crap, very very picky about surface prep (not that I weld over rust, but the difference between completely clean and a lil grey was huge, on an exhaust system thats already rusting out there's only so much cleaning you can do before theres nothing left.Personally I like Esab wire a lot.