MIG Wire Quality Harbor Freight vs Hobart

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I had purchased a roll of Harbor Freight MIG wire thinking that wire is wire, so why pay so much more for other brands? After a while, I noticed that the wire did not lay as good of a bead and was extremely hard to grind.   I installed a roll of Hobart wire the other day and was amazed at the difference. The beads are much better and when I do need to grind a weld, it grinds in a third of the time. No more HF wire for me
Reply:Originally Posted by A/C GuyI had purchased a roll of Harbor Freight MIG wire thinking that wire is wire, so why pay so much more for other brands? After a while, I noticed that the wire did not lay as good of a bead and was extremely hard to grind.
Reply:The other day when I was in there I saw that some of the .030 wire was labeled "Made in Italy" and all the rest was labeled "Made in India". I was surprised that china didn't have enough raw material to make mig wire.L-tec Heliarc 306Miller 210Victor O/A rig
Reply:What kind of wire? Flux core, solid, how many pound spool is it? I have burned a couple hundred pounds of  HF .030 solid 11 lb spools. I used to buy INWELD wire from our LWS, didn't see any difference in the HF.
Reply:Originally Posted by KsnyderWhat kind of wire? Flux core, solid, how many pound spool is it? I have burned a couple hundred pounds of  HF .030 solid 11 lb spools. I used to buy INWELD wire from our LWS, didn't see any difference in the HF.
Reply:I really really enjoy Hobart flux core. I used Harbor Freight on a buddies wire feed and wasnt impressed. I have used Forney and its ok. not great but not aweful.HH140---------------------------https://www.facebook.com/brandon.pike.9
Reply:Originally Posted by KsnyderWhat kind of wire? Flux core, solid, how many pound spool is it? I have burned a couple hundred pounds of  HF .030 solid 11 lb spools. I used to buy INWELD wire from our LWS, didn't see any difference in the HF.
Reply:Idk,I'm burning eBay sourced .023 ER70S6 and it's burning just like Lincoln brand.  MADE IN VIETNAM.I could be lucky.
Reply:HF is crap.  Here's the source of HF mig wire: Attached Images "Hey I didn't come to look and learn, I came to turn and burn.... If I can't light up, I'm gonna light out!"-JodyIdealarc 250 "Fatman"MM 252MM 211 "Little boy" Victor Torches
Reply:HF wire is coat hanger wire. Full of snags.Charl
Reply:Originally Posted by ANVILHF is crap.  Here's the source of HF mig wire:
Reply:Originally Posted by ANVILHF is crap.  Here's the source of HF mig wire:
Reply:Ive been using the HF .30 & .35 flux core wire on my MM130 and it runs good. Yea I get some spatter but its flux core. I think hf might of changed manufacturers though. Some of the spools I was looking at had a "made in india" mark on the label. The wire Ive been using has a "made in italy" mark. I dont know if that is going to make a difference but I havent had a problem. Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkLincoln Pro Mig 180HF Stick/Tig Inverter WelderLincoln AC225s
Reply:Originally Posted by vwguy3Do you really believe HF wire is the ONLY wire made using recycled steel?I have some Chinlee .023 2lb spools and it runs great.
Reply:Originally Posted by ANVILSimple answer: No.  Now it's my turn for a question for you.  Do you really believe HF (Chinese crap) is considered "great?"  I figure why should I buy Chi-com $hi+ when I can afford name brand quality wire?  To each his own.
Reply:Wanting to learn as much as I could, I asked a lot of questions when I bought my Lincoln. Company rep warned that the HF wire is not known for high quality. Said diameter irregularities were very inconsistent and has caused feed problems for some.  He never mentioned any concerns about quality of the actual steel.
Reply:Never had a hick-cup using the HF wire in the area of feeding.. Can't say the same about the last roll of L-56 I used, and threw away. I use quality wire like Esab Spool-arc 86 for the most part, but really the Italian wires are really pretty good stuff. INE is the same wire, and has works very well in my Esab, Miller,and Lincoln machines.Esab/Lorch ET-220iEsab 160i caddyThermal LM-200 Lincoln feedersThermal Pee-Wee 85sThermal 60i- 3phase /RPC powered (Beast)Thermal Drag-gun 35CINE 1500 Klutch 140i
Reply:Always amazes me when someone goes to hf expecting to good tools, wire, Welders etc.. at a fraction of the cost.
Reply:My last spool purchased was Hobart .30 from Tractor Supply. It is Chinese.-Spike
Reply:My experience with HF flux core wire is not good at all.  Irregular feeding and even worse plugged and ruined my liner prematurely.  Actual weld quality was acceptable but nothing great.  However, by the time you factor in the irregular feeding and ruining your gun liner more frequently then it is not a bargain at all.  Hobart E71T-11 for me when it comes to flux core.
Reply:Coworker of mine was telling me that he runs HF flux core and loves it.I told him to go buy some Lincoln innershield. He brushed it off saying wire is wire.....Then he bought some....He came to work absolutely floored at the difference.
Reply:I heard the lincoln was supposed to be good but it seemed to be worse to me then HF or hobart.
Reply:Originally Posted by Brand XNever had a hick-cup using the HF wire in the area of feeding.. Can't say the same about the last roll of L-56 I used, and threw away. I use quality wire like Esab Spool-arc 86 for the most part, but really the Italian wires are really pretty good stuff. INE is the same wire, and has works very well in my Esab, Miller,and Lincoln machines.
Reply:It's really pretty nice wire, and worth giving it a shot. Runs well in my Miller and Esab Machines.. Not quite at the level of Spool-arc 86, but good quality. I will buy it again.. Nice you can get packages of 2, with different mixed wire sizes. Handy to order a .023/.035 together,(etc.) for a bit over $35.00 (Free shipping)Esab/Lorch ET-220iEsab 160i caddyThermal LM-200 Lincoln feedersThermal Pee-Wee 85sThermal 60i- 3phase /RPC powered (Beast)Thermal Drag-gun 35CINE 1500 Klutch 140i
Reply:Originally Posted by Brand XIt's really pretty nice wire, and worth giving it a shot. Runs well in my Miller and Esab Machines.. Not quite at the level of Spool-arc 86, but good quality. I will buy it again.. Nice you can get packages of 2, with different mixed wire sizes. Handy to order a .023/.035 together,(etc.) for a bit over $35.00 (Free shipping)I have been running HTP wires for about 5 years now solid, fluxcore and aluminumwww.georgesplasmacuttershop.comPlasma Cutter and Welder Sales and Repairs--Ebay storeTec.Mo. Dealer Consumables for the PT and IPT torch's
Reply:Harbor Freight is junk and more expensive than name brand stuff.
Reply:Originally Posted by Fnord5Coworker of mine was telling me that he runs HF flux core and loves it.I told him to go buy some Lincoln innershield. He brushed it off saying wire is wire.....Then he bought some....He came to work absolutely floored at the difference.
Reply:THis past week I picked up a couple of rolls of Lincoln NR-211-MP flux core wire on sale because I had very little left on my spool of INE  E 491T-GS made in Italy. I remember when I first put in the roll of INE Italian thinking that there was a little bit more spatter and a little bit more finicky to run, ie not starting all that easy and the welding sounded more like phazer fire (Spock) than bacon fizz. I thought that I would swap out the wire to compare on with the other with a fresh perspective. Yep, there's a difference and not that small overall, to boot. First thing I noticed that the Lincoln wire ran hotter, I had to turn down the voltage from the INE settings to prevent blow-through, so does Lincoln wire have better electrical conductivity? Second, I noticed that there was much less spatter with the new Lincoln wire; I had become used to grinding away ugly and copious quantities of spatter. I remember thinking to myself at one point that there was almost more spatter than weld, imagine that! Still plenty of spatter with Lincoln wire, but better by 1/2 or more, phew! I had become used to poor finish results with Italian wire and was pleasantly surprised to find a much more respectable finish with the Lincoln wire. I did'nt do a bend test for strength/penetration. No, I haven't tried Hobart wire, many on this forum believe it to be the best innershield wire, I'm just happy to be getting reasonable results with a FC wire for a change. I suspect that Hobart + Lincoln FC wires are fairly equitable in performance, so I have no problem making this comparison. This comparison tells me that I should always stick with name-brand wire for best results, although I will use up the last 1/2 pound or so of the inferior stuff where the welds can't be seen. I always use top quality wire for gassing, but this instant comparison shows me that there are definite differences between FC wires. Oh yeah,  don't forget that you get what you pay for (save 20%, perform at least 20% less).  Last edited by bearston; 06-18-2014 at 10:07 AM.When a welder tells you to "stick it", what do they really mean?"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
Reply:Jeez I don't know anyone who uses Lincoln wire! It really sucks compared to what I buy at Airgas.
Reply:You dont know what you are buying at Airgas just overpriced .
Reply:Originally Posted by ANVILHF is crap.  Here's the source of HF mig wire:
Reply:I been using PowerWeld from my LWS. . .Seems great and dirt cheap..
Reply:Originally Posted by metalmagpieJeez I don't know anyone who uses Lincoln wire! It really sucks compared to what I buy at Airgas.