Welding Tips and Tricks

I need suggestions for an affordable stick welder (under $1000) that can run a 6010 rod well. I will be purchasing a stick welder to practice pipe welding with 6010 and 7018 rods but also a little hobby work. I almost purchased the Lincoln Powermig 210mp because i thought it would be nice to also have a decent mig welder. After reading reviews I discovered that it can't hold an arc with a 6010 rod. Any advice?

Welcome, soulreaper,

I'll clean out that other post, so your replies will come here.

Several people will be able to give you recommendations for the machine you're seeking.

Steve S

soulreaper wrote:I need suggestions for an affordable stick welder (under $1000) that can run a 6010 rod well. I will be purchasing a stick welder to practice pipe welding with 6010 and 7018 rods but also a little hobby work. I almost purchased the Lincoln Powermig 210mp because i thought it would be nice to also have a decent mig welder. After reading reviews I discovered that it can't hold an arc with a 6010 rod. Any advice?

If your primary goal is to weld pipe with 6010/7018, you'll be better off with older transformer machines, as the inverters that can do this WELL are not cheap.

What power source do you intend to work under? Assuming you're not looking for a generator (as you won't find anything worth using under $1K), I have to ask if you're using house power (220V single phase) or have access to 3-phase power.

Also, is SMAW (stick) the only thing you plan to do with it?

You'll want a DC machine that can run 100% duty at 150A if you're using 1/8" 7018, or 100% duty at 180A if you'll use 5/32 7018. Note I don't mention the 6010 here, as a similar size rod will require the same or fewer amps if you do it like I do, or about 35% less if you whip/pause.

I think to get what (I think) you're looking for, you're going to be on craigslist.

Steve S

Steve S

Keep an eye on Ebay for a Miller CST 280. I bought a used one in great shape for practicing pipe a while back and got it for $1200, but I saw a brand new one in the box that sold for $810 a week or two ago. They are designed for pipe welding with 6010/7018 and have a 100% duty cycle at 150 amps. Very smooth arc, and it also has a great lift arc tig mode as well as foot pedal capability. It's a multi voltage unit (can run on 2 or 3 phase)...I use mine on 220V on a 30 amp circuit and it works great. Off the top of my head I believe you can get 200 amps with them off of a 220V circuit. Weighs less than 50 lbs too. Never heard of anyone having problems with them and never had any issues with mine, so would say they are reliable units.

If you're unable to locate one of those and don't mind buying an import I've heard good things about the Everlast Powerarc 200 and Powerarc 300 models. Both are capable of running 6010 and you can get them brand new for well under $1000.