The difference in 7018 AC and Excalibur

This video shows why Excalibar is the best 7018 to use. You get much better penetration. The 7018 AC has low penetration and porosity at the start thanks to the fillers. The flux of the 7018 AC is made so it CAN run on AC, all rods run on DC. ESAB zealots and people with AC buzzboxes keep voting this video dow, but you know it's true. LOL.

[spartaeus]

Not everyone wants that much penetration! And the 7018ac rods do not absorb moisture. I had a 5 pound box of lincoln 7018ac, and a box of hobart 7018 stored in a kitchen cabinet in my house. When I opened the boxes I found the lincoln 7018ac-rsp looked brand new. And the hobart 7018 rods looked moldy. The lincoln 7018ac-rsp do not need to be stored in a heated container. The Excalibur rods do! The 7018ac rods work flawlessly on my miller 3 phase DC welder. I don't know why you can't get them to penetrate. If I need more penetration, I just turn up the amps!

[jaredoshell]

Dude you're running a 3/32 at 100 amps its gonna burn through. Also you're comparing 1/8 to 3/32???

[stephenrosenthal]

I have no problems with 7018ac rods. All I learned from your comparison is that 100 amps is perfect for the ac rods on that metal. And that I would turn the Excalibur down to 90.
Yea the Excalibur is a superior rod for structural work.
But I don't see the problem with using the ac rods for a lot of other things.
People busting out Excalibur for some shelving brackets. That shit seems excessive.
I keep a couple small packs of Excalibur unopened in case you need them because I don't have an oven. But I do like the AC rods for little stuff.
Maybe I'm just weird but my order of rods goes 6011 and 7018 for structural stuff/trailer hitches/ pipe work.
7014 for thin sheet metal.
7018 AC for stuff I might do for the fireplace. Or gossets for things that really aren't structural.
I actually really like 7018 AC with wrought iron and that's some fickle stuff.
So it's got it's uses just like any other rod

[moncorp]

"ESAB zealots and people with AC buzzboxes keep voting this video dow, but you know it's true" ~ Um, that's not why we're downvoting.

[luciusirving]

That Lincoln Excalibur would be considered a 7016 in most countries if it penetrates more than regular 7018s.

However, a big enough charge can make your average 7018 AC rod weld potentially like 7016.

[jerryholmesjr]

I have vastly different results with 7018ac when using an ac welder. They are made for ac and not dcen or dcep

[aidanhobgood]

Why are you running an AC rod on DC? I would think that’s not going to give you the right results…🤷‍♂️

[jacobwrona]

Try Esab atom arc 7018. It's really easy to start and the slag almost chips itself!

[peetky]

your ac weld had perfect penetration, blowing a hole in your workpiece is not a good thing. a/c would work better on thinner sections like the one you are working on. the a/c rod would blow through if you upped the amps. use your oxytocin's rig if you want to cut holes in steel. also. you welded the second rod without cooling the steel so the two welds are not comparable.

[johndunn]

There's something to not like about them. They blow through. I just finished a box of Excalibur and I did have trouble with thinner metal. Thick stuff worked great. Makes me wonder if those 7018(non-excaliber) would work better for me on thinner metal (c-perlins and such). Thanks for insight.

[JoeyBagadonuts-kc]

Excalliber bought in a 50 lb tin went from among the best to currently garbage after changing the formula of the flux about 4 years ago. I would any day of the week use 7018 from harber freight.

[jhagga]

I thought all 7018 were the same, o well learn something new today, thanks for making this video.

[elCuhhh]

The best 7018 rod in my opinion is the Excalibur. I was practicing on some pipe coupons and i was using 7018 ac since i ran out of excalibur rods. 7018 ac gave me a decent cap but it’s not as smooth as the excalibur. Porosity in the tie ins. I was on DCEP

[chevytruck]

Where do you get the excalibar rods? I only have tractor supply near me.

[jasonstevens]

It's a totally different rod for a different application. You could have been comparing 7018 to 6010.

[johnparker]

Uhm. Isnt 7018ac made to run on an AC machine?

[FrostyA]

Thank you! I couldn't find any other videos on these crappy rods, wish I found this video before I bought them, great video.

[luciusirving]

My Chinese 7018 AC rods work well with my AC machine.

[joeland]

I literally just tried 7018 AC for the first time . I had my 302 trailblazer set on AC at 115 amps I went right through 3/16 plate immediately. I dialed it down to 80 amps and ran a pass on a T joint, it came out pretty good. I did have some porosity probably due to my rushed prep work …. But anyway if I’m not mistaken the AC means AC settings…. And DC+ is bullshit….

[Mikey-ymok]

I’ve been using excalibur rods for forever and just bought the ac rods from Wilco and they suck ass. My Hobart rods are so much better and was disappointed with Lincoln. I use dc and used for ac they equally both weld like shit. But That’s just me. I figured since the ac rods are made in Mexico (really? Yes...) but idk. Don’t buy these. Stick to the Excalibur’s