The best welding electrodes: 2023 rating for price and quality, TOP 10, review, comparison

The result of the welding seam directly depends on the skills of the welder, the selected model inverter, and most importantly - on the quality of electrodes for welding. The electrode material, even within the same brand, but from different manufacturers, gives different results. Therefore, it is important to know the advantages and disadvantages of the most popular welding electrodes.

What to look for when choosing

Welding electrodes are produced to solve various problems. Today the range is more than 200 types. And this is only the electrode material of the classical circuit - a wire rod plus a coating. Externally, welding electrodes are similar. But there are differences, and serious ones. At least by the way the metal of the rod melts and the coating material behaves in the process of arc welding.

When choosing, you need to know how the electrode behaves in a hot state under current load and high arc temperature. In addition, purely technological requirements for the welding material are important:

1. The ability to perform a seam with direct and alternating current.
2. How clean the slag is from the molten metal.
3. Complete removal of welding gases without the formation of shells and pores.
4. Uniform saturation of the weld with alloying metals (reduced oxides) and elements.
5. How difficult is the ignition of the arc. You can strike with an electrode, or you need to clean the initial area from rust and dirt.
6. Suitability of welding electrodes for laying the seam in any position of the workpieces.

In addition, the electrodes should be well stored, the coating material should not crumble and crack during transportation, dry out and become cracked during the preliminary drying process.

A high-quality welding electrode is valued for its ability to melt evenly under the influence of an arc without strong metal spatter, adhere well to the melted edge, cool without strong thermal stresses and crack formation.

When choosing a brand, attention is paid to the composition of the coating. For a specific brand of metal to be welded (cast iron, stainless steel, aluminum), electrodes with a core made of a special alloy are selected. Its composition is determined by GOST or industry standards. Therefore, all manufacturers of special electrodes for welding in the CIS have a core of approximately the same composition. There is not much to choose from here. Coating is another matter. The coating recipe for electrodes is developed according to standards, but its recipe and application method are selected individually by each manufacturer.

For imported electrodes, the manufacturing company develops everything independently and constantly improves the technology. Sometimes these are the best electrodes for welding just because of the higher quality raw materials. The Swedish electrode easily, without burns, welds 2 mm metal where a similar Russian one burns holes in a 3 mm sheet.

Many professional welders try to use welding consumables for industrial welding. These electrodes are produced in small batches and are made primarily for use on production assembly lines. Their quality is higher, but for amateur inverter welding they are not of interest, as they are designed for the operation of powerful welding machines with a specially selected characteristic.

More massive conventional electrodes are used mainly in repair, small-scale assembly and construction. The quality of welding electrodes from different manufacturers, even within the same type, can vary greatly, although they are produced in approximately the same way.

According to the composition of the coating, they can be divided into 3 groups:

1. Electrodes with rutile and cellulose-rutile coating. The marking of the electrode will be the letter "P". Rutile, a natural mineral, serves as the basis for the coating powder.
2. Basic coverage. The coating mixture is made on the basis of calcium and magnesium oxides. Some manufacturers add additives to the composition of the coating that improve the melting of the coating, metal protection and slag removal.
3. Acid coatings are made from cellulose paste resins, ferroalloys and additives based on halogens (fluorine and bromine salts) that improve the melting of oxides.

Welding electrodes with coatings of the main type (all UONI brands) are marked with the letter "B". The main one, because it contains many oxides of active alkaline earth metals, calcium and magnesium. They bind acidic compounds and provide a strong and ductile seam.

Rutile electrodes, both acidic AR and basic RB, are used in the construction and welding of simple structures made of low-carbon steels (usually MP-3 and ANO-21). They are insensitive to the arc power and current-voltage characteristics of the welding machine. A good material for beginner amateur welders. Before use, it is necessary to ignite, and welding must be carried out at a minimum air humidity. Otherwise, the arc turns into a Bengal fire.

In acidic coating, in addition to silicon and ferroalloys, there are many salts. Can be boiled directly over rusty or oxidized surfaces. The electrode material is well welded to the base metal. Therefore, the slag turns out to be fusible, gases are intensively removed from the weld.

Cellulose-coated electrodes are not used for highly loaded joints due to the large amount of hydrogen released from the melt, the seam is uneven and porous. But it is believed that C-electrodes are suitable for vertical seams.

This is useful! Electric welding for beginners. How to weld vertical and horizontal seams with electric welding.

Rating of the best electrodes for welding

The quality of the weld is largely dependent on the technology used by the manufacturer to prepare the coating material, the method of application and drying, and the metal for the central rod.

If we take into account all the nuances, then the rating of the best electrodes for welding will look like this:

1. First place - Quattro Elementi brand electrodes. Premium grade material, can be used for welding carbon steel and stainless steel, AC and DC. The quality of the seam is one of the highest. They are expensive, so they are used mainly for spot repairs of critical parts and mechanisms.
   
2. Second place - welding electrode material Kobelko LB-52U. Basic type coating. Preliminary preparation (drying) in a chamber at 300℃ for 10 minutes is required. The seam is plastic and durable (up to 60 kg/mm2). Due to the absence of cracks and deep penetration, the brand is recommended for welding especially critical steel pipelines.
3. Third place - Lincoln Electric 13/55 electrodes (UONI type). The strength of the seam is slightly lower than that of Kobelko, but the affordable price and high ductility of the seam make the electrodes indispensable for welding critical building structures made of alloyed and ferrous steels.

But the list of high-quality electrodes for welding is not limited to a few items of welding consumables made using a special technology. Usually welding involves a large consumption of electrodes, so it makes sense to consider more affordable electrode materials.

The best rutile electrodes

Rutile is not titanium dioxide, although it is abundant in rutile rock. In order to reduce the cost of coating paste, it is often prepared not by mixing individual, carefully purified components, but by restoring and purifying the natural mineral itself. The technology is old, but still in demand.

In imported materials, the coating technology usually uses mixing and multi-layer deposition of purified components.

Fifth place - ESAB OK46

The quality of the seam is high, but only if the welding is performed by an experienced craftsman. Electrodes can be used on direct and alternating current, to weld seams of complex configuration. In addition, ESAB OK46 electrodes hold the arc well even at low voltage. Able to seize the arc with a still cold electrode rod.

Valued for the availability and stability of the welding arc. But for work in an open area is not recommended, a large increase in air humidity makes the arc unstable.

Fourth place - WESTER MP-3

They are used exclusively for welding thin-walled parts. Used for welding low carbon steels. Usually these are sheets of metal, blanks of tank shells. You can weld a container to store liquid or do bodywork repairs to car cladding.

The manufacturing company recommends drying the welding material before welding, but, as practice shows, the coating withstands even extreme drying conditions using low current tack welding at low voltage.

Third place - RSE S-46

This brand is often referred to as rutile-cellulose electrodes, but purified and enriched rutile remains the main flux material. Electrodes are valued by professional welders for:

1. arc stability.
2. Welding provides a dense, almost pore-free seam, with a slight shrinkage of the metal.
3. Minimum spatter.
4. Can be welded even on rusty metal.

The only negative is that RSE S-46 is a specialized grade, designed primarily for welding low carbon steels. But for construction or the manufacture of inexpensive equipment, they are ideal.

Second place - Magmaweld ESR-11

Electrode material for welding all steels, up to galvanized sheets. The electrodes are produced by the Swiss bureau "Magma". These are one of the best welding electrodes for connecting parts of boilers and high pressure pipelines of small and medium diameters.

Appreciated by craftsmen for the high quality of the weld, the connection is practically defect-free, without microcracks. The arc burns steadily during operation, without sparks and burns, characteristic of most rutile materials.

The only negative can be considered the formation of a large amount of slag.

First place - Resanta MZ

Electrodes can be used for welding with alternating current in the case of joining parts made of structural and mild steel. The quality of DC welding of alloyed and tool steels is somewhat worse due to a too soft and fast seam. In this case, you have to go through the seam several times. At the same time, the required penetration depth is achieved and the high ductility of the welded metal is maintained.

Resanta MZ is one of the few electrodes for welding, which provides the strength of the seam at the level of 50-55 kg / mm2. This is lower than for models with the main type of coating, but for rutile this is one of the best indicators.

This will come in handy! Types of welding machines - subtleties of choice and application features.

Best Basic Coated Electrodes

It cannot be said that the electrode material coated with magnesium and calcium oxides is much better than the models with rutile coating. The main electrodes are used for welding heavy and powerful parts, mainly where the strength and high impact strength of the joint are primarily important.

Fifth place - Kedr TsL-11

Used for manual welding with a short arc to connect stainless steel parts 12X18H9T. Kedr TsL-11 were originally designed to work with alloyed metals and alloys. Therefore, the temperature of the welding arc is somewhat higher than that of rutile coatings. In this case, be sure to perform welding with a short arc. This requires a certain level of skill from the welder. If you slightly lengthen the arc, then the bath of molten stainless steel will begin to actively absorb air nitrogen. As a result, the seam will crack as it cools.

Cedar TsL-11 can be used as base electrodes for welding any structural and tool steels. The central rod is made of SV08Ch19N10B steel, and the main coating has an additive of ground fluorspar. Therefore, in the process of welding with the Kedr TsL-11 electrode, acrid, eye-cutting smoke may appear in the air. You need to work only under the hood.

Fourth place - ESAB UONI 13

If you are not afraid of burns and cook on a short arc, then the electrodes will show their best side. But this requires the experience and skills of a professional welder. The welding seam is stronger than that of rutile-coated electrodes, on average 55-60 kg / mm2. The weld metal is plastic, without cracks and residual shrinkage.

Recommended for welding any profile equipment made of low alloy steels.

Third place - OZL-8

Electrodes produced by the Losinoostrovsky plant. Designed for welding stainless steel sheet. Welding sheet stainless steel by hand is very difficult even for a professional. But OZL-8 provides a uniform monolithic seam without cracks with a strength of up to 54 kg / mm2which in itself is a good result.

At the same time, sheets can be welded with any arrangement of workpieces, vertical and ceiling seams can be performed.

The only negative is the presence of the seam recrystallization process. That is, OZL-8 is not used to connect critical, highly loaded parts. Plus, before starting welding, the welding material must be dried at 200℃ for 50-60 minutes.

Second place - ESAB OK53.70

Welding electrode material with a basic (corrosive) type of coating. Manufactured in Sweden by ESAB Corporation. Differs in high quality of welding on carbon steels. Can be used for joining parts made of low alloy steel. Suitable for beginners working with an inverter apparatus.

You can cook with alternating and direct current. Of all the brands with a basic coating available in the CIS, ESAB OK53.70 are considered one of the best. When used correctly, the quality of the seam is much higher than when using rutile. Connection strength - 53 kg / mm2, yield strength - 44 kg/mm2.

ESAB OK53.70 is widely used for welding pipes and metal structures with increased rigidity requirements. In general, the quality of penetration of metal grade OK 53.70 is noticeably higher than rutile ones, while there is practically no burnout of alloying additives and ferroalloys.

As with most base coats, ESAB OK53.70 requires drying for 2 hours at up to 350℃ before welding.

First place - TsU-5

Designed for industrial applications. Usually TsU-5 is used for welding huge frames, plates, housings of highly loaded units (pumps and turbines). The central rod is made of Sv-08 wire. The main coating is made on the basis of calcium oxides with the addition of fluoride salts.

Can be used for welding in almost any workpiece position.

The advantage of TSU-5 is the high heat resistance of the seam. After normalization, the joint can withstand heating up to 400℃ without loss of strength and ductility of the seam. Before starting work, exposure in a heat chamber at a temperature of 300-350℃ is mandatory.

The range of electrodes for welding is huge. There are plenty to choose from, but before making a decision, you need to know exactly the characteristics and operating conditions of the future welded joint. In addition, during the preparation process, the material must be calcined and the surfaces to be welded are cleaned. Therefore, dirt and rust significantly impair the strength of the seam, even when using expensive and high-quality electrodes.

Tell us about your choice of electrode material. What grades are best for welding and why?