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Stainless rods, specified in the description only

Hobart H481930-RDP, 308L stainless, 3/32 in

The only stainless rods in this hub — on a listing whose four bullets are a product type, a parcel size, a country and a weight to six decimal places.

Hobart 308L stainless steel stick electrodes

Hobart H481930-RDP, 308L stainless, 3/32 in

The only stainless rods in this hub — on a listing whose four bullets are a product type, a parcel size, a country and a weight to six decimal places.

Amazon reference
B002AKJ23Y
EAN
0715959249836
  • The only stainless electrodes in this hub, either half
  • Names the base metals it is for — 304 and 308 stainless — rather than saying "stainless"
  • The four bullets contain no welding specification at all — product type, parcel dimensions, country of origin and parcel weight

Best for: Repairing 304 or 308 stainless with a stick machine, where no MIG gas is available

≈ $11
Check price on Amazon

Specifications

Amazon reference
B002AKJ23Y
EAN
0715959249836

This is the only way to weld stainless on this site without a gas bottle, and for that alone it earns a page. A 308L filler matches 304 and 308 base metal, the L standing for low carbon — which is what keeps carbon out of the grain boundaries and prevents the intergranular corrosion that ruins a stainless repair six months later. The listing names the grade and the base metals, and states all positions on AC or DC electrode positive with easy slag removal.

All of that is in the description. The bullets, which is where most people stop reading, contain nothing about welding at all: “Product Type: Tools”, a parcel size in centimeters, a country of origin, and a parcel weight given as “0.269996lbs” — six decimal places on a box of five rods, which is a unit conversion printed without being read.

What is missing from both halves of the page is a current range. Stainless rods are less forgiving than mild steel: too hot and the chromium burns out of the weld, too cold and the slag traps. The cheapest rods on this shelf publish a current table for four diameters. This listing, for a fussier rod, publishes none.

Availability

Read on the day this page was built: $11 at the American Amazon shop.

Read from Keepa on the day this page was last revised; stock and price both move without notice.

Prices quoted in this text were read on 2026-10-07. The live price is at the top of the page.

The questions welders ask

What does the 308L actually tell me?

Which stainless it is for, and how it behaves afterwards. A 308 filler matches 304 and 308 base metal; the L means low carbon, which matters because carbon at the grain boundaries of a stainless weld causes intergranular corrosion — the failure welders call weld decay. For a repair that will see moisture, 308L rather than 308 is the right choice, and the listing names both the grade and the base metals it suits.

Where is the specification?

In the description, not the bullets. The four bullets read "Product Type: Tools", a parcel size in centimeters, a country of origin and a parcel weight of "0.269996lbs". The description underneath gives what a buyer needs: 308L for 308 and 304 base metal, all positions, AC or DC electrode positive, easy slag removal, 3/32 in, quantity five. It is worth scrolling past the bullets on this one.

More stick electrodes

  • Hobart 6011 stick electrodes, 1/16 inch, in their one-pound pack

    Hobart H112216-R01, 6011, 1/16 in

    A deep-penetrating 6011 in the smallest diameter on this shelf, stated for welding through light to medium dirt, rust and paint.

    Amazon reference
    B004USV1RE
    EAN
    0715959286619
    • Stated for welding through light to medium dirt, rust and paint — the one job a clean-metal rod cannot do
    • Publishes a tensile strength: 60,000 PSI
    • A cellulosic coating gives a fierce, spattery arc — this is not a rod to learn on

    Best for: Farm and repair work on steel that cannot be cleaned first

    ≈ $16
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  • Fifty-pound sealed steel can of HYW E7018 welding electrodes

    HYW Products E7018, 1/8 in, 50 lb can

    The only low-hydrogen rods in this hub, in the only packaging that keeps them that way — fifty pounds in a sealed steel can.

    Amazon reference
    B07KKY6QSJ
    EAN
    0692769195969
    • Cites the standard it is made to — AWS A5.1-04 — which no other rod in this hub does
    • Supplied in a sealed steel can, which is exactly what this shelf's buying tip says low-hydrogen rods need
    • The highest price in this hub by a wide margin, and a quantity most workshops will not use before the can is opened

    Best for: Structural work where the rod has to be low-hydrogen and dry, in a quantity that justifies a can

    ≈ $190
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  • Hobart 6013 stick electrodes, 5/32 inch, in a five-pound pack

    Hobart 770472, 6013, 5/32 in, 5 lb

    A five-pound box of the forgiving rod in the largest diameter on this shelf, and the only listing here that offers all three polarity options.

    Amazon reference
    B001QFNGU4
    EAN
    0715959363822
    • Runs on AC, DC electrode positive or DC electrode negative — the only rod on this shelf with all three
    • Publishes a tensile strength, 60,000 PSI
    • The description gives the rod count as "Rods (qty): Varies"

    Best for: General fabrication in thicker section, on whatever polarity the machine offers

    ≈ $27
    Check price on Amazon

Elsewhere in the workroom

  • STM Schweißtechnik SG2 (G3Si1) Ø 1.0 mm, product photograph

    STM Schweißtechnik SG2 (G3Si1) Ø 1.0 mm

    One millimeter wire: more deposit per pass on thick steel, and unusable on car-body sheet.

    Grade
    SG2 / G3Si1
    Diameter
    1.0 mm (0.04 in)
    Spools
    D100, D200 and K300 sizes offered
    Amazon reference
    B083KFWQ27
    EAN
    0670036746151
    • More metal deposited per pass — fewer passes on 6 mm (0.24 in) and above
    • Available on K300 spools for machines that take them
    • Needs more current: a 160 A machine will struggle to run it properly

    Best for: Structural work in 5 mm steel and above, on a machine of 180 A or more

    Search Amazon for this model
  • Alffun TIG torch kit with back caps, collet bodies and alumina cups

    Alffun 17-piece WP-17/18/26 kit

    The smallest and cheapest kit on this shelf, for the larger WP-17/18/26 torches — on a listing whose own itemization falls three short of its title.

    Amazon reference
    B07HV27VV3
    EAN
    0192543200211
    • Names the torch series precisely — WP-17, WP-18, WP-26, and the Lincoln PTA and Miller Diamondback equivalents
    • Covers the three parts that fail: back cap, collet body and ceramic cup
    • The title says 17 pieces; the contents bullet lists 3 back caps, 6 collet bodies and 5 cups, which is 14

    Best for: Topping up a WP-17, 18 or 26 torch with the three parts that actually break

    ≈ $22
    Check price on Amazon
  • Alffun 68-piece TIG consumable kit with collets, bodies and ceramic cups

    Alffun 68-piece WP-17/18/26 kit

    Eight plus twenty plus twenty plus twenty, itemized by 10N part number and matching its own stated total — which on this shelf is not the norm.

    Amazon reference
    B07L8VDGFW
    EAN
    0632230689443
    • The contents add up: 8 back caps, 20 collets, 20 gas lens collet bodies and 20 alumina cups is 68
    • Itemizes every piece by 10N part number and by both metric and imperial size
    • Gas lens bodies only — no plain collet bodies, which use less argon on simple work

    Best for: A WP-17, 18 or 26 torch stocked in three tungsten sizes at once

    ≈ $33
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All stick electrodes