Comparo Question: Welders

[CTENG in KS]

Speaking in terms of 110V machines here:
Will a small 90-100 amp arc (stick) welder get better penetration on 1/8 - 1/4 than a comperable MIG or wire feed unit?

[BoG-ToY]

well you can use a higher penatrating rod....but I beleive that flux core can burn pretty deep......but I wouldnt go less then 120 amps on either.....my hundred amp wire didnt like being abused and on stick Im always running 118 amps on 1/8th 7018 (70k lbs tensile strength) and watch out for that killer the duty cycle...I have a 150 amp 100% duty cycle welder.....at 300 amps its 20% duty cycle......most cheap machines have a 10-20% duty cycle at 100 amps....so keep that in mind......duty cycle= minutes of use over ten minutes.....20%=2 minutes welding 8 minutes cooling.......