Now that I'm finally got a garage, as soon as I'm moved in and sorted out, its time to spend the tax refund and get myself the thing thats pretty much at the top of my wish list, a torch set with BIG (75 &125 cu ft) tanks. I wanna be able to: cut thick(ish) steel Braze both small and large stuff Thick br***/copper soldering heat with intent to bend... all pretty much at the hobbyist level... unless I get laid off again! So, I know I want to BUY and not lease tanks, cause they may sit for a while unused, and I dont want to have to worry about time. Are the retail torches pretty much all the same? kits just come with different tips? Any one brand any better? They all come with flashback arrestors? I knowe that whichever brand it is that OSH hardware sells, they also stock a decent looking set of replacement tips... Cheapest place to get my tanks from in NW L.A. or SE Valley? Cheapest place to fill/exchange? Airgas is everywhere, but overpriced? Is it true tanks have a "VIN" and papers, and that buying cheapies at a swapmeet is a bad idea? (buy just to immediately exchange) Ordinances forbidding 1200 psi of highly flammable gas in residential areas? Thought, reccommendations? Henrob is FAR down the road at this point... And yeah, I have had quite a bit of safety training and experience using said equipment, so no, I am not going to self-immolate... Thanks, J
I would say Henrob, save up a few more bucks. It will also do a plasma cutters deed. Bang for the buck ya know?
i've never used a bad torch setup, but i love my smith's outfit. i've got two henrob units, i don't really see what all the hype is about. they seem to weld and cut the same as the smiths unit. i have a lifetime lease on a pair of bottles from oxygen service, i think think they are a local outfit. they have great service, and will only fill their bottles, no one else's. I own a few bottles for MIG/TIG welding, that i fill though airgas. the local airgas place is pretty ****ed up, it always takes them a half an hour to bill me for the damn things. David
I bought Victor equipment and I bought my tanks at th same place about a mile from my house so I can get some quick if I run out. I own tanks but I just swap the empties for full ones so I don't have to drop off and pick up and don't have to listen to "Your tanks are no good you have to buy new ones again" nonsense. I got a deal when I got mine a long time ago because the salesman was in my high school cl***... Spark arrestors are available, they don't necessarily come with every set up. Buy a known old brand so you don't have to worry aboout replacement parts ten years from now. (I've had mine way longer than that, guess it's time for new hoses just out of general principles...) The only thing against the law is getting caught. I think a 1/2 full gas tank in a car in the garage is way more dangerous than a welding bottle.
Don't wait, buy the Henrob. Even if it means buying smaller tanks. I've never heard of ***les for tanks. I take mine in, they give me full ones.
I like the Victor stuff, like the mid size set, get a few tips 00 to 2 for welding and brazing, a cutting tip or two and a rosebud. I have two sets of bottles, one big set more or less stationary and one small set for haulin' around. Paul
Here is some henrob cutting in action: 1/4" steel plate 1/16" aluminum sheet 1/8" stainless I welded the stainless with about 2 hours of practice. the others were done by a "pro"
when you "own" a set of tanks you don't really own the ones in your possession....you just own a set of tanks...you still exchange them for full ones...you never have to pay for the use of the tanks again... understand? when you "lease" the tanks....you have to keep leasing them, most contracts are for 5 years, it kinda depends on the welding supply place you deal with. ..when you get tieded into a welding supply place and buy or lease the tanks you sort of create a "marrage" with them for an example: the 80 cubic foot tank of stargon for my mig welder i own..i can only exchange it at the place i bought it....the other welding supply house in town will not exchange it , they will only take my tank and fill it and give me that same tank back, after i show then the recipt that i acually own it...that is DOT regulations my 80 cubic feet tank for argon for my tig welder i lease....i can only exchange them at the place i leased it, no one else will touch them..again DOT regulations my oxy/acetelene tanks i own....but i can not prove i do , because i can't find my reciept, so the only place i can exchange them is the place i bought them from .... their name is on the tanks wow, this confues even me...i hope you understand oh,yeah...i bought a set of oxy/accetelene tanks at a farm auction about 20 years ago for $50...i thought i was all set...until i found out that no one would refill them or exchange them...turns out they were leased by the farmer and still owned by the welding supply company.. after several nasty phone calls and letters , i don't have them anymore... just my 2 cents...
Dont even waste your money on Harbor Freight, Home Depot, OSH ****.... been there done all, 5 or 600 in 4 years.... but I cut up ALOT of stuff each year...just buy good Victors, never used a Henrob, but the boys here say its good, thats where my $$ is going next time.. Buy used tanks, trade em in... I use Airgas, and it is like 45 bucks to swap a big O2 and Acetylene... Or try propane...supposedly better for cutting??
I dont know about the rules in other states about tanks, or really the ones here, but I can bring them a tank a bajillion years old, or one I found in the desert, etc, and they will still swap it out. They will re-hydrostat, and recertify them there... thats why some tanks have stamps starting in the 50's and are still in use....
Ah Henrob shmemrod !!! What's The B.F.D. with Henrob. For some a Henrob is a great investment. And for others it's Victor, Harris or Smith. You get familiar and comfortable with what you use. I own a Henrob and personally don't see what the big deal is I bought into the hype that it was the shnitz for welding thin sheet metal It might be for some people but I find that the right tip on the old trusty Victor rig with the big 'ol funky two stage regulators works just fine for me. Sure the Henrob will do a little nicer job of cutting, especially with the training wheels, but they make training wheels for regular torches too and I admit it will save a little fuel. IMO the biggest problem most people have with a regular torch is their ability to get the pressures set properly to begin with (usually way too high) and they are usually using a cutting tip that is way to large. Ok, its obvious I'm partial to a regular torch Its much lighter and in my hands just easier to use. Guess it's that what you're used to thing. The pistol grip of the Henrob and I don't get along as well as the antique Victor. I use Victor...it's what I grew up with. My uncle had Victor, the first guy I worked for had Smith and Victor. The steel fab shop I worked in after high school used all Victor (about a dozen of them). The first torch setup I purchased was a Victor Journeyman setup in 1976. It broke the bank when I purchased it then. It is still in use today and has been used A LOT over the years. We also have a small Victor setup for light field work with the 100 torch and the small 10 and 20 cu. ft. bottles in the plastic tote. I have the little Tote-able 100 Victor setup out in the auto shop and use it for the occasional shrinking and light cutting job. It also goes to job sites a lot due to its portability. The big draw back is the price of gas in the little bottles. Not something you want to use as your primary rig. The Henrob is under lock and key and only gets used by me. I have employees that think a torch can be used for a hammer. So it doesn't get out much. Too easy to grab the closest torch. We purchased all of our tanks with the exception of 4 or 5 that we got back in the '70s. You could get a 100 year lease on tanks in those days from what was then Victor of California (now Airgas). We started purchasing our own tanks from Fresno Oxygen when Airgas (then Air Pacific) got crazy about rentals. They won't sell you a large 250 cu. ft. cylinder anymore (I think 150 or so cu. ft. is as large as they will sell) so we started buying them from Fresno Oxygen. The freight is not bad and we pay for the cylinder in about 2-3 years just in the gas and demurrage savings. These are the kinds of tools you purchase once in a lifetime and then maintain. Don't waste the money on anything cheap. My cousin is still using the Victor torch that I learned to weld with as a kid I'm sure it was purchased sometime in the early "50s. Sooooo. ***uming money was no object. If I were to purchase a first torch for mostly hobby automotive and sheet metal use (even Pro sheet metal) I might lean toward the Henrob. (remember my prejudice above) If I was planning on using it for equipment repair and general maintenance work and construction work, like we use our Journeyman set up. That's a no brainer Victor all the way that is definitely what I would purchase. And don't forget the Meco Midget and they can be had for a hundred bucks. It doesn't fit my hand much better than the Henrob but some people (mostly jewlers) love it. We purchase our gas and some supplies from Airgas. They have stores just about everywhere we work and we have had an account with them from day one. There customer service is mediocre at best. If you ever drop off your "owned" bottle and they give you a "lease" bottle you are screwed if they decide to take it back. Always make sure you get an "owned" bottle or a written reciept that you dropped off and "owned" bottle. We purchase a lot of our expendables, our rod and most wire from Fresno Oxygen. They will meet or beat just about anybody's price with just a phone call. (www.ramweldingsupply.com) Cyberweld has some good prices online prices too. (http://store.cyberweld.com) Let us know what you decide. Al
Cool... Yeah, the small size of the henrob weirds me a bit... used to the victor-style... What do the gas companies refer to the 75cu ' acetylene and 125 cu ' oxygen tanks? certain name for the size? Thanks. -J
I think they just refer to them as the cu. ft. size that they are. No cetain/particular name that I'm aware of. Like I said... a lot of it is what you're used to using. Al
The first set of torches I learned to hook up in 1962 were Victors. I bet they are still in use somewhere today. I wonder if you will be able to get parts for a Henrob in 2046? Victor makes some mighty small tips. They don't come in the standard starter kit. I've never used a Henrob so I have no oppinion one way or the other.
My dad runs a rod shop, and he still uses (daily) the same set of Victors that he got before I was born. (I'm 32 now.) I have been seeing Radnor brand advertised. I have heard they are just as good as Victor, you just don't have to pay for the name. I have also heard the Radnor pars interchange with Victor. Anybody here that can confirm either?
I've got a victor and a marquette don't really see the difference except the marquette is bigger than my victor, I use propane with mine using a barbeque tank and I can get it filled just about anywhere even at a gas station evenings or on weekends so I went propane, you have to get different cutting tips though but the tips for brazing welding work with propane
Get a starter set at Sears--they use Victor. It's cheaper than a Henrob, and you can always upgrade to the Henrob later. Do you guys like the Henrob better than the Henway?
Sorry for the large pics guys, Maybe I can resize them. Oh yeah, No training wheels on that piece of steel. Saw him cut it with my own eyes. All freehand. In my limited time on this planet(only 18) I have used both the henrob and a good, regular old torch setup. I find that the Henrob does wonders with welding Aluminum, Steel, and Stainless. I do prefer the regular torch for cutting thick metal, as I have not yet mastered cutting with the henrob. The Henrob can also cut non ferrous metals. With the time I have involved with both tools, it would be nice to have them both. But I can understand starting with a good torch setup and later upgrading to a henrob. Thats what my dad did, and it seemed to work for him.
I also live in SoCal, and have never had a problem returning tanks for refill/swap. Most places I've gone to will give you a new tank if it has their name on it. But... if it has somebody else's name, and needs a test, you pay $10. I brought tanks when I moved from Oregon, and traded them with no problem here. I've used the Harbor Frieght stuff, and I think it's total ****. I have a collection of older Craftsman regulators and Victor bodies - I can still get parts for the Victor. There's a good shop in Culver City called Sims, but I'm not sure where to shop in Burbank. If all else fails, and all your local guys are ****s, go here: http://stores.ebay.com/Welding-Supplies-from-IOC No sales tax, no shipping, good prices and good people to deal with. Oh, those big green goggles ****. Get safety gl***es with a #3 or #4 tint. As a plus, it makes you look like Dale Earnhart. Tackett -oh, and too bad you missed El Mirage last weekend, it ****ing rocked.
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