School me on Oxy Acetylene torches

Trying to get myself a set and looking for advice on used/new, brands, etc. My main concern is a safe setup, followed by one on which I can get quality, repeatable results. Capacity is important, but less so.

Looking around, I see new (Chinese) starting at under $100 for everything but the tanks, to Victor or Harris going for $500 and up. In the middle are Craftsman and Bernzomatic.

Used is all over the place - sometimes it seams more $$ than new and there are a bunch of manufacturers - some of which I've never heard of.

Do I need to stick with one manufacturer for everything or can I mix and match - regulator from one place, torch from another, hoses from another? What parts should be new, and what can I safely buy used?

If I can mix, where should I invest the money up front for top quality/new, and where can I go cheaper/used for now and maybe upgrade later?

I'm just a hobbyist. Have a flux 110 mig (we don't have 220 at the house) and a small Oxy/Mapp setup. I'd like to be able to weld, braze larger material than I can now with the Mapp, do some cutting and annealing, and basically hone my skills. OTOH, I don't want something that's not going to be adequate for a decent sized project.

I won't be making a living with these torches, nor will I be in a production environment, but I don't want to buy **** that's frustrating to use or dangerous.

I don't mind putting together a set from pieces parts over time if that will give me the best bang for the buck. OTOH, if the best way to go is to save up and buy a brand new Victor set, well I can do that too.

What's your advice?


And what about peripherals? Goggles, gloves, other safety/needed equipment?

 

I went with NEW,QUALITY stuff. I've had my set for about 12 years. Worst and only problem was a regulator had to be rebuilt. Its a Victor set. Buyin' used would scare me, unless you go through and check all the o-rings and valves or essentially rebuild em. We've got a good welding supply store close by, they sell and can get anything. Good quality lenses,gloves,filler rod etc.

 

I bought a new, relatively low priced, American made torch set, and I can get replacement parts at the local welding supply. I've had it for over 20 years.

I'd suggest you do the same.

 

i personally prefer victor valves and handles, readily available, if there is a problem parts are easy to get. my cut-off torches are smith, all bought used most around 15 years in my possession.

 

Be carefull, i survived an acetylene explosion a few weeks ago, my left ear is still ringing.turn those valves off and make sure there is ventilation. Im scared to go into my sea container now, i think static or my cell phone set it off.

 

wait...you stored a torch set in a sealed container? wow

 

i weld for a living and i say go with a common brand , for u are going to have it forever,if u ever need parts,u dont have to worry,not to often that happens for taken care of they last for ever,also check to see availbility of diff tips and what cutting styles u can get for it,victor as mentioned is worth the money spent

 

it wasnt sealed, it has a window on one side and a bunch of vents on the other, it is by no means sealed. But it still went boom. I dont normally store them in their just while i was doing the concrete around thme.

 

Welding since 1951---Advice---Only buy VICTOR equipt.

 

VICTOR is now made in MEXICO, it's not the same stuff

SMITH is USA made with Lifetime warranty

PUROX is USA made

http://www.weldfabulous.com <-they have good prices on kits

 

winner winner chicken dinner. smith torches, purox regulators, goodyear hoses. this is a combination that will last You a lifetime.

 

Those are some great prices!

 

I bought a complete Victor setup from the local Oxarc dealer a short time ago, and I've been really happy with it. It&#8217;s nice to have a nearby selection of tips and accessories, and if I have a problem I can get good service. Really didn&#8217;t cost too much more than some of the sets I was looking up on Craiglist either. I think I paid a little over $700 that included a few extra items like a 00 tip.

Chris

 

well this thread just saved me alot of time and headache, thank you gentlemen

 

Very timely question for me too chrisser. Last weekend, a buddy gave me Oxy Acetylene bottles and I am too looking for everything else.

At weldfabulous.com it looks like this is a nice unit....

"Smith Toughcut Welding & Cutting Torch Kit Outfit" (Item #: SMMB55A-510)

http://www.weldfabulous.com/Cutting.../Smith-Toughcut-Welding-Cutting-p4543775.html

Mike

 

all this reading makes me wanna go fire up my new (to me) o/a setup and go cut some things....

 

Smith for me, all American, works well! Make sure you get a bunch of different tips. If I was to have one welding outfit and that's all I could ever have, I'd have an OA setup. You can weld, cut, heat, burn solder and braze with it.

 

Was looking at that myself. Did some research and Smith seems to be a great company to buy from.

One thing about that set is that it only comes with a 3 year warranty.

If you spend another $100 or so on the next series up http://www.weldfabulous.com/Cutting...ts/Smith-Medium-Dual-Guard-Weld-p4543758.html

you get a lifetime warranty (and a tool box and a 5' longer hose). I'd like to see how the warranty works, but it might pay for itself not considering it is a heavier duty outfit.

 

Here's Smith's lifetime warranty.

http://enet.smithequipment.com/publ...A64C9-9131-499E-BCB8-0E73E229A90E}&DownLoad=0

There's a different warranty on the regulators/hoses/etc and I haven't found the details on that.

For me, the only downside is the closest distributor is a fair drive away (1/2 an hour to 45 minutes) and I'm in Cleveland OH. Weird - we seem to be an odd area where Smith's distributor network hasn't yet penetrated. However, based on the doc above, it looks like the distributor just sends the torch to Smith for repair/replacement and the consumer can do that directly, so I'd probably just take that route.

 

Be sure and get a Bill Of Sale for the bottles and check the inspection dates.

 

have any of you guys used the henrob setup? at the turkey run the guy had a demo was cutting up to 1" thick and almost as clean as a plasma cutter

 

I'm with squirrel. Victor is good quality equipment. I bought my set through these guys:

http://store.cyberweld.com/vieq.html

They had the best price, even better than the local acetylene supplier who was giving me a good discount because I did some engineering work for them.

I've used it and am very pleased with it. Its a quality tool and I can get it repaired, if needs be, at any one of several welding suppliers locally.

I bought my tanks at U. S. AirWeld in Phoenix, when I lived up in Mesa. On any tank you buy, check the inspection date before you accept it to make sure the inspection is not expired nor will be shortly.

Remember to keep the acetylene tank vertical, i.e. upright. Do NOT lay it down. Acetylene gas is held in suspension in liquid acetone inside a porous filler inside the tank. That's just one of many safety items you will need to learn.

 

Heres the web site for Smith Equipment www.smithequipment.com. this will give you an idea what is available, good stuff, and made right in my back yard, buy american, we all need our jobs......Scott

 

just curious if anyone has any experience with l-tec? i think it is now under the ESAB name? i picked up a setup with 3 regs a torch and a few tips for about $50...havent used yet.

 

I bought a Henrob/Cobra/Dillon/DHC-2000 torch off ebay. The Henrob/Cobra/DHC torches are made in the USA, I'm pretty sure. Dillons were from Australia, I believe. I haven't gotten any farther than setting up the regulators. Perhaps I'll get some time with the long weekend. It's lighter than the Harris that it's replacing. Some people say they are heavy, maybe so if you do a lot of welding, I didn't think it was too heavy.

 

Like everyone else has said.... Buy a good name, good quality American made setup. I bought a used (10 year old) victor set up in the in the late seventies and have only had to replace a couple of o-rings and hoses once. And yes it gets used alot. Don't be scared of used, If its a name brand parts are readily available.

 

Thank you to everyone for the responses.

I'm leaning toward the Smith Equipment but am going to see what I find.

Have another question. I noticed a tank truck on the way to work this morning. I hadn't noticed before, but all the cylinders were upright.

Did some reading and found the acetylene cylinders need to remain upright - at least during use. I know you don't want cylinders rolling around in the bed of a truck without valve protectors as that's a bomb waiting to go off.

But, how do you get the tanks home? With the valve caps, can you lay them down in the back of a truck strapped down or do you have some bracketry to transport the tanks upright? Seems the O2 cylinder would be the larger problem and it's the larger and higher pressure of the two IIRC.

 

I you have a cart its pretty easy to just teather the whole thing and keep it upright. If you have to lay the acetylene cylinder down on its side for transport, you need to make sure its in the upright position for some time before using it. The fella at Oxarc told me a couple of hours if I remember correctly, I'd leave it overnight myself...
Better to keep them upright if possible.

 

I don't think I'd but a $100 Chinese set. But if your just using it for hobby stuff you will probably find a inexpensive fair quality set at most welding supply stores. I rented my tanks for years. There's pro and con to that. When I needed gas or air I just exchanged tanks with my supplier and I didn't need to have inspections. On the other hand, I paid more over the years and could have bought my own tanks. Get a decent cart, got mine for $150 at Sears. Tips can be expensive, but necessary. When you buy your set, get as many tips included as you can.

 

Why is everyone scared of used stuff??, $300 should get you a used victor set, i really dont like my guages, they need a tap every now and then, but get the job done

Hell as used stuff goes, I need to tear into my 1917 portland brazing and machine torch kit and fix one of the regualtors and i'll be using it!!, it's not like anything has really changed in 100 years exept some obscure tips are unavalible now