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Are cutting torches all the same? Or are they all URF quality?

B

Beezil

Member #Nay
NAXJA Member
Location
Indiana-Missouri
Its that time again.....I have to replace our raggedy cutting torch....things here get so abused....

anyway, wanted to know if any of you have any info on the mother of all torches.

what is the baddest of all bad-ass torches?

i usually just get an ordinary harris (or the like) torch.

anyone?
 
URF uses Harbor Freight Tool torches exclusively.

Prooudly made in the People's Republic of China, and it shows.

CRASH
 
I was an Airco fan (till they went away...) -- like cutting with a sledge hammer - yu could beat the parts apart - have several with the "side-handed" bend in em.

All the new stuff here is

Smith ; they seem to handle well and be much lighter than the Aircos... Still waiting for one to fail so we can try the "lifetime warranty" thing...
 
satan said:
I was an Airco fan (till they went away...) -- like cutting with a sledge hammer - yu could beat the parts apart - have several with the "side-handed" bend in em.

All the new stuff here is

Smith ; they seem to handle well and be much lighter than the Aircos... Still waiting for one to fail so we can try the "lifetime warranty" thing...
Click to expand...

Years ago after my no-longer-available Craftsman 2-stage set with no-longer-available big tanks was stolen :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: I bought a Smith's torch set. I hate it. The valves are crap and the cutting torch blows out and backfires. I couldn't get any satisfaction under warrantee for a badly threaded valve on the torch handle - the dealer tried to tell me I'd wrecked it by overtightening it. I found an old handle at a yard sale and have used it since with good results, but that's not a very high recommendation, is it?
 
Victor torches are what I learned on at comm. college. they worked great even after years of abuse from a bunch of schmucks like myself. iirc they were bought in mid 70's when the welding shop was built, they are now builiding a new shop and getting all new machines. the Victor torches are one of the few things that they are not replacing.

Hunter
 
Victor!!!!! I worked at a pipe mill for several years. Nobody was harder on torches than we were. They doubled for hammers and prybars every time we used them. We used the torches for cutting only (no welding), so we used the large style (two knobs). Tried to get a part number but my ISP is screwing with me. When a torch would get screwed up we sent it in to our local welding supply store. Had it back good as new the next day.
 
Smith. There is no other. Lifetime warranty.
 
I favor the dedicated cuttin ghead Victor offers. I have had one at home for quite sometime and I think it is tough as nails.

shop has one to and it holds up to lots of abuse.
 
Our boy Chark was going on and on about Victors the last time we wheeled together. I trust his judgement as he's been doing this a lot longer than most of us here.
 
If you have the funds: Victors or Smiths. We have sets that are 20-years old. The commercial grade Victor sets are bulletproof.

Having said that, I just pulled my old small portable set out my father's shed (for home garage work) and found the acetylene regulator missing (along with all the tips and the cutting head) ... so I purchased a cheap HF set and a MC tank adaptor for less than the replacement regulator cost. I'll let you know if it's worth the trouble for casual use.
 
At the voc-tech I attended it was Victor (and Miller for Arc, MIG and TIG) The stuff seemed to hold up us Melonheads' abuse.

I bought a set of HF portables off my buddy for $50 with the little tanks, waste of $$ since the O2 regulator has blown out twice, and I refuse to have it rebuilt again. OTOH I used to carry them with me on the trail and that's not gentle duty.
 
Mines an old Century that can use propane or acetylene. Running on propane right now because I'm too cheap to get a tank. :)

I don't remember the brand, but it runs on a 2" natural gas line and a fairly large Ox tank. I can find out if that would be big enough. If I remember right it was being used to cut 8" or 10" thick plate. :D

It's in the building next to the 1800 mig running 1/4" wire in a submerged arc config.
 
:D Plasma.....no....for cutting heads, although in my home shop I have an Oxweld, the Victors are the "shitz". Let me ramble more..."Victor".
 
We have two Victor sets that are so old, I still had hair when they were built :laugh3: The plasma cutter is a great idea if do a lot of thinner stuff..no
gas to buy...some have a built in air compressor so ya dont even need shop air. Saw a monster garage segment where they used one to cut 3/8 wall tubing so they must have come a long way with the technology..A nationwide supplier such as Airgas should be able to point you in the right direction.
 
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