Heavy Duty Regulators: Do I Need Them

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I'm shopping oxy fuel equipment and have noticed that there are light, medium and heavy duty regulators. Question is, will I benefit from buying the heavy duty regs. Also I intend to run propane or propylene. Should I buy a LP regulator or will an acetylene regulator work without danger or premature failure. I was going to hit the counter at the LWS today but I had to work all day.Ranger 250 GXTSmith Gas Axe
Reply:I know smith acet regs will run propane dont know about propelene.  But you cant run acet on propane regs.  Size of regulator depends on usage a big rose bud will take a lot of gas if all your doing is light work you don't need huge regulators.  Just buy quality ones.Millermatic 252millermatic 175miller 300 Thunderboltlincoln ranger 250smith torcheslots of bfh'sIf it dont fit get a bigger hammer
Reply:unless u need over 12 psi fuel pressure, i wouldn't buy a new regulator
Reply:Unless you do a lot of heavy usage, I'd say not. If your regulators are going to get banged around at all (thrown in a tool box with other stuff, etc.) I would recommend the 'hard hats' for the gauges. Gauges are easily damaged, making them unreadable.
Reply:Usually the "heavy duty" regulators are dual-stage, which 99 percent of people don't need, including 99 percent of the people who have them.  A good single-stage like Victor's SR 450 series would be ideal if you have the money.  These often go on ebay for $75-$100 apiece new.  That's where I got my two, with gauge guards, brand new for $150 for the set.I run propane through my acetylene regulators with no problem - propane pressures are similar to acetylene pressures.  I'm sure propylene would also run fine in them.  I'm sure you know that you should technically be using Grade T "all-fuel" hoses rather than Grade R acetylene hoses with either of those gases.If you haven't decided between propane and propylene, I'll throw in my vote for propane.  It's cheaper and available most anywhere, so price gouging isn't going to be an issue like it can be for most welding gases if there's only one or two suppliers in town.
Reply:What make and model equipment do you already own?This thread has Stick-man's pick for best cutting outfit with pics and part numbers, it's LP, it's reasonable (check current online pricing) and it's NICE.  http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=46225You could get the regs/torch/hose and omit some of the other stuff as you like, but that's literally lifetime gear and plenty of Smiths outlive their original owners.I'd be equally happy with a similar Oxweld setup, but those aren't nearly as convenient to order online and there is no visible competitive pricing so it really isn't worth the hassle when you can get Smith prices from a variety of vendors in seconds.Last edited by farmall; 04-30-2011 at 11:55 AM.
Reply:I'm no expert but I just recently bought the medium duty Victor Performer set.  Even though it's MD it still has plenty of cutting & welding capacity.I can say a few things having used it for a few hours.  Compared to the heavy duty Airco torches I used in class the medium duty torch is much lighter, smaller, & easier to handle.  It will also go into smaller spots.  The regulators, while MD, still seem pretty beefy to me.I debated HD vs MD, and usually when I buy tools I go HD, but this time I just couldn't justify the expense & weight/size.I guess what I'm saying is HD vs. MD depends on what you're going to do with it.  If you're a weekend warrior & take care of your gear I'd say it's going to be hard to justify the extra cost, but if you're welding or cutting all day or you beat your tools up it may be worth buying HD gear.