torch conparrison

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what torch is better??? which is more expensive??? i have a harris 085 handle with 72-3 cutting head and i have a victor 100c handle with a 1350 cutting head.. i just wanna know which is better and also when i open the gas up on the harris it makes a wierd gurgaling sound in the handle... is that right? get back to me
Reply:not sure about the sound but as far as torches go Victor is the only way to go i like the way they feels and are styled  parts are easy to find not a harris or a smith fan at all i think they are junk at my local welding store i can get a victor journeyman with gauges and hose  for like 300.00 which is a good price cause to buy a guage alone is 300 bucks ea hope this helpsLincoln Pro Core 125Lincolin sp 100Miller Big 40Lincoln Idealarc SP250miller matic 212http://www.facebook.com/hdwelding?sk=wallwww.hdweldingbeds.com
Reply:so i think ill stick with the victor...any other opinions? thanks
Reply:Originally Posted by smk_bud_420so i think ill stick with the victor...any other opinions? thanks
Reply:Originally Posted by heimbuckweldingnot a harris or a smith fan at all i think they are junk
Reply:I don't want to get in a pissing contest here. However I have to put in a plug for my favorite the Purox. I don't know anything about Smith at all. Never used one or even really handled one. Could be good stuff. I do however know Victor and don't like them at all. However they're the easiest to find parts for in most places.   I must say that I feel the old Purox torches where more finely crafted. However the new ones are more robust.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Where I do weld testing they have a Safety guru, who has been repairing torches for about 40 years. I asked him that specific question. He said that all of the torches were good as long as they were in good condition and had been maintained.He personally liked Harris, as he said they were the safest torch. He liked the 3 feed lines and the built in flashback arrestors on them. Another brand he said was a good torch was the Purox Union Carbide, not better than Victor or Smith don't get me wrong just that they were decent torches.I have 2 Victors and a Harris and some off brand POS. The off brand sits in a spare parts box and never gets used, my Harris is small so I don't cut with it very often but do use it when I am doing smaller brazing work. Hooked up and used regularly my Victor 2460's.I will be buying another torch in a few weeks but it will be a machine torch, requirements are it must work on a Mathey Dearman beveler, and be able to move to my cutting table when I need to use it. Mathey only shows part numbers for Victor (MT210) and Harris ( 98-6E ) I suspect a Smith would fit but until I know 100% I will stay with the Victor/Harris option.I have pondered the three hose version of these torches as they come up occasionally used and the 2 hose versions never seem to, but that seems more trouble than its worth as a additional hose reel to run that extra line and hassle negate any savings.
Reply:Originally Posted by irish fixitI don't want to get in a pissing contest here. However I have to put in a plug for my favorite the Purox. I don't know anything about Smith at all. Never used one or even really handled one. Could be good stuff. I do however know Victor and don't like them at all. However they're the easiest to find parts for in most places.   I must say that I feel the old Purox torches where more finely crafted. However the new ones are more robust.
Reply:If you've had trouble with the Smith torches, it's probably related to the "operator headspace and timing issue".Victor once made some good equipment.  They've produced some junk in the last few years.  Most "copied" brand of torch out there.  Lot of the aftermarket accessories is pure junk.Hard to beat a "Lifetime Guarantee" Smith.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:still alive, hope your doin fine.....  Miller Dynasty 350Twenty Six HammersThree Crow BarsBig Rock
Reply:My welding shop toolroom experience combined with good advice from the nice folks in these forums taught me a bit about OA gear. I sample a large variety for fun (it's cheap) and so I can take advantage of tip deals. I don't hesitate to work on them or to skin out dead ones to compare designs.Victor-They were smart enough to be HIGHLY standardized across model lines for MANY years and didn't use too many different cutting handle threads. Having different threads for no functional reason is as stupid as the pointless variety of Ford bell housings!Super easy to field-strip. Torches aren't robustly built but are quick to fix without special tools in most cases. The tradeoff for being able to swap out bent tubes or damaged bodies in the field is more places to leak compared to a sealed tube torch. Good aftermarket support with seal kits. We had to send out a lot of CA 2460s (liability reasons meant I wasn't allowed to do it) for cutting valve replacement etc, but it only takes a few minutes and common hand tools to do it yourself. You can install the long tubes and mixer from a similar straight torch and lengthen 2460s easily.Downside is long-ish internal mixer, and yes they can burn and require disassembly to replace or reseal. See my pic in the Flashback sticky thread. Someone who didn't know that burn mark indicated a toasted mixer could be in for problems.Dislike external tip nuts, but they are cheap.Smith-Great tips and very good build quality. Only downside is they are less common than Victor. The straight torches have ergonomics I like. Tip mix makes for a fresh mixer with each tip. Even the little Toughcuts survived welding student abuse.Dislike external tip nuts, but theirs hold up well. Spatter sticks in the knurling.OxweldPurox/etc.I got my first exposure to those when (with the advice of Irish Fixit and others) I got a handle for my CW-300 attachment. I have a bunch more Oxweld/Purox gear now.Great build quality, perhaps best in the industry. Variety of cutting attachment threads not a plus when building from parts off Ebay, but not hard to sort out. Love the cutting oxygen valves on the E's and general construction. Oxweld injector torches are easy to clean.I snagged most of mine off Ebay for not squat and they usually needed nothing even if they were 1930s vintage and showed signs of HEAVY use and external wear. Internal tip nuts are a plus. AircoLike the steel head (not on all of them) and internal tip nuts on these. IMO every cutting torch should have a stainless steel head. I personally don't care for most Airco ergonomics but will get a straight torch with a steel head so I can enjoy the cheap tips. Tip mix is a plus too.Harris:Ergonomics on the cutting attachments are "meh". Tips are inexpensive, flat tip face is easy to clean. I don't like the straight torch lever position. Old Harris are well-made, but they ain't Oxweld! I standardized on Victor 450/460 and larger regs since I got a pile of 'em at auction and they have great support and are simple as can be. (They can keep the Edge nonsense which IMO was designed to save brass but is more complicated externally.) I keep a couple of Victor straight and combo (310 handles, extended 2460 attachments) setups, a variety of Oxwelds, and a Smith SW-1 handle and SC-229 straight torch. The Purox E and CW-style torches get the most use, but I usually take Victors when I go scrapping since I won't mourn one if it gets damaged. They'll all cut steel. The key component there is the "nut holding the torch". Check Irish Fixit's videos for what a little combo torch in the right hands can do! Short version, sell the Harris or trade it off (the forum here is a good place for that) and keep the Victor. Plenty of welding tips etc on Ebay is a plus.Last edited by farmall; 12-06-2011 at 03:47 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by smk_bud_420what torch is better??? which is more expensive??? i have a harris 085 handle with 72-3 cutting head and i have a victor 100c handle with a 1350 cutting head.. i just wanna know which is better and also when i open the gas up on the harris it makes a wierd gurgaling sound in the handle... is that right? get back to me
Reply:Farmall,Good informative post thanks.
Reply:I will be buying another torch in a few weeks but it will be a machine torch, requirements are it must work on a Mathey Dearman beveler, and be able to move to my cutting table when I need to use it. Mathey only shows part numbers for Victor (MT210) and Harris ( 98-6E ) I suspect a Smith would fit but until I know 100% I will stay with the Victor/Harris option.
Reply:Originally Posted by smk_bud_420what torch is better??? which is more expensive??? i have a harris 085 handle with 72-3 cutting head and i have a victor 100c handle with a 1350 cutting head.. i just wanna know which is better and also when i open the gas up on the harris it makes a wierd gurgaling sound in the handle... is that right? get back to me
Reply:What ever brand name, I like the larger torches the best. Long tubes allow you to slide the torch in your hand as you cut across something, making it easier to good cutting on curves and intricate cuts. I also must have an oxygenhandle valve that is instant on/off. I don't want the oxygen for the cut to slowly come on as the handle is pressed and worse, slowly go off as the handle is released.I own a dozen or more torches but the two that get the most use is an old, Victor 1600 and an old, large Oxweld. I'd hate to think I had to buy a new torch, I just wouldn't know what to buy.
Reply:My guess is the Smith would work, doing the rack different would mean it won't fit anything standard like a Bug-O-matic or a Dearman Beveler ( all sizes use the same torch ).Whatever way I go I will end up special ordereing it or internet buying it as the only machine torch I have found locally used was a 3 hose.
Reply:Originally Posted by fredschromMy guess is the Smith would work, doing the rack different would mean it won't fit anything standard like a Bug-O-matic or a Dearman Beveler ( all sizes use the same torch ).Whatever way I go I will end up special ordereing it or internet buying it as the only machine torch I have found locally used was a 3 hose.
Reply:OK I am interested ( I should of picked up the three hose torch )Do you crank up the oxygen on that setup and run it higher?
Reply:You'd run that setup just like a hand torch. Run the oxygen pressure at what ever the cutting lance/jet needs for the cut.   At my former employer they had 3 hose torches with just one oxygen regulator so that was how we had to run. I did finally add a second regulator to the pattern torch so that I could adjust oxygen pressure during the cut without affecting the preheat. It allowed for easier dialing in of the cut.  Prior to my adding the regulator they just had a Y on the oxygen regulator to run the three short hoses to the torch. The building was plumbed for oxygen and acetylene so there was a manifold near the pattern torch with more than one outlet that allowed me to put another regulator on there.  BTW the same effect can be had with a standard Y and short hoses and there's no real difference between doing this and a two hose torch.Last edited by irish fixit; 12-06-2011 at 11:41 PM.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:I prefer Harris torches over all and victor gauges over all and in 25 years I think I have owned them allFor what it's worthAnother day in paradise You only have to be smarter than the metal".   WeldiniMaking an honest living is nothing more than stealing from someone who can afford it and everyone feels good when it's over .      Weldini
Reply:( all sizes use the same torch ).