I’m 70 now, and have been welding since I was a pre-teen when my dad, a maintenance
welder at Reynolds Aluminum, taught me to light a torch. After my stint with the Air
Force I ran the family welding fabrication shop for nearly a decade then worked as a Sr.
welding technician at a nuclear accelerator for another fifteen or so years. In between the
jobs as a welder I’ve kept my hand in it because of the automotive hobby and fabrication
projects that I’ve always had going round the house. I’ve always used Victor welding
equipment, which in my opinion is the top of the pile. Smith runs a very close second.
Either one of those sets will last you a lifetime in a home shop.
I would stay away from the off brands or store brands because it’s near impossible to get
them repaired or find replacement parts.
I would also stay away from the Henrob torch, I’d liken it to a ShopSmith, that is, it’s
supposed to do every thing but in reality it doesn’t do anything very well. They’re
hawked by the wheeler-dealers at the large aviation and custom car meets and really
belong on a shelf at HF. The guys doing the demo’s spend thousands of hours with one in
their hands and that’s why they can make them look so good, just as Eric Clapton could
make a $50 Sears & Roebuck Silvertone guitar sound like a Gibson Les Paul.
Keep this in mind, It only costs a little more to go first class.
Denny G
