The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest best oxy/act torch kit for the money

want to replace my old torch setup and dont know what brand to go with. any ideas and no harbor freight is not on my list of companies to buy from. any ideas would be apreciated pros and cons would be good also thanks MO

I've had Victor gauges in service for years with no issues.

Just my two cents. But have you looked at the henrob torch also know as HDC2000 cuts up two 1" like a plasma and can weld almost every metal out there. You can get good deals on ebay for the the web site shows how nice they work. I have on and love it. Portable low pressue last a long time. Any questions on them you dont see on videos or just want a users opinion just ask.

I was recommended to get a Smith set...which I did but its still in the platic wrap after two years. Seems I never get the time to go pick up a couple tanks! Shame on me!!

chipmunk you better rob a bank before you go get those tanks. the leases are expensive nowadays but make sure to check some of your local farm supply stores (tractor supply) you may be able to purchase them. if not go for a wtb add on your local 4 sale board somebody might actually have a set from the days before a lease. thats what i did. MO

i have heard and seen victor but not the others i will check them out. MO

i hope to get a henrob torch someday. the good thing about victor is you can get all sizes of welding, heating, and cutting tips easy and sometimes used. thats a big plus. some of the other stuff is harder to get the exact sizes you need. don't the victor kits have 3 welding tips? i have 00 up to #7 and several heating tips. by the way i just got a refill on act a week or so back- it knocked 100 bucks in the head! was like $95 with hazmat fee, surcharges, gas and tax. good i only use it for welding and brazing, i do all my cutting with propane. i haven't bought a refill in 10 years or so.

I've had a Henrob 3000 for years and haven't used it but once. I don't care what the guys at the shows do, it takes some time to master. I can weld cast iron with gas, but that thing is a booger. I may get it out and try again this summer. For a quality gas welding product, either Smith's or Victor has a lifetime warranty, get that one! I've taken a couple of mixing bodies in and instead of repairing them they just gave me a new one!

I've got a Lincoln buzz box, a Hobart MIG, and my gas rig, they are all different and I couldn't give any one of them up!

Les

There are many torch kits like on Amazon.com, and most of the chinese knockoffs say Victor Style, or Victor Type. But you can get a real Victor kit complete with very nice, heavy, quality regulators, nice torch equipment for about $215. I did that recently and was very impressed with the quality.

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

some good deals on Victors can be found on Craiglist or local Buy n Sell papers, I got a complete Victor set with full small tanks for $50

Bill

I've used a henrob for a good while at a past job. While it is a nice torch I don't see the attraction, works fine but it's not "that" special. I wouldn't go so far as to say it belongs at Harbor Freight, I'd surely use one if someone gave it to me but I won't be spending my money for one. I'm quite happy with the Victor at my current job and having used them in the past.
When I buy a torch for my shop it'll be a victor.

Grigg

I've got a Smith set and have had it for 30 years and had great service with it. I got sucked in and bought a Henrob at a car show, messed with it a couple times and now its sat in a drawer for the last 15 years.

I have mostly Victor, a couple of Harris and a couple of Smith with the big gauges. I can't really tell the difference between the three. As mentioned before careful of the ones that say Victor style or type. I think they are all junk. I would look for the old standby brands on Craigslist and I've seen some pretty good deals on eBay. I think my oldest Victor is at least 50 years old.