Oxy acetylene torch set

[79bonanza]

Hey guys, I've been expanding my tool collection pretty extensively lately and I've come to a point to where I want a set or torches but I don't know if I will use them enough to justify buying them.

If I get a set I'll also be buying the cobra torch kit that makes welding and cutting thinner materials a little easier.

What do you guys that have torches think, are they worth it and used often or do they sit in the corner as a last resort?

 

[blazinzuk]

They sit in a corner as a last resort.

But when they are the last resort they are usually the only resort and a decent solution.

I don't use mine much but I would never give it up

 

[ktmoutfront]

I have a use for one monthly. Because I am cheap, I have not bought another set. Sold mine when we went traveling. Really miss have it though.

 

[ryoken]

it's one of the few things the LAB™ is not equipped with... one of these days... I can get a nice refurbed setup from my welding supplier for $350. tanks, victor setup, cart, etc... I have a plasma to get by in a pinch, but it get's wrecked trying to cut apart a truck, bolts, etc... really best on clean sheet steel.... throw in adding a rosebud tip for heating.. that's probably more what I would use than cutting...

torch welding is soooooo 1976.. and this coming from a guy that spent years torch welding quarters on at the bodyshops... no thanks, gimme a mig....

 

[ashman]

I'm with blazinzuk, I have one but rarely use it. However, when I do use it there isn't another tool for the job.
If you have other tools on your list, get those first.

mostly I use it for heating up stuck bolts tbh

 

[brans87]

Have a set use them twice a year I would say but would hate to sell them.

 

[79bonanza]

Yeah that's where I'm at decision. I may put it off until later. It'd be nice but I think with a plasma on hand and a Tig welder soon to show up I'll be okay for a while.

The only major reason I want it is for welding aluminum and keeping it pliable enough to run through at English wheel or shrinker stretcher

 

[JoshHefnerX]

Had a set for many years now. I only use it when I'm actually fabricating something - heating and cutting. But when you need them, you need them...

 

[Bent77]

They sit in a corner as a last resort.

But when they are the last resort they are usually the only resort and a decent solution.

I don't use mine much but I would never give it up

This, in spades.

 

[FOR MUD]

One of two tools I'll never be without for backups. The other is a Lincoln tombstone welder. They were the first pieces of equipment I bought and they've been with me for 20+ years.
I never look at buying tools to get a job done as a bad investment.....Now just buying tools just to have them is another thing.......Unless it's a great deal.....And their all shiny.....And someone else might it them.

 

[big dan]

I went for a long time not having a torch and rarely needed one and thought it wasn't all that important. Then I got one and now I'll never be without one and don't know how I've lived without so long.

Sometimes I'll go a month without using it sometimes I'll use it every day for a couple weeks. Just depends on what kind of project I've got going. I would probly use it less if I had a plasma but I would still use it. It's amazing what a little heat can do for stuck bolts and I spent years beating on knuckles to get ball joints loose but with some heat the practically fall out on their own.

The cost may be hard to justify if you rarely need it but the up front cost is the hard part. I got my bottles at an auction for $100. Regs and hoses in pawn shop for $50 and got a brand new victor torch with cutting and welding/brazing tip for free from a guy that used to scrap a lot and had a bunch laying around. If it's not a necessity shop around till you find a deal.

 

[diesel4me]

I'd be lost without torches--not that I used them all that much to cut or fab parts with,but to loosen rusted bolts & nuts or cut them off--up here in the salt belt,the "blue wrench" is often the only one that works...
I also braze a lot of things ,sometimes its better than welding..like on cast iron...many times the difference between getting a job done,or having to give up,hinges on whether you have enough oxogen in the tank to cut or heat up a stubborn fastener..

 

[79bonanza]

Well after seeing what you guys are saying about them, I think I'll hold off on buying a set.


I've gone this long without them I guess I can get buy a little longer lol

 

[dyeager535]

Well after seeing what you guys are saying about them, I think I'll hold off on buying a set.
I've gone this long without them I guess I can get buy a little longer lol

I use a torch set once in awhile to get stuck fasteners out. Plasma and MIG are far more useful for most, generally.

One thing with torch sets though, they are sold used all over the place, and other than hoses, most of the components seem to be fine if they pass a visual inspection. I traded a small acetylene bottle for a complete portable torch set like this (but not this one) http://www.harborfreight.com/portable-torch-kit-with-oxygen-and-acetylene-tanks-65818.html The nice thing is, they are easy to move around/take with you, and they don't take up a bunch of space like the larger bottles.

Of course, when it rains it pours, so I ended up with three sets, because the prices were below stupid and I couldn't resist. The gas in the cylinders alone was worth the acquisition cost.

Just watch Craigslist, swap meets, and yard sales. You'll find them everywhere.