HENROB DHC 2000 COBRA WELDING/CUTTING TORCH

[Neo]

Hi All,

I new wannabe welder and I like the look of the HENROB DHC 2000 COBRA WELDING/CUTTING TORCH.

Does any one have any experience or comments about this torch?

Many thanks.
Neo

 

[monckywrench]

Search on weldingweb, millerwelds, the Hobart forums, etc. There are many posts on them and the jobs for which they are suited.

I found the one I tried a bit heavy, but some folks remove the aluminum handle castings:

This site has some good reading whatever torch you choose.

TM Technologies: Tools, Sheet Metal Shaping Machines, & Gas Welding Supplies for Better Metalworking

 

[Jesse masterson]

I have had one for several years, the good is it uses less acetylene and oxy than others , it will cut but lots harder to master than a plasma, it's not as easy as the videos you see. As far as welding aluminum I gave up. I'm sure it can be done but much harder than a apool gun on my mig machine. All in all I would recommend it only as a do all tool but takes lots of practice. Personally I'd save the mo ey and buy a plasma cutter and a mig welder

 

[IslandTractor]

Hi All,

I new wannabe welder and I like the look of the HENROB DHC 2000 COBRA WELDING/CUTTING TORCH.

Does any one have any experience or comments about this torch?

Many thanks.
Neo

Some very experienced welders like the Cobra but I would suggest starting with traditional oxyfuel torches instead. As I recall there are some tricky regulator issues with the Cobra and you may be forced to buy fancier regulators than you really need. Not knocking the Cobra but there are reasons why it has not taken more than a tiny share of the market away from the standard torches. I'd suggest picking up a used standard Victor or Smith or knock off medium duty oxyfuel system to learn with along with a cheap stick welder (used buzz box or even a 110v inverter from HF for $150). Craigslist almost always has stuff like that for pretty cheap money. Take a welding class or buy an excellent welding teaching manual such as Welding: principles and applications by Jeffus (get a used edition from Amazon for $30-40, best single text I have found especially if you want a systematic teaching program with practical clearly described practice exercises). Get some scrap from the local dump and just start making metal stick together. It will be UGLY for a while but you will learn the basics and learn to see a puddle. AFTER you have invested some 20-40 hours of welding time is when you can make an informed decision about what sort of new equipment you might want. You'll be surprised I'm sure by what you learn and may go a very different direction than you are now thinking.

I bought a very nice MIG (Miller Passport) before starting my first welding class and now I barely use it. I found oxyfuel more fun and useful for thin metal and brazing, stick more practical for simple repairs, and TIG more of an interesting hobby tool. I obviously never could have predicted that when I started.

 

[Jesse masterson]

Acetylene is useful for small jobs but if you have any large jobs nothing beats mig. I built 7 steel goose pits this winter and was done in 10 days would have taken twice tjat long with stick and I'd still be working on it with acetylene. Also acetylene welding in the summer is really hot work the torch make the air around you a lot hotter than arc welding.

 

[IslandTractor]

Acetylene is useful for small jobs but if you have any large jobs nothing beats mig. I built 7 steel goose pits this winter and was done in 10 days would have taken twice tjat long with stick and I'd still be working on it with acetylene. Also acetylene welding in the summer is really hot work the torch make the air around you a lot hotter than arc welding.

No question that MIG rules for large scale fabrication. That after all is what it was designed for. Still, to quickly repair a farm implement stick is quicker or as quick and to work on thin gauge steel oxyfuel has some advantages over MIG. Mostly though, for someone new to welding, I think you would learn much more about the welding process with either stick or oxyfuel (or TIG) than with MIG. MIG is very efficient once you have everything set up and once you really know how to get a good weld but it is very easy to make poor welds with MIG that look good whereas that is less likely with stick or oxyfuel. The MIG "glue gun" is a double edged sword. Super efficient if used properly and also probably the most abused or rather incompetently used welding process simply because it is possible to stick weld to metal within fifteen minutes of coming home from Home Depot even if you don't know what you are doing. For someone taking a welding class, beginning with MIG would not be bad but almost never happens as welding classes virtually always start with stick or oxyfuel. For someone without the supervision provided by a formal instructor however, especially if self taught, I remain convinced that MIG should follow, not preceed, oxyfuel and stick experience.

 

[Jesse masterson]

I do agree someone will learn more about the concept of welding with torch welding starting off, stick is something that definitely should be learned, but from having a Hebron theymake it out like ypu can easily weld aluminum with it and this is not the case.I got to were I could so it , but definitely not easily.I have the Hebron as a option but very rairely use it , actualy anymore for most jobs I don't even turn my 220 machines on I use my miller 135 , a 110 unit with flux core wire, similar results as 60 10 with stick , can weld dirty , and will really surprise you what it's capable of 1/4 inch no problem.and don't have to worry about the excessive heat of a torch..and tig is to me out of the question because of cost of a capable machine. There just to much money for what they offer. I can weld aluminum with my mig with my spool gun and not invest 4000 bucks in it.

 

[IslandTractor]

Most general welding tasks (household and hobby, not commercial) can be done easily with 110V MIG or stick welders. Oxyfuel is nice for crafts or thin gauge steel and is also easy to set up without worrying about power sources. Even TIG can be done for only $200-300 over the cost of a basic stick welder unless you are planning to weld aluminum. I also use my Miller Passport (dual voltage MIG) much more on 110 than 220. Again, for someone just starting to weld it is important not to get too caught up in the "I can build an Abrams tank with my macho setup" chat that often permeates welding forums. For a beginning welder it is easier to learn on lower amperage/heat equipment and the principles and manual skills involved are identical to what would be used with higher powered equipment if you choose to go that way. Welding sites tend to look down their noses at flux core MIG setups from HD or small inverter stick/tig units from HF but frankly they are very capable and useful so long as you use them properly in a non commercial setting. To reiterate my earlier point, the issue is not the available power of a cheap MIG/flux core set up but rather the need for a newbie to understand what is going on with the welding process and how to read the weld as you are making it. Learn to weld properly and ANY welder can be used effectively.

 

[Jesse masterson]

I agree the most important of all is the old saying, practice, practice, practice.

 

[monckywrench]

If you want to gas weld, buy a copy of the "Oxwelders Handbook", 1939 edition is good and the most common. They are cheap at Abe Books.

oxwelder - AbeBooks

Fantastic reference. Later versions aren't better. Many of the torches shown are still in production. This era was the peak of OA welding.

It also covers torch cutting cast iron and other forgotten methods. If you buy only one OA welding book in your life, make it this one.