Need opinions for this tool

[Pooh_Bear]

I was in Lowes today killing time and I saw this torch set.
BernzOmatic Mapp/Oxy Torch

What do you think of this tool.

I don't do a lot of cutting and have little use for a torch.
I suppose that would change if I had one.
But in the past I haven't used one very often.
At the last house we lived in I had a set of full size o/a tanks and torch.
The acetyline tanks was still 1/4 full when we moved
and the oxy tank had been filled one time in 30 years.
They just didn't get that much use. And we didn't have papers on them.
The guy that bought the house wanted them so we left them for him.

Most of what I cut will be 3/32 to 5/16, probably around 1/8
Other stuff I do is heating and bending. Maybe light brazing.

So what do ya'll think of this tool.

Pooh Bear

 

[ronjhall]

When cutting I use 4 tanks of oxygen to 1 acetylene. Lowe's want $8.37 for one tank of oxygen. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif It will not take much of a project to use up a couple of tanks. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif But if you just use it occasionally it may be better than putting out for a full sized set.

 

[MadReferee]

Based on your stated needs you will be greatly disappointed in this unit, especially for welding the thicknesses you mentioned.

That unit is designed for light brazing like a plumber would do. I don't think it is suitable for welding anything more than sheet metal and I don't think it can cut efficiently anything more than sheet metal either.

The Bernzomatic website only says it is good for light brazing. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I would go for an inexpensive oxy/acetylne setup with small (less than 80cf) tanks. These are the small tanks you buy and exchange when empty. Any welding shop and several of the Ebay dealers have them.

 

[BB_TX]

I have one that I inherited from my FIL. Haven't used it much, but like Ron said, goes thru oxy cylinder in nothing flat. And they ain't cheap.
Local Home Depot is now handling tanks for acetylene and oxy in various sizes from standard large size to a couple smaller sizes also.

 

[MadReferee]

Just a side note.

From what I understand from reading posts on welding forums, the MAPP flame is about 300-400 degrees cooler than the acetylene flame. This severely limits the metal thinckness that can be used with MAPP. However, this characteristic makes MAPP ideal for brazing.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've never used or even seen one of those set ups, but from the replies you got so far, it seems sort of like a specialty tool and not very practical for too many projects.

I bought the small gas/oxy set awhile ago. The tanks are in a plastic holder with a handle that I can carry around real easy. They last long enough to handle just about any project I've come across and I've been able to cut holes in steel 1 1/2 inches thick. It wasn't pretty, and I had to go at it from both sides, but it did the job!!!

Both tanks run out just about the same time and run around $35 to exchange them.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[RonMar]

That thing looks like the follow on to the old "Solid-OX" torch that used chemical pellets burning in a container to generate the oxygen. Good for brazing and that is about it. I think you would be much happier with the small conventional torch set mentioned by others here. The beauty of those is that they use conventional torch tips so you can go from a tiny 00 tip for fine welding of thin sheet and brazing all the way up to a large rosebud for heating and bending large bar stock. Very versitile, I have even used one to make Coffee. They also use conventional regulators and fittings so if you have a big project come your way, you can lease larger bottles for the job.

 

[Birdhunter1]

Those wrok hafl-butt for brazing copper lines for refrigeration lines or softer thinner materialsliek that but for steel the thickness you are looking at you won't like that torch one bit.

What you'd be best off with is one of those portable oxy/ acetylene torch pack units. Those things are so handy everybody ought to have one!

 

[Bird]

I'm not so sure about that one that Lowes has; doesn't look too good. But several years ago, I bought a rig from one of the major welding supply dealers in Dallas. It used a refillable oxygen bottle (20 cu. ft.) and the one pound Mapp gas bottles, came in a red plastic carrying case with hoses, lighter, adjustable gauges, goggles, and cutting, welding, and brazing tips for the torch. I eventually used it for all those things. A neighbor had the handle break off his fertilizer spreader and I brazed it back on and it held just fine for him to hang it by that handle in the garage when he wasn't using it. I cut up and welded bed frame rails to make a rack for another neighbor to use to hang the works from grandfather clocks while he worked on them. You can definitely cut and weld with Mapp/Oxygen rigs, but I don't know the maximum thickness of steel that you can handle. The rig I had "looked" just like this rig except for the one pound Mapp gas cylinder instead of acetylene.

 

[RonMar]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( You can definitely cut and weld with Mapp/Oxygen rigs, but I don't know the maximum thickness of steel that you can handle.)</font>

The Lincoln Port-a-torch kit brocure says it cuts to 1" and welds to 1/16". With additional larger tips, cuts to 4" and welds to 1/2" are possible.

You can find similar kits for less than the price they want for the lincoln kit at other sources, but you want to make sure they are compatible with a standard type torch accesories such as Victor so you can get parts at a local weld shop. You can also find kits without the bottles which you then rent/lease/buy locally(no shipping on the bottle weight).