I think you would have to do a lot of work w/ a lot of different torches before you noticed a difference between brands. personally, i've never noticed a difference. maybe somebody who has had a torch set and used it constantly for the past 20 yrs could tell you about its reliability. but other than that, there's really no big advantage from one to the other. torch performance is usually a product of maintenance. a clean torch tip will cut better and last longer than a dirty, clogged tip. and regulators that haven't been dropped, bumped, or beat to death will also have an affect on your opinion.
All the companies you mention make good equipment.
Personally, I like Victor, but Harris is a close second. They both have a good selection of small torches and tips. A lot of other manufacturers today have limited their selection in hopes of reducing inventory (Victor and Harris included). I think all they reduced was sales and service.
The Smith mini torch has some advantages, but is a bit on the fragile side for my liking in a shop environment.
Meco Equipment was always good for heavy cutting torches, but since they were bought out, their line is very limited.
One manufacturer I have been impressed with lately is Gentec. They copy Victor to some extent, but do make a good product at a reasonable price. The warranty is awesome. Their selection is good, as well. Check them out.
Remember, in spite of the sales hype, a torch is nothing more than a pipe with a few holes in it. Period. Nothing more, nothing less.
Quality of machining counts to some extent. Check them all out-choose the one that fits your hand and fits your need.
As far as the Henrob-I've heard many glowing reports.
I still don't know of any commercial shop that has one!!
Good Luck
brande
Thanks, Brande, and all who have replied. I'm still in the research stage, but your comments have helped.
One other question I have is this: if I am using a small tip that requires only, say, 3 or 4 psi from each cylinder, do I need a particular type of regulators for this? The reason I ask is that I've seen lots of regulators where it looks like it would be very hard to adjust that low with any precision. Do you need light duty regulators for this?
Thanks,
John
Not necessarily light duty but regulators designed for welding. Those designed for cutting have heavier springs and are harder to adjust to low pressures.
Bill
It may come down to the ability of driver of the car, rather than the make of the vehicle, as I've heard it described on here before.
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