Posted by David Sherman on Friday, July 22, 2005 at 1:46PM :
In Reply to: Cutting torch outfit questions posted by Northern Calif Dave on Thursday, July 21, 2005 at 6:06PM :
Gas welding/cutting outfits are getting to be almost obsolete, and I'm seeing lots of torches, regulators, etc at yard sales & pawn shops pretty cheap. I bought a good Victor setup with tanks at a yard sale for $200 with a cart and plenty of tips. It looks like it's been used every day since WWII, but it still works great. I bought a little Uniweld set w/o tanks for $35 at a yard sale, but the regulators promptly gave out. I replaced them with cheap Harbor Freight regulators. The oxygen regulator blew out within a few months, but by then I found a good army-surplus one laying around and put it on, which has worked fine.
I have to agree that Victor is the best, not just for long life, but for ease of use. Neither of my other torches cuts nearly as well as the Victor. But my advice would be to enjoy a fun day of going to second hand stores, pawn shops, etc, and with a little dickering, you'll find a real good Victor setup for pennies on the dollar. Everybody wants wire-feed welders and plasma cutters these days. Even the scrap monkeys have pretty well switched to oxy-propane for cutting.
As for renting vs buying, it's mostly a matter of how much gas you'll use. If you don't use much, it's cheaper to buy the tanks outright. If you use a lot, it's cheaper to rent them. I don't know just where the cutoff is, but buying worked out cheaper for me in the long run. One problem with owned tanks is it can be hard to get a different gas company to exchange your cylinders. The place I get my gas from in Wallace has been a little reluctant to take my Everett cylinders in trade because they're from a different supplier. They've done it, but only after a bit of discussion and calling people on the phone.