which one is better?

[welder_one]

for a torch:victor or smith
fuel: propylene or acetylene

[HMW]

Never heard of propylene, unless you meant propane and spell/type like me
Smith has a lifetime warranty on some of its models i know that. We have all Smith I think with no issues. 7 sets in all. Maybe somebody else has used both. And we use acetylene

[welder_one]

Never heard of propylene, unless you meant propane and spell/type like me
Smith has a lifetime warranty on some of its models i know that. We have all Smith I think with no issues. 7 sets in all. Maybe somebody else has used both. And we use acetylene

not a misspell, it is like mapp.

[Aerometalworker]

Welding or Cutting?

Smith is still made in the USA and covered by people that care. Victor....ive found not to be so true anymore. Customer service is non-existent. They fired most of the engineers and now are a bunch of salesman and purchasing people. Factories is mexico and china....product quality way down from 10 years ago.

Just my experience

[fun4now]

this might help.

http://www.millerwelds.com/education/projects/mboard/showthread.php?t=1672&highlight=propylene

i have an old victor i am very happy with, as well as a new one. they seem very much alike. i'll have to take a closer look. keep in mind mine is a small set. you are probably looking at a larger version.

[dabar39]

I don't really have a preference between the two, I have both brands and use them both frequently with out any issues. Mine are also quite old and well abused over the years, a few of my friends however, have complained about their new Victor torches have valve problems on the oxygen side. I guess that may be the difference between my old junk (as they call it) and their brand new equipment. Dave

[Archaic]

Propylene is just Propane on steroids. Propylene is more expensive and you can only get it from your LWS. Propane cheaper and you can get it anywhere, on a Saturday or Sunday when you run out and the LWS is closed.

I cut with acetylene for many years but have gone to propylene, and now propane. Like others above, I have many Victor and Smith torches, all very old, and they are about equal. I do not prefer one over the other.

If you set up for propylene or propane make sure that you outfit your rig with Grade T hose. Propylene or propane will eat up the standard Grade R hoses in a heartbeat. If you outfit with Grade T you can use Propylene, propane, or acetylene.

[Anti-GMAW]

The only advantage acetylene has over other fuel gases is that it's the only one that can be used to actualy weld carbon steel. Propylene actualy burns hotter than acetylene but produces moisture that will ruin a weld thus limiting it to cutting, pre heat, and brazing just like the other gases. Propylene in my opinion has the most advantages over other gases (propane is also a very good choice) but as everyone knows theres no free lunch. With propylene I'd have to say it would be availability. Propylene as well as the tips arn't available at all LWS's but if it is near you then go for it. Another thing is it's extremely light weight making tank handling much esier. You can also stack cut multiple peices at once with propalyne making repetive jobs go much quicker. You can also have a stand off distance of over 6" and still get an acceptible cut. As far as torches go if you can find a decent used one then I'd say it's personal preference. If you'r looking for a new one then I'd say go with a smith dual gaurd setup as there the most durable. The thing is with the smith setups is that your only suposed to hand tighten the tips due to the graphite seal on them. Many people use a wrench on them and end up going through loads of tips because they keep ruining the graphite seal due to over tightening.

Hope I helped.

[hellowyo]

Its a Ford/Chevy/Dodge Issue

Hello!

Well I teach welding at the High School level. We use our torches a lot, I have 15 newer victor 100 and 300s. I have 4 older smiths. They both work very well, however The victor torches are my favorite by a LITTLE margin. They are nicer styled and more ***y... I would see what you can get the best deal on... If it is true that Smiths are still made here, and Victors are foreign, (I dont know that) then the edge should go to Smith.

I am all for Aceytlene however. I have never used some of the other, but I hate using Propane for cutting. Aceytlene is hotter, so you will spend much less time waiting for preheat. It is more expensive, but if you value your time and sanity, Acetylene is the way to go!

[welder_one]

i decided on propylene fuel. wont be doing any torch welding just cuts and preheat. the lws gave me about 75 bucks cheaper on the smith rig, now i have to save up a little money to get some tips for it...lol

[fun4now]

congrats on the torch.
be shore to give us all a report on the propylene fuel. O/A may start to get too expensive and force us all to find other options, but for now i like having the option to weld as well as cut and heat. but if $ change too much i may have to let my welders do the welding.
any one know if you can retro fit a torch to run other gases?? or do you have to start over if you change gases??

[HMW]

Propylene!!

I have never heard of that. It amazes me what I learn from here Always used acetylene and used propane for some heating, soldering copper etc

[Archaic]

James:

In answer to your question "do you have to retrofit......" If you have a torch setup that you are using for OA now, you really only need two things to be set up for Propane/Propylene. One is to make sure that you have Grade T hoses. Standard Grade R hoses will not stand up to propane. Second is that you need to get you some propane tips. They are two piece tips. Victor and Smith make propane tips in all of the sizes that you find for acyl. Your acyl. regulator will work fine on the propane.

Adios-----

[68 Massey]

Victor customer care told me that once I used my regulator on propane not to use it on acyl. Said that the stench in propane would build up a film & cut down on the presure of acyl.

[fun4now]

cool, thanks i'll keep that in mind if the $ starts to get out of hand. although truth be told seems like i don't use it much any more with plasma and MIG, TIG, stick options. just heating and the occasional braze really. i suppose it would have to get pretty high $ to warrant a change. but its nice to know whats involved. helps make an informed decision.