Opinion? Henrob 2000 Torches

[spincycle]

Alright, I'm a newbie to metalwork. I've got a little mig unit, I'm earning to stick metal together in useful ways. Cool, right?

Well...yeah, but I also gotta [i]cut[/] metal. Can't afford to drop for a quality plasma cutter (figure $1200-1300 for the unit, plus a compressor....and I'm just a guy working under his carport). So I'm going to get a small oxy-acetylene setup. Gas, tanks, regs, etc., are all just fine, and I have a good group of local suppliers for 'em.

I could just go down to the Home Despot and leave with the minimal setup...but I've been doing some research. It seems to me that while, yes, eventually a plasma cutter will be nice to have, Getting an oxy and acetylene tank and regulator setup with durable, multi-use attachments seems like something wortn doing some digging for.

So; Henrob 2000 Welding and Cutting Torch - $379 everyday! - FREE shipping. Take a gander, if you're a metalworker, and please give me your honest opinion. Is this legit? Or is it dog**** painted gold?

I ask because the kind of metalworking I'm learning (and wanting) to do is small in nature. Fabricating parts, making repairs, take small quantities of stock and turn it into useful offroading (and, as an aside, artistic and creative) creations.

I like the torch set linked to above because it'll both weld and cut, cut cleanly enough compared to plasma, and welds well using the right stick.

I don't want to do commercial/industrial/construction welding etc., and really just want the ability to:

- make a container out of steel
- reinforce or make an existing piece using standrd stock
- build a welding table that meets my needs from the ground up
- repair a broken part and know that I can trust the weld.

Anyway....any advice on the above apprecciated.

[RIVER RAT]

Although I do not have experience with the Henrob, I do have a lot of experience with a regular torch set-up that I've had for many years. It's MO that you can't go wrong with a regular torch, and it's many capabilities. There are weldors that do everything with this set-up alone, but they are clearly out of my league. Anyway, I would stick with the torch, and learn to make use of it's many capabilities.

[spincycle]

So, an update on the Henrob. Or the "DHC2000" or the "Dillon" or the "Cobra" or whatever whoever owns the rights to the thing is calling it these days.

Note: I'm still very much a beginner, whether its oxyacetylene, MIG, Propane, MAPP, etc, so keep that in mind as you read these.

1. Setup: easy as any other torch, with the exception that it's important that your regulators accurately (or at least repeatedly) can be adjusted to what are very low levels when compared to rates commonly used in other torch work, cutting in particular. We're talking 2-4 psi is *standard* for both gases. I may even invest in a couple inline, additional third stage regulators designed for accurate low pressure reading if I continue to use the torch often enough.

2. It's a pistol grip. Bothers some folks, doesn't others. I've been shooting (poorly, but shooting) longer than welding, so what do I care? The "trigger" is also a reversible lockout: pull it out and reverse it (there's an arrow visible on it), and it cuts gas flow into the mixing chamber.

3. The mixing chamber and welding mode. When used in welding mode (single tip), the gas is very well mixed, and rather than being emitted as single stream in the middle surrounded by eight additional nozzles fro the other tank, the gas is premixed. This is given as the reason why pressures (and gas usage) can be so low.

4. Cutting mode. There are actually two, push & pull. Essentialy, the torch uses two tips: once mixed gases for preheating, and a second tip that's just O2 to do the actual cutting. Can obviously not beused on non-oxidizable metals, but for those that are, once started, the mixed gas can actually be turned off, using the ongoing heat of oxidation to continue the heating/melting/cutting. Can be rigged in "push" and "drag" modes, and also comes with a set of wheels to help keep the cutting Oxygen aimed in the right angle and at the right distance from the metal, but aren't needed for the skilled hand. Trying to cut a shape out of a piece of 16ga sheet was an exercise in humor. I should have taken pictures to show you all. What I cut out had NOTHING in common with the shape I was aiming for and had traced out on the sheet. Blobs, splatter, under- and over-heating everywhere, you name the foul-up, I made it. It was great. This piece is being laser cut and shipped to my door now; I'd rather not wait until my skills are up to snuff.

5. Having only used a 'regular" torch a bit, I can't really speak for differences, but have heard that people who are used to traditional torches are commonly a bit frustrated at first with the Henrob but come to like it with time. Dunno how it'll be with me.

More updates with time.