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BUT. The torch works great and is very stingy burning fuel. Easy to use fir close, fine work. no spare tips or replacement parts available anywhere. I spoke with the company and when asked why parts weren't available, all they said was "I don't know."
I have finally gotten around to reviewing this torch. But I purchased the 2nd one a year ago and still haven't needed it. I prefer mapp because it's hotter but the flame is smaller.
I make jewelry using sterling and copper, and find it just perfect.the handpiece is comfortable to use, and the hose is a good length, though it could be a little bit longer. I've definitely used this torch longer than 30 hours, and it's still going strong. I've owned it for at least 2 years, and use it quite often.
The other tips that come with it.I've never used, and they are to be used with propane only, according to bernzomatic directions. I use mine solely with MAPP gas disposable tanks. It's hard to find, but in the directions, bernzomatic says you can use the flame tip with propane or mapp.
I've actually purchased a second one of these as backup, just in case the one I use now wears out. I highly recommend this torch.
This torch allows a small and concise flame that is about one quarter to three eights of an inch long.The manufacturer quality seems to be excellent.The attachments are intended for the use buy a hobbyist and should be considered a consumable if used more than occasionally.
This little propane torch is great if you don't want to mess around with the fuel-oxy kind. I just couldn't master it, always melting the silver or making glass of the flux. Very simple yet hot enough for my jewelry making. This is my second one, I wore out the first, then I tried the duel fuel Gentec. The oxy bottles were about $10 and didn't last very long. For the price, convenience and performance this is the torch I choose.
The torch is easy to light, but I'd like to mention some safety procedures my rocket scientist son taught me, which are not clearly indicated in the package directions. I work in my basement with a window open. This is a fantastic torch setup for your bench at home. This exhausts any gas remaining in the hose.
It is easy and inexpensive to replace your propane tanks, which you won't need to do very often. Don't let the low price fool you. When you are done soldering a piece, turn off the handpiece first, then the tank, reversing the way you turned it on, which was tank first, then torch. Before I got this torch, I was using a Blazer with triple-refined butane to make sterling, copper, and brass bezels. The pointy flame is a dream come true.
After you turn off the tank, open the valve on the handpiece, wait for it to stop hissing, and then close the handpiece valve. That works great, but this is even better, and it works fast -- be prepared for that solder to run sooner than you think it will. Combined with an inexpensive firebrick, a solder-rite board and/or charcoal block set on top of a shallow pan full of some heat-resistant material, which could be set on a rotating lazy susan type thing, all set on top of a heavy workbench covered with a big sheet of welding steel (less than $15 at your local home center), this torch will perform as well or better than a much more expensive two-tank system. It takes less than a minute, but that's how he was taught to do it in his college labs, so this extra step seems like a good idea to me. I have tried the torch tips and hoses available at the big box home centers, and they do not work nearly as well, though both work well enough to melt hard solder easily.
But the nice small handpiece of this torch, which feels a lot like the handpiece of my flexible shaft machine, is ergonomically designed and very comfortable to hold, offering greater control. The torch is so easy to light with a striker that I've become completely comfortable using it, and use it many times each day. This tool is a great addition to my studio.
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