Henrob oxy/act torch worth owning?

JohnEvans · Apr 27, 2017

Got a chance to pickup new in the case Henrob [dixson?] torch set. Have read all the hype ,the question is anyone with real world experience here? Worth adding to my MIG-TIG-std oxy/act equipment that I now have.
TIA John

cg285 · Apr 28, 2017

i watched a guy demo one. he was pretty proficient with it. it would take some getting used to i think

kustomizingkid · Apr 28, 2017

Loved mine for welding, hated it for cutting. I was using it for welding sheet metal and it was good for that. Now I do everything with a tig and like that way more.

Bigbore050 · Apr 28, 2017

I have one but I have never used it. My uncle gave it to me but also he has never used it. He said "I bought it after I watched a demo guy trim his fingernails with it."

So if you are tired of dragging nail clippers around and like to live dangerously I would get one.

Sorry Im no help, but I am curious what others have to say.

Jim Williams · Apr 28, 2017

I saw a guy do a great demo at an auto fair. I suspect many of them are purchased and never used.

Jim

dave5605 · Apr 28, 2017

I bought one about 20 years ago after seeing the typical 'demo' it was a poor mans cutting torch and did a decent job at that.

It was/is a heavy/clunky welding torch that worked very well except for the fact it really needed real low pressure and your typical oxy/acetylene gages wouldnt be sensitive enough. You needed consistent 1/4 psi incremental availability with the Gages. They sold a special set of gages that almost doubled the total cost.

Bottom line was I graduated to a plasma cutter and tig a few years later and never used the setup again. Never did buy the gages either

mastuart · May 2, 2017

John do you have a torch now? If so what do you use it for? Do you use it every day? What would you expect to gain by getting a new torch head. If you have a torch now and you have a large range of tips and you are good with it. You will gain nothing. Any torch in good condition will do anything a henrobe will do. I have had one for more than 30 years. Mine is a Dillon. The name was changed to henrob and now I think they call it a cobra. Do you have a hand gun? If so grab it and pretend you are welding or cutting with it. It is about the same size and weight of a hand gun and you hold it the same way. They are picky about how stable your regulators are at low pressures. If you use your torch to weld sheet metal all day everyday you may like it and may see a savings on gas.

Mark

Ries · May 2, 2017

The one thing these are really good for is gas welding aluminum. If you are doing auto body, with soft aluminum alloys, with a lot of hammer shaping and english wheeling after welding, then these things, with a flux and an aluminum filler rod, leave virtually no HAZ, unlike tig welding. So the real pros who do ultra high end body work use em.
Other than that, as said above, a regular garden variety victor will do everything it will do, cheaper, with parts and service available.

mastuart · May 2, 2017

Ries I use mine to weld aluminum all the time. But it does not work any better than any other torch for aluminum. It is the person using the torch that makes the good weld. As a rule a torch has a much wider heat affected zone than a tig. Also as a rule a torch welded aluminum panel will be annealed several inched away from the weld as it is welded. Torch welding auto panels is a traditional method of coach building. Most will say an tig welded aluminum panel weld will crack if the panel needs a lot of work in the weld area.

JohnEvans · May 3, 2017

Nope ,don't one one and from the feedback here don't think I'll waste any money on it. Just a tool that I don't have!! LOL

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Henrob oxy/act torch worth owning?

JohnEvans

Titanium

cg285

Stainless

kustomizingkid

Titanium

Bigbore050

Aluminum

Jim Williams

Stainless

dave5605

Aluminum

mastuart

Aluminum

Ries

Diamond

mastuart

Aluminum

JohnEvans

Titanium

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