A fellow in my neck of the woods is selling a No. 310 and a No. 315 handle, each
with a cutting attachment. He will separate the torches, says they're both in
fine condition. I don't know which one to buy - any opinions?

GWE

"Grant Erwin" wrote in message
...
A fellow in my neck of the woods is selling a No. 310 and a No. 315
handle, each
with a cutting attachment. He will separate the torches, says they're both
in
fine condition. I don't know which one to buy - any opinions?

GWE

I have a 315 (Journeyman) and am very happy with it. I'm not familiar with
the 310, but I think it is an older version of the same torch (it might be a
little smaller; the 315 is considered a "heavy duty"). The only problem
I've had with it is that, unless you use a big (large diameter) acetylene
tank, when you put the largest tip on it (especially the big rosebud for
heating), it can take gas faster than the tank can give it up with the
result that you end up drawing acetone into the torch with less than ideal
results... The 315 is a serious piece of equipment and it can do some
serious work. It is, however, a little clumsy for small stuff...

It goes without saying that the quality of a Victor is first rate.

Jerry

"Jerry Foster" wrote in message
om...
snip-----
It goes without saying that the quality of a Victor is first rate.

Jerry


An opinion I share, albeit from the position of an amateur.

Regards torch size, If I was making the decision, I'd let the work size
dictate. I have the small version, a model 100, and am more than
satisfied. I like not having the large torch that can get in the way, but
then I'm not using mine for anything of substance.

Harold

Grant Erwin wrote:
A fellow in my neck of the woods is selling a No. 310 and a No. 315 handle, each
with a cutting attachment. He will separate the torches, says they're both in
fine condition. I don't know which one to buy - any opinions?

GWE
These are the largest of the Victor handles, are you doing a lot of
heavy cutting? They will take the largest tips that Victor makes, if
you've got the cylinder manifolds to supply the gases. They do supply
smaller welding tips for those large torches, but it's hard using them
on small projects, just because the handle is so large. For cutting
and welding on construction equipment, probably would be great for
that. Probably less so for aircraft frame construction.

Just looked up on Thermadyne site, the 310 is the heavy-duty
"Industrial-grade" handle, the 315 is merely a heavy-duty handle.

I've got the mid-size Victor handle and attachments, I find it easier
to use for the small welding and silver-brazing that I mostly do. Ran
$60 at an auction with the cutting attachment, hoses, regulators and a
number of tips. For the really small stuff I've got the Smith Little
Torch. For heavier welding, I use arc, it's cheaper.

Haven't run into any battleships around here that needed cutting up,
that's what those large attachments are used for, burning heavy plate
and structural steel. If you don't need to do that, I'd look for a
somewhat lighter-duty(and lighter-weight) handle.

Stan