i stopped by the local welding store and they quoted me what looks like
list price for the following items :

1) Harris "victor compatible" kit
$470 includes 55 cu. ft. oxy and 35 cu ft. acet
add $35 for cart. Exchange both bottles for $30.

2) Victor kits $630 for the Journeyman. plus (lg. bottles) $185 for
acet, $228 for oxy, $80 for a cart. $40 to exchange both bottles.

It's been many years since I've done any brazing or welding and my first
project will be some light work on some custom tools and parts of a
motorcycle exhaust system.

Later I plan on working on some mild steel "wrought iron" work around my
property that has been kind of beat up over the years. Longer term I
will be doing more work on motorcycle exhausts and a few more custom
tools and equipment...nothing big. This is mostly hobby stuff.

Has anyone bought this type of equipment lately and how much of a
discount did you get/expect ?

Are the victor kits that superior to the Harris or is it a name brand
thing ? Are the victor regulators of vastly higher quality, for example ?

thanks for any comments or suggestions.

---
John

I started out with an old Victor set that they quit making parts for.
Moved on to Oxweld set, $135+/-. The bottles were leased for $20/yr.
each. The prices you mentioned seem pretty high.
My current setup is with leased bottles, $35/yr. maintenance fee and I
just pay for the gas.
Harris is an old company that makes all kinds of brazing and welding
products. I see their ad on the right side of my screen.
Bugs

Flash wrote:
i stopped by the local welding store and they quoted me what looks
like
list price for the following items :

1) Harris "victor compatible" kit
$470 includes 55 cu. ft. oxy and 35 cu ft. acet
add $35 for cart. Exchange both bottles for $30.

2) Victor kits $630 for the Journeyman. plus (lg. bottles) $185 for
acet, $228 for oxy, $80 for a cart. $40 to exchange both bottles.

It's been many years since I've done any brazing or welding and my
first
project will be some light work on some custom tools and parts of a
motorcycle exhaust system.

Later I plan on working on some mild steel "wrought iron" work around
my
property that has been kind of beat up over the years. Longer term I
will be doing more work on motorcycle exhausts and a few more custom
tools and equipment...nothing big. This is mostly hobby stuff.

Has anyone bought this type of equipment lately and how much of a
discount did you get/expect ?

Are the victor kits that superior to the Harris or is it a name brand

thing ? Are the victor regulators of vastly higher quality, for
example ?

thanks for any comments or suggestions.

---
John

Ouch! Usually those kits are more like $150, the mailorder outfits
will have them at those prices. The kits usually include 3 or 4
welding tips, 1 cutting tip(either too small or too large, depending),
cutting attachment, handle, hoses and single-stage regulators. The
hoses are usually too short, too. For general work, single-stage
regulators will work and will probably do for what you want. If you do
a lot of heavy cutting, you'll want to go to two-stage regulators,
maybe with a higher flow rate.

"Victor-compatible" sounds like a rebadged Chinese import to me, HF
sells these cheap.

I've used both Harris and Victor equipment, the Harris handle my dad
had is pretty heavy, the mid-sized Victor I've got is more comfortable
in my hands for long usage. Both are decent quality units that should
stand up to hard use, I wouldn't say one was superior to the other.
The main difference is in availability of parts and accessories like
tips, that's dependent on your local dealers. If you buy a kit, you're
going to definitely want to get more cutting tips and maybe larger or
smaller welding tips, depending on what you decide to tackle. Around
here, Victor seems to have better parts availability. YMMV

Bottle exchanges rates around here have been running in the $15-20
range. You need to look at the fine print to see if you're actually
buying a bottle, leasing for a fixed term(like 5 years), or what. The
initial cost for the cylinders seems a little high.

Stan

The bottles should cost about $200 or a bit more which means that you're
paying more than that for the torch and regulators. Considering that a good
Victor set won't run that much, that is a bit overpriced.

--
Why isn't there an Ozone Hole at the NORTH Pole?

On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 01:45:26 GMT, Flash
wrote:


Has anyone bought this type of equipment lately and how much of a
discount did you get/expect ?

In the Twin Cities area, most dealers have a fall sale that ends 31
December. Some dealers also have a spring sale that probably starts
about April. Sometimes you can get the most recent sale price if you
ask for it and are spending a few bux -- as you are with torch set,
bottles and gas. When I got my MIG I asked if I'd have to wait for
the next sale, or could I take one home that day. The guy dug out
the most recent sale brochure, said he was pretty sure he could do
that but he'd have to clear it with the boss who'd left for the day.

I picked it up the next day. I think the discount was about 10%.

Victor and Harris both make good stuff. Sometimes it is easier to find
Victor tips than Harris. But if you buy the "Victor compatible" Harris
stuff, that is not a problem. Mostly comes down to what feels good in your
hand and what is the best deal.

As you can see, refilling small bottles costs almost as much as larger ones.
That is because most of the cost is in the labor, which the pretty much the
same either way.

Victor and Harris both make different grades of regulators. Equivalent
grades seem pretty much the same to me.

Harris does offer some things that Victor doesn't, like injector type
mixers. They make it simpler to use alternative gases, like propylene, for
cutting.

The prices you quoted for either the Harris kit or the Victor kit are more
than I would be happy paying. Check around on the internet and eBay to see
what they go for.

If you like Victor and are put off by the price, check out the Firepower
line, manufactured by Victor in the U.S.A. But stay away from Harris and
Victor knockoffs from offshore.

"Flash" wrote in message
news:WucQd.27143$uc.17427@trnddc04...

Has anyone bought this type of equipment lately and how much of a discount
did you get/expect ?

Local welding supply has Victor kits for $150, tank exchange $20.

Look in your newspaper. Also, check farm auctions.

i have to admit there seems to be a range of price on the Journeyman
setups and i'm not sure why...I see them on ebay NIB for $300 or so, and
in the welding store for $420-$630 list depending on the kit.

not sure but i think a Harris "victor compatible" is a lot different
from those $70 ebay "victor compatible" specials, or the kind of stuff
you would find at harbor or northern tools.

well my friend at work has an O/A he is going to let me use so that will
get me past this hump and i will just keep looking around for deals or
sales...the 40/35 cu ft. Harris would be nice setup for me I think!


Thanks,
John