Poor quality oxy gear nowadays

[Brad93]

I was working at esab when they started making the victor range in Mexico and China, but I didn't realise that now even though they own GCE, that they're normal kit had gone to crap to.

Just had a new propane setup. Two brand new propane PNM nozzles. Neither are making a decent flame. No neat little preheat cones. When did everything turn to crap?

 

[Brad93]

@Jim Davey what is your preferred supplier nowadays?

Are Harris good anymore? Made in Poland but still with the American price tag.

 

[Jim Davey]

I was a fan of Victor gear but the prices make it near on impossible to sell. Same with Harris and Elga. These days it's a mixture of Weldgas and G-Tech stuff we sell. It's cheap enough and reliable enough to be a sell-and-forget product. However, I still think the Harris torches and Victor Bulldog torches are a hard act to beat.
If I could get Harris torches, Goodyear or continental hoses, and quality nozzles at prices that didn't make your eyes water I would, but we sell 50 cheapo regulators to very 1 premium one, so why bother? The damn things go out half out of date before they sell these days.
I used to buy only British, Gas Arc stuff, but since ESAB bought them they only really do manifold regs and can't supply the argon, CO2, oxy, and fuel gas regs we used to buy.
Globalization and market forces are making the really good stuff harder to find than ever.

 

[Munkul]

I buy esab pnm nozzles for work, never had problems with them.
Thomas Graham supply harris regs cheaper than anywhere else i can find, if i don't buy harris I buy esab edge, as regs are throw away after 5 years anyway.

 

[premmington]

Have you seen the price of multi stage (dual) regulators...?

I always used to have these - Murex BOC stuff.

Now been buying Harris single stage regs.

(annoys me no end to throw out of date regs away - if I worked on my own I would not)

 

[Brad93]

I buy esab pnm nozzles for work, never had problems with them.
Thomas Graham supply harris regs cheaper than anywhere else i can find, if i don't buy harris I buy esab edge, as regs are throw away after 5 years anyway.

I've just had a new edge regulator and quality seems good.

Just can't get a decent flame out of the nozzles

 

[chris pruteanu]

Did anyone tried this gear ? It’s supposed to work pretty well for brazing and heating up !

 

[Brad93]

They're brilliant but only for brazing. They can just about cut 10mm

 

[slim_boy_fat]

When did everything turn to crap?

When no-one was looking .

 

[premmington]

They're brilliant but only for brazing. They can just about cut 10mm

Have you used one? Bet they are not cheap?

 

[Jim Davey]

Did anyone tried this gear ? It’s supposed to work pretty well for brazing and heating up !View attachment 339278View attachment 339279

Yes, I sell them. Awesome bit of kit for brazing and soldering.
Not super effective for cutting as you need a cylinder of oxy still but for h&v guys or lead workers, anyone mobile that doesn’t want to lug gas around they are amazing.

 

[chris pruteanu]

Do you have a price for the kit ? Cheers !

 

[Brad93]

Have you used one? Bet they are not cheap?

Have you used one? Bet they are not cheap?

My pal was a Castolin rep. He highly highly rates them even though he no longer works for Castolin

 

[Jim Davey]

It’s about £3,000 for the entry level one.

 

[Brad93]

You'd need to be using it everyday to warrant one. Ideal for brazing, silver soldering, HVAC, radiators etc