Torch with swirl tip worth the extra money?

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petrie

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Currently I have these two torches for soldering. The small one is propane only. I've had trouble in past soldering 3/4 " ball valves, (took long time) so I bought the bigger torch which is map-pro/propane. These are cheap torches. Paid $14 for the big one.

I'm wondering if it's well worth my money to buy a torch with swirl tip, and any recommendations on brand/style would be cool also.

torch-tips-01.jpg
 
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Jim Mills

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Depends on what "worth it" means. How much soldering do you do, and do you do bigger than typical 1/2 & 3/4" stuff? Either of those tips pictured will get the job done. A swirl tip will be faster if that is important. When I switched to a hotter torch & map gas, I remember there being a learning curve. I was burning joints in what seemed like just a few seconds. Had to dial down the torch and back off to avoid the burning. Once I "dialed it in" I loved it.
 

hj

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Most MAPP style torches will "burn" the tip if they are throttled down for more than a minute or so. The cheap "pencil flame" torches are good for "precise" work but not when a lot of heat is needed.
 

petrie

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Worth the money? Not sure why I though swirl tip torches cost a fortune...but they don't. I just ordered a Bernzomatic TS-4000 torch. No gas adjusment valve on this one...but lots of good reviews so for the price I'll give it a whirl. I don't need much of an excuse to buy a new tool.
 
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petrie

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Recieved my ts-4000 via ups today. Took it for test drive on some 1/2" fittings. I'm impressed. Gets hotter faster and can't beat the instant on off feature. I'm pretty sure it will tackle any job I'd throw at it. 3/4 ball valve or a shower valve would be the toughest thing I'll throw at it.

One thing I wonder about Is i called Bernzomatic and asked what the BTU rateing of the ts-4000 was and they sent me an email saying it is 6700 btu/hr based on 21,704 btu/lb...which I assume is map-pro. But, when I look up the BTU rating for the stk-99 by TurboTorch on one website they list the btu at 1700, and they have a double barrel torch that has a rating of 3600 btu. Now these TurboTorch models have swirl technology and look like they are made for some heavy duty brazing/soldering, so they must be putting out more heat. Is there a different btu rateing going on here?
 

petrie

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Forum member Reach4 just sent me a link to a bernzomatic product guide that had the answer to my question. Looks like the Turbotorches BTU rating is of the heat value in the primary flame, whereas Bernzomatic gave me the total heat value of the flame.

So, now I see the error in reasoning when someone says that propane and map pro have nearly the same temperature and btu rating, so what's the big deal? Well it's the heat and btu rating of the primary flame that makes all the difference. Along with flame speed (whatever that is)
 
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