Smksignals
Explorer
Bonuses are a kick butt flame shootin out the end and the sound of F14 Tomcat hitting the afterburners ! Total Awesomeness ! :Wow1:
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Propane torch head? What do you use?
- Thread starter Silver dude
- Start date
Bonuses are a kick butt flame shootin out the end and the sound of F14 Tomcat hitting the afterburners ! Total Awesomeness ! :Wow1:
plainjaneFJC
Deplorable
Get a turbotorch, that what us contractors buy, and we make a living with ours.
Honu
lost on the mainland
Tweaked it for ya
Get a Snow Peak, that what us campers buy, and we have fun with ours.
chromisdesigns
Adventurer
That's not a torch...THIS is a torch! (with apologies to Mick Dundee) :drool:
Silver dude
Xplorer
After camping this weekend. I realized that charcoal lighter fluid and a lighter works better and makes more sense then a torch to start a fire. I'll likely snag the cheaper unit from harbor freight as a back up. Thanks all for the brilliant suggestions.
Arclight
SAR guy
If you want a way to start big roaring campfires with wet wood, get yourself a 12V air mattress inflator. It's simply amazing how hot you can get wood or charcoal to burn with just a little forced air. Your coals go from smouldering to white-hot in a matter of minutes. In fact, you can make a fire hot enough to melt bronze or forge steel in this way.
Arclight
Arclight
fourstringfletch
Adventurer
I understand the appeal of cooking your bacon, charcoal, or entire cow with a hand torch but I've never thought to pack one because I find therapy in splitting kindling and "building" a fire.
I am curious to hear how a torch has saved your bacon - or what makes this an essential tool to have at all times. Why should I pack one?
I am curious to hear how a torch has saved your bacon - or what makes this an essential tool to have at all times. Why should I pack one?
AFSOC
Explorer
You, yourself know that you don't NEED to pack a torch, it's a luxury. I sometimes enjoy the (occasionally) frustrating yet extremely satisfying labor of starting the campfire but there are some occasions when I prefer not to spend a bunch of time conjuring up a roaring fire. In those times when darkness is on my heels, I am still building camp or I am cold or hungry, it's really nice to spark up the propane torch and have the fire up and running in about a minute.
As far as what head to buy, I just use the same Bernz-o-matic torch head that I used to sweat solder in my water heater. A friend of mine has a Snow Peak, it works but only for camping. You wouldn't want to use it for brazing or soldering. To me the Snow Peak is only superior because of its name, not in functionality.
Stumpalump
Expedition Leader
I would not go as far as calling it a luxury. If you already carry 1lb propane cans for cooking then a small touch head for trail repairs or lighting wet wood would just be considered a handy trail tool.
Honu
lost on the mainland
not sure I agree IMHO its superior to a solder torch for lighting charcoal and fire
I have both myself and changing a faucet head I would grab the regular propane torchmain reason is starting charcoal with a solder type torch is kinda like painting a outside wall of a house with a 2 inch brush ! takes a lot longer
where the SP is like a roller
yes its a camping only tool
but so is most of my camping gear my tent my cots my bags etc...
fourstringfletch
Adventurer
Thanks for your thoughts Stump; what have/could you actually repair with such a torch on the trail?
Stumpalump
Expedition Leader
Heat can be a mechanics best freind. It un-sticks bolts and frees up stuck parts. You could use it to solder up a break or gas line. Soften bent components that need to be straitened like a bent tie rod. This could be an entire thread but as cheap as they are and as little room as it takes then why not toss one in the bottom of the tool box?