Originally Posted by
Peterpan1
These small torches were designed for aircraft welding for the most part.
Indeed,.. and that ment building structures much larger than bicycles - not to mention that fuselages were 'welded' not brazed, indicating even higher thermal output was required than brazing bicycles.
Originally Posted by
Peterpan1
I wonder to what extent one needs a lightweight torch with small hoses,..
You don't, and I never implied it was required. My first torch was Victor 100, and was excellent for nearly every task I ask of it. However, as i aged, and spent more time with the torch in-hand, it became tiresome - to the point of fatigue. And lets not forget the larger, heavier and much stiffer 1/4" hoses attached the 100.
* The Victor 100FC medium duty handle with no.3 tip weighs a little over a pound - or about the same as a full cup of coffee in a heavy, ceramic mug. The Victor J-28 (shown below) light duty, w/tip is about 11 oz. (the same amount of coffee, but in a styrofoam cup).
Originally Posted by
Peterpan1
... because the torch is so small and so slow it's like shoveling snow with a teaspoon.
Not True.
Both the Victor 100 and the J-28 torches reference the same tip size chart and line pressures - indicating that both torches produce the same thermal output when wearing the same tip size.
And one last worthy note; With the valves located up front, I can tweak flame adjustments (or kill the flame entirely) using only one finger... without using or disturbing my filler hand.