Best Butane solder torch(cordless)

[kramer_212 10+ year member]

deciding between the mac, and bluepoint one.

both come with 4 tips including soldering tip.

i remember seeing there was another brand (supposed to be the best) think it started with an s.

price isn't really a problem i use it all day erry day, time to upgrade my weller one.

suggestions appreciated.

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[akheathen Premium Member]

i've bought mac, and seen many others. when it comes to anything electrical, you really are only paying for the name on the side of the truck. really depends on what you need it for, but best micro-torch i have owned and used to date is my ronson #80012 i think master apliance had a decent one, and i have never gone wrong with weller soldering products. if you need to get inside tight spaces of a dashboard, i would also pick up a little pencil microtorch to handle those little tasks. i'm sure there is some i am forgetting or overlooking, but i have seen way too many fail, bent, or broken necks, inherently faulty valves that make it leak and sputter, improper heat dissipation leading to dangerous failure, tips that burn up or fall off, awkward/cumbersome/nearly impossible operation, failed clickers, etc, and i have seen this ronson survive more than enough abuse that should lead to all of this type of failure 10x to date. got one for my electrician buddy, and i am amazed it still works fine. my mac was one of the biggest pos torches after all is said and done. only reason i still have it packed in my toolbox for emergency, is beacuse it uses those cheap disposable lighters. i have to click it 100x and fool with it to make a useable flame, and pull it apart to get it to stop fueling, every time.

/$.02

 

[akheathen Premium Member]

i have to resend my comment on the master appliance. i just realized the one i have up at work is a master appliance. while it is decently reliable for something like bench work, it is not durable. several of them have been tossed out because the tips bend the internal line and leak out the body with little impact or force. a few because dirt gets in the fill nossle easily. the one big gripe i have, is that the air adjust is spring-loaded chrome, and will burn you if you try to go from soldering to heat shrink without letting it cool. plus, it is hard to use the air adjust, since you need to push both sides at once to make it slide. i believe the standard is what we used to use, and it was one of those heat-sensitive units, meaning, if you run out of fuel mid-project, you have to let it cool for a while, then fill it, and let it warm for a while before lighting, or it will crack something internal and not work right, or hold gas. whatever you get, i strongly recommend has a metal tank, as well. plastic tanks are down-right hazardous.

 

[kramer_212 10+ year member]

i have to resend my comment on the master appliance. i just realized the one i have up at work is a master appliance. while it is decently reliable for something like bench work, it is not durable. several of them have been tossed out because the tips bend the internal line and leak out the body with little impact or force. a few because dirt gets in the fill nossle easily. the one big gripe i have, is that the air adjust is spring-loaded chrome, and will burn you if you try to go from soldering to heat shrink without letting it cool. plus, it is hard to use the air adjust, since you need to push both sides at once to make it slide. i believe the standard is what we used to use, and it was one of those heat-sensitive units, meaning, if you run out of fuel mid-project, you have to let it cool for a while, then fill it, and let it warm for a while before lighting, or it will crack something internal and not work right, or hold gas. whatever you get, i strongly recommend has a metal tank, as well. plastic tanks are down-right hazardous.

thanks, im going to go down to the technical school later and check them both out and compair it to my weller, i get 60% off matco, snapon, mac etc...so i don't pay all that much.

 

[akheathen Premium Member]

in the end, you are only saving a couple bucks, when you account for the mark-up of the name. besides, i think the ronson was only 30-something at wale-mart, maybe less. i got them on sale for cheap.

 

[goingdef 10+ year member]

in the end, you are only saving a couple bucks, when you account for the mark-up of the name. besides, i think the ronson was only 30-something at wale-mart, maybe less. i got them on sale for cheap.

had mine for over a year now and it works great! I like the heat gun tip for shrink tubing after it's all soldered up.