Old Victor Torch

downsizingnow48 · Mar 23, 2020

Hey, very helpful. Thanks.

yomax4 · Mar 23, 2020

Being a long time ex Thermadyne Victor guy I can tell you this. Victor was always made in Denton TX. They needed a low cost line to compete with the Chinese knock offs so they came up with a China torch 1st called Medalist and later Cut Skill and back to Medalist. I think all of the supposedly Actual Victor torches are made in Hermosillo MX. along with the Edge Regs and the low cost is still China. New Victor torches are a shell of what the ones were even from 5 years ago. Harris Torches, Owned by Lincoln were made in Ireland for most of their life and about 8 years ago they switched to Poland due to ( I am told) work ethic. The Harris Regs are still made in Gainsville GA. I used to work there too. Smith was made for a long time in Plymouth MN. Then moved to Watertown S.D. due to ( I am told ) Taxes. They did well there until the 2008 crash and they restructured by bringing in the parts ( torches ) and assembling in Watertown. Then things changed again a few years back when they started sourcing regulator parts abroad and assembling in USA which meant Appleton WI. There is talk of the Smith Watertown plant closing this year. Sad how all this happened with everyone. When I was at Victor we always joked with our Smith friends ( we are all friends ) that we would buy a Smith Torch as soon as the Chinese copy one. Too expensive to copy until now. American Torch Tip co. in Florida is bringing in a Smith knockoff and people are buying it. It's actually half Smith and half Victor if you look close but it's Silver so it sells. So not much in the welding world is USA anymore. Miller boxes have said "Assembled" in USA for 5-6 years. It seems that now the hobby guys buy the $99.00 import Victor style and throw it away when the $30.00 hose needs to be replaced and buy a new one.

coxhaus · Mar 23, 2020

Here are my old Victor regulators. I had them rebuilt a while back. Every time they rebuild them they look like new when you get them back.

I need to buy new hose. Should I buy the T version or does it matter? I think they have 3 versions of the hose, the regulator version, the R version and now the T version.

Oh, Terry I can not see your attachments.

yomax4, thanks for the Victor history. I knew there were changes but I could not remember.

downsizingnow48 · Mar 23, 2020

yomax thanks for the history. depressing and familiar story.

downsizingnow48 · Mar 23, 2020

I found a copy of that Victor pamphlet on Abebooks and ordered it too. Looks like I have plenty of time for reading the next several weeks.

Big Barn · Mar 23, 2020

Thanks coxhaus. I redid my post. I have no idea why this happens.

Should be able to see pics now. Thanks!

BTW Glad to see other torch/regulator repair outfits do nice work like the guy that fixes mine

yomax4 · Mar 23, 2020

coxhaus said:
Here are my old Victor regulators. I had them rebuilt a while back. Every time they rebuild them they look like new when you get them back.

I need to buy new hose. Should I buy the T version or does it matter? I think they have 3 versions of the hose, the regulator version, the R version and now the T version.

Oh, Terry I can not see your attachments.

yomax4, thanks for the Victor history. I knew there were changes but I could not remember.

Those Victor 450's are really not that old as far as genuine Victor regs go. Getting harder to find since Victor went to the Edge regs.

coxhaus · Mar 23, 2020

Which ones were the genuine victor regs?

The first regs I had back in the probably late 70s were Harris and then I sold them to buy Victor Texas made regs.

Maybe I did swap instead rebuild many years ago. Nothing comes to mind though. How old are the 450s?

yomax4 · Mar 24, 2020

coxhaus said:
Which ones were the genuine victor regs?

The first regs I had back in the probably late 70s were Harris and then I sold them to buy Victor Texas made regs.

Maybe I did swap instead rebuild many years ago. Nothing comes to mind though. How old are the 450s?

The 450's in your pic I would say are from the early to mid 2000's judging by the gauges and the newer style safety but the reg bodies didn't change much from the mid 80's on so someone could have put the newer style gauges on older regs. Fact is there really isn't much inside the regulators. You can spin the bonnet off and have a look. The 450's used a stainless steel diaphragm where lessor regs used rubber. This made them take pressure blast better without popping the diaphragm and they would handle condensation and cold gas better. ( other brands have SS as well on higher end regs). Other than the diaphragm there is a coil spring and needle and seat that's it.

coxhaus · Mar 24, 2020

My dad was the gas welder. He could run a puddle really well with gas. So we had a understanding if it had to be gas welded then my dad would do it and if it needed to be arc welded I did it. There was no cheap MIG back then. You either gas welded or stick welded. Thin stuff we gas welded and thick stuff we stick welded. I guess it is possible he changed something while it was at his house. I can't remember it was too long ago. I some how did not end up with any of the old gas welding tips when my dad passed away 15 years ago.

Thanks yomax4 for all your knowledge on the old Victor stuff.