is upgrading from a hot head worth it?

[dunkster]

hi guys. most of you are far more experienced than myself, and therefore probably have upgraded from a hot head. considering the price of setting up an oxy/propane torch, is the cost worth the benefits? i am just wondering how much quicker you can work and whether its a lot easier to do detailed work with stringers?
also, if its worth upgrading, which torch is best? and is an oxygen cylinder a better option then won of those oxy-cons?

[Sulis (Hazel)]

YES!!!

In my humble opinion anyway!

I love my Bobcat, so much more flame control, incredibly cheap to run once you've had the initial outlay. I'd suggest you try a dual fuel torch out if you can. If you're going to Flame Off, that would be a fabulous opportunity to try before you buy. Or there are several open studio type events advertised in Frit Happens which may help you.

Good luck with your decision.

Hazel  x

[squirsygirl]

Yss - yes - yes

Without a doubt it's worth it.  You get a hotter, quieter flame, more control for stingers, the gas usage plummets, and you feel more well, professional.

It is worth it.

And even if you find it's not for you in the long run, everything holds it's price quite well.

Try a duel fuel if you can, I too love my bobcat.

Kirsty

[dunkster]

yeah i am going to flame off. cant wait. does it speed your work up significantly?

[Veebee]

It will speed up your work incredibly quickly!
I am personally in love with my HH, I like having the time to work on a bead, and some will say it is easier to make larger beads on the HH because it has so much surrounding heat (and I would agree!). The drawback on the HH is no pinpoint flame.....but I don't let that stop me 

[garishglobes]

It will definitely speed your work up, you also get more control. I adore my Bobcat, and would go for an oxycon.
Having said that, the HH is a great torch and you can make a lot of great beads with it.

[llewennog]

Going to bottled oxy isnt recommended unless youve got $$ to 'burn', for softglass you dont need more than a single oxycon.

As for switching torches, could you imagine using nothing but candles to light your house now?


For general cheap bead making, go with a minor, for a torch which will HOLD its resale value, go with a cricket or bobcat.
you wont need anything bigger at all unless you sink into the madness, then its liquid oxy & Delta Mag's & real heat!

[SilverGems89]

I have a hot head but have used a number of different dual fuel torches quite a bit and i can honestly say for me i cant justify the cost of upgrading, i can work just as well on the hot head now! i guess it really depends on what you ultimately want to do, i'd say the best thing you can do is try out a dual fuel and see if it works better for you  

[dunkster]

thanks guys for your feed back. i read on tufnell that they can demonstrate a minor torch, but i dont want the hard sell, just honest opinions from those who use these items every day.

[lorrainelee]

thanks guys for your feed back. i read on tufnell that they can demonstrate a minor torch, but i dont want the hard sell, just honest opinions from those who use these items every day.

You won't get "hard sell" from Tuffnells, they are brilliant and will really give you good, honest, advice! (and no, I'm not on commission!)
Lorraine

[helbels]

I'm someone who can't upgrade from a Hothead, as I have no room for an Oxycon in my wee flat.

I'm genuinely not bothered by the Hothead noise (I sing along to it!) and I don't find it too time consuming making nice beads.

For me its a hobby at the moment, and a Hothead is fine for what I need for the time being.  I don't deny that if someone came along tomorrow and offered me a portable, small,  Oxycon for a good price, I'd probably upgrade.  But to be honest, I think thats largely down to the fact that loads of people are dismissive of Hotheads and insist that the bigger the torch the better - rather than a genuine NEED to upgrade on my part.

[Sulis (Hazel)]

If you're going to Flame Off, there will be many opportunities to just sit and play with torches, - no sell at all, let alone the hard sell! If you want to, just ask around and you'll get loads of very honest opinions.

Martin doesn't do hard sell - well, never has to me anyway! There will be other sellers there too - for example Sean at Off Mandrel, so will also be able to provide advice.

I'd seriously wait until Flame Off to make a decision if I were you - gives you maximum opportunity to try a few beads on a few different torches and see how you go.

I'm not on commission either 

x

[helenfc]

arg, im so impatient with my hothead, hardly have enough time to bead as it is...think i will upgrade eventually...have started saving up, rather than spending my money on more glass and going to try more dual fuels at the flame off (had a go on a minor and loved it  ).
quick question to llewennog though, why does a bobcat hold its sale value over a minor? thanks

[Redkite]

I would say, if you feel the expense and extra kit associated with a dual-fuel torch is too much, or you're in a position where you just can't upgrade, then you can still improve to an excellent standard with your HH. Unless you're very determined, you will probably find yourself drawn towards some types of glass and techniques more than others, and there are certainly things you can't do at all, but you don't necessarily need to upgrade to progress and continue making gorgeous beads.

Having said that, the noise did get me down and as a hobbyist I got frustrated that I needed quite a long stretch at the torch to make a decent quantity of beads eg to make enough beads for a bracelet, I needed 2-3 evenings. I had a try of a dual-fuel torch and felt it was significantly "better" (ie quicker, easier to strike and reduce glass, more controllable flame size, quieter etc), so I bought a GTT Cricket and an oxy-con and haven't looked back or regretted a single penny. The main improvement from day 1 was in encasing. It really helps to be able to heat the top layer of glass quickly, so you can push it right up to the mandrel without effecting the base bead. I also love the effects you get from reducing silver glass, so it really helps to be able to adjust the flame using knobs rather than fddling around with tin foil.

[DellaUK]

As someone who upgraded ten 10 days ago - definitely.  I learned on a mega-minor but then went for a hot head due to cost and in case my well known brief enthusiasm disappeared.......

11 months on (and having made beads in a freezing garage with extra socks on all winter) my lovely husband told me to go for it.  I now have a bobcat (tracked down in California as there are none in this country at the moment), oxycon and SC2 kiln.  I have a really controllable flame, I can encase thinly as the transparent actually goes soft now, ekho is not always poo (but still has its moments) and I can get colour out of magic and multicolour, as well as work on larger beads.  It's much quicker, but am still going gently as I'm not great at handling droopy glass.....

Definitely try things at flame off - a great opportunity