Bullet vs Hellcat?

[lripster]

Okay, yet another "Let's pretend money is no object" torch thread. :grin:

I'd love opinions, pros and cons, on these two torches.

I want to work LARGE, both soft and boro, but I also want a good pinpoint flame. I don't want to use tanked oxy. Am I asking too much from one torch without tanked oxy? :???:

Anyone out there who's worked on both torches have an opinion? Please?

And Brent, please don't forget to tell me what you think about the Hellcat after you play on it.

Any input will be appreciated.

[Paul Ewing]

I think you are going to have to look at the big generators if you don't want to use tanks. I'm thinking you'll need in the 15-20LPM range at least plus you'll need more pressure than medical concentrators will produce.

[lripster]

Hey Paul!! You could just send me one of your big boy torches and then I won't have to make a decision. :)

Would two 5s and a holding tank run either of these torches? Optimally? ;)

[ArtcoInc]

I want to work LARGE, both soft and boro, but I also want a good pinpoint flame. I don't want to use tanked oxy. Am I asking too much from one torch without tanked oxy? :???:

The Bullet burner is a great torch, and a great value for the money, but IMHO, it doesn't have a very tiny pin-point flame. The center flame kind of reminds me of the flame on a Mini-CC.

I'm waiting to get my shipment of Hellcats, but from what I saw at the Gathering, the Hellcat does have a smaller, pin-point flame.

If you want to work LARGE boro, I think you will need either several large concentrators, or tanked oxy. You might think about running the center flame on a concentrator, and using bottles just for the outer flame.

Do you plan to use a foot pedal?

Malcolm

[lripster]

Hi Malcolm,

As for the foot pedal, I'd love to eventually. It can be added to the Hellcat, correct?

I'm a little confused though, cause isn't the center fire of the Hellcat a mini CC?

The pinpoint flame is important to me, so that's good to know. Thanks for your input.

[Cosmo]

If you are looking for a pinpoint flame, it doesn't get any more pinpoint than a CC. That premix flame is like a needle. Same with the larger Knight torches.

But, on a Bullet, you can get a pretty narrow flame. Narrow enough for anything I do. The Hellcat is about the same. I haven't worked on the Hellcat as much as I have on a Bullet, but they appear very similar in flame characteristics.

[lripster]

Thanks, Cosmo.

[playingwithfirebeads]

Thanks, Cosmo.

Hi Lisa,

I used the Hellcat for Doug's class at the Gathering and one came home with me. You can use a foot pedal and it gets a narrow flame as well as a scorching hot flame with just the inner burner going. I use tank but hope to hook up a concentrator to it. It's a great torch. I have not tried the Knight torch so I can't compare.
Bonny

[lripster]

Ooh, good to know, Bonny.

Thanks.

[LAG]

I am no pro on these matters. I can only give an opinion. I have a Dragon Bullet that I adore and it gets a point pretty fine for what I do. My torch has been used by the Big Boys and they were impressed with it. If you aren't going to run a foot pedal, the Bullet only needs two hoses hooked to it instead of the four hoses for the Hellcat. Less bulk in your lap. Though, at sometime in the future, I could adopt a foot pedal with a few changes my husband says.

Hope this helps...

Depending on what you want to do, two concentrators would work with the Bullet. I used a 10 liter concentrator on my Bullet today even, and was wowed with the output. If you want to know more about the 10 liter concentrator, Larry Brickman has a lot of information about it or email me and I can put you in touch with Larry. After today's performance, I know I am getting a 10 liter concentrator.... and it is quiet!!

[lripster]

Great info, Kay. I think I'm leaning toward the bullet for now. I change my mind every other day, though. :)

[Mr. Smiley]

Lisa, when I get back from GS, I'll definitely give you my take on it. I already know my choice in this size is the Cuda, out of the torches I've run any way. I did work on the bullet for about a month... good torch. Built like a tank, but I wasn't impressed with the focus. It's a bit soft and wide for what my style of work needs.

You can't get around having more oxy when you step up in size... Two M-15s would run any of these pretty well. 5 LPM machines won't cut it for most folks. ;)

[lripster]

Ohhh my head is spinning.

How's the 'cuda with two 5s?

Maybe I should just bite the bullet (pun intended) and upgrade my oxy. Which means no new torch for a while.

Damn.

Anybody remember the Queen song, "I want it all. I want it now." :)

[Cosmo]

I hope to use a Hellcat at BeadFest this coming week. I'll post my thoughts on it once I do.

But, so far, my first suggestion is a Bullet. After that, I would look at a Nortel torch. A MidRange will do nicely. The Red Rocket is nice, but much more expensive than a Bullet. A very distant third would be a Barracuda. They just don't have any penetrating heat. They work fine for hollow work, but for solid work, it takes a lot longer to get anything done. And for the price ($795 plus another $100 if you want the base) it's just not worth it. If you are going to spend that kind of money, for a couple hundred dollars more you can have something like a Phantom. A Bullet is $659.

[G.L.McBead]

I have the Bullet,you can get it with 4 prong or 2
I run the center on 2 concentrators and a tank for the outter.I have the foot switch.
The tank last a long time this way.you could set it up with a holding tank and one of the bigger concentrators and have the perfect setup.I do mostly boro and I only need the outer for very big stuff.
Hope this helps,
G.

[ammaws]

Hey Lisa, I run my bullet's inner flame on two 5l concentrators, and the outer on tanked--If you want to come over in the next few weeks (I'm off and changing jobs) you can play with my torch to see if you like it. I'm in Blue Springs. Just pm me.

Jan

[playswithfire104]

I have a Knight bullet burner for sale in the garage.

[lripster]

Ooh, Jan, that sounds great!!! Sending you a pm!

And Nancy, dang I wish I had the money right this minute. That's a great deal!!!

[Cosmo]

I just got back from BeadFest. The demo torch there was a Hellcat, and my teaching torch in my classroom was a Hellcat. So, now I have a full weekend's experience working on it, so I can tell you a little more about it...

The demo torch was running on three Unlimited Oxygen machines (sorry, I don't know which one, but they are 8 LPM machines) and the classroom torches were on tanked oxygen.

The flame is incredibly similar to a Bullet. The center fire is a Mini CC, which is identical in flame characteristic to a Knight Little Dragon (the center fire of a Bullet). The outer flame seems to be almost the same as a Bullet. They are so close, in fact, that if you couldn't see the torch body while working on it, I don't think you can tell a difference between the two torches.