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-   -   GTT or carlisle? (http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25754)

JABOKA 2006-06-30 9:26am

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeAurelius
The Mongoose is a new torch on the market, specifically designed to address the needs of the growing number of lampworkers who want larger and larger torches. Designed to be modified by the owner simply by adding progressively larger outer rings of flame, it is both the perfect starter torch and the only torch a lampworker will ever need. Cooling of the torch is accomplished by flowing both oxygen and nitrogen through the torch body through cleverly designed stainless micro-tubules. The torch body will never get hotter than you can comfortably touch.

The Mongoose 1 is a both a surface and pre-mix torch, with 7 ports. 3 Valves control the flow of compressed air, oxygen, propane. An additional 4th valve allows you to adjust the mixture of compressed air and propane inside the torch body. True QUADRUPLE mix technology! 2 to 15 mm flame diameter.

Price $ 195.00 plus shipping

The Mongoose 2 is an add-on torch body that slides over your existing Mongoose1 and adds a 30 port outer fire. 4 additional valves. Outer fire ring is capable of 30 mm flame diameter.

Price $ 250.00 plus shipping

The Mongoose 3 is an add-on torch body that slides over your existing Mongoose 1 and Mongoose 2 and adds a 60 port outer fire. 4 additional valves. Outer fire ring is capable of 50 mm flame diameter.

Price $ 795.00 plus shipping.

The Mongoose 4 is the final add-on available at this time. It slides over the existing Mongoose 1, 2, and 3, to add an astonishing 150 ports! 4 additional valves. Outer fire ring is capable of 90 mm flame diameter.

Price $ 1250.00 plus shipping

Special package pricing:

Mongoose 1 and 2: $ 435 plus shipping
Mongoose 1, 2 and 3: $ 1195.00 plus shipping
Mongoose 1, 2, 3, and 4: $ 2200.00 plus shipping

These torches are available for immediate shipment to anywhere in the world.

Gas pressures: Oxygen: 5 to 45 PSI, Propane: 2 to 20 PSI, Compressed Air: 10 to 20 PSI. The range used by the torch will depend on the number of outer rings being used. Nitrogen is used as a cooling gas only, and requires .5 PSI continuous flow.

Footswitches will be coming soon, specially designed for the 3 ports (oxygen, compressed air, and propane), as well as the 4 total rings of flame.

Mike, I see that someone has already asked you where to find info on the Mongoose torch and I could not find an answer. I did a search here on the internet and could not find anything. Do you know where i can find the info? I am about to purchase a new torch. I have had a lot of trouble with my cuda. And on kbingsters side....i hate hot torches!!! And the cuda COOKS! They have replaced the torch once already because it blew fire in my lap out the back end of the torch one day. The replacement has had a problem with the center candle since the day i recieved it. Believe it or not (kbingster can kick my a** if she wants. Although I never said GTT was a "bad" torch) I am thinking of purchasing a cheetah. anyway, I would love to check out this Mongoose!

Just Nancy 2006-06-30 9:46am

Quote:

Originally Posted by kbinkster
OK, Nancy. Just know that if ever/whenever you're ready to send it in, they're there to help. If there's anything I can to do to help you, PM me.

Thanks Kim. It will be nice to get worked out sometime soon. I'm sure it will turn out to be something obvious.

kbinkster 2006-06-30 9:50am

Kris, the Mongoose is a fictional torch. Mike made it up for an April Fool's Day joke a year or two ago. I don't know if it survived the hacker attack on the old GLDG board.

Pretty elaborate/creative joke. And, the punchline is in the name, "Mongoose" since a Mongoose kills snakes, particularly Cobras.

As far as me kicking anything, you can express whatever opinion you want to about me, GTT, or whatever, and I won't have a problem. I may disagree, but... It's just when people post untruths or personal attacks that I have a problem and will speak up.

About your cuda center candle, it is normal for them to have a center candle that is longer than the rest. If it is significantly more yellow tipped than the others when trying to run a neutral flame, and you are unable to clean it up, it can be a problem. That would indicate that that center jet is not receiving as much oxygen as the rest. But, if it is just like the others, but a little bit longer, it should be fine.

kbinkster 2006-06-30 9:50am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just Nancy
Thanks Kim.

You're welcome, Nancy.

JABOKA 2006-06-30 10:22am

Kimberly, the center candle can be fixed by adding oxy but it seems to make the rest of the flamea little to oxydized. My biggest complaint is how hot the cuda gets. I can not tell you how many swear words and burns have evolved from this. I seem to rest my pinky on the barrel and i am sick of getting burnt! Anyway I am going to ordera cheetah i think. My only concern is I am used to the inner and outer fire. I wonder if this will screw me up with larger beads.....hmmm, I didn't think of that.

JABOKA 2006-06-30 10:53am

If I knew i could get a phantom...I would buy it today! Any suggestions????

PaulaD 2006-06-30 11:27am

I would wait to buy. Carlisle is coming out with another torch soon. That's all I can say and I am not associated with them..! But you may want to see it first! Hmmm, I wonder if it will be at the Gathering??!!

Btw Kris my knobs only get hot on the mini cc's when I lower the pressure too much!

Paula

Cosmo 2006-06-30 11:41am

Quote:

Originally Posted by JABOKA
Kimberly, the center candle can be fixed by adding oxy but it seems to make the rest of the flamea little to oxydized. My biggest complaint is how hot the cuda gets. I can not tell you how many swear words and burns have evolved from this. I seem to rest my pinky on the barrel and i am sick of getting burnt! Anyway I am going to ordera cheetah i think. My only concern is I am used to the inner and outer fire. I wonder if this will screw me up with larger beads.....hmmm, I didn't think of that.

If you are happy with the torch other than that, I would suggest you get a torch mounted marver. I have an L marver on my Tiger Shark, and I rest my hand on it all the time. No burns to show for it.

I know Generations Glass has them. That's where I got mine.

PaulaD 2006-06-30 11:44am

Frantz has them with a marble hole on one side of the marver. Super Cool! I just ordered one for the Cuda that I am finally hooking up today!!

Paula

MikeAurelius 2006-06-30 2:05pm

doggone it, kimberly! you let the mongoose out of the bag!!!

(chuckling)

kbinkster 2006-06-30 2:08pm

Sorry, Mike.
*snicker*

Hey, wait a minute... could that be the new torch Paula is talking about? Maybe it isn't a joke, after all.

JABOKA 2006-06-30 2:29pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cosmo
If you are happy with the torch other than that, I would suggest you get a torch mounted marver. I have an L marver on my Tiger Shark, and I rest my hand on it all the time. No burns to show for it.

I know Generations Glass has them. That's where I got mine.

..lol...I wish that would work....I have a torch mounted marver. This torch gets so hot...it cooks the marver as well

MikeAurelius 2006-06-30 4:41pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by kbinkster
Sorry, Mike.
*snicker*

Hey, wait a minute... could that be the new torch Paula is talking about? Maybe it isn't a joke, after all.

HEY, I've got a patent on that idea!!!! ROFL!!!

northern light 2006-06-30 7:58pm

sounds like an interesting torch. can it operate with only compresses air, or is the compressed air and suppliment to an oxy tank?

Northern Light

northern light 2006-06-30 8:11pm

So of coarse money is an important consideration....now I'm wondering if the mirage is bigger than I need. I'm hoping to work with goblets and figures roughly 6"-8" tall....perhaps the phantom is enough?

northern light 2006-06-30 8:13pm

Ok, I"m still figuring out how this whole posting thing works!
 
I'm wondering if the Mirage is more than I need. What can the Phantom do? I'm hoping to create goblets and figures not more that 10" tall....can a Phantom handle it and save me some money?

kbinkster 2006-07-01 12:02am

The rule of thumb is up to 12" on the Phantom, although it is possible to get bigger pieces with some good skills. Willy has seen up to 15" on a Phantom... But, again, the rule of thumb is 12".

So, for what you are describing, the Mirage is more than you need. The Phantom will do just fine.

Mr. Smiley 2006-07-01 4:40am

If you are looking at doing hollow forms and not solid work, the width of the flame is more important than the ability to penetrate heat deep into the piece quickly. Can you do this work on a Phantom, sure... would it be easier with a CC or other wide flame? Yeperz, it would... especially for a beginner. Just my .02

kbinkster 2006-07-01 5:57am

Can you adjust your flame (on a Phantom) and work where it feathers out and is wider? Absolutely. Can a beginner do this? Of course. Is it easier for a beginner to not have to encase colors or worry about easily scumming glass? Yes.

The notion that GTTs are only good for hard thrusting flames is a misconception.

Does this discount anyone else's opinion? Opinions are opinions, and everyone is entitled to one.

Mr. Smiley 2006-07-01 8:56am

Nobody said a hard driving flame is all they are good for... but the hard driving flame they are better at than a CC is not necessary when working most tubing applications. The wider flame of the CC would be better suited for this type work in my opinion... and a CC isn't as hard on colors if you are working with the wider flame further out. Once you get out from the face, the premix centerfire isn't that harsh. Working on it in Mickelsen's studio really gave me some perspective on the CC. I just think the wider flame of the CC is going to give a more even heat base for this situation. That just makes it easier to heat the whole piece evenly to blow it out, with a lot less hassle. Best of luck, whatever torch you get. Hollow forms are fun, but tricky to master. Reading the heat base in the glass is most important. You want even glow all over. Get a case of 20-30 mil scalloped tubing. The lines will help you read the glass. ;)

Kalera 2006-07-01 10:21am

Thanks, mods, for cleaning up this thread and restoring it to usefulness!

My only input is that while I adore my Barracuda, if money was no object and I was up to making the switch to tanked oxy I would get a Phantom. I still want to look into the Knight Bullet, too.

Coffeebean 2006-07-04 11:50am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cosmo
Wanna sell it?

see....I was going to suggest she just plum give it to me \\:D/ :grin:

Norskiglass 2007-07-26 8:27pm

I have worked one every Carlisle,GTT (except phantom) Nortel,Knight whatevers (same as carlisle) and Herbert Arnold Zenit burners.......Carlisle is a great entry level torch for the money and for what it does. GTT's are (to me ) cute torches that have dinky little knobs.....and the bigger the torch gets ~add more knobs sounds like a great idea untill you put glass in your hands and need to adjust 5 or 6 of them. Nortel works great for what they are an I tried one out similar to the CC before they had been released and for the money you cannot knock that!

After I purchase my 40mm H.A Zenit burner I decided to get the 50mm and the 65mm to add to my arsenal of equipment. ~The are noiseless, efficiant, precise, and in my opinion indestructible in design and simple to adjust, ergonomically correct....however they are not easy for some people to understand and why that is I don't know or really want to.

I sat down with a scientific lab glassblower whom has also done glass art since the 70's his opinion was "Carlisle's are great! GTT's are overpriced and found them to be flawed in design for the user not to mention the "touchy head syndrome" said nothing about Nortel or the Knight bullet/carlisle repro
.....when he looked at my H.A's he immedietly produced an antique model with brass head and fittings with the one knob adjustment.

We never discussed prices since it doesn't really matter in scheme of things we did discuss the flame produced and that of Carlise and HA with the HA being a far hotter flame with much more refinement and more importantly
~Its simply years ahead of its time when they started production in the 50's

What would I buy? The torch the best suits my needs as well as the one that is simple to use because I want to work the glass ~not the 6-10 knobs!

oldschooltofu 2007-07-27 8:04am

gtt all the way
they will recondition them for free for life

i have
2 deltas
2 mirages
2 phantoms
1 lynx
in my shop.

G.L.McBead 2007-07-27 10:35pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by JABOKA (Post 569251)
Kimberly, the center candle can be fixed by adding oxy but it seems to make the rest of the flamea little to oxydized. My biggest complaint is how hot the cuda gets. I can not tell you how many swear words and burns have evolved from this. I seem to rest my pinky on the barrel and i am sick of getting burnt! Anyway I am going to ordera cheetah i think. My only concern is I am used to the inner and outer fire. I wonder if this will screw me up with larger beads.....hmmm, I didn't think of that.

Knight Bullets are great torches,they never get too hot to touch.
I have had mine for over 2 years and wouldn't trade it for a car lode of GTT or any other torch.It's like a little tank.
G.

G.L.McBead 2007-07-27 10:44pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kalera (Post 570940)
Thanks, mods, for cleaning up this thread and restoring it to usefulness!

My only input is that while I adore my Barracuda, if money was no object and I was up to making the switch to tanked oxy I would get a Phantom. I still want to look into the Knight Bullet, too.

If you are in the Olympia area anytime you are wellcome to try my Bullet,I run the center on concentrators and tank on the outter.
PM me for my ph#.
G.

jokersdesign 2007-07-27 11:00pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norskiglass (Post 1293830)
I sat down with a scientific lab glassblower whom has also done glass art since the 70's his opinion was "Carlisle's are great! GTT's are overpriced and found them to be flawed in design for the user not to mention the "touchy head syndrome" said nothing about Nortel or the Knight bullet/carlisle repro
.....when he looked at my H.A's he immedietly produced an antique model with brass head and fittings with the one knob adjustment.

Tell me more about GTT's flawed in design and the ""touchy head syndrome"?

You can pm if you want.

I never tried a HA, but was almost closed to trading for a 50mm once. I like the idea of a 1 knob telescoping flame.

Robert

ChrisCamac 2007-08-02 9:01am

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulaD (Post 569382)
I would wait to buy. Carlisle is coming out with another torch soon. That's all I can say and I am not associated with them..! But you may want to see it first! Hmmm, I wonder if it will be at the Gathering??!!

The HellCat is the new torch that Paula is mentioning. We did have it at the open torch at the Gathering. As most of my experience is with Boro, I can say that it has a very powerful flame that pours on a ton of heat with a great atmosphere for color work. Neutral, Reducing, and Oxidizing are all easy to get with very little effort.

The centerfire is the same as a Mini CC, so if you know that torch, the HellCat will be very easy to work with as only the addition of the outerfire will be new to you.

As for soft glass, we did have Brad Pearson come and work with the torch quite a bit. He brought turquoise, black and white in morretti to test the torch. His findings were that the torch ran cool in the body the whole time, he made a large over 2" diameter marble in very short order, found more heat than he expected (even burning through a stainless steel punti by accident), but the nicest part is even with all that heat, the white and black did not bleed into each other and the turquoise stayed true with no reduction or pitting.

Hope that helps. The torch is similar to the Cuda and the Bullet Burner in size , but everyone that has tried the HellCat and uses either the Cuda or the Bullet has told me that they did prefer the HellCat's soft flame as compared to other models.

Price wise, the HellCat has an MSRP of $845, which I think is a little more than the Bullet and a little less than the Cuda.

kbinkster 2007-08-02 12:31pm

William, you are certainly entitled to your opinion. Of course, I find it rather interesting that you would wait over a year to express it (this thread was well over a year old when you resurrected it). But, at any rate, your opinion is your opinion and differing views are always enlightening.

However, I do take exception to some of what you are saying, especially your characterization of the GTT torches and the claims that you are making regarding the Herbert Arnolds.

Quote:

I have worked one every Carlisle,GTT (except phantom) Nortel,Knight whatevers (same as carlisle) and Herbert Arnold Zenit burners.......Carlisle is a great entry level torch for the money and for what it does. GTT's are (to me ) cute torches that have dinky little knobs.....and the bigger the torch gets ~add more knobs sounds like a great idea untill you put glass in your hands and need to adjust 5 or 6 of them.
Cute torches? Dinky little knobs? While the GTTs are certainly attractive (their sleek design has a very important purpose, btw), they are hardly what I would call “cute” and their knobs are not “dinky.” “Cute” implies that something is not worthy of being taken seriously. GTTs are serious torches. The term “dinky” not only infers diminutive size, but also implies “low quality” or “fragility.” GTT knobs most certainly are not fragile or of low quality! GTT knobs and their valves are the most precise in the industry. They are also the best quality I have ever seen or used (and I have used and own torches from several different manufacturers, so I am basing my opinion on observable fact).

While you may not personally care for a torch with sleek, yet purposeful, design and smaller sized knobs (and that is certainly your prerogative!), there are many other people who prefer them to clunky, imprecise, inefficient “heat sinks.”

As for the number of valves, there is purpose behind that, too. The valves allow for the user to adjust the torch to whatever flame size and flame chemistry they want. Naturally, the more valves there are, the better you can dial in the flame you want. However, most of the guys I know who use the bigger torches with lots of valves never have to worry about adjusting them while their hands are full – they use foot pedals! They simply preset the flame to whatever characteristics they want and use a foot pedal to kick it on or off.

Interesting side note: GTT was the first torch manufacturer to offer the four post option on their torches. This was expressly for the purpose of using a foot pedal. Later, the separate feeds proved to be very useful for running the fires from separate fuel or oxygen sources (e.g. oxygen concentrator for the innerfire and tanked for the outerfire).

Going back to the number of valves... I think that I should point out that HAs have many, many valves. They are, however, not intended for the user to adjust and the user should never attempt to adjust them, lest they be prepared to send the torch overseas to be recalibrated. To get around this, many people incorporate the use of in-line regulators to control the amount of gas that gets to the torch in order to adjust the flame to a setting other than the factory pre-set for the torch. The HA is pretty much a one-trick pony without the use of cumbersome in-line regulators.

I fail to see how having to adjust in-line regulators while your hands are full is any easier than adjusting some knobs, much less simply kicking on a foot pedal (which does not require a free hand).

Quote:

Nortel works great for what they are an I tried one out similar to the CC before they had been released and for the money you cannot knock that!

After I purchase my 40mm H.A Zenit burner I decided to get the 50mm and the 65mm to add to my arsenal of equipment. ~The are noiseless, efficiant, precise, and in my opinion indestructible in design and simple to adjust, ergonomically correct....however they are not easy for some people to understand and why that is I don't know or really want to.
I’m sorry, but that whole statement is just downright misleading.

HAs are NOT efficient. As an example, an 18mm GTT Phantom uses between 35 and 40 cubic feet of oxygen per hour for its maximum full blast flame setting. Due to the Phantom’s triple mix design, it puts out more heat than a 40mm HA. According to the manufacturer, the HA 40mm burner uses 3.5 cubic meters of oxygen per hour for its maximum flame (which, again, is not as hot as the Phantom’s). That is 123.55 cubic feet of oxygen per hour! That means that the HA 40 uses 3 to 3.5 times the amount of oxygen as a Phantom for a flame that is not even as hot. How is that efficient?

You claim that they are noiseless. HAs are hardly noiseless. How can you say that they are quiet to operate when they require an air compressor to run them?

You claim that they are precise. Please define what you mean by “precise.” Would that precision be attainable without the use of in-line regulators if it were not dialed in for a tight flame at the factory? How small of a detail flame is possible on a larger HA? I doubt that you can get as small a detail flame on a HA as you could on the centerfire of a GTT.

Indestructible in design? I had the opportunity to check out a little Arni. I was shocked at the fragile external plumbing. I have not examined a larger one to see if they are plumbed the exact same way, but if so, then I would hardly consider them indestructible. Yes, the bulky heat shield around the barrel makes the torch look tough, but it does not make the torch indestructible.

External construction aside, they are still as vulnerable to damage as any other torch out there. They carbon heavily and you had better hope that you don’t have to send it back in to the factory for repair. The last time I heard about a HA repair, it was around $800. That does not include the lost income from the downtime (it takes a very long time and costs quite a bit to send a torch to Germany to get repaired, btw).

Ease of use... Yes, a single knob control sounds very appealing.... until you realize that you are limited to the flame characteristics pre-set by the manufacturer. When you add in-line regulators to further adjust the flame to your own preferences, there goes that whole notion of simplicity. And again, the use of foot pedals eliminates the need to adjust knobs. Oh, and how simple is a HA to operate if you deviate from the specific pressure settings prescribed for each torch (like if you set it up in a studio other than your own)?

You mention that you feel they are ergonomically correct. The whole reason for ergonomic design is the comfort of the worker – so they don’t injure themselves unnecessarily. The comfort of your whole body should be taken into consideration. For starters, how about the heat generated by the torch body itself? Are you able to steady you hands on the torch for detail work? How close in to the face can you get when working a small flame? And, how about the comfort of your eyes? HAs have more candle glare than other torch out there. That candle glare is very uncomfortable for lots of people. They report that they see spots after working on a HA and often have headaches afterwards. How good is having a well rested wrist (that is, if you only make crude adjustments using the single knob control and forego any fine tuning) when you are suffering from torch burn, ringing ears, spots before your eyes, and a headache?

Quote:

I sat down with a scientific lab glassblower whom has also done glass art since the 70's his opinion was "Carlisle's are great! GTT's are overpriced and found them to be flawed in design for the user not to mention the "touchy head syndrome" said nothing about Nortel or the Knight bullet/carlisle repro
.....when he looked at my H.A's he immedietly produced an antique model with brass head and fittings with the one knob adjustment.
I would be curious to know more about this “touchy head syndrome.” I would also like to know why he feels that they are flawed in design. I would be interested in his reasoning.

As for being overpriced, I would argue that GTT torches are not overpriced – and are in fact underpriced when you consider the amount of work and high quality materials that go into them and what you can accomplish with them. But, it is funny that he would not consider HAs or Carlisles to be overpriced – especially when you factor in how much they cost to operate (oxygen usage and an additional air compressor for a Herbie).

Quote:

We never discussed prices since it doesn't really matter in scheme of things we did discuss the flame produced and that of Carlise and HA with the HA being a far hotter flame with much more refinement and more importantly
~Its simply years ahead of its time when they started production in the 50's

What would I buy? The torch the best suits my needs as well as the one that is simple to use because I want to work the glass ~not the 6-10 knobs!
Well, again, you say that “6-10 knobs” (actually, the largest GTT on the market only has 9) as if you have to use all of the knobs and adjust them while you work. You do not mention that foot pedals eliminate the need to adjust knobs while your hands are full! You also fail to mention that without the use of in-line regulators, the single knob control of the HA is incredibly limiting. At least with 6-9 knobs – available for the user to adjust - you have the ability to dial in the right flame for the job – any job large or small, from soft glass to quartz. You do not have to depend on a factory-technician-in-another-country’s idea of the right flame for your working style. You get to make that choice for yourself!

I’m not trying to bash HAs. But, if anyone is interested in one, I would suggest that they do a lot of research to see if they are a practical choice for their application and budget. Some of your claims regarding both GTTs and HAs are a little exaggerated if not untrue.

ChrisCamac 2007-08-02 2:12pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by kbinkster (Post 1305192)
"Kbinkster referring to a statement by NorskiGlass"
I find it rather interesting that you would wait over a year to express it (this thread was well over a year old when you resurrected it).

Wow. I didn't even see the 2006 instead of the 2007. Man this thread is old. I don't know if William made the same mistake I did, but I was just looking at the month and day :) Paula may still have been referring to the HellCat, as it has been in development for quite some time. Sorry for the confusion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kbinkster (Post 1305192)
Interesting side note: GTT was the first torch manufacturer to offer the four post option on their torches. This was expressly for the purpose of using a foot pedal. Later, the separate feeds proved to be very useful for running the fires from separate fuel or oxygen sources (e.g. oxygen concentrator for the innerfire and tanked for the outerfire).

Actually, Carlisle has offered a four post model with the CC burner since the early 80's when we first developed the EL-2 foot pedal. I can't claim that we were the first to make a foot pedal, or that we were the first to do a 4 post model, but I do believe that would predate the GTT torches.


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