The Complete Handbook of Hardware Torches

I picked this up hoping for a definitive comparison of propane vs MAPP torches, and there is useful info here, but I felt the chapters on usage and maintenance were a bit lean. It's a good book to have on the shelf for reference, but I didn't find a lot of 'aha' moments that I hadn't already figured out on the job after a few years. For a total beginner, it's probably a better starting point than I needed.

The book is solid and well-organized, which is what I've come to expect from this imprint. I appreciated the no-nonsense approach to safety, but I wanted a bit more on specialty applications like brazing large copper linesets. It covers the fundamentals well, but for my specific HVAC niche, it felt a little generic in places. A good handbook, just not the last word on the subject.

As a fabricator, I've been through dozens of forum threads and muddled through countless product websites trying to get straight answers. This book just lays it all out. It doesn't tell you to buy the most expensive thing, it explains what BTU output actually means for the mass of steel you're heating. The chapter on choosing a torch was worth the price of the book alone, and the safety section caused me to change a couple of bad habits. I've bought copies to hand out to my apprentices.

I'm a licensed plumber and this is a useful, professional overview. The sections on the different types of torches were accurate, and the troubleshooting chart for a 'lazy' flame that's linked to a failing regulator is spot on. My main issue is that it's dense and dry; it reads like the manual you'd get in a trade school course. It felt like work to read it, though it's valuable information.

I bought this for my husband who does general home maintenance and it was a hit. It's not a coffee table book; it's a reference you actually use. We especially liked the detailed comparison of the different torch kits, as we had been deciding between a few the big box stores. It helped us get the right one without overpaying. My only complaint is that it felt like it could have been a few pages longer on the business opportunities side, as that part felt a little thin.

I do a lot of hobbyist metalwork, but I've never had any formal training. This handbook has been an excellent bridge. It gave me the terminology and the principles of heat control that I was missing, and the explanations have made it easier for me to follow along in online tutorials. I did knock off a couple of stars because some of the physics of combustion in the first chapter got a bit too detailed for me; I really just needed the practical bits.

A very sound, practical reference. I really appreciated that the information is specific, and it doesn't dance around the fact that these tools are dangerous if you don't respect them. The advice on preventive maintenance for the regulator and hose assembly is advice I've already started following. It's a minor gripe, but I wish some of the diagrams and charts had been a little clearer in the black and white printing. Still, an extremely useful book for the professional.