[A Snake]

On the two gasses, Acetylene is a much hotter flame than LP. That covers two of the things talked about. #1, yes it is cheaper, but not suitable for anything but junkyard work. Takes a huge tip to get the heat of a much smaller acetylene torch.

BTW You can also buy small oxegen and acetylene bottles and not pay the demurage. Yes, they do have to be inspected regularly and certified, but no monthly charge. You simply turn them in for filled bottles and pay for the filling. For folks other than the home user or hobbyist, the bottles a little small. I forget the cubic feet of gas in each, but my bottles are about 3 1/2' high on the oxy and 3' high on the acetylene. I don't cut much structural material with it so they last quite a while. I'm very partial to Victor gauges and torches as I used them for work for nearly 18 years. I've tried the other brands and frankly, they just don't stack up. If you want to do good work and not fight the tool, buy good equipment.

FYI ALL: don't cinch down on the valves of your acetylene torch! You'll ruin the valve seats and cause them to leak......very dangerous! Use two fingers to open and close lightly. If they are leaking now with out cinching them down, take the torch in and have it rebuilt. Also, DON'T leave pressure on the regulators after you turn off the tanks. Back 'em off with both torch valves open to bleed off the pressure. (All three valves if it's a cutting torch.) Leaving them under pressure, will damage the regulators over time.

Set Acetylene pressure at NO MORE than 5-7#!!! The red on the gauge is there for a reason. It's explosive at higher pressures. Set oxy where you like it for a good clean cut. For torch welding, I'd recommend 10 -12# oxy pressure. More doesn't help, it just makes the torch harder to set.

A lot said here, hope it sheds some light.