Comments on: Hot or Not? Antex Pipemaster

By: AndyOwen

AndyOwen — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:00:09 +0000

The New black 220w version is a great companion tool when the flame is not the best solution. Don’t know about the sheet rock guys, that sort of activity give us contractors a bad name.

By: Captain Obvious

Captain Obvious — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:01:51 +0000

Antex is quite different from all other soldering irons:

they put the heating element IN the tips.

“normal” irons wrap the heating element around the outside, so much of the heat is thrown away!

Couple a higher output element with the elements-in-the-tips, and I’d expect this to work right.

( obviously, not if the pipes are full of coolant/water )

Antex irons rock, completely.

By: fred

fred — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:47:36 +0000

we have a couple of the black-handled versions. They work OK in warm indoor conditions - but we stick mostly to air/acetylene torches

By: Ash

Ash — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 02:15:10 +0000

I have an old, brandless 150W version of this tool. It doesn’t work well on water pipes that actually have some water left in them, and it flat out refuses to melt solder outside in a breeze. In perfect conditions it’s about as effective as a pencil torch, but with no flameouts and a neater-looking join.
The antex is a 220W device which would suck less, but I wouldn’t call it a replacement for a proper gas torch that can output ten times as much heat, it’s more of a companion tool.

By: brew

brew — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:28:31 +0000

well guys in vegas its every bottle is full and every elavator pit is a waterfall and dont step in dark corners–and i wonder if that tool really works–be safe for home projects…..

By: Nick

Nick — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:34:05 +0000

Man you guys are harsh on us rockers Its not all crews like that, I think the ones that are tweakers are like that though, I have always gotten rid of them though.

Me personally, worse ill do is piss in a bottle (up on a scissor lift, or haging off a giant steel kicker 80 feet in the air), otherwise its all bathroom for me.

Im also wondering how well this works, as this would be an awesome addition when doing remodels.

By: Asbestos

Asbestos — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:33:54 +0000

I think this would be the thing in places where you could set stuff on fire.

Damn, I’d hate to hear what you have to say about the foundation guys.
I always thought you were supposed to find out how many had outstanding warrents

By: Gough50

Gough50 — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:22:59 +0000

When you’re hiring a drywaller, the most important question is not how much they cost, nor is it whether or not they do quality work. The most important question is: “Are they housebroken?” To the average drywaller, anything with a drain is a toilet.

By: Old Coot

Old Coot — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:23:49 +0000

David P.: Apparently we use the same drywall guys! And what they leave in the bathtubs is relatively easy compared to the mess they make everywhere else. Real slobs, every last one of them.

By: David P.

David P. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:22:22 +0000

Having run copper in 100s of houses during the Atlanta building/remodeling boom, I can say that this’d come in handy for remodeling. When you are sweating pipe under some lawyer’s $650,000 bungalow with a 10″ crawlspace, the last thing you need is a MAPP flame blasting all over the place, setting the joists or paper insulation on fire. This would be a lot safer.

In new construction, I always crank the torch and just burn the hell out of the studs. Who cares? Some drywall crew is going to be defecating in the bathtubs anyway.

By: George K.

George K. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:54:20 +0000

Interesting, but…
Most of my pipe work experience has been in crawl spaces, cramped areas (often wet) or other situations where this could be more of a burden or hazard.
In new construction applications, this could be wonderful…

By: _Jon

_Jon — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:19:14 +0000

I’ve always wondered if this type of thing exists.

I really hope it works well.