Sealey AK4042 – Butane Micro Heating Torch
Sealey AK2955 – Micro Butane Torch
Draper 78776 – Heavy-Duty Gas Torch GT10
How much: £32.34 (inc VAT) Where from: sealey.co.uk
How much: £47.94 (inc VAT) Where from: sealey.co.uk
How much: £60.55 (inc VAT) Where from: drapertools.com
Our initial impression of this tiny torch was that it simply wouldn’t be up to the job. With its plastic body akin to that of a cigarette lighter and its refillable butane reservoir, we believed it would be better suited to browning off desserts in the kitchen rather than freeing off stuck nuts in the garage. But with a maximum working temperature of 1,300 degrees Celsius and a burner life of around half an hour from the refillable cylinder (you can top it up with lighter fuel), the miniature torch is a handy addition to the toolkit. It’s certainly not a blowtorch that you’d use every day, but it’s a handy and surprisingly effective bit of kit to keep in your toolbox.
This small but adaptable torch fits directly on to a standard self-sealing butane cartridge and has a maximum operating temperature of 1,750 degrees Celsius. The integral ignition and wide range of flame size adjustments make it suitable for most jobs, while the small head and fairly short nozzle mean it can also get to some well-hidden bolts. It’s competitively priced, too, while the unit also feels chunky and well made. The dial to adjust the burner flame is very impressive, with a well-damped action. There’s no safety cut-off valve, though, so once the torch is attached to the canister, it’s effectively a live gas appliance and needs to be handled as such.
The GT10 is outwardly very similar to the Draper GT6 and uses the same body and head, meaning 50 minutes of use from a full butane reservoir and a simple and quick means of refilling. However, its advantages stop there. It’s a perfectly good blowtorch and is small and easy to use, but for less than £14 extra you can get the GT6 with soldering attachment, which is effectively the same tool with additional functionality. The torches that fit on to a butane canister are the better overall performers in this test, and the other Draper product is by far the most versatile, making this one an also-ran.
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