Flame Tech may well be the only manufacturer in USA who flame tests 100% of our cutting tips. That means we put every cutting tip into a solid test bed, light it, and then check it for imperfections before shipping it to a distributor. If other manufacturers still flame test their tips, you can bet that they check only sample groups.

Our test beds are made from hardened US steel, which means that no tip is capable of changing the testing conditions. This makes every tip go through the same test with the same perfectly formed test bed. Also, Flame Tech test beds are attached to machines, which create the same clamping pressure every time, so that no tip can get special treatment. Other manufactures have been observed to use brass test beds that are tightened by hand. Brass test beds can be easily scraped, misshapen, or otherwise marred. This is not good, because a bad tip can change the test conditions for other tips--especially when tip tightening practices are inconsistent.

Example of How Hardened Steel Vets Out Bad Tips Better Than Brass

Flame Tech's Hardened Steel Test Bed

Other Manufacturer's Brass Test Bed

Tip SituationTest & Action TakenTip SituationTest & Action Taken
Good Tip No leaks. Good flame. Tip is shipped. Good Tip No leaks. Good flame. Tip is shipped.
Leaking Tip Leak is noticed. Test bed doesn't allow tightening. Tip is scrapped.
(Test bed unaffected by bad tip.)
Leaking Tip Leak is noticed. Test bed is tightened until leaking stops. Good flame. Bad tip is shipped.
(Test bed is now misshapen so that even good tips will leak.)
Good Tip No leaks. Good flame. Tip is shipped.
(Test conditions are the same as from the first tip.)
Good Tip Leak is noticed. Test bed is tightened until leaking stops. Good flame. Tip is shipped.
(Misshapen brass test bed causes the otherwise good tip to now have a bad seat.)
Good Tip No leaks. Good flame. Tip is shipped.
(Test conditions are the same as from the first tip.)
Good Tip Leak is noticed. Test bed is tightened until leaking stops. Good flame. Tip is shipped.
(Misshapen brass test bed causes the otherwise good tip to now have a bad seat.)
Results All shipped tips are good.
You can have confidence in getting good tips from Flame Tech.
Results 3 shipped tips are bad, yet they 'passed' testing. 1 shipped tip is good.
Do you want to guess which tip is the good one?

Get our Scorpion Cutting Tip Guide!