The heavy-duty torch is a bit bigger and heavier than the medium-duty torch.
The Smith heavy-duty torch handle WH200A is 1" diameter, 7.5" long, and weighs 1.01 lb.
The Smith medium-duty torch handle WH100 is 15/16" diameter, 7" long, and weighs 0.86 lbs.
The Smith standard-duty torch handle AW1A is 11/16" diameter, 5.75" long, and weighs 0.37 lbs.
Those numbers are from the Smith (Miller) gas equipment catalog, and are for the torch handle
only.
You still have to put on the tip(s) and attachment (cutting or heating).
The heavy-duty cutting attachment SC209 is 12.5" long and weighs 1.83 lbs. So now your heavy-duty cutting set-up is up to 1.01 + 1.83 = 2.94 lbs. Without the actual cutting tip yet.
The medium-duty MC509 cutting attachment is 11.25" long and weighs 1.1 lb. So the medium-duty cutting set-up is up to 0.86 + 1.1 = 1.96 lbs. Again, we haven't even put the actual cutting tip in yet.
So, the HD one is 3 lbs in your hand and the MD one is 2 lbs in your hand.
With either one, you need to use the appropriate tip (size and type) for the task at hand.
Just like you don't use a jewelers' or watch makers' hammer to break apart a concrete sidewalk or a 16 lb sledgehammer to work on a watch (unless you are trying to go all Sledge-O-Matic on it
), use the appropriate tool for the task at hand.
The HD torch handle and cutting attachment would use SC50 series two-piece heavy preheat cutting tips and cover a steel thickness range of 3/16" thick (SC50-00 tip, using oxygen at the rate of 47 SCFH on preheat and 24 SCFH when cutting and propane at the rate of 13 SCFH on preheat) up to 8" thick (SC50-5 tip, using oxygen at 90 SCFH preheat and 550 SCFH cutting and propane at 20 SCFH on preheat). The catalog says you need a 100 lb propane tank (at 70 deg F, that 100 lb tank can supply up to ~120 SCFH of propane) for cutting up to 8" thick steel.
The heavy-duty SC40 medium preheat propane cutting tips cover a thickness range of 1/4" to 4" thick steel.
The medium-duty MC40 medium preheat propane cutting tips cover a thickness range of3/16" to 4" thick steel and use oxygen at 35/24 SCFH (preheat/cutting) and propane at 7 SCFH for the MC40-00 tip (3/16" rated) up to 35/320 SCFH oxygen and propane at 7 SCFH for the MC40-4 tip (4" rated).
There are no heavy-duty or light-duty propane Smith brazing tips, only acetylene tips in those series (at least that is what the current catalog lists)
The medium-duty propane Smith brazing tip MW411 uses oxygen at 51.9 SCFH and propane at 13 SCFH.
If you want a multi-flame heating tip (aka 'rosebud'), Smith lists heavy-duty and medium-duty propane tips (ST600 and ST800 series HD propane rosebuds with heat outputs from 58k to 614k Btu/hr and MT800, MT805, and MT615 MD propane rosebuds at 93k, 208k, and 269k Btu/hr respectively) but no standard-duty propane rosebud tips (just acetylene in standard-duty).
If you want to braze with Smith oxy-propane equipment, it looks like the medium-duty torch handle is the way to go.
But you would 'only' be able to cut up to 4" thick steel with that series and oxy-propane.
The medium-duty cutting attachment and tip can get up to 6" thick steel cutting if you go oxy-acetylene (same torch handle, same cutting attachment, just a different cutting tip for the different fuel).
