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recommended plasma cutters
elphhh -
Saturday, January 31, 2009 - 4:35am
Fabrication | Welding was wondering if anyone could recommend a plasma torch... was kinda wondering if you get what you pay for, or can i get away pretty cheap? thanks for any advice.  . I have a HYPERTHERM 380 ,
k zen -
Saturday, January 31, 2009 - 2:13pm
. I have a HYPERTHERM 380 , 5 YEARS old and no problem , cut up to 3/8 and severe 1/2 , the best tool i have ever bought , got me out of trouble and headache more then I tought . Bobby » reply  I have a HyperTherm 600 ant
R L Sidebottom -
Sunday, February 1, 2009 - 9:50pm
I have a HyperTherm 600 ant has never failed to work. One of my friends have a older 3 phase unit that eats consumables. He came up to the shop and used mine to cut a cross member on his old jeep. He wanted to take home. It out cuts his hands down. I haven't cut a lots of stuff, but I have over 1000 inches of cut on the original tip and electrode. If I ever need a bigger one, it will be a HyperTherm. Rick Sidebottom » reply  plasma cutter
Edwardo -
Wednesday, July 8, 2009 - 11:51am
Hi Matt, im not sure if you bought a plasma cutter yet, i use a 1250 hypertherm on my cnc dynatorch table and it works great, it is a 80 amp cutter so its quite capable, hypertherm just came out with a powermax 45 i beleive its called, 45 amp cutter that from what i have seen has a cut quality better than mine. From what i have read they are priced around 1,600 us... Edd » reply  Yes on the Hypertherm 45
GiantTechGuy -
Sunday, July 19, 2009 - 2:35pm
If you are going to purchase a name brand plasma cutter then by all means your best bet is the Hypertherm 45! www.PlasmaMetalCutter.com » reply Hypertherm
visitor -
Sunday, July 19, 2009 - 2:49pm
I gots me a hypertherm powermax30. Little package, big performance. So far i've cut up to 1/4 inch no worries. » reply Cheap Plasma Cutter
GiantTechGuy -
Thursday, November 12, 2009 - 6:19pm
Don't be afraid to try a cheap import plasma cutter as long as it's from someone with a long track record like GiantTech. We have been selling these for over 3 years now so we are certainly one of the oldest sellers of Chinese plasma cutters and tig welders in the North America. Regards, Larry www.PlasmaMetalCutter.com » reply  YOu can do alright with one
Rich Waugh -
Friday, November 13, 2009 - 11:24am
YOu can do alright with one of the Chinese plasma cutters, provided that you get it from a dealer who will offer real support after the sale, and provided that understand that you are not buying an industrial use machine. The Chinese plasma cutters are designed for limited duty cycles at their rated power (as most all cutters are), and if you try to exceed that regularly you will be disappointed with the machine. I would also take their cut ratings with a grain of salt - look closely at the rated speed of the cut for a given thickness. Keep in mind that the human hand can't control the torch smoothly at speeds much under 8-12 inches per second. If you plan to do freehand cutting this becomes important. I have a Chinese inverter TIG unit that has been just dandy - after I got the second one from the dealer, because the first one wouldn't work. This is why I say you want to deal with a vendor who provides after-sale support. With a plasma cutter you'll also need a dependable supply of consumables, and if the machine doesn't use standard consumables such as Miller, Lincoln, Hypertherm or the like, you'll be limited to what you can get from the original vendor. I recommend that you ask the vendor if their machine's torch accepts generic consumables, as this can save you a lot of money down the road. Lastly, be sure you get a really, really good air filter/dryer for your cutter, whatever brand you go with. The drier and cleaner your air is, the longer your torch consumables last. Wet air kills torches in no time flat! In addition to GiantTech, you might check out Longevity, Inc. for Chinese welders and cutters. That's who I got my machine from and they have good honest support. I would guess that their machine is likely made by the same factory as most of the Chinese machines - the ones that work well are because the dealer enforces quality control on his end and specifies certain performance criteria. The fly-by-night dealers, and there are many, just buy whatever is in the warehouse in China with no regard to quality, only price and markup potential. Know who you're dealing with! Best of luck with your search for the right machine for you. Rich Waugh » reply  I have used the Miller
hautsteel -
Friday, November 13, 2009 - 10:38am
I have used the Miller Spectrum 2050 for around 5 years now and have experienced great results. Dino » reply |
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ArtMetal
Plasma Cutter
Matt - I have had 3 Plasma cutters since i began sculpting. The first one was a Miller which would cut up to about 1/8 inch. It had its own compressor built in, but the water would eventually leak through the system and ruin the torch... not good! The second Miller unit needed to be hooked up to a compressor and worked very good. You need to keep an in-line water trap installed and a drain before the torch to keep condensation from entering the torch. This Miller cut up to 1/4 inch, but I sold it, as I was needing to cut thicker plate. I wanted to cut bigger steel and with this unit, I would need to make multiple passes along the initial cut line.
My current unit is a Hypertherm 600. These folks ONLY make plasma cutters and has been one of the best I have owned, in my opinion. It will cut 5/8 inch and sever 7/8 inch. So far, this has met all my needs. It is a wonderful machine and has great tech support.
My recommendation is this: Do NOT buy a cheap unit - If you buy from a reputable manufacturer, you will get their knowledge and support along with a machine that you know will keep working. It is well worth spending the money for a good cutter.
Hope this helps - Paul