Harbor Freight plasma cutter $500

[SkyPup]

I've got a Miller 375 Spectrum with three air filters on it too just like MadReferre's, works great, nope not just great but super excellent.

I've even cut a soild 1" stainless steel bumper hitch ball off my receiver hitch with it. Just be sure to keep the air real dry.

 

[CTyler]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( have a Miller Spectrum 375 plasma cutter and it was well worth the extra money )</font>

What makes the Miller worth an extra $700?

The Miller is a 25 amp unit and the HF is a 37 amp unit. I found several online places that sell consumables and torches for the HF unit.

Don't get me wrong I like Miller, have a 251 mig that I love.

 

[SkyPup]

One word - "Miller", ie not "Chicago Electric".

 

[MadReferee]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( What makes the Miller worth an extra $700? )</font>

Completely Made in the USA for one, internal air regulator for another, Hypertherm torch for another, identical specs for either 115v or 230v operation for another, and most importantly better overall performance specs.

Take a look at the spec sheets for both machines at 230v. The Miller takes less amps for a rated 3/8" cut but it will also quality cut 1/2" and sever 5/8". The HF unit does not even spec the thicker metals in their literature or owners manual.

The Miller unit weighs more than twice as much as the HF (55 lbs vs 26.5 lbs). The Miller is a transformer unit while the HF is an inverter unit. Is this good or bad? I don't know but the inverter units are typically cheaper to manufacture but reliability for plasma cutters is still an unknown.

Miller has a 3 year, no questions asked, parts and labor warranty at any Miller authorized service distributor. I could find no warranty information what so ever on the HF unit. Good luck if any of the inverter circuitry fails.

There are other differences but these are the main ones from my perspective

 

[CTyler]

Thanks for the info.

The inverter units are looking pretty good at a 60% duty cycle vs a 40% and are smaller and lighter. However the HF unit is showing its a inverter type but 40%? They also don't spec the voltage at 36 amps either. So while the amps are up the voltage could be down. I haven't been able to find this info anywhere to calculate the usable wattage.

 

[CTyler]

Some specs on the HF/CE unit.

Cutting current 5-36 amps.
Rated full load voltage 100vdc.
No load voltage 200vdc.
Duty cycle 60% at 28 amps.
Duty cycle 40% at 30 amps.
Pilot arc (no need to contact metal) with 2 second delay.

Looks like a good deal to me.

 

[HomeBrew2]

Yeh it does look good. I will need to look at their extended warranty price and limitations to get a true value comparison if I get the urge to buy. I also have a 20% off coupon from one of those coupon books to sweeten the deal too.

 

[kenmac]

I don't know about their plasma cutter, but when I was in the market for a mig welder,I looked at the H. F. brand. I talked to a friend of mine who at the time was selling linclon welders. He said that his co. had purchased a H. F. mig welder took it apart to see if there were any differences. He said they found that the main part ( the transformer) windings (the wire) used was alot smaller & not coated as well as the the linclon.There were other parts in the unit that also weren't up to par with the linclon.He told me that even if I didn't buy the linclon atleast buy hobart or miller or another name brand.I bought the linclon 8 yrs. ago & have had no problems. I think he said that the H.F. unit was made in France or Italy ? good luck on your purchase.

 

[Marlowe]

My experience with Harbor Freight is mixed. I've bought some stuff from them that I am happy with. And then again, I've bought some stuff that is nothing more than junk. But, it was cheap.

The one purchase that ticks me off a bit though is a drill. Not long after I bought it, it quit. The trigger went bad. I contacted them for a bit of help. I didn't want a free switch, I just wanted a switch so I could fix he drill. I was willing to pay for it and said so. They completely ignored me. Nothing. I now own a Makita drill, but would still like to fix the other one from Harbor Freight, if only they'd let me buy a switch.

As for a plasma cutter; I sure would like to have one. Five hundred dollars sounds like a good deal if it lasts a while. Most of the HF stuff that I have bought holds up very well to the casual user. In other words, if you're going to make a living with the tool, buy a better tool. But, if you're just going to use it once in a blue moon, HF should be fine.

 

[Bird]

Tom, I had a 3/8" butterfly impact, a half-inch impact, and a 3/8" air ratchet from Harbor Freight that lasted for years, although the power (torque) of the half-inch impact was pretty low. However, when I was repairing air tools, a customer once sent me a Harbor Freight tool, and I spent a lot of time on the telephone to learn, as you did, that you are not likely to get any parts for their tools. I think they have a lot of bargains that are well worth the price, but personally, I would not buy anything from them that I couldn't afford to throw away if it quits next week.