Plasma cutter, to many to choose from?

[nod]

The bottom line of the Everlast brand seems overpriced. It is all that I would ever need but nearly 700 dollars and as Billrog pointed out, the razor cut 45 is the same price. And it has the igbt instead of the mosfet. I am still searching and looking. Thanks everybody.

 

[nod]

What do y'all think of the Thermal Dynamics cutmaster 42? It is more expensive than everlast but less than hypertherm?

 

[yomax4]

What do y'all think of the Thermal Dynamics cutmaster 42? It is more expensive than everlast but less than hypertherm?

The 42 is 115/230v and will actually cut 1/2" if need be. It has that smaller torch which is nice for artsy work. The small torch's claim to fame is it only uses 3.2 CFM air instead of the industry average of over 7 CFM. I like the 42 with the larger SL60 torch for durability even though it uses more air. The consumables last longer. You can order it either way and it's the same price. 4 year warranty and it has a proven track record. You can also trade in a junk 40 amp machine and get $400 trade in making it a $500 plasma. I've been lucky enough to source several plasma units for free in my career. I have a Cut Master 42, Cut Master 82. Klutch 40 amp and a Hypertherm 45 that blew up right after warranty and they wouldn't help with it. In the last 10 years I've had Millers, Hypertherm 1250, 900 and 600. Lincoln 55, ESAB 750i,PCMvpi and 500i. I would strongly recommend you stay away from anything ESAB. They don't make anything but wire.

 

[yomax4]

When it gets right down to cut thickness as it relates to amp output, It's really about Kilowatts of output. You can have a higher amp machine with lower kilowatts and it will have less power than a smaller amp unit with higher kilowatts. Just another wrench in the machine for you to study before buying.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

The bottom line of the Everlast brand seems overpriced. It is all that I would ever need but nearly 700 dollars and as Billrog pointed out, the razor cut 45 is the same price. And it has the igbt instead of the mosfet. I am still searching and looking. Thanks everybody.

Razor, is the latest contender, out of an old chinese factory. Track record is not that long.

The SuperCut, if you are talking about that sells at a reasonable price if you ask for a quote. It's been redesigned and has very little issues. But the PowerPlasma 50 has proven itself and is more advanced that either the Razor or the SuperCut.

 

[arkydog]

i bought the lotos lt5000d from amazon and have used it a lot at first. bought the consumables like 40 of them. hadn't used it for 3 years cause os stroke and just started using it again with neighbor. works fine except u can't drag the torch head without using a standoff. very inconvenient but cuts good. all my other welding equipment is lincoln sp125 mig, lincoln ac/dc stick, miller 211 mig w/spoolgun, airco ac/dc tig. most everything of mine is name brand. did bodywork for 35 years. the lotos plasma was first cheapy and I'm impressed.

 

[sd455dan]

i bought the lotos lt5000d from amazon and have used it a lot at first. bought the consumables like 40 of them. hadn't used it for 3 years cause os stroke and just started using it again with neighbor. works fine except u can't drag the torch head without using a standoff. very inconvenient but cuts good. all my other welding equipment is lincoln sp125 mig, lincoln ac/dc stick, miller 211 mig w/spoolgun, airco ac/dc tig. most everything of mine is name brand. did bodywork for 35 years. the lotos plasma was first cheapy and I'm impressed.

Very similar here, So far my Lotos 3 in 1 (50 amp) pilot arc plasma, 200 amp tig and stick has been good. have even cut rail road rail into pieces with it.

It has been dead reliable - although only a bit over a years use so far. Also happy consumables are cheap on ebay

for what I paid( $399) on a Amazon sale it has already paid for itself.

I do baby it as far as physical treatment- no bouncing around in the back of a truck or leaving it out in the weather- I do not think the circuit board mounting / solder built up traces would stand up to a lot of vibration or rough handling.

There ARE quality differences in internal design and build with the more expensive Name brands...

ps. as far as the lower tier Everlasts being more money than some like the Lotos, you do get a much longer warranty

lotos is only 1 year

 

[nod]

Razor, is the latest contender, out of an old chinese factory. Track record is not that long.

The SuperCut, if you are talking about that sells at a reasonable price if you ask for a quote. It's been redesigned and has very little issues. But the PowerPlasma 50 has proven itself and is more advanced that either the Razor or the SuperCut.

The power plasma 50 is 860.00 dollars.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

I have better than that pricing on that unit.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

As far as support...
Nothing is guaranteed in this industry as far as what will be here today, and gone tomorrow. In a short span of a few years Thermal Arc was bought out by Victor, then Victor was subsequently bought out by the parent company of ESAB and merged with them. The thermal arc/thermadyne name is no more. Victor is chopped up. The product line has been completely revamped, and ESAB's plasma line has evaporated in favor of the thermal arc designed units.

Miller a few years ago was on the rocks when ITW bought it.
Hobart was too.

Century was a good line that was bought out by lincoln and essentially gutted.

Yes, we continue to support our units after warranty. We also offer a 5 year standard warranty on the IGBT products and a 3 year on the MOSFET Super Series.