Everlast plasma?

[woodlandfarms]

I have the 50 from mark. Just got it and completely po'd about the amazon deal. This said, mine is dual power. So far on 220 it is working like a dream.

 

[Buckgnarly]

A NH guy should really buy from a NH (USA) Co. (Hypertherm) if you can swing it.:drink:
(mine is about 15+ years old now)
Nothing against Everlast at all, I just like to support local if they are worthy.

This. Besides having a good friend who works there, Hypertherm comes into my classroom every year and does demos/talks to the kids every year. It's a great company that treats employees VERY well....not to mention their plasmas are top notch. If you can swing a Hypertherm you will NEVER question your decision.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

That's going to depend...if you buy a unit too small, you may easily question your decision regardless of brand. I find most people end up cutting stuff way thicker than they estimate they will.

 

[Rustyiron]

^^^Good advice!
They all cut like crap when using beyond their limits. You might as well stay with your o/a torches.

 

[yomax4]

Seems like this type of thread pops up almost monthly. Always comes down to where it was made and a little on price. I can tell you this, Yes Hypertherm is a good company. Most companies that sell to the welding world are too. I have a Power Max 45 at home that cost nearly $1800
I have pulled the cover off it and it's plain to see at least 5 countries of origin on boards, filter, fans etc. <<--Not really "made in USA " but it's a prized unit out there.. I wish mine still worked.. It died 3 months out of warranty and they would not help me only to sell me a new high dollar PC board.. I'm not complaining.. It's just that for the Money I spent It would have been nice to have another year or 2 of warranty. I could be cutting tomorrow if I had bought a different brand.

 

[mikefromnh]

Do you know what's wrong with the board?

I'm far from an electronics expert but have fixed a couple circuit boards by replacing a capacitor on one and adding a wire jumper on a lifted conductor on another... End result Wasn't pretty but I had nothing to lose if didn't work.

 

[Buckgnarly]

Seems like this type of thread pops up almost monthly. Always comes down to where it was made and a little on price. I can tell you this, Yes Hypertherm is a good company. Most companies that sell to the welding world are too. I have a Power Max 45 at home that cost nearly $1800
I have pulled the cover off it and it's plain to see at least 5 countries of origin on boards, filter, fans etc. <<--Not really "made in USA " but it's a prized unit out there.. I wish mine still worked.. It died 3 months out of warranty and they would not help me only to sell me a new high dollar PC board.. I'm not complaining.. It's just that for the Money I spent It would have been nice to have another year or 2 of warranty. I could be cutting tomorrow if I had bought a different brand.

Really? other makers do not break?....what happens when they no longer support their product and you cannot even buy parts for it?

I really do not want to get into the COO pissing match, and I know the love for some brands on here so I will be brief and go hide again......my earlier post was just saying IF you choose the right machine, (no company can control operator error) the company and machines from Hypertherm are great units (sorry yours broke, but I have no idea of the details/cost for parts/etc.) built by a worker owned company who give back to my local community through outreach programs in my school. If you care about that (and you DO NOT have to) and want a great supported company that has literally been there from the start of plasmas and you can afford it, then look into Hypertherm. I AM NOT saying there are not other machines that fit people's needs......

 

[yomax4]

Thyristor burned up. I wonder if Hypertherm made the thyristor being made in USA and all..

Do you know what's wrong with the board?

I'm far from an electronics expert but have fixed a couple circuit boards by replacing a capacitor on one and adding a wire jumper on a lifted conductor on another... End result Wasn't pretty but I had nothing to lose if didn't work.

 

[jimcolt]

Just to confirm a fact: Hypertherm plasma cutters are designed, engineered, assembled, final tested and shipped from our plants in Hanover, N.H. USA. We use components that meet our technical specifications (individual components such as PC board components, some transformers, switching devices, etc.) and always have...since 1968. We have never seen a good reason to specify that all components are from the USA, and we procure components based on specs and quality with price as a lower level factor.

Of key importance is with the design, the engineering, the manufacturing expertise, the after sale support all comes from our NH based facilities. Hypertherm 100% employee owned, and if you visit the facilities (contact me when in NH, I'll be happy to arrange a tour) you will see the PC boards, the sub assemblies and every Hypertherm plasma product from torches to power supplies being built.

Many of our distributors are offering the original Powermax30 at a low price as it is no longer manufactured and inventory levels are getting low. If you can get one for less than $1000 it is a deal.

The replacement for the original 30 is the Powermax30XP is a different product, and has a new shielded torch design with both conventional (thick, fast) consumables as well as FineCut (narrower kerf, better quality on thinner materials). The 30XP also has a much higher output load voltage at its rated duty cycle....which means more power. If you go to the Hypertherm website and find the webinar about "Amps vs Watts"...you will understand how a 30 amp plasma with higher load voltage capacity can easily outcut 40 and sometimes 50 amp systems.

I am always happy to provide tours if you are visiting NH. Summer and Fall are nice here!

Jim Colt

I guess local in that sense is really local. But... both companies are based in the US. Everlast always has been owned and operated from the US. One is on the west coast, one is on the east coast. People like to forget the fact that even though some companies claim "made in the USA" that they also freely admit that many of their critical and non critical components are not US built and that they are at truthfully only "assembled" in the USA. There's a lot you can debate about, design, ownership, structure etc. but Everlast does use US components and US based (and European to some extent) companies to supply many of its components.

 

[jimcolt]

Torch leads (cable) was updated about 3 years ago on the Powermax30, it is extremely flexible on units newer than that. The Powermax30XP also uses the more flexible lead. Fatigue on both of the 30 amp Powermax's has always been better (in most users opinions) based on the Hypertherm torch's ability to drag cut, eliminating the need to hold a standoff...or use a wire type standoff device.

Jim

The PM 30 is a nice unit. It's compact and relatively powerful. The torch cable is stiff by comparision to the PP50 and is something that they have "improved" on in the XP I think. That hinders, imho, maneuverability and increases fatigue when used for a long time. I think practically the limits that you'd want to use the 30 daily for is <3/8", while the PowerPlasma 50 you'd be good to 5/8-3/4". That's not a maximum cut (as the PP50 can go up to about 1"). But the 30 may have better performance on 120V...though I haven't used both that way to compare.