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[montanaman]

Good choice I bought one of those 'Parker lunch Boxes' the big one 3/4 regualer cut 1" severe haven't had anything but frustration since, sure glad I didn't sell my O/A outfit.

OK, you share your problems and I'll share mine!! 1st one just plain quit and the replacement won't hold an arc. I'm not bad mouthing them too bad here because I was told to call them when I had the lid off and they would talk me through some adjustment that should help. That said, I'm sure I wouldn't need to take the lid off of a major brand unit to repair it on my own. Just need to make the time to give them a call! When I bought mine, none of the Rilands had any warranty and Parker boasted how they stood behind theirs. I paid about twice what I could have got a Riland for and I'm betting it's the same junk!

 

[TOMDUALLY]

The one I got cuts good when it arcs but once you lose your arc it sometimes takes five minutes to arc again and you had better be ready to cut because if you lose it you have another wait. I have cleaned the metal and checked to be sure I had a good ground to no avail. Any help or advise would be appreciated except buying a new one thats out of the question at this time.

 

[montanaman]

Have you called Parker about this? I'm supposed to call them when I can find the time as they have told me there is an adjustment for this poor arc problem. Sounds a little crazy to me that there would be an internal adjustment to make it work the way it should but I figure I'll find out when I call!

After I bought mine the prices really started to drop and all the other places selling them stepped up on the warranty so I definately bought at the wrong time!!

At this point, I'd love to have the money I blew to put toward a good quality unit!


Ken

 

[TOMDUALLY]

MONTANAMAN; let me know what you find out. In the meantime I'll try to contact them. TOM

 

[Mcfly89]

i cant speak for the other units but we use the hypertherm 600 and 1000. the 600 is a great unit and is very forgiving, but is sometimes a little short in the britches. the 1000 is more finnicky but is definitely a powerhouse. cuts thru 1" cleanly without much fuss. i havent found much that a plasma torch does better than a good old victor oxy/acetylene torch does...but when the plasma DOES do better...it does WAAAY better. i would feel very comfortable buying one of these units used and saving a bundle over new price.

 

[SkyPup]

Our Miller 375 sure was worth it, only wish we had gotten it sooner.

http://www.millerwelds.com/pdf/spec_sheets/PC9-1.pdf

 

[jmcalli]

i cant speak for the other units but we use the hypertherm 600 and 1000. the 600 is a great unit and is very forgiving, but is sometimes a little short in the britches. the 1000 is more finnicky but is definitely a powerhouse. cuts thru 1" cleanly without much fuss. i havent found much that a plasma torch does better than a good old victor oxy/acetylene torch does...but when the plasma DOES do better...it does WAAAY better. i would feel very comfortable buying one of these units used and saving a bundle over new price.

How is the 1000 more finnicky?

 

[Dargo]

I had a HyperTherm 1000 before I bought the 1250. I had no issues at all with the 1000. As a matter of fact, I can't really tell much difference from the 1000 to the 1250. At one point I was cutting a bit of 3/4" and 1" stuff and thought the 1250 would be better. Honestly, I think the 1000 cut even that heavy of stuff just as well.

 

[jmcalli]

How does the 1000 do with lighter material? Is there a disadvantage to using the 1000 on sheet metal?

 

[Dargo]

How does the 1000 do with lighter material? Is there a disadvantage to using the 1000 on sheet metal?

It does great on lighter stuff as well as 1" stuff. I'm out working in my barn today and using my plasma cutter. About the only difference between the 1000 and the 1250 is speed really; and not much at that. With the 1250 I can cut a 1/4" sheet of 4'X8' in half (4' way) in about 12 seconds. It took about 15 to 18 seconds with the 1000. On anything 1/8" or thinner I cannot see any difference.