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[IslandTractor]

Anyone had experience with the light weight dual voltage plasma cutters? Lincoln ProCut 25, Hypertherm PowerMax 30 or Miller Spectrum Xtreme 375 all look like nice units for light duty portable use and are all in the $1200 price range. Any reason other than color to choose one over the others?

 

[MadReferee]

Anyone had experience with the light weight dual voltage plasma cutters? Lincoln ProCut 25, Hypertherm PowerMax 30 or Miller Spectrum Xtreme 375 all look like nice units for light duty portable use and are all in the $1200 price range. Any reason other than color to choose one over the others?

Ask that question HERE or HERE. Even though these forums are sponsored by Miller and Hobart the discussions include all brands and colors. There are several posters there who have experience with those plasma cutters and there are plenty of posts discussing the pros and cons of each machine.

 

[Mcfly89]

How is the 1000 more finnicky?

our little 600 doesnt seem to be as picky about air quality or inlet air pressure. the 1000 wont even turn on if it detects water or if the inlet pressure is over 120 psi. it gripes me that the machine has an on board pressure regulator, but it still shuts the machine down if the inlet pressure is over 120. we have filters and water traps, and yada yada on our air lines and drain them routinely...but on a humid day sometimes the airlines still get a little mist in them. its these days that the 1000 has been frustrating for me. its brand new and im unfamiliar with it for the most part so we may just need to get to know each other a little better, lol. but when it gets everything going its way, it cuts 1" as cleanly as it cuts .040 aluminum. for the most part ive been very pleased with it, other than the silly little nuances mentioned above. i would HIGHLY recommend the circle cutter kit as well. it also comes with wheels that help with long straight cuts too. its worth its weight in gold for any plasma setup.

 

[DaryleD]

Anyone had experience with the light weight dual voltage plasma cutters? Lincoln ProCut 25, Hypertherm PowerMax 30 or Miller Spectrum Xtreme 375 all look like nice units for light duty portable use and are all in the $1200 price range. Any reason other than color to choose one over the others?

I work at Hypertherm as a machinist. The only knowledge that I have with our new unit ( the powermax 30 ) is that this is one "tuff" little unit. They have ALOT of tests that they run in our lab with our units, and if I understand it correctly from my friend who is one of the three that tests them, they have done really, really well. I can't go into detail about what gets done to them ( I promissed not to tell any specifics about our procedures or processes when I was hired years ago ), but I can tell you that they get ran through the mill. They should be VERY dependable! I am sure that they will cut well too. I am not trying to sell anyone anything here, but since you asked, I will say that I really believe in our product, and know for a fact, that our engineers, as well as Dick, the owner of our company, take great pride in the way our stuff performs and how it holds up. I want one badly, but am just trying to figure out if I would use it enough, or if it would just collect dust. I have also worked for Thermal dynamics ( years ago before here ) and I can say that I have more confidence in Hypertherm products than theirs; although things could be better there now. I am not trying to down grade anyone elses stuff and I hope when any of you shell out the green for a plasma system made by anyone, that it works great for ya. I do now that years ago, I was working on a model called "stack pack" at Thermal Dynamics ( now Thermadyne ) that got discontinued due to it being a piece of junk. They had already sold tons of them before finding that out. I hope that they properly test their stuff now BEFORE they sell it though.
P.S. Matt_Meiser, I hope it is a good unit for you!
Daryle.

 

[IslandTractor]

Thanks Daryle, that is helpful info. The bigger Hypertherm units have great reputations so I'm sure the new portable unit follows in those footsteps. I know others have been happy with the Miller Extreme 375 too but I haven't heard anything about the Lincoln.

 

[AlanB]

My dad runs the lincoln, and gave me his Packmaster 50. The lincoln has some nicer features on it overall and the tips last longer in "general" use.

We are working a deal to get me a Lincoln as well at the moment, and will give dad back the Packmaster 50 as he likes it for some projects better then the lincoln.

I forget the specifics of what was better on the lincoln, but I think one of the things was cutting expanded metal worked better. I will be at his house running his stuff next week so will let you know, although personally, I just smile and keep saying the word "Magic" as I use my unit

Anyway, to the original poster, "are the cheap units worth it" only you can answer that question? You are just making a trade between your money and that equipment, you get more when you pay more, but the results and the nuances may be worth the lower price to you. (they are to me on my HF welding helmet) Or they may not (I only have Miller and Lincoln welders) and sometimes you may want to try things with a cheap one (I am looking at a HF spot welder) and if you use it a lot step up too better quality (Miller / Lincoln)

Now if I can just get Skypup and Soundman down to Dad's shop one day next week we can have a hoot.

 

[river rat]

A plasma torch, unless it's going to be used for VERY light material, is a poor place to try the cheap alternative. A cheap torch won't even let you see just what a comparably sized machine can do for you. Be sure, though, that you follow Mcfly's advice and take every possible measure to keep the air DRY!