Thread: Looking into buying a plasma cutter,which one?

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I have 220 volts and am looking to cut thin sheet metal ,and metal up to 1/2".Just asking ,but how thick can a plasma cut?

How thick can your wallet go? That is the question.

buy the best you can afford. Forget HF and NT. A 7-900$ brand name machine will do for up to 3/16 but will be marginal on the 3/16. A cutter that will handle 1/2 will be over 2 G

I just bought a Hyper Therm 600 and it will cut 1/2" does a great job on 3/8". Don't buy one that will just barely cut the size you need. Buy one that is a little bit better because of the duty cycle thing.

before you buy look at Ebay there are some great deals on there with no shipping. I called Hyper Therm to check before I bought from a dealer on Ebay. Hyper Therm said they buy in large quanitys to get a good price and pass on the savings.

I second that comment on eBay.

I bought my PowerMig 255, and my ThermaDyne Tig from eBay sellers. Those two purchases were over $5k total, and I got a terrific deal over the local retailers.

I finally purchased my plasma cutter, $1450, for a Miller Spectrum 375,new in box.I could of bought one for $1100 but would then be put on a waiting list ,and they are SLIGHTLY used. It' cut's best 5/16" ,3/8", and quality cuts still at 3/8 to 1/2",and will still make it through 5/8".I could of found one of a different brand ,but I have always felt comfortable with Miller ,even though I think I paid a little extra for the name.

We also have the Miller plasma cutter
very handy being able to switch from 220 to 120 if you need to
be sure to get extra consumables if you get a "off brand"
they might not be easy to get locally
hank

Ya thats part of the reason I went with Miller,Theres nothing more frustrating then haveing to wait for parts to arrive.With the Miller someone in town is going to have what I need on their shelves.

I have a Hyperrtherm powermax 600. All they make is plasma cutters. I will rough cut 7/8" and maximum cut 5/8 " @ 10 inches per minute and recommended 1/2" @ a cutting speed of 24" per minute. After I got it I had get use to it, I really like using it. www.hypertherm.com