FYI: I hate some Chinese made tools however I have come across one on EBay that I thought I would try. Saw a YouTube video of this guy trying it out totally expecting it to fail. It didn’t. Soooo I bought one $199 period. The guy was amazed when he used it. Came in a week, with everything but the plug. Takes 110-220. Suggest you use 220. Long ground and arch cable. The damn thing cuts like the one I paid a grand for 8 years ago ( had to sell my Pacer wasn’t shielded my new one is. Anyway it’s yellow named Sunco weird spelling. It’s the best tool for your shop. I don’t own the company, no relationship but for the money amazing. It cuts 3/8” . Consumables are also cheap
I got a cheaper as well and expected the same as you. Haven't used one in years and back then even the good ones were temperamental damn things. My cheapy work better than they ever did. Guess things have come a long way. Sent from my ZTE R84 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
This was covered not long ago but yeah, I bought the cheap one because I do not use it for a living. No complaints from me but you do want to use the 220. I got a large package of expendables but from my experience so far I may never use them all.
I have a Cut50 with the pilot arc feature, and I like it. The reason I paid the extra money for the pilot arc feature, is that it uses less consumables and makes it easier to maintain a good arc. Bob
I run a cut60 from ebay. I had to fix the connection at the gun in the beginning. Dropped a piece of hot steel on the hose and had to replace that with a longer one. I bought a big package of consumables to last three life times. In fear that they will get discontinued. It cuts like a dream. I have used it pretty regular over the last year. I did not think I was going to be cutting so much and could not justify buying a more expensive model
The problem 'usually' isn't with them not working. Though I've seen some that didn't work, right out of the box. The problem is after a year or 2, or 3, when it does give you problems ( and they usually do, due to poor machining, cheap electronic parts, etc) it is impossible to find someone to repair it, or parts to repair it. My friend brought a cheap Harbor Freight MIG to my shop when he came to work with me. It worked OK (I didn't like it because it didn't have enough adjustability in heat and wire speed settings to tune in working on thin sheet metal) and lasted a few years. When it failed, my friend, who was as electronics tech, pinpointed failure to a chip board. Could not find one anywhere. The Chinese do not count on longevity, or ability to repair them, so it seems extra parts are not made, or are used up quickly. Part of the "throw-away" society, I guess. Just buy another cheap new one! Being a serious hobby builder, I prefer to buy quality, repairable machines. Had my Snap-On MIG welder over 25 years now, only replaced a capacitor, and the cooling fan so far. Like it better (and use it more) than my 1 year old Miller.
Word to the wise: Moisture is your enemy with a plasma cutter and most air hoses have moisture....even if you have a water separator. Next time you hook up an air tool, notice the moisture that comes out while you fumble to make the connection. My suggestion is to put a dedicated (and cheap) HF water separator on the cart for your plasma cutter. It can't hurt anything but it may prevent problems later. Everyone has a different budget. When my budget was minimal, I bought a cheap PC. Wasn't worth a crap, but that was 20 years ago. Luckily when I decided to bite the bullet about 8 years ago, Hypertherm was offering "trade in" discounts. Had to send the torch and ID plate in for discount. It was a decent discount to....several hundred dollars. I don't know if they still do that or not, but if you have a PC thats bad or goes bad, you might check and see if they still do that. Hypertherm is the best machine because they are the ones that hold all the patents. They lease the technology to other companies. I "think" all they do is Plasma Cutters. I'm very happy with mine.
yeah. The moisture in the line is a killer. We have a good plasma cutter at work. It worked great, until the repeated water in the lines caught up with it. Then, it was an expensive repair
I have had my Cut50 for 2 years, and I have used a water separator with it from the start. I haven't had a lick of trouble with it. I bought it to replace a larger three phase Linde machine, capable of cutting up to 1 inch and have no regrets. I had no need for the larger machine. To keep the air dry, the Linde machine was designed to be used with nitrogen bottles. I used it with the air separator and had no problems. So yes, dry air is the secret to long life of a plasma cutter. Bob