PLASMA CUTTER????

[lively]

I am looking at A plasma cutter for my shop. the thickest metal would be around 1/4 inch thick[frame rails/ brackets .etc.] also alot of sheetmetal work. pros--cons-- brands???? i do not need a top of the line unit[i am not cheap just not rich :oops: ] SUGGESTIONS FROM EXPERIENCE ,PLEASE. THANKS ALOT--LIVELY [ OR IF YOU HAVE ONE YOU WANT TO DONATE TO ME :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: ]

[MEMRACING62]

I have been buying from these guys, bought my miller plasma from them, price wise they kicked everybody from around heres butt bad. was on my porch in two days of order http://stores.ebay.com/weldingsuppliesfromioc

[dragonmaster093]

miller is the brand to go with ive used lost of brands and miller cuts best and from my own experience they use less consumables ( tips, cups) then the others may be little high priced but better warenties, and they have been around for some time (not going anywhere anytime soon) second best and this is from word of mouth NOT PERSONAL EXP. but esab (might be spelled wrong) is good too. heck seen those machine on some of the auto tech shows. but not knowing for sure id go with miller. used to have millermatic 120 welder and welded stuff that was "above the limits" and never had a weld break and never had it duty cycle so that says alot. millers basic entery level plasma sould do everything you need. and at a reasonable price. btw stay away from the harbor freight ones they suck

[MEMRACING62]

this is the one I have, its great for sheetmetal & up to 1/8 in . they say 3/16 I would say it's a little slow with 3/16. In sheetmetal it has a narrow kerf & gun is easy to handle in detail work where a larger gun is clumsey and kerf is wider. for body work this is the one!! http://cgi.ebay.com/MILLER-SPECTRUM-125C-PLASMA-CUTTER-w-compressor-907149-/360180524314?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53dc6ea51a

[Tod74]

miller is the brand to go with ive used lost of brands and miller cuts best and from my own experience they use less consumables ( tips, cups) then the others may be little high priced but better warenties, and they have been around for some time (not going anywhere anytime soon) second best and this is from word of mouth NOT PERSONAL EXP. but esab (might be spelled wrong) is good too. heck seen those machine on some of the auto tech shows. but not knowing for sure id go with miller. used to have millermatic 120 welder and welded stuff that was "above the limits" and never had a weld break and never had it duty cycle so that says alot. millers basic entery level plasma sould do everything you need. and at a reasonable price. btw stay away from the harbor freight ones they suck

I used to program ESAB (ABB)robots before they were combined/bought out/whatever with/by ABB. They were from Sweden. Don't know where the plasma cutters and welders are actually made, but if it's SWEDEN that could be an issue if you needed repair parts down the road. jmo

[MEMRACING62]

a friend of mine has an esab & has had no problems with it, I know three or four dealers that carry the usual parts ( consumables) for them. lots of them out there. Like Dragon said, stay away from the harbor freight crap!

[racecrafter]

HyperTherm, they are very good on consumables, the actually cut the thickness stated in there adds and mine has been super reliable.
As for opinions, I guess the only "advice" I can give is buy a larger machine than you think you need. If you are cutting near the capacity of the machine the performance will suffer and the cuts will be slow, this will be true with any brand machine you buy.

[CustomTanks]

I have used hypertherm for 20 years cant beat them jmo

[kwkracing]

I just bought a miller spectrum 375 for $1200. It works good for cutting thin material and will work on 110 or 220

[siezz]

I SNAP-ON PLASMA CUTTER #YA2230, it has worked very well for smaller metals, if interested I will give it to you for a great price. [email protected].
I am not using it anymore.
Cesar