Plasma cutter decision

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I am looking to get a small 240V plasma cutter for sporadic home hobby use (I'd like to get away from using cut off wheels on the angle grinder).  On the one hand is a cheap piece of Chinese junk on Amazon, to which I would add a four year third-party warranty that would give me my money back if it craps out; if it doesn't crap out it would be sufficient for my needs, and if it does, I get my money back and start over again.   On the other hand is a 10 year old pre-Victor TD Cutmaster 52 a few hours drive away.  The Cutmaster appears to be in good shape from the images, and is obviously going to be a much better built machine than the other unit, but it comes with no warranty, and other than consumables I don't know if internals are even available let alone reasonably priced.   I wouldn't be averse to recapping it myself if it eventually needs something like that. Assuming I am able to test the Cutmaster before purchase, what kind of reliability should I expect from a 10 year old machine?  Are there any internal parts that typically so south on these units?  Thanks for any perspective you can give me on this.
Reply:Personally, I wouldn't buy a 10 year old plasma cutter. Parts may not be available & technology has improved quite a lot in 10 years. I also wouldn't buy a cheap Chinese plasma cutter because I did that. It let the smoke out after about 20 minutes of use. I returned it & Longevity sent a new one about 1 month later. Sold it the next day.Millermatic 255Dynasty 280 DXReady Welder IHypertherm 30XP
Reply:

Originally Posted by robert-r

Personally, I wouldn't buy a 10 year old plasma cutter. Parts may not be available & technology has improved quite a lot in 10 years.
Reply:There are now cheaper ones that guys have lot of experience with.  I was a little worried about my 2050 the other day and finally calm down and fix it but I think this is a great idea to get a modest unit to get away from all those wheels,  I use a wheel on occasion as a problem solver instead of standard method.   I also use a common chop saw,,,,, locked square at 90 and if I absolutely have to cut an angle chop square even and snip.   The cutter will pay for itself in salvaged materials. So much of the worlds steel anymore is sheet, light materials.  Not the job shop built days of old where so much was structural shapes,,, as Dave says went from that to press bent.Last edited by Sberry; 14 Hours Ago at 01:36 PM.www.urkafarms.com
Reply:My 17 year old cutmaster 151 gets used every day real hard.. I sold it to my friend that uses it very hard in his Marine repair business. He has a Hypertherm 85 at his shop, but stays mostly on his cnc table now. I also ended up with a Pakmaster 50 for zero money, and it works like new..(newer torch) Used hard, and about 23 years old.. I have a 3 phase cutmaster 60i, and had all the cutmaster machines Bunch of Esab machines, and Hypertherm 65,and 45 XP.. That said ,I have zero issues with some of the low rent Plasma Cutters on Amazon. Marketplace, and Ebay you can find the little Ironton 30 from Northern tool, new in box sometimes. They are pretty nice lower cost machines, that work really well..Esab/Lorch ET-220iEsab 160i caddyEsab CV353Thermal LM-200/ Lincoln feedersThermal 60i- 3phase Pak 50Thermal 35CThermal 15cINE 1500 Klutch 220iBlue Demon/140 msi/90sti
Reply:I've been having great luck with Everlast. I have the 62i. It'll clean cut 1" and sever 1 1//4". I put a 25 foot torch on it. Usually for 1" to 4" I'll use the torch. https://www.everlastgenerators.com/c...-plasma-cutterPS: I cut way more AR400 and Hadox than mild steel and the Plasma does great.Last edited by Freebirdwelds; 5 Hours Ago at 09:57 PM.Reason: PS.Lincoln 330MPXLincoln Power Mig 256Lincoln LN-25X Wire FeederMagnum PRO 250LX GT Spool GunLincoln AC/DC 225¼ Ton of Torches OFC-A OFG-AAir Carbon Arc Gouging CAC-AEverlast 62i Plasma CutterIngersoll Rand T-30 14hpInstagram: #Freebird Welds
Reply:Just my 2 cents... I have an Amico CUT-50HF. Probably shoulda gone for the 60 amp, since sometimes I cut thicker material than the 50A is happy with (it still DOES cut it, just slower than I'd like), I like it. It's dual voltage and goes from 10 to 50 amps. Has a built in filter-regulator with a front panel adjustment and a drain out of the back. Nice access panel to the F/R on the side. 12 foot torch lead and a surprisingly nice work/ground lead. 10 feet of nice feeling 4 gauge cable and a clamp with brass jaws and a copper braid connecting them. I haven't had it but maybe a year, though. MAYBE something will go wrong? I've been impressed by it, so far. Everything FEELS nice.