wanted, plasma cutter

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Hey guys I'm in the market for a good used plasma cutter preferably a Miller, Hobart, Hypertherm, or Thermal dynamics but I would entertain the idea of just about anything accept chinese. Looking for something that will cut 3/8 and in the realm of a miller 375 x or up. Hate to say it but like most people I'm on a budget so please no $ 2,000  dollar monsters. Thanks in advance, Tim
Reply:where are you located?miller 330a bp TIGmiller dynasty 200DX TIGmillermatic 185 MIGthermal dynamics cutmaster 101 plasma cuttersnap-on YA5550 plasma cutterhypertherm powermax 30 plasma cutterbaileigh CS225 cold sawetc....
Reply:Tulsa OK,
Reply:Originally Posted by powercatTulsa OK,
Reply:PowercatHi Tim,  Most of us are on a budget, but there are very good and very bad plasma cutters coming out of china. And were do you think the pc boards and electornics come from for the name brand cutters? Don't get me wrong name brand cutters are built very well with the best parts no matter were they come from. But don't rule out some of the cutters by HF, NT, Mitec and other that are coming from china, mexico, russia and other countrys. Some of the biggest badest plasma cutters I have seen were not made in the USA. Think of it this way a 3/8" plate of metal don't know the difference if its cut with a name brand cutter or not. Buy what you can afford and then trade up from there.Have a great Holiday, Georgewww.georgesplasmacuttershop.comPlasma Cutter and Welder Sales and Repairs--Ebay storeTec.Mo. Dealer Consumables for the PT and IPT torch's
Reply:As a 33 year employee of Hypertherm.....I will have to disagree that the metal does not know the difference about the brand of plasma cutter! And, Hypertherm circuit boards are designed , tested and manufactured in our facilities here in the USA....of course circuit board components come from locations all around the world, however each and every part on our boards have to pass stringent tests before being accepted.As far as cut quality, consumable life, cut speed....etc., etc. These functions oif a plasma cutter are determined by the design and engineering that goes into the entire plasma system. Hypertherm systems are designed from the ground up with torches designed to work with the specific output characteristics of a power supply. Current ramp ups, ramp downs, gas ramps, pilot arc current, DC (square wave) output frequency and output current control are all critical, and must be tuned to each torch design in order to get the best combination of consumable life, cut quality, cut speed and thickness capacity. There are many plasma companies that produce only the power supply and buy torches that are 10 to 30 year old designs for use with their systems. There are other companies that use the same torch design on most of their systems for 10 to 15 years!Plasma technology is still being developed, and I have seen a tremendous amount of improvement just in the last 10 years. If you are looking for the best performance and the lowest operating cost (good consumable life)....shop around and do some research when looking for a plasma cutter. A 5 or 6 year old used Hypertherm is often a better deal than a low cost import! Craigs list is a good source if you are on a fixed budget.Jim Originally Posted by mechanic416PowercatHi Tim,  Most of us are on a budget, but there are very good and very bad plasma cutters coming out of china. And were do you think the pc boards and electornics come from for the name brand cutters? Don't get me wrong name brand cutters are built very well with the best parts no matter were they come from. But don't rule out some of the cutters by HF, NT, Mitec and other that are coming from china, mexico, russia and other countrys. Some of the biggest badest plasma cutters I have seen were not made in the USA. Think of it this way a 3/8" plate of metal don't know the difference if its cut with a name brand cutter or not. Buy what you can afford and then trade up from there.Have a great Holiday, George
Reply:Hi Ya powercatFor $2,000 you can easily afford a plasma cutter that will cut 3/8" and more.  I have both Miller and Hypertherm in both my farm repair and my cnc shops. Both will get the job done. Professionally I prefer the Hypertherm! They may cost more than the Miller for the initial buy but in overall life cycle costs they are cheaper.The Hypertherm Powermax 45 that I have in my farm shop will exceed the cutting specs of most other manufacturers similiar amp units. Just wander into the Hypertherm forum and check it out.  I have personally cut up to 1 1/2" steel and posted the results in the forum. Another member has cut up to 2" steel railroad tracks. Its performance was also documented at FabTech.Places such as hypermax.com http://www.hypermax.org/powermax_pla...s_for_sale.htmhave the Powermax45 for $1595Weldersource.comhttp://store.weldersource.com/hyplcu.htmlhas the Powermax45 for $1510Both sites have free shipping. Weldersource also offers some freebies. I bought my 45 from weldersource and scored a  discount for being a military veteran as well as some free welding gloves and extra consumables.With the extra $500 in savings you could buy some nice welding tools! ho Ho HOCo-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:hypertherm powermax 30 sounds right up your alley, I love mine & it's my go to machine over all of my other even bigger units & it can be had brand new for around a grand without the case & extra consumables, or around $1,200 with case, extra consumables & a circle cutting guide.... when I bought it I compared it to everything else in it's class & it even tops the comparable millers, mainly because of the new better torch design...miller 330a bp TIGmiller dynasty 200DX TIGmillermatic 185 MIGthermal dynamics cutmaster 101 plasma cuttersnap-on YA5550 plasma cutterhypertherm powermax 30 plasma cutterbaileigh CS225 cold sawetc....
Reply:Hey powercat, I sent you a PM...
Reply:Thanks guys, Found one.
Reply:Jim, Take off your cape and cover up your Red "S" on your chest. Next time you put some one down on this site for there answers or comments think of  this the only way you have a job with Hypertherm is because of people in China, Mexico, Japan and others, because if you take all the parts out of the Hypertherm plasma cutters that are made in other countrys all you would have is a box of junk. If you don't like what I have to say TUFF. George Swire from Clayton, DelawareLast edited by mechanic416; 01-13-2011 at 05:35 PM.www.georgesplasmacuttershop.comPlasma Cutter and Welder Sales and Repairs--Ebay storeTec.Mo. Dealer Consumables for the PT and IPT torch's
Reply:George,Sorry if you thought I was "putting you down"....certainly was not my intention, rather I was just stating some facts about consumables design and performance. They are not all the same....and I would be happy to show you a Hypertherm 45 amp plasma torch that will get 6 times the consumable life of many other torches of the same power range. I would never disagree with you that some (not all) components on printed circuit boards are made in other countries, every component on Hypertherm boards meet our strict specs (they are tested before and after assembly) and are assembled in our facilities here in the US. Many PC board parts simply are not produced in the U.S.!All plasma systems and all torches are not created equal. If you ever get to New Hampshire I will be more than happy to show you all of the Hypertherm systems as they are being built. Agaiin, sorry if I offended you...certainly was not my intention.Jim Colt