mike944
Well-known member
Hey guys,
I'm looking to get a plasma cutter, and i was hoping some people might have some reccomendations.
I don't want a no-name H.F. special, but i don't need a top-end machine either. This will be for home fabrication use.
My main goals are built-in compressor, and 3/8" cut. These two items seem to be mutually exclusive.
I want something that can cut up to approximately 3/8 steel, but i'm not at all concerned with speed at that thickness. I will probably only cut something that thick very, very rarely, so that 3/8" number is not set-in-stone, it's more like a "wish-list item" Most of my cutting will be in the neighborhood of 1/8 or thinner, with a mix of steel, stainless, and aluminum, but i will probably cut 1/4" occasionally.
I really, really want an internal compressor, this way it's portable, because i will likely use it in places other than my garage. I do have a decent compressor, but it's too big to go dragging around, and i don't have space to get a small compressor just for the plasma. (i also don't want to make it portable by using compressed gas bottles, unless I can use it with argon, since i already have one of those for my tig)
I'm hoping i can find something in the 1000-1300 range, but 1500 is my upper limit (street price, not list price)
It seems like most of the low-end ones ($700-900) have built in compressors, but the cut limits are below what i would like. Once i step up to the machines that can cut what i want, the built-in compressors seem to dissapear.
I like the looks of this one, and it's a miller, which is a big bonus, but it isn't rated for 3/8". However, if i were to "stretch" the chart on this page 3/8" would be somewhere around 2-3" per minute, that speed would be ok, since i would hardly ever cut 3/8, but can i really cut that with this machine, since it's not rated for 3/8? Do these things just flat-out stop working at the end of the chart, or can you "push" the rated limits? http://store.cyberweld.com/specthun115v.html
I guess my question is, does anyone know of a machine with a built-in compressor, that can cut 3/8, but not cut my bank account too badly? (doesn't have to be a miller, but i would really like it to be one of the the top 5 or 6 manufacturers. I.e. Miller, Linclon, hobart, esab, or thermal dynamics)
I'm looking to get a plasma cutter, and i was hoping some people might have some reccomendations.
I don't want a no-name H.F. special, but i don't need a top-end machine either. This will be for home fabrication use.
My main goals are built-in compressor, and 3/8" cut. These two items seem to be mutually exclusive.
I want something that can cut up to approximately 3/8 steel, but i'm not at all concerned with speed at that thickness. I will probably only cut something that thick very, very rarely, so that 3/8" number is not set-in-stone, it's more like a "wish-list item" Most of my cutting will be in the neighborhood of 1/8 or thinner, with a mix of steel, stainless, and aluminum, but i will probably cut 1/4" occasionally.
I really, really want an internal compressor, this way it's portable, because i will likely use it in places other than my garage. I do have a decent compressor, but it's too big to go dragging around, and i don't have space to get a small compressor just for the plasma. (i also don't want to make it portable by using compressed gas bottles, unless I can use it with argon, since i already have one of those for my tig)
I'm hoping i can find something in the 1000-1300 range, but 1500 is my upper limit (street price, not list price)
It seems like most of the low-end ones ($700-900) have built in compressors, but the cut limits are below what i would like. Once i step up to the machines that can cut what i want, the built-in compressors seem to dissapear.
I like the looks of this one, and it's a miller, which is a big bonus, but it isn't rated for 3/8". However, if i were to "stretch" the chart on this page 3/8" would be somewhere around 2-3" per minute, that speed would be ok, since i would hardly ever cut 3/8, but can i really cut that with this machine, since it's not rated for 3/8? Do these things just flat-out stop working at the end of the chart, or can you "push" the rated limits? http://store.cyberweld.com/specthun115v.html
I guess my question is, does anyone know of a machine with a built-in compressor, that can cut 3/8, but not cut my bank account too badly? (doesn't have to be a miller, but i would really like it to be one of the the top 5 or 6 manufacturers. I.e. Miller, Linclon, hobart, esab, or thermal dynamics)
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