Plasma cutter ???

[LIVELY]

i am looking to buy a plasma cutter--i never cut thicker then 1/2 inch metal----mostly car fabrication/sheet metal/ frame rails/etc.
my ??? which one for the projects i do?
it has to be very mobile and easy to use[we have 3 garages to move it around to}
parts replacement and service are very important on this tool for me!!

i thought i saw it discussed before but could not find it.
thanks for the input

 

[Mike007]

Cant go wrong with Hypertherm. Look at the 30 and 45.

 

[35mastr]

Miller,The biggest one your wallet can afford.

 

[hilld]

I recently bought a Hypertherm 45 and love it. Last night I let our 15 year old girl make X-mas ornaments, she was having a ball. She cut out X-mas trees, snow flakes, a name plate for her older sister. I had purchased a 1/2 sheet 4'x4' of 20ga sheet metal for this project and we spent a few hours in the shop. Had to bust out the MIG welder to weld a base on the name plate for her sis. Plan on heading out there later today to make and paint some more stuff with her.

 

[toolfreak]

I have a Miller Spectrum 375 and it's a nice little machine that is easy to carry around. I have cut up to 1/2" but it is slow.

 

[rocket41]

I have a Hypertherm Powermax 1000 at work
its a nice machine cuts 1/2 inch no problem
maybe to big for you but we get parts from Linde
no trouble at all

 

[wafrederick]

Also called a 1997 to 2003 Ford 4x4 truck front brake rotor tool.Rotors don't come off because they are rusted on badly and this is the tool that fixes that.Make 2 cuts and the rotors are off with a good smack with a hammer.Have to buy 2 new rotors.The Hypertherm is a great plasma cutter if you don't want to spend the money on a Miller.

 

[impulse922]

hate to point out the obvious, but you have a decent air compressor in those 3 garages right?

 

[gsport]

when i was in airgas talking to them about plasma cutters, out of the three they sell (thermodynamics, hypertherm, and the miller) they said they get more millers in for repairs than the other two combined.. and i was in there originally to buy a miller 375 when they told me this, i didn't buy and decided to do some more research one the three....

 

[knucklehead]

i have a hypertherm 45 & love it!
ebay is the place to buy them.

 

[silversix]

I've had a Miller Spectrum 625 for a few years and I love it. I've never had to cut anything thicker that 3/8" but I like having the ability to.

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

Not sure where you are at in ILL-ANOY, but I do know where there is a "like new" snap on model. A buddy bought it before the sky fell and has used a couple times for a couple cuts in his auto repair shop. Anyhow, hes tight for cash and looking to move it. Its on the larger side, 220v, beyond that I dont remember much. Hes in Mt Morris, IL.

 

[Thedroid]

The neighbor has a real small Miller that works good, and I've also used a Thermal dynamics that I liked.

Check the price of the consumables on all the crands you're considering, bacause some of those parts ain't cheap.

On the subject of repairs, I've been around many different brands of welders, and seen all of them fail at some point. Its never really been the machinebut the operator. Many people who are in the market for the smaller stuff have no clue what a 20% duty cycle is, and will push their machines over the limit, and are surprised when they stop working.

 

[LIVELY]

YES--I HAVE VERY GOOD COMPRESSORS IN THE GARAGES[ ALL COMMERCIAL UNITS]
My buddy asked about the kind with built in compressors for his place-any thoughts??
lots of great inffo guys

 

[Dewaynep]

I have a Miller 375 (not the smaller extreme model). I've been very pleased with it so far. I have cut 1/2" plate with it, much faster than a cuttoff wheel or metal cutting circular saw. I have yet to replace the tip and it still cuts great. It ran $1100 shipped to my door. I'm very happy with my purchase.

 

[atari]

thermodynamics is what I have used and liked it very well.

 

[padronanniversary]

Thermodynamics has a deal until the end of the year to get a free stick welder. I'm thinking about buying one as well.

The big selling point of thermodynamics is the consumables. All my local welding supply stores have them, and they are lower cost that the hypertherm and miller products. Plus the aggressive pricing and consumables, its just hard to beat.


I was dead set on a 375 extreme, until the thermodynamics cutmaster 52 showed up on my radar.