I bought a new compressor and have been working on the piping and buying everything else I need for a plasma cutter but now I'm getting cold feet. I'm having a hard time justifying the cost since it's probably only going to be used 2-3 times a month max. At first I thought I'd just buy an Everlast Power Plasma 50 but then I thought I'd just suck it up and buy the Hypertherm 30. After going back and fourth I'm not sure I can justify the cost of the Hypertherm over the Everlast. I've seen good reviews on the Harbour Freight cutter but with a 90 day warranty there's no way I'm spending that kind money. I'm not the type of person to buy anything used so for me it's new or nothing. Does a plasma cutter create more of a mess than a cutoff wheel? I know everyone loves Hypertherm and I've talked to them on the phone several times and they've been very courtious answering my questions. Anyway, I'm not sure what to do but I need to do something pretty quick so I can put this to rest. Also the thickest material I'd ever cut with it would be 1/4".
mliebs
The Powermax30 is designed for excellent performance and long life. It is more expensive as compared to many of the imports, however if you plan on buying a plasma cutter that your kids will someday inherit....then spend a bit more and get the Hypertherm. The product is backed up by Hypertherm, parts will be available for many years, and you will not find a plasma system that is more reliable, or one that gets better consumable parts life. Over time it will clearly be a less costly unit if you figure cost per foot of cut.
I understand budgets.....if you need a plasma and all you can afford is a low cost import, then that may be a choice. Keep yours eyes out for used Hypertherm systems....I see Powermax30's in great used condition occasionally in the $600 to $800 range.
Jim Colt
I understand budgets.....if you need a plasma and all you can afford is a low cost import, then that may be a choice. Keep yours eyes out for used Hypertherm systems....I see Powermax30's in great used condition occasionally in the $600 to $800 range.
Jim Colt
.250 inch, and the Powermax 30 is about perfect. Best to suck it up,and just get the Hypertherm. I got close to buying one myself, but decided two machines would work better for me. (Net, and E-bay old stock) In five years the hypertherm will be worth way more then a Everlast machine,and chances are it will still be on the same power supply too..
get the powermax 30... i just got one and i love it ! if you can't swing a new one.. keep an eye out for a good used powermax 30 , like Jim said i have seen some good used ones for 600-800 worth paying a little more for a quality usa machine im my opinion. you will wonder how you got along without a plasma after you try one .
Actually just yesterday I used my little Powermax30 for a pretty tough job outside (in New Hampshire) in my driveway in 10 degree F weather. I say "little" Powermax 30 because I also have a Powermax45 and a Powermax85.
I sold my 10 year old Ford F250 Diesel (replaced it with a new Dodge Ram 2500 with Cummins power) and the buyer did not want the snowplow. I had two hours to remove all of the snowplow push plates and frame and wire harness which had been on the truck for 10 years. Needless to say every single bolt was hard to reach, every one was rusty, and not a single one would loosen with my impact wrench. Normally I would have dragged the oxy-acetylene torches out, heated up the nuts cherry red, then they normally would loosen. For some reason this was not working yesterday and I have never been real good at burning off bolts in an overhead position with the torch....by the time I put down the torch and picked up the impact.....things had quickly cooled back down. Back in the shop I went....grabbed the little Powermax 30 and was able to cut every one of the nuts off the frame bolts (mostly 1/2" and 5/8" diameter bolts, meaning the nuts were 3/4" and 7/8".
Piece of cake! After struggling with the torches the Powermax30 make quick work of removing every bolt in about 15 minutes, plow frame and harness removed, I even had time to take the old Ford to the local carwash before the buyer showed up with cash.
Good riddance Ford.....I was one of the unlucky buyers of the ill fated 6.0 diesel.....which ford backed up about as well as an imported Chinese plasma. They won't get my business again!
Anyway, even I was suprised at how well the Powermax30 did on that dismantling job. I chose it over the Powermax45 and 85 because I did not want to drag my heavy 230 volt power cord out in the driveway, did all the cutting on 120 volt power.
Jim Colt
I sold my 10 year old Ford F250 Diesel (replaced it with a new Dodge Ram 2500 with Cummins power) and the buyer did not want the snowplow. I had two hours to remove all of the snowplow push plates and frame and wire harness which had been on the truck for 10 years. Needless to say every single bolt was hard to reach, every one was rusty, and not a single one would loosen with my impact wrench. Normally I would have dragged the oxy-acetylene torches out, heated up the nuts cherry red, then they normally would loosen. For some reason this was not working yesterday and I have never been real good at burning off bolts in an overhead position with the torch....by the time I put down the torch and picked up the impact.....things had quickly cooled back down. Back in the shop I went....grabbed the little Powermax 30 and was able to cut every one of the nuts off the frame bolts (mostly 1/2" and 5/8" diameter bolts, meaning the nuts were 3/4" and 7/8".
Piece of cake! After struggling with the torches the Powermax30 make quick work of removing every bolt in about 15 minutes, plow frame and harness removed, I even had time to take the old Ford to the local carwash before the buyer showed up with cash.
Good riddance Ford.....I was one of the unlucky buyers of the ill fated 6.0 diesel.....which ford backed up about as well as an imported Chinese plasma. They won't get my business again!
Anyway, even I was suprised at how well the Powermax30 did on that dismantling job. I chose it over the Powermax45 and 85 because I did not want to drag my heavy 230 volt power cord out in the driveway, did all the cutting on 120 volt power.
Jim Colt
1-He want new not used!
2-He can't justify the cost of the Hypertherm PM30 over the Everlast PP50
3-The thickest material he ever cut with it would be 1/4".
Based on those statements, let's do the math...
Hypertherm PM 30 best web price $1100- US made (Reliable with amazing support.)
Everlast PP50 Best web price $849- Chinese made...
You will bliss yourself for many years if you take the Hypertherm for the extra $250 but since it's your call and your wallet...
I see 2 other option possible for a few extra $$, I did personally test the Esab unit but not the Thermal Dynamic but many here can confirm the quality, superior support those company can offers over Chinese resellers.
This is not expert advices, This is common sense advices For the expert consult post number 10
The Thermal Dynamic Cutmaster 42 for $925:
http://www.weldersupply.com/P/424/ThermalDynamicsCutmaster
The Esab PowerCut 400 for $930:
http://store.weldersource.com/p-3878-esab-powercut-400.aspx
2-He can't justify the cost of the Hypertherm PM30 over the Everlast PP50
3-The thickest material he ever cut with it would be 1/4".
Based on those statements, let's do the math...
Hypertherm PM 30 best web price $1100- US made (Reliable with amazing support.)
Everlast PP50 Best web price $849- Chinese made...
You will bliss yourself for many years if you take the Hypertherm for the extra $250 but since it's your call and your wallet...
I see 2 other option possible for a few extra $$, I did personally test the Esab unit but not the Thermal Dynamic but many here can confirm the quality, superior support those company can offers over Chinese resellers.
This is not expert advices, This is common sense advices
For the expert consult post number 10 The Thermal Dynamic Cutmaster 42 for $925:
http://www.weldersupply.com/P/424/ThermalDynamicsCutmaster
The Esab PowerCut 400 for $930:
http://store.weldersource.com/p-3878-esab-powercut-400.aspx
Yes the Hypertherm systems as well as the other major brand plasma systems cost more to purchase as compared to the import plasma systems. If purchase price is your biggest consideration, and you want a new plasma, then they are the only choice.
Speaking about the Hypertherm systems, there are cut performance advantages....cut quality, cut speed, consumable choices, etc. There are safety advantages....interlocks, diagnostics and torch parts in place sensors that are there to protect the torch user from high voltage. There are huge reliability and product support advantages that will still be there long after the warranty is gone...and parts will be available. And....if you use the plasma....the Hypertherm with it's dramatically longer consumable life will be far less expensive as compared to a low cost import over time. Consumable usage is the factor that makes up the majority of cutting cost per foot.
So, when I hear statements like this in the comparison..."He can't justify the cost of the Hypertherm PM30 over the Everlast PP50", keep in mind that this is only true if the unit sits on he shelf and does not get used much. There certainly is a market for guys that want the tool available for occasional use....but the risk of it not working when you need it should be considered as well.
We call the long term cost of any piece of equipment the "Cost of Ownership". You must factor in the purchase price, the cost to operate the machine; air, electricity, consumables, cut quality (as better cut quality saves time, time is money), repairs over the life of the product, etc. This is the true cost of any tool or piece of machinery.
Jim Colt
Speaking about the Hypertherm systems, there are cut performance advantages....cut quality, cut speed, consumable choices, etc. There are safety advantages....interlocks, diagnostics and torch parts in place sensors that are there to protect the torch user from high voltage. There are huge reliability and product support advantages that will still be there long after the warranty is gone...and parts will be available. And....if you use the plasma....the Hypertherm with it's dramatically longer consumable life will be far less expensive as compared to a low cost import over time. Consumable usage is the factor that makes up the majority of cutting cost per foot.
So, when I hear statements like this in the comparison..."He can't justify the cost of the Hypertherm PM30 over the Everlast PP50", keep in mind that this is only true if the unit sits on he shelf and does not get used much. There certainly is a market for guys that want the tool available for occasional use....but the risk of it not working when you need it should be considered as well.
We call the long term cost of any piece of equipment the "Cost of Ownership". You must factor in the purchase price, the cost to operate the machine; air, electricity, consumables, cut quality (as better cut quality saves time, time is money), repairs over the life of the product, etc. This is the true cost of any tool or piece of machinery.
Jim Colt
I go with the recommendations for a topnotch brand cutter especially since I once (well, more than once) did a foolish thing. I had a beautiful little Hypertherm 28 but wanted to cut aluminum. I have a lot of 7075 plate and blocks that were given me. So I bought a chinese 60 amp cutter, Parker was the name they went by then. Sold the Hypertherm for the price I'd paid for it at least.
Whoops - although the cutter seemed to work OK here's the crux of my post:
My compressor couldn't keep up with the new cutter and it's been sitting idle ever since. You said you've just bought a new compressor - be sure to get a plasma cutter that will work within whatever your compressor's CFM output is at 90psi. My compressor only makes 11 cfm at that pressure and that wasn't enough to burn through even 1/8" plate aluminum with a 60 amp cutter. It's been a good compressor for 12 years though and drives my airtools just fine. Home Depot sale item - $349. for 60 gallons and 3.5 hp.
It was only later that I bought me a copy of the machinist manual and found that 7075 ain't for welding but that's a whole different bellylaugh.
Whoops - although the cutter seemed to work OK here's the crux of my post:
My compressor couldn't keep up with the new cutter and it's been sitting idle ever since. You said you've just bought a new compressor - be sure to get a plasma cutter that will work within whatever your compressor's CFM output is at 90psi. My compressor only makes 11 cfm at that pressure and that wasn't enough to burn through even 1/8" plate aluminum with a 60 amp cutter. It's been a good compressor for 12 years though and drives my airtools just fine. Home Depot sale item - $349. for 60 gallons and 3.5 hp.
It was only later that I bought me a copy of the machinist manual and found that 7075 ain't for welding but that's a whole different bellylaugh.
This all was a while back, Jim, and is Hypertherm the ones that have the two big handles on the sides or is that another brand name? The one I had had those handles and was superceded within a year or so with a bigger model number.
That's probably good news for someone that you're pretty sure that Chinese cutters of today can work with 11 cfm. If you weren't cross the country I might give you one that won't..
That's probably good news for someone that you're pretty sure that Chinese cutters of today can work with 11 cfm. If you weren't cross the country I might give you one that won't..
The new hypertherm 45s cut so clean it defies logic. Even an older hyperthem 1000 cuts really well with warn tip and electrode.
My old miller spectrum 625 from 2004 that uses a torch made by hypertherm is only 2 generations out of date, it cuts marginally better than a cutting torch on thicker stuff. You can expect cut quality like this at best with new china machines because they are usually cheaper copies of old hypertherm or miller units.
Its not even like they bought a hypertherm or miller to copy, its almost as if some one who didnt know what a plasma cutter was told to find one and when they did they described it over the phone to the gang back in china.
My old miller spectrum 625 from 2004 that uses a torch made by hypertherm is only 2 generations out of date, it cuts marginally better than a cutting torch on thicker stuff. You can expect cut quality like this at best with new china machines because they are usually cheaper copies of old hypertherm or miller units.
Its not even like they bought a hypertherm or miller to copy, its almost as if some one who didnt know what a plasma cutter was told to find one and when they did they described it over the phone to the gang back in china.
Sorry if you thought I was arguing....I looked back at my responses and cannot see where you would think that! I was simply trying to help you determine what system you may have had that you thought was from Hypertherm. There are a lot of systems that have two handles. Glad you figured it out.
In regards to air flow with any plasma system: Airflow is determined entirely by the cut pressure in combination with the orifice size of the consumables being used in the torch. So if a Hypertherm plasma torch had the same orifice size as a Chinese unit and the cut gas regulators were set to the same pressures...then the flow rates would be the same. Makes no difference what compressor you may be using!
Jim Colt
"It says: "Parker Power-Tec 60" on it's sides and everywhere else a mention of model or maker is on the machine, so no, it's apparently not one of those in your model history. Now that you're off the hook, Jim, maybe you don't feel such a need to argue defensively about it?"
In regards to air flow with any plasma system: Airflow is determined entirely by the cut pressure in combination with the orifice size of the consumables being used in the torch. So if a Hypertherm plasma torch had the same orifice size as a Chinese unit and the cut gas regulators were set to the same pressures...then the flow rates would be the same. Makes no difference what compressor you may be using!
Jim Colt
"It says: "Parker Power-Tec 60" on it's sides and everywhere else a mention of model or maker is on the machine, so no, it's apparently not one of those in your model history. Now that you're off the hook, Jim, maybe you don't feel such a need to argue defensively about it?"
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