plasma cutters

I'm looking at a Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster True 39 Plasma Cutter and a Hypertherm Powermax 30

Anyone use these ? What do you think of them ? Any other suggestions ?

I'm looking for one I can still use on 120v when I can't get to 220v

looking to cut 1/8" and 3/16" mostly , but 1/4" here and there , gotta keep it under $1000

Thanks

We have a Hobart 400 Airforce at work. It's a dual voltage unit. It was a little over a grand though. I did notice that on 110 volts it didn't do clean cuts in 1/4 inch material. Once I hooked it up for 220 volts it did 1/4 inch cleanly.

I have a 50A Hypertherm unit. It is a little older, but still works like a champ. Been very pleased with it. I cut a lot of stuff that is 1/4". I think you'll be surprised at how much 1/4" stuff you'll be working with, if you do any kind of chassis fab work.

I would recommend the Powermax 45. Search for the reviews and you will be pleased. I have a cheap unit from Parker Plasma that I paid less than $400 for shipped. It has been fine for anything less than 5/16in, but I plan to purchase a powermax 45 soon so I can use it on a plasma table.

Don't limit yourself to 110v. Most houses have a 220v outlet for the dryer, plus all houses are fed 220v so it's simple to put in an outlet if you need one.

110v plasma cutters are meant for sheetmetal body work, not frame and suspension fabrication.

I've used a lincoln pro-cut 55, which worked great and I liked the exposed tip for working in tight areas. I own a Miller Spectrum 2050 which is about the same size as the pro-cut 55. It's rated for 10" a minute cutting speed through 7/8" mild steel, much faster through thinner stuff.

Its great being able to draw out what you need with a sharpie marker, then follow the line with the plasma. There's a lot less heat put into the work with a plasma, so the waiting period between cutting out the piece, jigging it up, and welding it into place is reduced by a lot. I'd recommend putting two 220v outlets in your shop, so you can have the plasma and welder plugged in at the same time. It saves a lot of time to not have to juggle plugs every time you switch from cutting to welding.

Just saw an ad for a relatively inexpensive one from Eastwood this morning.
Looks like a decent unit, and obviously it's made for them by someone who makes cutters, but I don't know anything about it's quality.
You usually get what you pay for, but I'm curious if this one has any merit (other than budget) to recommend it.

Paul

Our shop bought a hobart 500i a few months back and I have had the pleasure of using it quite a bit. mostly 1/4 tube which it cut on prob, but we also done a few test cuts when we first purchased the unit on stock from sheet metal to 3/8 leaf spring we had laying around all posed no problem for this unit. It is a dual voltage & northern tool has them on sale for $1299 right now. Hobart also offers a 3 yr warranty A plus unit in my opinion.

man , the more I look into this the deeper it gets . Thanks for all the recomendations , I'm also lookjng at a Thermal Dynamics 42. any good word on this one ?

looking forward this , but I'll probably go broke buying steel

I have the Hypertherm Powermax 30 and its done all I've needed to do. No problems in the 4 or 5 years I've owned it, not that it gets used a ton but either way its been good.