Posted by Don in NH [216.107.193.154] on Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at 17:21:42 :
In Reply to: OT plasma cutters posted by Mark in Washington [76.28.246.111] on Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at 14:45:38 :
I just went through this a while back. I'd recommend a Thermal Dynamics or Hypertherm as these are generally rated as the leaders in the industry. I personally don't give much credit to the hype and rah-rah about Hypertherm as both make very good products, you will have a hard time finding complaints about either.
A bit higher then the $1000, I would compare the the TD Cutmaster 52 to the Powermax 45. I bought a Thermal Dynamics 52 as it has a better warranty and is about 20% cheaper. Both companies will stand behind them and I've talked with tech support at both places and they are good.
The TD 42 is made in Mexico, I'm not sure about the 52 - at very least the torch is from Mexico, I'm not sure about the power supply. TD has rebates on their machines right now. I think that the 42 torch is an older design and doesn't provide shielded consumables (although I'm not 100% on this).
Other options are look for a used one on CL and get something that is still in warranty. The serial number before you buy and call the company to see when it will expire or if the boards need any upgrades.
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