Best value in a name brand plasma cutter?

[larboc]

My personal 8 year old longevity 40D stopped working and I'm giving up on fixing it, I took it partially apart and can't see anything obviously wrong with it. SOMEDAY maybe I'll try to go through it again but right now I don't have the time. I emailed longevity support and they got back to me quickly with "it will be cheaper for you to buy a new one, $500.

I'm not doing the off brand thing again, I also had a Cebora for a while. I don't need CNC at this point, I don't see myself having the space for a cnc table for 4+ years yet. The thickest I ever cut is 1/2" and the longevity worked fine for everything I needed it for when it worked. It was handy being able to use it on 120 a couple of times, but not all that important. LWS seems to have slightly better prices than I can find online for these options. I'm assuming all of them include 20' cables and no-cnc port, which is fine for me:

Hypertherm;
Powermax 45 xp, $1933.52


Thermal Dynamics;
Cutmaster 42 - $1231.35
Cutmaster 60 - $1549.00

Lincoln Electric;
Tomahawk 625 $2185.34


I backed out of buying a crane I didn't need so the purchasing department has authorized me to spend ~$2k on a new cutter.

 

[Texas97]

I like my hypertherm 30 air. But I'd buy the next one up if it were me
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[Hippie666]

I have zero complaints about my Hypertherm

 

[Void_of_Light]

Another vote for Hypertherm. The thing just works. I have the 45xp and use it with a crossfire cnc table. It didn't have a cnc port or machine torch, but making it work was really easy

 

[Texas97]

Another vote for Hypertherm. The thing just works. I have the 45xp and use it with a crossfire cnc table. It didn't have a cnc port or machine torch, but making it work was really easy

yeah, thats the one.

 

[Grendel]

Hypertherm 45xp here, as well. Made in NH.

 

[Mattafact]

I got a hypertherm 65 used on ebay for $1k.

 

[Cryptictoy]

I have an old powermax 30 that still works no issues that is probably 20 yrs old . And I have a powermax 85 thats hooked to my table and a hand torch to go with it. Jim colt was a frequent visitor on pirate with unlimited knowledge for your questions on cut quality/speed. He was a hyertherm employee then ,assuming he still is.

 

[thedirtman]

Hypertherm is a great machine.

 

[tracyb]

i have used my hypertherm 65 daily for the past 6 yrs. both hand held and cnc. full time work. many many days of 10+hrs with the only downtime to clear the cnc table and get a new sheet.

i haven't looked into them much lately, but when i got mine the hypertherm machines everything aboutthem was better. especially the consumables.

also as said above, hypertherm has Jim Colt. the most helpful and knowledgeable person in all things plasma. and he has the answers for anything hypertherm.


edit* also, almost all other plas systems have either bought and use hypertherm tech, or they try to copy it. go to the source, hypertherm.

 

[Texas97]

i still dont know how to use all the tips my Hypertherm has with it. i just plugged that bitch in a couple of years ago and started cutting.

 

[rockdog57]

My Parker cut 60 bit the dust a few months ago . It put me in the exact position as you. I just decided I wanted something better that would last a lifetime. I bought a hypertherm 45xp off of cyberweld. I opted for the fifty foot leads. Damn, night and day difference in cuts. And the fifty foot leads mean I can leave it on the shelf and work on whatever without moving the machine. Speedy? You bet. Worth it? Absolutely!!

 

[larboc]

That's what I figured the answer would be. I just put my order in. Anyone want to buy a non-working longevity 40d with consumables for cheap!

 

[Aisin]

My $190 Chink cutter I got on eBay has built a welding cart, cut up an old swing set and took all of the brackets off of an FJ80 front axle. If it can make it thru my straight axle swap I’m money ahead.

 

[dave_dj1]

Glad to see you came over to "our" side :) I have a Hypertherm 900, I bought it used and it just flat out works. I did have to replace the switch in the torch but other than that nothing. It's probably 20 years old.

 

[72Pstroke]

I have a Thermal Dynamics A120 on my CNC table. It has been a POS since I got it, and my local rep at the time was way short on customer service. Since new, it will cut about 40 minutes straight. Then the cooling fans shut off, it runs a few more seconds and shuts off due to an overheat fault. They replaced the boards in it, even replaced the machine, and finally gave up on it.
Here is another vote for Hypertherm and all the support Jim Colt offers.