Yea, the war wagon has relented! Finally time to add a plasma cutter to the shop. As a weekend warrior I cannot justify a Hypertherm or Hobart class machine. As far as I can foresee I will need nothing more than a Chinese 'Cut 50' platform; I'm in the 1/4" and less camp 99% of the time. And most of the metal I cut is clean. So, a stop off at most of the "best of" review sites reveals a recurring pattern of two highly rated weekender models in the under $500 US range. They are:
https://www.amazon.com/PRIMEWELD-Pre...seaslugteam-20
and
https://www.amazon.com/Lotos-LTP5000...seaslugteam-20
Both advertise 1/2" max cut, more than enough for my tinkering. The question then becomes: do I need or want pilot arc technology? The Primeweld is a contact start and the Lotos is a no-touch model. The 90 bucks difference is not a show stopper but there’s no need to spend it if I don’t need it. Will life be easier with pilot arc? Is there a third unit I have overlooked (keeping in mind I will not be spending more than 5C notes on this purchase)?
All opinions accepted and appreciated
Mark
https://www.amazon.com/PRIMEWELD-Pre...seaslugteam-20
and
https://www.amazon.com/Lotos-LTP5000...seaslugteam-20
Both advertise 1/2" max cut, more than enough for my tinkering. The question then becomes: do I need or want pilot arc technology? The Primeweld is a contact start and the Lotos is a no-touch model. The 90 bucks difference is not a show stopper but there’s no need to spend it if I don’t need it. Will life be easier with pilot arc? Is there a third unit I have overlooked (keeping in mind I will not be spending more than 5C notes on this purchase)?
All opinions accepted and appreciated
Mark
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