Plasma cutters vs oxy acet, anyone here playing ?

[dat2kman]

Thinking off getting a plasma cutter, anyone hete used, using, played with, or seen in action.

Main use is on car body, brackets for suspensions, modding items.

 

Running oxy acet atm, bottles are empty, and well out of date, rest of kit is still good, i dont have account with gas suppliers, use a freindly plumber to get fresh bottles, its all a p,i,a,.

 

Done a little reading up, checked out evilbay, local tradetools are double the egay price like for like.

 

Dont eant full on monsta industrial, ala welding workshop type, just something portable ie 20 kgs weight

 

Who's playing?

[handsandwhich]

I have a little 40amp portable unit, been using it for many years now and it is a valuable tool.

 

An oxy set comes in handy when you don't have an air compressor available to run the plasma, but with the plasma you can also cut alloys where as you can't with the oxy and you can't heat things up with the plasma.

 

So saying that, both have their time and place to be used but a plasma is a handy tool to have if you cut a lot of weird shaped or angled sheetmetal. I still find myself reaching for a grinder with cutoff wheel most of the time rather than setting up the plasma though.

[neRok]

those plasma cutters do look good. i was looking at a token tools one.

 

token tools is pretty cheap as it is all from china, but the guy has designed it all himself, just gets it built there. there are many favorable reviews for TT on the net.

[Bigfella]

I just got one from evilbay a couple of days ago. I only used it for a couple of hours, as it was 35 deg. But I was very happy with it..

 

Matt O

 

[garvice]

Hey mate,

 

Give me a call sometime, I have a token tools one and love it!

You can come have a play sometime.

 

The guy at token tools was incredible to deal with too. Bought in the morning and on my step next day. I have had to get some more stuff off him and always great to deal with.

 

Also apparently the igbt one are better then MOSFET and you want a pilot arc model if you can get one. I'll talk your ear off when you come try it though.

 

Brad

[be-zed]

You know you don't need to be a plumber to have an account to get gas . It also wouldn't hurt to have both tools around. Just do not take the empty bottles in with you then you open your account . Then take the empty bottles back within seven days and there should be no hire fees unless the system have changed.

[garvice]

Oh yeah, one other thing. I found out the hard way that leather gloves spontaneously combust when hit with a 30000deg plasma arc.

[dat2kman]

You know you don't need to be a plumber to have an account to get gas . It also wouldn't hurt to have both tools around. Just do not take the empty bottles in with you then you open your account . Then take the empty bottles back within seven days and there should be no hire fees unless the system have changed.

Hey Aub, hetes the thing, i have a pair of small bottles, very much out of date, totally empty, i would like a "freindly"plumber to give me his full ones, take these empties, i pay him for his trouble and gas.

I cbf having an account when they charge annual fees, these two ate now 10 years old, i dont use much gases.

Same gors for TIG gas bottle, the tiny amount i need argon for, ie im not a full blown commetcial workshop, same, cbf an account. I get no tax deductions, not operate a business, just a home hobby, like pretty much all of us.

 

If the gas companies opetated on basis of a charge for a fill, and an extra once off to "buy" a bottle, instead of their rip off monthly fees per bottle, plus account keeping fees etc, then, i reckon plenty more of us would be getting tig weldets, oxy acet kits.

Yeah, the tiny bottles are useless, you crack them, and you get one use only, very xpensive eay, and dont give me no lip about i can afford it, its the jolly principle f the thing.

brad Garvice, what model did you get from Token, their website is a dream, i see they have the cbt pi

Ot arc jobby at around the 700, also a multi 3 in 1 cutter, arc and tig for 800, badic duty cycles, but for us hobby guys, pretty good!

[garvice]

I got this one Jason

http://www.tokentools.com.au/category54_1.html

 

apparently he only has about 5 of these left and is just trying to get rid of them. He mentioned that he can no longer get the igbt ones made at the price he sells them for, so he is now just getting the mosfet ones made. The parts in the igbt one are apparently the same that is in their ac/dc tig welder/cutter.

 

Feel free to give it a go if you want.

 

The guy told me the IGBT one he used to sell for about 2k a couple of years ago and it was more of a commercial unit.

[garvice]

Oh yeah, ask him to do a full cutting test on it before he sends it. He does a load test on them, but that didn't find a problem with mine.

He paid for postage back to him and fixed it. He also chucked in a bunch of consumables/parts for me to say sorry. Got it back fixed in record time.