I was wondering what they look like and the prices for them.. Thanks inadvance.

I have one sitting in "the shed" an old one my Dad gave me, have yet to hook it up, as it needs a pretty good sized air source. Most look like small welders now.

And they are pretty expensive, check out Tractor Supply, they handle Hobart Brand.

just picked up a Miller 625 it only uses 75 lb of compressed air and is suppost to cut up to 5/8 I only tried 1/2 ...slow. They say a torch is better for larger stuff

I have an older Snap-on unit (century/solar) mfg date 1989 it was given to me because it was supposedly broken. It needed the correct consumables and a few contacts on the inside cleaned up. 1/4" is the cutting limit for this unit. Its a dream for cutting sheet metal. I'll drag it out and set it up before I even think about touching tip snips.

Here's the thing with plasma cutters.

They need very clean and dry air other wise you'll eat up consumables very fast.

They need power...If what your cutting is outside or on the other side of the shop and you only have one outlet...

Most need 220v 50a service to plug into.

The buy in price is steep for a unit that you can trust to work more than 6mos. Yes there are the "Cut50" units from China that have a nice price tag. Check out the welding forums at the number of people that are having problems with those units. Yes some come with a great warranty but return shipping is on you and some guys have had to send units back 3 or 4 times that shipping adds up. I read where one guy could have bought a miller unit at the LWS for what he had wrapped up in the "Cut50" with the number of times he had to ship it back on his dime.

Anymore I go for the Oxy/fuel cutting setup first. I can move it easily to where I'm working and not have to play with power cords/air hoses.

Watch Craigslist for used units.

I have a hypertherm 600 and I love it!!! Pricy, but worth it! I think its rated to sever .75" material. It does that easy but cleanly. I tried 1.25" and couldn't get through it. It goes through .25 & .652 like a hot knife through butter... and clean cuts too!

I have a Hypertherm Powermax45. I have cut through 1" square bar. On 1/4" plate it cuts at about 75"/min with a great smooth edge.

Wagonmaster, always consider the cost and availability of consumables in the purchase also. The initial cost is a one time deal, but consumables are forever.
IMHO you will never regret the purchase of a Hypertherm machine. ( The 1250 I use is an AWSOME machine!)
Johnny

I didn't see this thread when it originally was posted. I guess I'll input anyway ...
The best made points -
Consumables - you will need to replace them on a regular basis, so a common brand named plasma cutter is a must.
A good compressor and filtering system - Dry clean air with a decent CFM rating is important. Air with moisture will destroy consumables rapidly and degrade cutting ability. If your compressor does not have sufficient volume, it will run more and produce more moisture. A good filter and/or cooler and plumbing is also important.

I have a Hypertherm Power Max 1000. It works well and cuts up to 3/4" nicely. It also is capable of being wired for a variety of voltage inputs. I feed mine from a 240v 60amp breaker. Consumables are readily available and support is second to none.

Hi I have a SAF 625 runs on 415v and cuts up to1"but I have just replaced the torch and that cost me

Hope i'm not too late with this,
I recently got a hypertherm powermax 45...it cuts up to 1" pretty easily and is supposed to cut a fair bit thicker than that.
I was worried my workshop power supply wouldn't handle it as it's only 30 amps at 240v. This seems to be enough though, to run a 3 hp compressor and have the plasma running at full amps.
I have just about finished setting up a new air system with better filtration to supply the plasma.

Mine is a Miller 375 Spectrum. It is rated for 3/8ths but is better at less than 1/4. I have cut 1/2 with it but it is real slow at that thickness.

It is 220 and eats 4.5 cfm at 90 PSI.

I bought it on-line about 6 years ago for less than $1200. Great little machine.

I picked Miller because of the consumables. The cups and electrodes are reasonable and readily available in just about any welding store.

Presently have a miller 2050 hooked up to a plasmacam CNC table. With second torch for shop use. This is a 55amp 220 single phase (or three phase) rated to 3/4 inch.
O/A rigs are ok untill you need to cut on some alum,SS,copper,brass or cast iron. Also the HAZ is smaller. A good rig will set you back $1500 and way up. Have seen high def
units slice 4 in steel. A 110v unit should cut about 1/4. The older Hypertherms (my 350)
would run on either. As said by others buy by brand not price.
Ken