Plasma Cutters

[outkastkustoms]

my next purchase is going to be a plasma cutter i am looking at the SPECTRUM 375, does anyone have this machine? I am going to be cutting 1/4 most of the time, does this cut 1/4 well? I have rented a couple 110 plasma cutters in the past and they were great for sheet metal but I was not real happy with the 1/8 or thicker material, I am not very patient and really want something that will cut fairly quick

[HAWK]

outkastkustoms,

Given your last statement pertaining to patience I would opt for the Spectrum 625. I will butter cut 1/4" nicely and give a clean rated 1/2" also. I am basing these thicknesses on mild steel. SS and aluminum will decrease your machine's capacity. The 2050 will easily do 7/8" to 1" max and will be very fast at cutting 1/4". I have used both and own a 2050. I can clean the clock with 3/8" mild steel just about as fast as I can drag the torch!

I know several people who have the 375 and it will not hold up to 1/4" daily cutting. 3/16" is a push for daily use. It is a slow cut with anything over and 1/8". I will have to say the 375 is a nice machine, but not made for what you want.

There a many opinions out on inverter plasmas, but buy one size up from the most you think you will ever need. As for competitive brands I have tried a dozen or more in the last 6 months. My honest opinion is the Miller Spectrums in the 625 and 3050 are premium machines. The new ESAB 650 and 875 are good machines too. However, the ESABs will eat consumable for breakfast, lunch, supper, etc. It costs a lot to replace them. Hypertherm is also a good machine. No matter what I demoed I always came back to the 625 or 2050 Miller Spectrum.

I hope this makes your decision easier. Best of luck!

[ASKANDY]

No matter what you go with, try to stay away from the 110 units! It will not work for your needs. The 375 will run on 230 and give a thicker cut quality but as HAWK mentioned, if you will mostly cutting 1/4, it's nice to step up one size so you can cruise along. The 375 I have stays in the race trailer for the unexpected hacking off of bent parts. It's nice and mobile which so is the 625. The 2050 gets you into a little higher price bracket but you can't beat the performance especially if you are running off a generator.

good luck
Andy

[dmiller]

375

Regards the 375. Its a wonderful garage machine. As it comes out of the box it is set up for light sheet metal cutting with a LONG light weight 110 volt cord the marketing people must love. Real good for thin sheet air conditioning duct PORTABLE etc. But kind of piddly on power as folk above describe. I had mine checked by Miller to make sure it was working right. Made sure the air was right and dry. There is a hint in the manual for power, to change the plug and use 220. I took it literally, changing the plug to a 220v version and running on 220 didn't help in the power department. I thought they were over advertising its ratings. But on a hunch I had misunderstood the instruction, I persisted and changed the plugset ie the wire cord AND the plug to a short, heavy guage 220v cord/moleded plug made for a 220v range or dryer and MY WORD!!! It now cut a half inch stainless bolt easily! I tryed out the unit powered from the dryer plug with the modified cordset. It spit sparks like a mad dragon. I then made a dryer wall socket in the garage for convenience. I ran a dedicated (direct from the fusebox) 220v line of heavy guage (the thickest I could get at home depot) like for a stove or a dryer 220v socket which I mounted on the wall in the garage near the door so I can work on things under the carport outside the garage. I think I used 4 guage or six guage or something equally ridiculous about 20 feet of indoor/outdoor solid core cable in conduit. Definitely overkill , but maybe I will get a 220v TIG AC/DC arc inverter welder one day that could use the same power. We supplement with a large cutoff wheel in a chop saw for straight cuts and use the 375 for everything else. The boys build tables and sculpture out of 1/4 angle iron, metal boxes. Use the Miller Mig. Andy has come in 1st in state for crafts two years running for high school students. Umm, of course his last wood/iron "coffee table" weighed about 300 lbs ..

Changing the cord set is easy if you buy a premade 220v dryer or range cord. The old cord is attached inside with very nice, easy binding posts and nuts. Save the old cord to make an adapter if you want to go portable sometime for 110v. An electrician or welding tech should be able to change the cordset in about 5 minutes.
The cordset/molded on plug cost about $13.
After the change, I now think they are underadvertising and maybe underspecing. Mine has no trouble at all now meeting ALL the published specs with cuts as pretty as the pictures in the manual. Its like a different machine. And this is Miller's entry level. I'm sure the other heavy duty machines would do well also. But please check out an easily modified 375.

[dorn]

Question. Do you think that changing the power cord on a Maxstar150stl from the small cord that it comes with to a heavy cord set and plug would make a difference in performance? Then I could make an adapter to go from the heavy cord to 110. Any thoughts? Don

[HAWK]

dorn,

I know that was the recommendation in the owner's manual for the Maxstar 140. See if Miller offers a cord conversion kit for the 240 VAC input. If so, then you can change it out in similar fashion to what dmiller did. Be sure to open up your case (power off and unplugged of course) to see what type connection you need and go from there. My guess is yes it will help.

[dorn]

Hawk, Thanks I will give it a try. The manual with the 150 is a little disapointing. Only a couple of pages about the machine the rest is on safety. All the manual says is for 230 operation obtain a proper plug.I think I will change the power cord and make an adapter up for 110. Just got the Maxstar the other day and can not wait to try it out, but the wife wants me to finish her kitchen first.
Don

[HAWK]

dorn,

I think I would go with at least an 8 gauge wire. I think you will see a marked difference. Let me know. If the range cord does not work out, look at some 8/3 SOOW cord. It is commonly referred to as 8/3 SO cable. It has a smooth flexible rubber like sheath and is 3 conductors of stranded 8 gauge wire. You can put the plug of your choice on it. For 30 amps or less I like the 2 prong (it actually has 3-one is the ground) twist lock plug.

[HAWK]

dorn,

Just a word of caution. Inverters stay electically hot for a while after switching off the power. Make sure the unit sits awhile before opening it up.

[dmiller]

I second Hawks suggestions. I certainly doesn't cost much to try it and compare. I used a dryer plug so I could plug it into the dryer high current outlet to see if it helped before running a dedicated line. But my dryer was near the garage and a safe concrete area for sparks. Also the dryer cordeset comes with a molded plug already attached and I was lazy about screwing one on, but the cord is a little stiff. The cord Hawk is suggesting sounds nicer and maybe cheaper and the twistlock plugs are nice. Its not just the plug, its the cord. These things must suck high peaks of short instant currents. The cord has to be a thick enough copper "pipe" to let that flow for maximum power. Either very thick, or very short, or both.

[dmiller]

After going the dryer route for awhile, I ran a dedicated welder line in the garage. I put in 50 amp service, slight overkill for future expansion. And I now have an inverter TIG to play with in additon to the 375 and mig. A happy amateur garage.

Seems there should be a better 30 amp and 50 amp plug than the dryer/flat blade type. I'd like to see a plug that keeps your fingers further away from the big flat energized blades and is easier to pull out push in.

Dan

[Sundown]

I am curious about changing the coord on the Maxstar 150. I have owned and use a STL and now a STH and use it mostly on a 240V (with a 120V to 240V/50 amp pigtail) dedicated curcuit and also on 120V once in a while and have never noticed that it was short on anything. If someone does do that swap I would like to know what happens.

[wb5jhy]

outkastkustoms

I have a Spec 375 and does fine for me. Naturaly I would love to have a Spec 625 or larger but sometimes finances dictate your limits especially when it's just a hobby and not a means for income. It does a decent job on 1/4". The rated 3/8" is slow....but then the 10 inches a minute rating IS pretty slow when you think about it. And yes it will sever 5/8". I've cut up an old three point hitch with it for scraping out without too much trouble.

One other thing to remember is your air source. Make sure you have enough volume of DRY air for whichever machine you decide on. That was the other reason for going with the 375. If I got the 625, I would have had to buy a larger air compressor too.

Like other things in life....you always want bigger.

[Sundown]

outkastkustoms

I have a Spec 375 and does fine for me. Naturaly I would love to have a Spec 625 or larger but sometimes finances dictate your limits especially when it's just a hobby and not a means for income. It does a decent job on 1/4". The rated 3/8" is slow....but then the 10 inches a minute rating IS pretty slow when you think about it. And yes it will sever 5/8". I've cut up an old three point hitch with it for scraping out without too much trouble.

One other thing to remember is your air source. Make sure you have enough volume of DRY air for whichever machine you decide on. That was the other reason for going with the 375. If I got the 625, I would have had to buy a larger air compressor too.

Like other things in life....you always want bigger.

I agree my cutter budget will allow for a 30 amp machine, thats it. I did get to try out a Hypertherm 380, a Spectrum 375 , and a Thermal 38 this morning at the dealer. The spectrum and the hypertherm cut about the same, not suprising since they are basicly the same machine except for consumables. The Thermal Cutmaster 38 cut 1/4" better and faster than either of the other two IMO (which may not be valid as I never had one in my hand before ), and I liked the fact you can remove the gun easily when you are not using it. I don't know about the roll cage though, but I guess that dosn't matter. They cost about the same (within a few hundred anyway), if looks were important the Miller would win hands down. Right now I am leaning toward the Thermal, hopefully after Thanksgiving. I did bring home the spec sheets for all three, I can say that I think they are no help at all as they are all over the map even though they are all basicly 30 amp machines and any one of them will do what I need done I think.

[dorn]

I agree my cutter budget will allow for a 30 amp machine, thats it. I did get to try out a Hypertherm 380, a Spectrum 375 , and a Thermal 38 this morning at the dealer. The spectrum and the hypertherm cut about the same, not suprising since they are basicly the same machine except for consumables. The Thermal Cutmaster 38 cut 1/4" better and faster than either of the other two IMO (which may not be valid as I never had one in my hand before ), and I liked the fact you can remove the gun easily when you are not using it. I don't know about the roll cage though, but I guess that dosn't matter. They cost about the same (within a few hundred anyway), if looks were important the Miller would win hands down. Right now I am leaning toward the Thermal, hopefully after Thanksgiving. I did bring home the spec sheets for all three, I can say that I think they are no help at all as they are all over the map even though they are all basicly 30 amp machines and any one of them will do what I need done I think.

Sundown, I am selling my Cutmaster 38 w/motorguard filter and 4 extra filters. Only has about 3 hours on it.