[Oddjob83]

OK so My boss finally had some salesman come by to talk about getting a Hypertherme plasma cutter. I was telling him that getting a powermax 85 would be the most we'd need. but my boss tells him that if he wants to use it on a plasma table in the future that he should get the 105 cause when you use it on a table your efficiency is cut down a lot so you have to start big. On now the 105 is a 100lb unit and if it gets hooked up to a table it would be 40' away in another part of the building i work in.

I cant think of a reason other than the pierce function that any of these machines would be limited when used on a table.
I just don't like the salesman as he is a greasy bastard, and i already new more info about what we really needed and what accessories we should get, where as he tried to act like they were all included, until i asked him about it and then he admitted they were extra. but now my boss thinks he's getting a deal by getting 10% off on a factory refurbished unit. and i think hes being over sold and misinformed. spending an extra $1000 for an 1/8 of an inch he may not even need seems ridiculous.

[noddybrian]

Whether the size of the unit suits your predicted needs or not I don't know & maybe the boss anticipates other work in the future that would require the larger unit - but only 10% for a refurb does'nt sound like a deal - you can normally get that or better for an ex display or slightly marked case - however good their product is the term " refurb" usually means it's a second hand machine that they've had to take back & repair because it's not worked correctly from new - I'd avoid these as they tend not to have the same warranty as a new one - if your going to entertain one due to budget you want to negotiate alot better deal with the seller.

[Oddjob83]

I am told anyways, that the units do have the same warranty and they are refurbished display units. This could be far from the truth though.

[noddybrian]

Well I don't like the term "refurb" - it implies they've had to work on it - if it's ex-display why not say that - just needs dusting! - as to the salesman - I hear you on that one - why do companies employ dicks that don't know the product their selling - time was that a welding rep could actually run the machines he was selling & knew enough about them to give decent advice - now I guess it's all about the $% - can't you find another supplier or deal direct ?

[Oddjob83]

No, no other suppliers with in 50 miles or so. Hell I ordered some 309L filler rod, its been 2 weeks and still nothing. I said "good thing I didn't need that in a hurry or I'd be screwed" "the guy behind the counter said "You need it soon?!" like it makes a freakin difference? If i order something get it to me as fast as possible or my immediate need, that's just customer service.. But apparently they haven't heard of that. hehe I've been waiting for it so I could make my own SI-Bronze coated Hammer project that Jody demonstrated. I know i could use other crap but that's not the point.

I'd just hate to see my Boss/Father in law, get hosed for the best system he doesn't need just because that's what the salesman is selling. If you're going to spend $5000 then spend it on something new, not save $500 for a refurb and spend weeks trying to sort out a replacement unit through the company at which point your loosing thousands. But that's my boss, spends Hundreds of thousands on new CNC machines and cheeps out on an electrician to get our shop guys to wire everything up. sure it might work, but I'd rather have some one to blame other than my own employees if something goes wrong.

So I am just trying to save him from him self, and figure out if this sales man is just BSing about how much power we lose on a table, he glossed his reasoning over quite a bit.

[noddybrian]

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So I am just trying to save him from him self,

I love that quote - but it makes it sound like your booking him into re-hab - or Jack Daniels will go broke !

[Oddjob83]

wow he is throwing me for loops now. just got like 5 emails from him for used machines from big city suppliers and auctions. and the price ranges are $500-$1200 for machines that do 1.25-1.5" I feel better now. I still need to prove the technology to him and my self before we decide go "all in" for a big new expensive machine. The one thing he likes more than having "the best" is saving a ton of money. He is extremes in all directions too little here and too much there, there never is a happy medium. But now that I pointed him at a good store in the City, he's willing to spend a small amount to invest and see what I can do for our shop in the short term.



So as I will be looking at used plasma cutters, is there something I should know, can i judge a book by its cover? are there bad names and/or years in the industry for poor machines? I have been told that moisture/oil can wreck the machine internally, and they may work well enough to demo, but will always give piss poor performance in the long run.

First on our stop will be a Esab PCM-1125 plasma cutting machine 575 - 3phase for $500.
a Powercut 875 for $1200
a Lincoln Pro-Cut 60 3 phase does 0.5" steel, for $800

[Otto Nobedder]

If you're going to run a plaz on compressed air, be sure to tell the boss that an oil-separator and good dryer will save much money on the consumables, as well as the clean-up of the cut metal. Oil and moisture have the same effect on the cut as the wrong mix on oxy/acet, even on stainless and aluminum, meaning grind time (labor), and they'll eat the consumables (overhead).

I almost exlusively use dry nitrogen on SS and aluminum to avoid these problems. Air works better on carbon steel, because of the oxygen content, but it should be dry and oil-free.

Steve S

[Oddjob83]

well when he got his last 2 new machining centers he bought a $12k medical grade air compressor with built in condenser style drying system. screw drive system for constant supply. after looking at the prices of the used machines in our area and how far we'd have to go to look at them or get them shipped, I am going to talk him into Everlast units their comparable unit to Hypertherms is only $1800 and $2034 after shipping.