Plasma Cutting Machine - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

groman48 · 03-09-2008, 10:57 PM

I am tempted to buy one of the less expensive $500.00 Chinese made plasma cutters advertised on eBay. The particular company I am interested in purchasing the plasma cutter from has been selling these Chinese made 40 and 50 amp 230v inverter type machines for about 3-4 years. Their feed back looks good but I worry how good the feedback is when it was made by a buyer within 30 days of their purchase (or less). Can anybody out there who has purchased one of these Chinese made plasma machines provide me with some feedback on their purchase over the long haul? I Plan to do light cutting on sheet steel (3/8 inch mild steel or less) and sometimes run it off of an analog driven pantograph table.

Thanks
Specs,

MALCO.New.York · 03-09-2008, 11:09 PM

Do not smack Mother Liberty in the face! Buy American. Pay a bit more. Get a REAL warranty with your purchase, and know that someone in the Mid-West can feed their Babies today!

groman48 · 03-09-2008, 11:31 PM

In most cases, Mother Liberty is selling stuff made in China. These American based companies just put their name on it, have it packaged with their corporate colors and charge very high prices to cover their limited 1-2 year warranties. I own Miller welders and Craftsman table tools (these are over 10 to 20 years old and are quality fixtures not the new cheap stuff). I need a plasma cutter now and can't afford the $1300-1600 Mother Liberty wants for their Chinese stuff. The question I have is this: Is Mother Liberty's Chinese stuff that much better than eBays Chinese stuff. Thanks Specs

SelfContract · 03-10-2008, 08:29 AM

Well, today all mothers are......

Dustball · 03-10-2008, 10:01 AM

They'll work just fine. They're good for the hobbyist who doesn't have the money to spend on a pricier unit. You may get a defective one right out of the box but you should be able to exchange it for a new one. Basically they'll either fail right away or they'll be just fine. I used to sell the 40 amp plasmas a few years back to get some pocket money but had to quit when my profit margins fell to zero due to increased competition. I think I sold around 30+ units and had only four exchanges due to immediate failures. I haven't heard from anyone since then about any issues with their units. The units I sold went through a revision to improve the electronics and I'm sure there have been more revisions since then.