I truly am back and forth between the two. Someone sway me one way or the other. Cost savings are always great. But another great thing, is reliability and dependability.
Sell me on one or the other.
Hypertherm or Razorcut
I purchased the razor 30i with my table. I havnt had one issue in a year and i have cut out alot. You will see some negative feed back on them. Hypertherm always seems to be good feedback. In another year I may have something totally different to say about Razor. maybe not. From what I have seen on this forum is if you got the funds … go big and dont look back. If you dont have it go cheaper and go big later. I know this isnt swaying you at all im just saying my razor 30i has been an exceptional machine. A Hypertherm is on my wish list though…someday.
@chicago06sti I bought the razorweld 45 with my crossfire… after about 4 months, I stepped up and bought the hypertherm 45xp and I absolutely love it. I also had an 05 sti 
both machines are good but in my opinion, the hypertherm is the way to go. I have nothing bad to say about the razorweld… it’s just my opinion
I bought the Everlast 60s when I purchased the table and had nothing but issues with it from the beginning. Although I have an Everlast Tig/Multiprocess welder and love it, I wish I would’ve done more research and gone with the Hypertherm 45XP.
Fast forward a few months and I purchased the Hypertherm 45xp and have loved it every step of the way. You WILL NOT be disappointed with the unit. From the consumables to the machine - it is such an upgrade. The cut quality with the fine cut consumables is just remarkable. The quality of the parts is top notch. The everlasting has a flimsy, flat torch cable and the Hypertherm has a work of art LOL.
I’ve used the hand and machine torch and they are working flawlessly.
It was absolutely worth the purchase. Now I have a green backup machine sitting around collecting dust.
I am a 41 year Hypertherm employee, retired at the end of 2018, however I still work as a representative for them on a consulting basis. Here are good reasons to spend more $$ upfront for a Hypertherm unit.
- Hypertherm designs and engineers its systems (Plasma cutters from 30 to 800 Amps output) in its state of the art facilities in Hanover and Lebanon NH. 2. It’s torches and power supplies are designed to work together in order to optimize cut quality and consumable parts life. (as an example, the Razorcut power supplies are built by one company, torches are from another source, and often are copies of older technology designs) 3. Hypertherm systems have close to an 80% market share on CNC machine applications worldwide, this is not because Hypertherm systems are the lowest cost (they are not!), but because of their cut quality, consumable life, reliability , and factory based customer support. 4. Hypertherm holds around 150 patents related to cut quality, consumable life, power supply and gas flow design, torch design, etc. They do not wait until competitors design something…then copy the technology! 5. Hypertherm manuals (for systems of 45 amps and larger) have detailed pages with all cutting parameters for material type and thicknesses. Pierce height, cut height, arc voltage, cut speed, pierce delay, amperage, etc. are all developed for you. The Powermax65 and 85 as an example have over 30 pages of cut specs that help you produce cut quality and consumable parts life without experimenting. 6. Expect to pay more at the welding supply store for genuine Hypertherm torch consumable parts, also, expect them to last dramatically longer (using the recommended Hypertherm cut specs) which results in lower operating cost (cost per foot of cut). Over time the higher price of the system and consumables turns into lower cost of ownership. 7. Did I mention that Hypertherm is a 100% employee owned company? This means that the people that design, engineer, support, sell Hypertherm systems (around 1800 associates worldwide) own 100% of the company. There are no stockholders outside of the company (that know little about plasma cutting) that take away profits in the form of dividends, rather, profits go to employees retirement accounts as well as to research and development and engineering products to ensure the reputation of quality is maintained.
Honestly, I think the Razorcut systems are an excellent value in terms of design and performance (yes, I have used them as I have used many brands of plasma cutters on my home shop cnc machine). There is a difference in performance, duty cycle, cut quality, consumable life. If low price is your primary criteria for buying a plasma cutter, then the Razorcut is one choice (though there are dozens of brands that are even lower cost). If long term use, support, and low operating cost are more important to you then Hypertherm is a great choice. (there are other premium brands as well, though all share a much smaller slice of the cnc plasma cutting market as compared to Hypertherm. Jim Colt
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Thanks for that @jimcolt I’ve been having this same conversation with myself as I’ve sold my current Crossfire to make way for my PRO table and want to upgrade from my Miller 375 in the process, the 375 just can’t keep up, quality is great but it’s duty cycle just isn’t there for CNC. The Razorcut is obviously cheaper but the reputation of the Hypertherm seems to be very consistently positive. I guess I have to start pricing one out now … 
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@jimcolt parallel topic, but since you’re the resident Hypertherm authority, I have a CF PRO ordered and will need to use my Powermax 30Air for a while before I can upgrade to an XP45. Hypertherm customer support is saying this is effectively no good. I’d like your feedback. I know its possible, what can I expect?
Andy, The reason Hypertherm does not recommend any of its plasma cutters under 45 Amps is based on performance expectations. Typically if you mount a plasma torch on a cnc machine the user expects the plasma cutter to run longer / higher duty cycles, thicker materials and possibly even production (a lot of cutting) per shift. The whole idea of the Powermax30 AIR and the Powermax30XP was to design robust, portable machines for light duty hand cutting applications that could operate well on 120 volt household power. This input power requirement limits the power supply’s ability in terms of cutting power, speed and duty cycle. For that reason Hypertherm does not recommend these units for mechanized use, and does not offer a machine specific torch nor an easy way to make electrical interface connections to a CNC machine.
That all being said…there are hundreds of Powermax30XP (and a few Powermax30AIR) plasma cutters operating in the field on CNC cutting machines that have been modified/adapted to work. You will need to be able to read the machine wiring diagrams and modify the plasma start input from its intended hand torch trigger switch (hopefully without sacrificing operator safety features) as well as for the Torch Height Control (if your machine is equipped) arc voltage feedback. My recommendation (as a retired Hypertherm associate) is to limit your cutting to thinner than 3/16" (1/4" with the 30XP) material thickness if you expect the best cut quality and consumable life. If you have the power, run the system on 230 volts single phase as this increases duty cycle and provides more useable load voltage for cutting (less load on the power supply). So, the answer to your question about using these low powered 30 amp plasma’s on a cnc machine is yes…just don’t overload them and don’t expect a blessing from Hypertherm…as they have systems from the 45XP and up that are designed for CNC use. Jim Colt
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Jim, thank you for the info.
To many variables that can cause issues to the process…go with hypertherm and you will eliminate that part of it…They provide cut carts that are on the money…they already did that work for you…no trial and error to see what works like you have to do with other machines.
Thank you for all the info Jim. Sounds like hypertherm is my choice. But based off the last comment (hundreds of 45xps being used) sounds like even the 45xp isn’t ideal for CNC work?
Maybe I’m misinterpreting? Appreciate the feedback!
Sorry, that was supposed to say Powermax30XP, not 45XP. (has been corrected) There are close to 10,000 Powermax45xp’s on CNC machines around the world. It was designed with CNC cutting as well as hand cutting in mind. Jim Colt
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That makes more sense! Now I just need to get one ordered up. Been shopping around for the best price. Seems like most places will either include or heavily discount the hand torch but not a machine torch. I’m tempted to go with the hand and make it work with the langmuir just so I have the option if needed to pull it off and use it by hand on something.
I purchased a Hypertherm plasma cutter for my table and the hand torch works very well with it. It fits in the torch holder that comes with the table without any modification
There is a Powermax45xp configuration that comes with both a hand and machine torch, since it is equipped with the machine torch it also has the CPC interface port (necessary to use the machine torch and a height control). This unit is discounted and is the lowest cost way to get both torches and the CPC. Jim Colt
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I am a Hypertherm 45XP owner. I have no experience with Razorcut. I have nothing but good things to say about the Hypertherm unit. I was cutting quickly and cleanly with the cut chart in my owners manual. I purchased a package deal with the 15 degree and the 75 degree torches (don’t quote me 100% on the exact degree of the torches). I switched the pins on the 15 degree torch to make the machine think it is a machine torch and I utilize the CPC port and it makes the unit totally portable and easily utilized as a hand operated plasma cutter.
I bought the hypertherm 45xp with machine and hand torch. I have to agree that this is a great machine that just performs and performs and performs.
Today I cut a locking pin off a Reese hitch. Cut several items on my crossfire and then hand cut a bunch of scrap down to a smaller more manageable size.
The consumables are top of the line.
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@JimColt are you referring to this package? This was what I was leaning towards:
Hypertherm 88123 package
https://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.com/hypertherm-powermax45-xp-plasma-w-cpc-25ft-mech-and-hand-torches-088123
Will I also need the CPC cable to interface the PRO table?
Hypertherm 228350
https://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.com/hypertherm-25ft-cnc-machine-interface-cable-w-voltage-divider-228350
As much as the checkout price stings, having the machine torch AND hand torch as an option is worth the extra spend on the front side.
I’ve never used a razorcut but they difference between my $200 cut50 and the $3k hypertherm65 is night and day! There cut50 is still pretty damn good for only 200 bucks. I should have bought it 10 years ago when I was trying to justify spending 1500 on a name brand. I haven’t tried the cut50 on the crossfire and probably won’t.
That was the model number I bought. It came with machine and hand torch and the cnc port.
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