I released the smoke from within thy plasma cutter

Plasma Cutters General Discussion
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Well, I bought a very cheap Sunstac SS-50C on amazon. It’s non HF, etc. Doesn’t have ports, so you have to open it up to do the mods. No biggie, did them. Didn’t have 220, so I tested it out on 110. It cut, poorly, but it cut… some of the file.

Today, added another 220 outlet to the garage. Ran the same project on 220 and it did great. Air, z-axis, ihs, torch firing, etc.

Shut everything down, went inside for a while. Decided I would try another file in fusion… got it figured out, into firecontrol… set everything to go… clicked start… POOF! Ultimately, the cheap plasma cutter killed itself. Blew a little coil apart inside and popped my 220 breaker.

Amazon is sending a replacement, though it is SOOO cheap, I wonder if I should bother trying it again, or opting to get a more plug and play, tested cutter with a machine torch and go from there.

For now, I get to stare at my cold, motionless table… wahhhhhhhhhhh

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With very few exceptions, I have found that you will get exactly what you pay for in this hobby.

That statement isn’t strictly about plasmas. Pretty much any tool you buy, is going to be governed by that rule. The guys that pony up for the Hypertherm, have fewer issues than the guys that go for Everlast, Primeweld, etc… The guys that go for Vevor are going to have more issues than the Everlast guys. I think they can all work, buy you’re going to be spending more time figuring out the reason things are not cutting, than cutting.

But there are several levels. I now get good cuts with my Everlast, pretty much every time I fire it up. Just had to get my air system right. If you do decide to go up a level or two, you don’t have to go all the way to a $3k-$4k Hypertherm. You can spend $700-$1.2k and get all the cutter you need.

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As someone already said very well, you can start at Hypertherm level and maybe have fewer problems, but myself and many others are surviving with $600-1200 cutters. If you plan to try and operate at volume, routinely cut thick (1/2") steel, want longer lasting consumables, “dead on” machine settings,… get the Hyerptherm. If you’re low volume/hobby level and can tolerate a bit more of a learning curve, buy Primeweld, Everlast,…

The video on Amazon shows cutting a file from Fireshare that I have personally cut. It has a few pretty long cut loops. Apparently, they didn’t hit a duty cycle limit. The cut actually looked decent when they finished. Might be worth another try if you are just tinkering. You can always upgrade later.

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I would recommend looking at a Primeweld or Everlast. A bit more money, but a lot less risk of headaches.

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Welcome to the forum. I like the way you talk!

As you found out, things that run on 110 or 220, generally are more effective in the 220v mode. “I learned that in Rehab.” (Reference to Overboard).

Like Adam, I try to buy the best I can afford and then compare to the next step up to see what I am missing out on.

But like Bret said, you already have another one coming, it might have the right recipe.

Andy makes a good point about Everlast and Primeweld. If you are on a budget, do that.

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The Old saying “Buy Nice or Buy Twice”

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Buy once cry once.

Do it right, or do it twice.

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Or:
Stay in Budget, Have a bed to sleep in. :thinking: :grimacing:

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That’s where it is really nice to have a wife that one of her favorite sayings is “Buy Nice or Buy Twice” !!

I’ll buy something cheap and then complain about it, and all I get from my wife is ridiculed for not buying the better unit to start with.

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That statement is true though.

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UPDATE:
Those people at Amazon are on top of things. I guess it doesn’t hurt that I’m near a distro plant. Replacement showed up yesterday and I tore it apart, wired in the bits and pieces and connected it’s innys to it’s outtys… I’ve made it through two files so far. I’m sure the settings can be dialed in better, but it hasn’t stomped its feet and stormed off back to china yet. So there’s that.

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