I am ordering tomorrow--Hyp. 380 or TD Cutmaster 38-please help

[ZACHV]

I have been so torn as to which plasma cutter to go with and I am just gonna buy one or the other tomorrow.

Basically, it comes to this: I can get the Hypertherm 380 for $1050 delivered or the Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38 delivered for $1175.

My question: is there any reason to spend the extra? I do not cut 3/8" all that often, but will be doing a bit of 3/16" and 1/4". I am looking for the ultimate in ease of use and reliability.

Anyone with input please let me know what you think. Thanks.

[Scott V]

You can't go wrong with the Thermal,or the Hyper,but go with the one with the most amps output.27 VS 30 for the Thermal.The cutmaster is the one I would buy myself,and most people buying little plasma cutters are buying the cutmaster.They are flying of the shelf,and getting great feedback.Plus the case is much nicer with the rollbar setup.In plasma cutters it a matter of power get as much as you can afford.

[Dan]

Im quite sure the Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38 is a nice machine, but I don t know anything about it. However, I do own a Hypertherm Powermax 380. I can honestly state that the Powermax 380 has no problem cutting thru 3/16" or 1/4" mild steel or stainless steel. I ve also used it to cut some 3/8" mild steel, and was quite shocked at the quality of the cut.

AS far as reliablity of the machine. I bought the Powermax 380, because for the past 6 years at work, I have been using a Powermax 350, which the Powermax 380 is an updated version of, and we haven t had a single problem with it. Which is incredible considering that some of the guys that I work with are pretty abusive to tools. You should see how our poor Lincoln Squarewave 175 looks and it is only two years old.


Anyway, if it were my choice I would probably still go with the 380 because it will handle your material thickness range, and if you are like me that extra $125 saved is much better spent on more important things, like my Son, then having a little extra cutting capacity that I ll probably never use. But then again I really don t use my plasma cutter that much here at home.

[ZACHV]

Well, I just ordered my Hypertherm 380 from Todd at Harris Welding Supply in Ohio, 1-800-783-8833. It came to $1000 with shipping and should be here by the end of the week.

I decided to go with the Hypertherm because of the reputation and shining recommendations. I didn't think the 3 Amps for $200 was a great enough of a deal with the Thermal Arc.

I will post some pics and what a beginner plasma user looks like when it gets here.

Thanks for the input.