Considering Cheap Plasma Cutter (Cut 50)

[GavJ]

Thanks Danny, pilot arc is a nice to have but not essential, as is the extra 10 amps, but i take your point re the build. Draper will just be putting their name on the box but I would hope they would safeguard their reputation by checking out what they supply. That's the problem.... I just don't know.... and neither is a brand name that I can trust.

I was hoping for someone to say that they have a cut 50 and have used it plenty with no problems...

 

[gaz1]

i do have a cut 50 and so far for the usage ive used it for ive had no problems with the unit itself

only problems ive had with it was the user and destroying the tips whilst playing with it

is it a good machine to buy again so far yes however i did try to get an rtech plasma cutter before but seller had sold it before removing ebay advert

 

[angellonewolf]

im not sure we have someone here that can see the future............... joking aside

when looking for a mig i was looking to save my self money bought one from a scrap yard worked great but only after a little play but to be expected where it was from

then bought a ebay "selling my dads mig welder sale" drive miles to collect but daughter was learning to drive so time was not inportant but the money i paid was needed some bits turned out i did not know at the time but suspect now as the rotating selector switch was not working properly ended up lucky selling on gumtree not working lost quite a few quid but not as near as much as i could have and we are talking in the £10s here

then from looking on here bought a 2nd hand clark they are normaly fair mechines but i bought mine for £65 low end money i went and tryed it give a spark and layed a carp weld but did not know better and bought it 2nd or 3rd time i try and used it nothing from good help on here and a basic know how found a bad solder joint on the board and welds great now (well as good as its user thats not saying much)


what i am tring to say is only you can work out how much is £200 worth to you and what do you expect from it even paying a £1000 does not make it work long after your dead and the same a £200 unit might but the chance is slim there is a cut off point to where you get to the good quality with back up that is lightly to last years

i have been on here for a while and seen the cut 50 name a few times not seen meny complaints but it the type of unit that some of the members might have but that will only give you a view of 4 people if one has a problem but the other 3 has not that could mean 25 percent of mechines are not that great

if the £200 was my amout i want to spend no more and even if i saved for another 6 months or a year and could not considder spending more the way i would go is try to find a company idealy local inporting them and go there if not order one off line from the uk not one of the drop shipers address and if that fails and you are down to the drop shipers buy with paypal using your credit card because after the 45 day getting paypal is not much use you can go back to the credit card company as last resort this is not a garrentee but extra piece of mind that you may be able to clam from them if needed

 

[mrsbruce]

Just add my tuppence worth here. I bought a Cut50 for the hubby a couple of years ago. It didn’t get used much, so for a few months now, I’ve been using it.

I have no experience at all of plasma cutters, so can only say that even I have managed to cut metal of various thicknesses surprisingly easily. I have also destroyed a few tips while learning, but they are rediculouly cheap to buy, and their destruction to be expected.

No doubt, if you can afford to buy a higher quality machine straight off, then great, but as an initial, amateur use starter cutter, the Cut50 does the job for me.

 

[GavJ]

Just pushed the button on another CUT-50p, hope this one lasts a bit longer...... it does seem to have a slightly strangely worded 24 mth warranty..... but to be fair the first one was refunded without any problems.


WARRANTY
1.24 months warranty is provided. If you feel disappointed with the goods, tell us within 7 days of delivery.
2. Item must be returned in original condition for refund/exchange, we understand the frustrations you might have, but please contact us before start any dispute or leave any neutral &negative feedback. We care about each buyer and will do our best to fix any problem in a good business manner.
3. In order to the goods is received in good condition by you, our experienced QC will test every product strictly before shipment.
Ok, just pushed the button on another Cut50p... fingers crossed this one lasts a bit longer, it appears to have a 24 mth warranty, bit strangely worded right enough... might just be the translation

 

[angellonewolf]

Tell us with in 7 days complete carp you have 14 days to tell them

Original condition could poss mean still in the box

 

[gaz1]

ebay guarantee not really that long but paypal is a little longer and thats it really

 

[AdrianH]

These machines are generally good for light use, main issues for people seem to be dead on arrival or blow up within a few uses. My Cut 40 has failed on me twice, but it's well out of Warranty so I just fix when I can, have a spare board if needed and even a spare Cut 40 that cost a £10 from Ebay.
Not sure if the one you are getting has Pilot arc or not, but a few hints I would offer would be not to strike up or try to away from metal, the longer you keep the HF going the more chance the very high voltages are going to damage some internal component, both of my faults on the 40 were Caps that went short, I believe due to HF start and height issues.

Do not run at 50 Amps for long turn it down to 40 and go a bit slower, try to keep it so you do not hit the thermal cut out. Also if you have a long supply cable to where you use it, it just means as the volts drop the current increases to compensate, so reducing the current can help if this is an issue. I moved to a petrol compressor to stop the Electric one from dipping the mains supply in the garage when cutting.
Last suggestion would be to get better quality when you can get a different torch if it comes with a PT-31.
Just done a second test with a cheep replacement SG-55 and still better than the PT-31.

Lots of things you can do with them. Hangers for your whip's anyone!

Adrian

 

[GavJ]

Cut50p number 2 just arrived, not likely to get a tryout until this bloomin snow calms down..... ha ha fingers crossed and I will get my rocket stove finished

 

[gaz1]

? rocket stove now thats peeked my interest

so how far are you ?

have you inclueded secondary air into it ?
have you preheated your primary air ?

 

[skotl]

...I was hoping for someone to say that they have a cut 50 and have used it plenty with no problems...

OK, so mine died on 3rd use but after I fixed it, I've used it for many hours over the last ?3? years and it's been flawless.

I know that sounds like a mixed message, but I guess I'm saying that it is possible for one to run for a few years with no issues.

 

[GavJ]

About half way there, not sure if this is the correct section if the forum for this.... might get into trouble

I have made the body, gas bottle of course, the inner flue with an outer skin, gap filled with pearlite. Haven't done the feeder tube yet, still thinking about maybe making a firebox at the base of the fuel chute...
.

 

[gaz1]

just build a standared j tube not a box as i have built the box type on mine

note the temps are that high using the vortex on it they destroy themselves in no time

yours looks to be 1/4" thick so might last longer than the normal types

watch this

 

[GavJ]

Thanks Gaz, tube is EN10255 so wall thickness is about 5mm, the bends, there is a 3" elbow inside the 6" elbow. They are for grooved type joints but I have welded them. Im not sure if they are cast or malleable but they are not just steel so hoping they ast a bit longer. Not sure about the secondary air system you mention, sounds as if its worth investigation.

I am going to blank the horizontal tube with a door and add a ball valve, hopefully this will allow me to regulate the burn. I will put a door on the feed tube as well so that it doesn't draw through there instead.. not expecting to get it right first time but I now have a plasma cutter so dismantling for mods is all part of the fun

 

[gaz1]

secondary air allows you to burn the gasses whilst slowing down the fire in the burn chamber

yours is the old way but the better systems use secondary air like via the original rocket stoves we know as rayburns and other types of wood cookers

original rocket stove without secondary air

the video above is from the same person

new rocket stove with secondary air dec 2014

3 years later

 

[GavJ]

If im understanding correctly, if I fit a 1/2" tube in the 3" horizontal (primary air) tube this should allow air to pass under / through the fire and feed air into the vertical flue assisting combustion. Im thinking a ball valve on this as well would allow me to regulate each air supply to experiment with ratios.... i feel sketch coming on

 

[gaz1]

its seperate from the primary air incoming but can be fitted to in coming air into the building or like this video

the bar controls the primary air the secondary air is nearer the firebox

 

[GavJ]

something like this

 

[gaz1]

no you might have problems with that

lower on your firebox and air rising at side of it gives a push into firebox therefore heating the primary air

secondary air is best being sent in on its own supply take it in before your primary controler if you want

yours should go where it is now around the pipe you cnat use the vortex creator due to your build type

also that top wants changeing to either 5mm thick or it will burn through in no time it does hit over 1000f at top of that riser

 

[GavJ]

daedalusminos.... please tell us that yours is still working

mines still in box, under 8" of snow here just now