✔️Testing a cheap Plasma Cutter - Is It Any Good?

In this video Bob tests a cheap plasma cutter from Bangood.com. At $225 is it any good?
CUT50 Plasma Cutter: www.banggood.c...
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[@overmanonfire]

1.this is not a "drag tip" meaning you should not drag it on the surface you are cutting. Keep a millimetre or two above the surface you are cutting. 2. make sure you have dry air, no moisture at all. 3. the thicker the material the slower you go, with higher pressure. 4. you need to practise to get the soft spot where you get a perfect cut. What you see as junk, is the fortune someone else had to save for a year to get. Most times, you get what you paid for.

[@MakingStuff]

Thanks for sharing

[@baronvonchickenpants6564]

I like commandment 4

[@MatHelm]

Also, and I don't know this, but I'm fairly certain it would never work for a CNC. They need a lot of internal shielding as their high frequency generation interferes with the stepper motors.

[@dr.flywheel5493]

I have a "CUT-50" from eBay. Besides the obvious mistake that you did not keep air clearance between the torch head and the material to be cut, I had much better results by LOWERING the current settings for materials thinner than 6mm (1/4"), as well as lowering the air pressure to 40 PSI. It definitely looks like the dross that you see is a result of melted material being cooled off by the exaggerated volume of air, due to your higher PSI setting. I am actually quite surprised at the results that I am getting with LOWER air pressure. I would suggest to keep air at 40 PSI with moisture filter in series with your air feed line. It is also essential to keep constant space between the cutting head and the metal surface to be cut.

[@ruddrg]

You don't need more than 40 Amps but you do need to change your travel speed. The Kerf or cut width is too wide (you are moving too slow) so you are over-heating the part and widening the Kerf too much. With 60 psi / 40 A fixed - try changing your travel speed (faster) and move steadily. This will help give you narrow precise cuts that don't end up melting and widening the cut. -That's not really slag, it's molten cut sides because your travel is too slow. I hope it helps you and anyone else.

[@criticallook1352]

I paid $225 off ebay and got the pilot arc version. I spent 10 minutes doing test cuts and it stopped producing the plasma arc. I spent many, many, many, hours troubleshooting, testing each of the components individually for failure. I came to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong with the unit. I turned my attention to the torch head and cable. After determining that cable was electrically intact, I then carefully took a grinder to the plastic torch head to take a look inside. To my dismay *and* relief, what I found was the ground wire fused to the the center conductor. It was not a dead short, but rather 10 ohms. After cutting away the fused metal, I then spaced the two conductors far enough apart so high voltage would not jump the gap, I turned the cutter on, and viola it worked, providing a much more intense and longer flame than before! I bought a new head and cable assembly off ebay for $30. The cable was several feet longer than the one shipped with cutter. It had a heavy-duty switch _(overkill)_ with a trigger guard over it that must be lifted to access the switch underneath, thus preventing an accidental firing of the torch when it is set down on the bench. The only issue was it had a 3-conductor aviation connector that would not mate up with the cutter. I could have easily used the 2-pin connector from the repaired torch assembly, but chose not to because I intend on using it with the CNC table. I bought a package of five 3-pin aviation connectors, both male and female, for slightly over $3 USD, and to my surprise I received two packs of five, for a total of ten mating connectors. I changed the 2-pin connector to a 3-pin on both the cutter box and original cable assembly. Overall, I am not certain if the plasma cutter came with a defective torch head, and did a meltdown during the first few cuts, or if there was molten metal that blew back into the nozzle causing a short circuit from dragging the nozzle along the metal, instead of keeping distance between the nozzle and workpiece, _which is virtually impossible to do when cutting by hand._ :

[@goodwinml]

I have a cut 50 from amazon, had it over a year now. Love it. For the home hobbyist it is awesome. Do not drag the tip, make sure it is above the cut surface just a little bit. Hell, you can even buy training wheels to clip on your torch to get it spaced the right distance from the material. For the price, I would buy again.

[@MakingStuff]

Good to know! Thanks for watching!

[@seldendaniel8819]

If it can run on 220, run it on 220!

[@joshuadunn882]

@@seldendaniel8819 It's running at 220 volts not Amps. It's only 50 amps.

[@paulscussel140]

Great video, thanks for running through the setup procedure, the back of my unit is similar to yours and was confused about air line setup, my instructions were also useless.😃

[@MakingStuff]

No problem 👍

[@jeffbeck6501]

such great video production values. he just gets it.

[@esquad5406]

1/8 standoff device would help save tipps and cut a lot better.

[@notajp]

If you have sparks coming off the top of the metal instead of underneath, you are moving the torch too fast.....

[@raywu7933]

Nice video with good closeup during cut. I want to cut an 1/8" thick ALUMINIUM plate INTERIOR 1/4"-wide slit with one stroke of the tip. So, is there a way (eg changing tip) to get a 1/4" kerf with one stroke of the tip instead of cutting the left side of a slit and then the right side of that slit, which would be an imprecise approach? Thanks

[@supergoober1021]

Are you varying the speed of your torch for your testing? It looks to me like the dross is simply more metal melting than necessary for the cut by cutting too slowly, and it also seems to me that if you raised the tip off of the piece you’re cutting it might protect the tip consumables. This looks light a cutter I’d be happy to own if those issues could be resolved by trying different technique as well as amp settings. I have to admit I don’t have experience in cutting this way, but most of the videos I’ve seen, the tip does not contact the metal. I’ve even seen attachable training wheels to maintain the gap. Thanks for all the videos!

[@glennstokes1645]

Hi Bob It looks like the angle iron you was cutting was laminated that’s why you could not cut through it I have seen it many times when I’ve been flamecutting and plasma cutting 😀😀

[@MakingStuff]

I cut the same exact piece of angle iron on the YesWelder Firstess CT2050 video with no issues.

[@karlmoore3708]

Hi I have a cut50 used it only a couple of times. It’s getting air but it will not cut now not sure what the problem is

[@stephen60078]

I have the same unit, the air regulator at the back has a Triangle hole, air keep getting out of there. I have not even made my first cut yet. figuring out the air is where I am at now.

[@stephen60078]

I got the answer, my unit is defective at the air flow regulator, AFR2000. The housing is molded aluminum alloy, and it has some mold mark at the inside neck that prevent the valve to regulate, so pressure is too high and leaking into the bleed hole~! I fixed it after disassembling it and reassembled it again, working now. Thanks.

[@sixtyfiveford]

Nice Demo. Generally you need to cut the capacity in half for these cheap Chinese ones vs a name brand like Hypertherm. A 30amp Hypertherm 30xp can easily do what a 60amp Chinese can. You will also get 10x the life out of the consumables with a name brand vs These Cut40-60 China machines. But I see the appeal of a $250 machine vs a $1500. I used a cheap one (Harbor Freight $600)for years and it was so finicky to use, change tips, etc I regretted pulling it out and firing it up. You could cut the same piece of metal on Monday and then on Wednesday it would refuse to. It was a waste of money. It wasn't until I pulled the trigger on a new Hypertherm that I truly enjoyed a plasma cutter. The 30amp machine will cut 1" bar if I have the patience.

[@MakingStuff]

Yeah it's definitely not comparable to a Hyertherm. I have a hypermax45 on the CNC plasma cutter and it's a whole lot better.

[@joshpoole6056]

Dude you seriously need to consider making a costume and posing as Vigo the carpathian from Ghostbusters 2. Have someone paint a huge ass oil portrait of you like the one in the movie. That would be epic haha.

[@boriskarloff598]

I've got an even cheaper one than that and with new consumables it cuts 3/8" steel like nothing. Try use a harbor frieght red ball moisture separator at the inlet on the machine.

[@J.Ogden954]

Why are you dragging the tip ?

[@steveeparsonsjr7929]

It wouldn't cut that quarter-inch because your air pressure is way to low my hypertherm with machine torch to blow thru 10ga is set to 90psi and that's what the book calls for when the torch is triggered with that and how fast you were moving you need more like 2IPM feed rate with your hand you were moving way to fast for such a low pressure.

[@adaoudiyassine7239]

can use the plasma cutter in your plasma cnc . to show if is the result the same

[@brauliogonzalez1624]

I need it to cut 1/4 steel pieces 3ft long is it worth it

[@King_David_IL]

Its with build in suppressor?

[@allthegearnoidea6752]

Thanks Bob great video

[@MakingStuff]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@jsparlin1]

got exact same model off ebay 150.00 delivered.

[@bartden9668]

I have no real experience in this types of plasma-cutters, but i'm a 'machine-man'. I saw emmediatly that you don't know what you are doing. Pointless making a review like this if you have no understanding of the basic knowledge, like the fact that you should'nt drag the tip... and you need more air-pressure. Basically you are doing a 'first test' on video and then expect people to go with that. It would've been way better if you used it a couple of weeks and then made a proper review...

[@TaintedMojo]

Would that be addressed by a more comprehensive manual?

[@POULPY47]

If you had dross I think you had to much Amp . Decrease a little bit and see what happen. Thanks for the review !

[@goatmoag]

There is where you made the mistake to start with, buying from banggood. Usually overpriced compared to getting it off ebay or aliexpress, and takes forever to ship too. Got the cut50p for $220 shipped in country with the p80 torch AND pilot arc. Also came with 30 pieces consumables, but think the seller pulled that. Consumables can be had fairly cheap if you do some due diligence, and that was the 2nd mistake, and I will stop there with that one.

[@notreallyme7465]

I bought one from eBay knowing it was defective. It was a return. So less than a hundred bucks. 12 bucks to fix it. Not bad. It cuts fine for what I need. The biggest problem that I see is the solder joints SUCK! This was what caused the failure loose solder connections on the drivers for the outputs.

[@jafinch78]

Potential CNC plasma cutter next? More-so wondering about if hacking in a better plasma cutter head and cable is the way to better use? One of these days I hope to make a plasma cutter... though I do see the CUT50 deals under $200 that motivate me to invest in and not just refine my skills and build. Thanks for sharing!

[@MakingStuff]

Thanks for watching! I have already made a CNC plasma cutter. kzbin.info/www/bejne/morQfIV8jcuVaqs

[@jafinch78]

@@MakingStuff I didn't realize your CNC plasma cutter was home made. That's awesome. Ever thought about making a plasma cutter or hacking together your ideal? Your comparison of the consumables really got me thinking about which cost effective parts to use more. Thanks again for the inspiration.

[@yeldarb141983]

@@jafinch78 back before his accident, grant thompson at king of random made an electric welder of some sort (TIG? MIG? I'm too ignorant to classify) using modified microwave transformers and a jerryrigged variac unit. I know it's not the same as plasma, but maybe you could get some inspiration from that?

[@jafinch78]

@@yeldarb141983 Yeah, I recall he just made a simple stick Arc (Shielded Metal Arc Welder (SMAW)) one. He made some variations I recall too, though no TIG or MIG. Basically, just Google search the terms since one is Tungsten Inert Gas and the other is Metal Inert Gas with their associated four letter term descriptions. Plasma cutters are a little different since higher voltage and lower current with some other details like the welders where the older transformer design or modern inverter design. Interesting is, since the comment, I wound up getting a great deal on a CUT50P and another called a MAC PCS25 for $50. The CUT50P awesomely came with a Panasonic P-80 torch and the PCS25 has a SG60 that I'm most likely not going to use once I use all the consumables. Strangely, a few days back I received out of the blue four P-80 nozzles with little over a half dozen of some ceramic diffusers for a ESAB/L-TEC PT-31, JG-40 and WSD-LG40 Cutting Torch looks like. Strange out of the blue. I do have a few MOT's that I'll for now make inductors to smooth the current signal on the DC rectified old AC buzzbox welders I invested in to repair and upgrade. With a MOT as an inductor instead of a transformer (rewound of course) after the diode rectifiers, you can get more of a Constant Current (CC) performance like on the welders that are newer. For now, the DIY plasma cutter plans are on hold... though are slated for an engine welder/generator/plasma cutter future project on a garden tractor hybrid platform.

[@yeldarb141983]

@@jafinch78 well, I'm assuming that's good ( i can barely solder, so even the most simple of blowtorch welding terminology is beyond me, lol). I'm glad you got something you're happy with for now, and good luck with your future project. =)

[@osbornebay944]

I managed to cut 7/8" by my 5 years old Icut60 @ 80psi, anything thinner is a breath......

[@TheJorge817]

Why they are saying this crapp can cut 20mm (7/8")

[@TheadventuresofSherylandPaul]

Thanks for your review. I nearly bought on and glad I didn't. Need something a bit better for my needs. Cheers

[@MakingStuff]

Glad I could help

[@nasralden]

GOOD JOB

[@PeakyBlinder]

Do you need a compressor,

[@MakingStuff]

Yes

[@TauCu]

Careful using those with CNC plasma tables. Some of the crappy units can produce tremendous electromagnetic radiation that can zap the electronics of your table (even cell phones and laptops etc)

[@goodtimes217]

Increase the air pressure

[@Blast357]

not a drag tip... and it doesnt have a pilot arc you are used to... when the metal start to throw at an angle, slow down, dont continue the cut, just wait until the plasma shoot straight down again... then move on and if it starts shooting at an angle, wait again....its weird to do a review of that nature without pointing out this information. poor preparation I would say... normally you are a lot more prepared. Ive bought one 10 years ago, they look the same, mine ran for a year and stop working with a big bang... I bought an everlast and never looked back.

[@Dev_Everything]

I think its a P31

[@ozzymandus3865]

Awesome thanks for the video, you're review was definitely better than that other guy, keep up the good work.

[@MakingStuff]

I appreciate that!

[@ozzymandus3865]

This guy Mike festiva is a total dewch and just talks and talks and then does two small cuts without close ups and yeah.

[@steveeparsonsjr7929]

Wow only 80psi for 3/16, I know it's not a Hypertherm but I would be at 105 psi cutting 3/16"

[@maga_q_anon8384]

I got one of these three in one machines and it don't even work out of the box it's just a sitting piece of crap if anybody knows how to work on it please let me know. I even messaged the people that I bought it from on eBay they couldn't even tell me what's wrong with it I've even bought a new arc board

[@maga_q_anon8384]

I put the air to it and it's not even going through the machine

[@maga_q_anon8384]

If you know anybody that knows how to work on this machine it would be much appreciated

[@goodwinml]

@@maga_q_anon8384 , open the cover. Make sure air lines are hooked up. Air problem should be the easiest problem to diagnose.

[@maga_q_anon8384]

@@goodwinml they are.. its not arcing or anything

[@michaelfischer6984]

@@maga_q_anon8384 The lotos 3 in one has a pressure switch, no power to cut unless pressure is above the minimum. I think mine started cutting when i went to about 75#.

[@drewhodge3820]

These machines work fine. It's not a pilot arc so it needs clean metal. Plus you need constant air pressure of at least 80-100 psi otherwise you will overheat the smaller consumables.

[@MakingStuff]

Good to know, I had it set to the manual specs. Thanks for watching!

[@taterjones5544]

You may need to work on being smoother. With a little practice you should get there. Jerky movements are never good when cutting or welding.

[@tenlittleindians]

I tend to purchase a lot of stuff through Banggood but I have seen these plasma units on Ebay for less money on a regular basis. I've been looking for an affordable 3 in 1 unit to be able to weld or cut with the same machine. There are many brands getting into that market now.

[@raydreamer7566]

Rust burn or oxidizes at a MUCH higher temperature than the parent carbon steel. Th rust is like the Knight of the round table holding up his shield to protect himself by deflecting the Dragons fire away from his body. When the steel is pitted with rust the plasma burning metal discharge will deflect in all different directions depending on where the rust is the thickest. Mystery solved...

[@MadeInGarage]

Congratulations! A cheap Chinese tool is always a lottery.

[@MakingStuff]

Very true!

[@normcaissie5598]

cool

[@codyfretz1922]

You have no idea go slower and you would bern outthink torch lol

[@weldingmachinepcbmanufactu1025]

Giod

[@mitchelperkins6723]

Looks like a definite DON'T BUY machine.

[@Shylockza]

The old adage holds true, ‘You get what you pay for’ Stop buying Chinese garbage.

[@BrandonBurns1985]

Junk it sounds like.