# Finally purchased a plasma cutter.



## MikeInOr (Jan 26, 2022)

I have been wanting a plasma cutter for more than a few years... more like two decades+ after seeing a friend cut some intricate shapes with his Hypertherm back in the late 90's.

Finally a plasma cutter has come along that checks all my boxes:
Affordable - $405
Powerful - 65 amps
Flexible - 110v / 220v operation
Extendable - Blow back pilot arc start instead of high frequency pilot arc start, in case I ever want to experiment with a CNC plasma cutter some day.



			Amazon.com
		


$405 is really pushing my limits on how much money I am willing to gamble on an unknown company / product.  The sparce Amazon reviews are pretty bad but most of the reviews are complaints about not being able to get consumables.  The torch is a Chinese clone of an S45 blow back pilot arc torch and the consumables appear to be plentiful.  I ordered the YesWelder consumables for this plasma cutter.  There are a couple DOA complaints which is concerning but DOA is an easy refund where long term reliability is most concerning and there is no track record here.  YesWelder seems to have invested in giving several various internet personalities free units in exchange for reviews.  Those are what they are and I know there is a higher than average possibility that I am going to get burned BUT I decided to gamble and give it a try anyway.  The amazon 15% off and an Amazon electric coupon for another 10% off makes this a heck of a good deal *IF* the plasma cutter isn't complete junk.  Everywhere else is selling this exact model for $500+.

I remember when both Hobart and Everlast were new brands with no track records and nobody trusted them.  But I also remember at least 50 various no name welders and plasma cutters from no name manufactures that have come and gone, never to be seen again.

I am not recommending this deal to anyone BUT thought I would throw it on the board here for members to weigh the risks and make up their own minds.  I will post my impressions here when I receive my plasma cutter.


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## brino (Jan 26, 2022)

Mike,

Watching.
Looking forward to your real-world review.

Thanks,
Brian


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## Eddyde (Jan 26, 2022)

Wow that sounds like a good deal if it's at least decent quality. Please keep us posted on how it checks out? 
I bought an Everest plasma cutter back when they were a bit of a gamble, it was twice that price. So far it has worked well. Yes PC's are pretty awesome, Enjoy!
I think Hobart has been making welders for like a 100 years or so, maybe you are remembering a particular product they introduced?


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## alloy (Jan 26, 2022)

I've been kinda looking for a plasma cutter. Dont really need one, but i never know what ill be doing, so having one would ne nice. I'll be watching this.
Was looking at this one.






						JEGS 81545: Plasma Cutter, CUT-40 [20-40 Amp, 110VAC/220VAC] - JEGS High Performance
					

Order a new JEGS plasma cutter online now. The JEGS Cut 40 plasma cutter cuts steel and iron to 3/8-inch. Our 20-40 amp plasma cutter offers professional-grade metal cutting. This JEGS plasma cutter comes with everything you need to start cutting today. Buy your 40 amp plasma cutter for sale...




					www.jegs.com


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## MikeInOr (Jan 26, 2022)

Eddyde said:


> I think Hobart has been making welders for like a 100 years or so, maybe you are remembering a particular product they introduced?



Fair enough.  25+ years ago when I purchased my Lincoln MIG the world of my off road buddies was either Miller or Lincoln and Hobart had just brought out a reasonably priced MIG aimed at home users.  It was an unknown quantity and said to be a Chinese box not worth buying.   I opted to pay more for the tried and proven Lincoln like my buddies had.

My gut feeling is the YesWelder 65DS plasma cutter is discounted to generate some meaningful amazon reviews.  Of course it could just be they are going out of business and dumping but that isn't my gut hunch.

My YesWelder welding helmet just came in yesterday and I am VERY impressed with it for the half inch line I ran while testing the helmet.  I will post more about it in another thread after I am able to spend some quality welding time with it.

It will be a week before the plasma cutter arrives.  I will post about it when it comes in.  I am building a mobile base for a big saw and it would be REALLY handy to have a plasma cutter to cut the brackets that the casters will be bolted to.  The price, need and features lined up to make me finally jump off the fence and buy a plasma cutter.  Other YesWelder boxes are getting good reviews in other forums so I am hoping this box will work well and last.  My gut feeling is this price isn't going to last very long.... but all this is just my speculation.


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## graham-xrf (Jan 26, 2022)

Not that I have one (yet!), but when one sees "Non High Frequency arc starting" listed as a feature, in the same title blurb as "Non Touch Pilot Arc", what does all this mean? Why is _not_ having it such a good thing?

Normally, as in TIG, being able to invoke an instant little high frequency very high voltage air arc to start the plasma is a feature that is added at some expense. For us folk who just don't know, it would help if someone could  explain a bit.


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## addertooth (Jan 26, 2022)

I have the YesWelder MP200.  It does Plasma along with a lot of other processes.  So far, it has been solid.  
Best of luck with your purchase MikeInOr.


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## TomWS (Jan 26, 2022)

graham-xrf said:


> Why is _not_ having it such a good thing?


High frequency start will cause RFI interference to any sensitive electronics.  That means computers, cell phones, networks.  It means that an HF start plasma cutter can not be used in a CNC system.

Non-touch means that you don't have to touch the tip to bare metal to start the arc (I don't think this kind is even sold any more).  The arc will start even when the torch is just outside the edge of metal, the metal is painted, or is held in a CNC plasma cutter and lowered into the work as the cut is begun.

In both cases Non is good.

I'll also add, however, that consumables 'not' available is very very bad.  That this '65Amp' cutter doesn't even come with a 65A tip would make me very nervous.


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## Larry$ (Jan 27, 2022)

I've also been considering a plasma cutter. I have quite a bit of machine frames to cut. 6, 8, 10 & 12mm thick. 
The cheap Chinese ones seem like a gamble. How many machines share the same consumables? When they say 65A what is the duty cycle?
I would need to start through paint. Are drag tips commonly available for all machines? What is needed to be able to blow welds out?


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## graham-xrf (Jan 27, 2022)

TomWS said:


> High frequency start will cause RFI interference to any sensitive electronics.  That means computers, cell phones, networks.  It means that a plasma cutter can not be used in a CNC system.
> 
> Non-touch means that you don't have to touch the tip to bare metal to start the arc (I don't think this kind is even sold any more).  The arc will start even when the torch is just outside the edge of metal, the metal is painted, or is held in a CNC plasma cutter and lowered into the work as the cut is begun.
> 
> ...


OK - if that be the received wisdom, then I go along with it, though I still be left with some questions in my head.
Not having enought kit to have it good to go on arrival is a bit awkward! Are the consumable bits a relatively expensive thing, enough to make the difference to a discount offer?

Logically, if HF start is so problematic, then TIG, or maybe any other welding kit, should also give a hard time to electronic stuff, computers etc. TIG welding kit HF start is normally something very desirable, that you pay extra for. I have some separate experience with RF pumped plasma, but it was always completely shielded, being confined to the internals of stainless steel chambers and pipes. No RFI could get out and interfere with anything.

The high frequency spark duration (at least for TIG) is only microseconds, sufficient to start the arc without the need to touch.  My welder, not being so fancy as having HF start has something called "LIFT TIG", You don't actually have to "scratch" the tip. It has some electronic scheme to detect the tip is touching, and limits the current. I am thinking one would have the very same problems of phone and computer interference from ordinary TIG welding anyway.

If you don't have to touch, and it starts even through paint, and the gap is more than a few thousandths, then the only way I know that happens is a spark arc is persuaded to jump the gap. It takes about 3000 Volts per mm, but normally about half that in high humidity, and from pointy shapes. That would be lethal if anything like DC. It has to be high frequency, and capacitive coupled. Once frequency gets above 500kHz, you can conduct it over the outside of your body, and not feel a thing! Only the local heat from the ionized air can hurt you, which is why, when I tried it, I let the end of a screwdriver in my hand take it. Madmen who play with Tesla coils can show this off, but you might have already come across one of those decorative glass "plasma globe" toys you put your hand on to see the pretty arcs. That is the kind of arc of the sort used to start welding arcs, except the welding is at normal air pressure.




In TIG kit, there is a HF frequency blocking filter in the lead circuits. It is a formidable choke coil construction, to prevent the kilovolts transient of arc (start) voltage from destroying the MOSFET, or IGBT switching semiconductors in the welder, while still permitting high DC current to flow. Just take off the case, and follow the main leads wires to get a look. I guess that's not the same thing as stopping interference.

I still don't know enough of the detail about the electrical mechanism of how a plasma cutting setup works. Allowing one also needs a seriously capable air supply, the speed and ease with which it happens is attractive, but I don't think I will divert my bandsaw savings fund just yet.


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## TomWS (Jan 27, 2022)

You are definitely over thinking the non-HF start.  The term you should be looking for is 'Blowback' start.  The way it works is that the electrode is attached to a spring.  When the probe is off, the spring pushes the electrode into the tip, shorting out the Voltage source (which is off) to the return (the tip).  When the PC fires, it turns on current to the electrode AND turns on the air to the torch.  The air pressure causes the electrode to 'blowback' from the tip, thereby causing an arc which, with the high current source, soon becomes a plasma.

Tips & electrodes, both of which are consumed after a certain number of uses, cost about $4 each, depending on source and commonality of the components.  Normally usage with very dry air will get you hours of usage.  If there is any moisture in the air the consumables will be burnt out almost instantly.  Net:  *Plasma cutting's 'invisible' cost is VERY dry air and lots of it.*  A $400 PC will require the same setup as a $3000 PC.

I don't have a TIG, but, from what I've heard, you can't use sensitive electronics while you're using one.  But I haven't seen a CNC TIG welder either.


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## TomWS (Jan 27, 2022)

Larry$ said:


> I've also been considering a plasma cutter. I have quite a bit of machine frames to cut. 6, 8, 10 & 12mm thick.
> The cheap Chinese ones seem like a gamble. How many machines share the same consumables? When they say 65A what is the duty cycle?


Everlast 60i has a good reputation for a moderate cost PC.  That will cut 12mm metal.  I don't know the specifics, but 60A usage probably has around 30-40% duty cycle, but that's just a wild guess on my part.  The specs and manual are available online.  The torch is an industry 'standard' that uses commonly available consumables.  I believe they can use a range of high current and also fine cut tips.


Larry$ said:


> I would need to start through paint. Are drag tips commonly available for all machines? What is needed to be able to blow welds out?


Most PCs today have 'pilot arc' and would be able to cut through paint as long as the Work clamp is clamped to bare metal.

Most hand held torches have a metal clip on spacer to provide a proper gap fro drag operation.  Even the one cited by OP has one.   I don't know about welds but I would think the issue would be mostly the resulting extra thickness of the weld.  You'd probably just have to slow down a bit as you came to each weld.


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## Larry$ (Jan 28, 2022)

TomWS said:


> I don't know about welds but


I wasn't clear on what I meant by blowing out welds. If two parts are welded together @ 90° with a filet it would be nice to be able to just blow the filet weld out and not cut the parts. I think angular tips are made for this but haven't used the correct term when searching.


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## Boswell (Jan 28, 2022)

Larry$ said:


> I think angular tips are made for this but haven't used the correct term when searching


Hypertherm calls this a Flushcut nozzle.  I have used it on my Powermax 45XP and it worked OK, but took some practice.  It directs the plasma at 45 degrees, that plus you holding the torch at 45 degrees to the surface allows for a included angle of 90deg.


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## Larry$ (Jan 28, 2022)

TomWS said:


> Everlast 60


On the site Workbench Creations Everlast customer service was shown to be no better than the typical Chinese product sellers. All his back & forth emails were posted. Not good! There is a maker of plasma cutters in Italy that may be a safer bet at a higher price. Now if I could just find them again.


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## Navy Chief (Jan 28, 2022)

Larry$ said:


> On the site Workbench Creations Everlast customer service was shown to be no better than the typical Chinese product sellers. All his back & forth emails were posted. Not good! There is a maker of plasma cutters in Italy that may be a safer bet at a higher price. Now if I could just find them again.


Not the experience I have had with them, they have responded promptly to any questions and quickly shipped parts to me when needed.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk


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## MikeInOr (Jan 28, 2022)

Everlast was my first choice of plasma cutters to buy eventually.   This one came along for a great price so I decided to give it a try.  The Everlast cutter I was looking at was 50% more than this YesWelder.

From everything I have read I believe blow back start vs high frequency start makes no difference these days for a hand held plasma cutter.  The only reason the blow back start made a difference to me is because I would like to try to build a cnc plasma cutter some day and blow back start is said to have less of a propensity to cause problems with the cnc electronics.  Although I have found projects online where they are using HF start plasma cutters in diy cnc cutters successfully.


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## Gaffer (Jan 28, 2022)

Larry$ said:


> I wasn't clear on what I meant by blowing out welds. If two parts are welded together @ 90° with a filet it would be nice to be able to just blow the filet weld out and not cut the parts. I think angular tips are made for this but haven't used the correct term when searching.


It's called gouging. As @Boswell said, Hypertherm makes tips for this process. I'm not too sure how many other manufacturers do, but there is probably something available for most torches.


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## coherent (Jan 28, 2022)

I hope it works well and suits your needs. After looking at the link the reviews aren't very encouraging and would concern me especially support..   Ive had a number of plasma cutters over the last 15 years or so for both hand and a few CNC machines. Overall my satisfaction has been mixed anywhere from junk to outstanding. For simple hand cutting some of the lower priced imports that offered low cost consumables would have sufficed for a hobby user. As far as CNC and the very best cut quality I keep returning to Hypertherm and now pretty much stick to their cutters only.  I have found that in the long run (at least as far as plasma cutters are concerned) you'll save more money and be happier spending more and getting a known and tested/recommended product for your specific needs.


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## MikeInOr (Jan 29, 2022)

coherent said:


> I hope it works well and suits your needs. After looking at the link the reviews aren't very encouraging and would concern me especially support..   Ive had a number of plasma cutters over the last 15 years or so for both hand and a few CNC machines. Overall my satisfaction has been mixed anywhere from junk to outstanding. For simple hand cutting some of the lower priced imports that offered low cost consumables would have sufficed for a hobby user. As far as CNC and the very best cut quality I keep returning to Hypertherm and now pretty much stick to their cutters only.  I have found that in the long run (at least as far as plasma cutters are concerned) you'll save more money and be happier spending more and getting a known and tested/recommended product for your specific needs.



You are correct, it makes perfect sense to invest in quality tools!  This is my first plasma cutter and any trades person will probably do more cutting in a single day than I will in an entire year.  I would love a Hypertherm but there is no way I could ever justify spending that much money on a plasma cutter (even a used one, I have look for a used one) so a cheap Chinese cutter is pretty much all that will ever be in the cards for me.  I read through all of the Amazon negative reviews quite closely and most were complaining about not being able to get consumables.  The torch is a standard Hypertherm S45 Chinese knock off and I ordered the consumables with the cutter.  If the consumables don't work with the cutter I will send the entire package back.  If the unit is DOA I will send the entire package back.  That pretty much covers the negative reviews that I saw on Amazon.  My biggest exposure is if it works for 6 months then dies... no return, no support and this is a very real possibility.

As far as CNC goes it is something that I would like to have the option to play around with some day.  I am not going to go out and buy a high end CNC cutting table, I will build one out of spare bits and parts for the fun of it.  I am not manufacturing parts, I am not selling parts I am not doing side jobs, this is not my profession, I don't need the most reliable plasma cutter or the highest quality cut available on the market.  I understand your point of view from a person who depends on there tools for their lively hood... that is not me though.  I am a software engineer by profession and doing low tech manual get my hands dirty and have a physical object to show for it at the end of the day type projects is what I do to relax.  As soon as I start doing this for money it is a job which would completely ruin my hobby for me.


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## General Zod (Jan 29, 2022)

Larry$ said:


> On the site Workbench Creations Everlast customer service was shown to be no better than the typical Chinese product sellers. All his back & forth emails were posted. Not good! There is a maker of plasma cutters in Italy that may be a safer bet at a higher price. Now if I could just find them again.



Mine is made in Italy.  Made by Stel and imported by HTP America as the MicroCut 875sc.  55A @ 45% duty cycle.  45A @ 100% duty cycle.  Soon I'll be receiving a special order 70A plasma from Stel, but it's only 400V/3-Φ.  Will most likely be used in an up-coming CNC plasma table.


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## brino (Jan 29, 2022)

MikeInOr said:


> You are correct, it makes perfect sense to invest in quality tools! This is my first plasma cutter and any trades person will probably do more cutting in a single day than I will in an entire year. I would love a Hypertherm but there is no way I could ever justify spending that much money on a plasma cutter (even a used one, I have look for a used one) so a cheap Chinese cutter is pretty much all that will ever be in the cards for me. I read through all of the Amazon negative reviews quite closely and most were complaining about not being able to get consumables. The torch is a standard Hypertherm S45 Chinese knock off and I ordered the consumables with the cutter. If the consumables don't work with the cutter I will send the entire package back. If the unit is DOA I will send the entire package back. That pretty much covers the negative reviews that I saw on Amazon. My biggest exposure is if it works for 6 months then dies... no return, no support and this is a very real possibility.
> 
> As far as CNC goes it is something that I would like to have the option to play around with some day. I am not going to go out and buy a high end CNC cutting table, I will build one out of spare bits and parts for the fun of it. I am not manufacturing parts, I am not selling parts I am not doing side jobs, this is not my profession, I don't need the most reliable plasma cutter or the highest quality cut available on the market. I understand your point of view from a person who depends on there tools for their lively hood... that is not me though. I am a software engineer by profession and doing low tech manual get my hands dirty and have a physical object to show for it at the end of the day type projects is what I do to relax. As soon as I start doing this for money it is a job which would completely ruin my hobby for me.



Extremely well put!

Brian


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## Larry$ (Jan 29, 2022)

MikeInOr said:


> As soon as I start doing this for money it is a job which would completely ruin my hobby for me.


Well put. If it weren't for cheap Chinese stuff, few of us could have the fun of playing with things normally beyond our means. The problem shows up when the cheap stuff doesn't outlast it's low price. Pays your $, takes your chances.


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## alloy (Jan 29, 2022)

Did anyone see that amazon offers a 4 year warranty for $27 on yes cutter?

I've did a little checking and is seems the reviews on the warranty are really bad.   I saw a Lotos at home depot for around the same money and they also have a warranty, but same story, bad reviews on the warranty.

I'm kind of inclined to go with the Lotos.  They have been around awhile.  

I hope to have a project coming up in march.  I'm bidding on a Cadillac escalade total (rollover) and it's got the LS3 L99 engine in it. I want for my 55 chevy build.  All aluminum block and heads, factory 403 hp, and a 10 speed trans. The engine I'm assuming was running when it rolled.  I'll have to cut the engine out, and a plasma cutter would be perfect for this.




​


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## MikeInOr (Jan 29, 2022)

alloy said:


> Did anyone see that amazon offers a 4 year warranty for $27 on yes cutter?
> 
> I've did a little checking and is seems the reviews on the warranty are really bad.   I saw a Lotos at home depot for around the same money and they also have a warranty, but same story, bad reviews on the warranty.
> 
> ...



When I put the Yeswelder cutter into my cart the warranty was $72, not backed by Amazon and had really bad reviews.  I considered it but didn't buy it.

I have had a Lotos cutter in my Amazon watch cart for a couple years now along with Everlast and Powerweld.  All of these brands appear to have a very good track record from what I have seen.  They all appear to be safer purchases than the Yeswelder.

The last time I looked at doing an engine swap with a modern engine (many years ago) the engine and transmission were dependant on the CPU and the CPU won't function without a proper transponder signal from the original key.  There were also various sensors through out the vehicle that had to be active for the CPU to function properly.  There weren't any practical substitutions for the variable valve timing control and the transmission controller at that time.  Is this still the case?  The wiring and the CPU and sensors scared me off and I went a different direction. (A 392 out of a Bluebird school bus is a direct bolt in swap for a 345 in an International Scout and cost the same to rebuild as the 345).


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## alloy (Jan 29, 2022)

I've got an 08 LS L92 out of an escalade engine in my nova.  I sent my computer off and they programed out vats (anti theft) removed the feedback for the catalytic converters, removed the speed limiter, changed the programming to work with a manual trans, did a few performance mods that are supposed to gain about 30hp,  and a host of other things so it will run stand alone.  I did have to buy a special engine harness in addition to a new body harness.  About $1500 in wiring. 

It's going to be the end of april until I know if I won the bid on the rollover, so I'm hoping you get your cutter and can do a review on it and that will help me decide which one to buy.

Edit:  I should mention I have an everlast tig welder.  Bought it awhile back and was trying to learn to use it then had a stroke.  From what little I have used it I'm pretty happy with it.


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## Larry$ (Jan 30, 2022)

General Zod said:


> Mine is made in Italy


Thank you, Looks like it will cost over $1K. About what I had expected.


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## General Zod (Jan 30, 2022)

Larry$ said:


> Thank you, Looks like it will cost over $1K. About what I had expected.


Oh yea, but it is worth every penny IMO.  Top quality unit.


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## alloy (Jan 30, 2022)

I've been doing some more looking at plasma cutters and found the lotos ltp500d on ebay for $379 and free shipping. It has a: 


*WARRANTY*​
30 days refund and a 3-YEARS Limited Warranty:
include 1 Year NEW Replacement Warranty
(Contiguous US only)​

And there is a square trade 2 year warranty offer for $35.  I'd include a link to it but the link is half a page long.  

I have dealt with square trade before and they are a good company.  I have them fix or replace my laptop computers before.  They offer a local repair option, and one where you send the item in.  I'm not sure if they wound have you send the plasma cutter in, probably just replace it.

I'm about ready to pull the trigger on this before the chip shortage affect availability.


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## MikeInOr (Feb 6, 2022)

The Yeswelder CUT-65DS came in last Wednesday.  I only had a chance to set it up on Friday and make a couple of test cuts.  The test cuts went well.

Today I had a chance to spend some time in the shop and work on the mobile base I have been building.



I needed some brackets to weld onto the mobile base that I could bolt the casters onto.  I bought a 14" piece of 4" x 4" x 1/8" tubing.  I cut the tubing in half so I had two 7" pieces of tubing.  Then I made the cut above with the plasma cutter cutting the two pieces into 4 pieces but tapered from 3" at one of the cut to 1" at the other end of the cut yielding the 4 brackets that I needed.  With the help of a straight edge clamped on to the tubing almost all the cuts went perfect.  The second cut I played around with the pressure and current a bit and the arc started going out after about an inch of cut.  After a few more minutes messing around I decided to attach the ground clamp to the piece and the rest of that cut and all the other cuts went very nicely.

I did have a bit of slag on the cuts but I am new to this and haven't figured out the current and pressure settings yet.  I made a test cut in a 1/2" plate which also went very nicely.  All of the cuts that I made today were on 110v with a max of 45amps.  The 110v/220v plug adapter they supplied does not fit my 220v shop plugs.  I will have to make my own adapter.

As far as negatives:
The manual is for all practical purposes non-existent.
There is a flow gauge that came with the cutter which took me a while to figure out how to use it.  At first I thought it was supposed to slip onto the drain port of the supplied filter / water separator.  Then I figured out that you put the nozzle of the torch under the flow meter and adjust the pressure until the ball in the meter rises to the indicated marks on the flow meter.
The pressure adjustment and the pressure gauge mount to the back of the unit instead of being integrated into the unit like some of the nicer cutters.  The pressure gauge points backwards so you have to turn the unit around or stretch your neck around the back of the unit to read the pressure gauge.  I guess if you use the flow meter pressed against the torch nozzle you don't really have to look at the pressure gauge and the pressure regulator can be manipulated easily enough by reaching over the top of the unit.

Summary:
I am VERY happy with this cutter.  It isn't a top of the line Hypertherm but it should easily handle anything that I will ever want to do with it including experiment with a DIY CNC plasma cutter some day.  I doubt I will ever tax the full 65 amps the unit is capable of but it is nice to know it is there if I need it.  That said there is nothing to confirm that it will put out 65 amps but there is no guarantees on the actual output any plasma cutter with the best hope that the big names are more honest than the cheap ones.  I do have some gouging tips on order that I look forwards to trying to cut a few welds with.  The replacement consumables haven't arrived yet so I can't confirm they will work.  I will post when the arrive and I give them a try.

I have no regrets buying this cutter (so far).  Everyone needs to make there own choices and I am no plasma cutter expert so I will not go so far as to recommend the cutter BUT I have found nothing that would make me recommend staying away from this cutter.

Cheers!


Edit: The S45 consumables came in today.  They work fine.  I do not understand the two Amazon reviews that say there are no consumables available for this plasma cutter.  Maybe the description did not previously spell out that the torch was a Chinese clone of a S45 Hypertherm torch?


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## alloy (Feb 14, 2022)

Good write up. 

I bought a plasma cutter today, but didn't buy the Yes cutter.  Got the lotos and I'll tell you why.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/255364852474








						Plasma Cutter Non-Touch Pilot Arc LTP5000D Dual Voltage 110V/220V Compact Cutter
					

Shop now for your one stop metal cutting solutions. Lotos Technology offers quality portable plasma cutting tools to small businesses and DIY buyers.




					www.uwelding.com
				





I had a question about the lotos and emailed them.  Within 10 minutes I got a response.  I asked a couple more questions and the same thing, within a few minutes I had an answer.  So I bought it off ebay and added a 2 year square trade warranty for $40. 

Lotos put 2 and 2 together and figured it was me that bought it and emailed and let me know it shipped today and will be here on Wednesday.  I was impressed with their customer service, and in the world today that's saying something.

I have some 12" square plates to cut up and my band saw won't take anything that big.  I thought about putting the plate on one of my mills and slicing them up with an end mill, or maybe using trying to use a steel cutting blade on my circular saw.  In the end after watching videos of plasma cutters I just decided I need one and did click and ship.

My plates won't come in until Saturday but I'll try and find something else to try and cut and post the results here.


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## Janderso (Feb 14, 2022)

alloy said:


> Good write up.
> 
> I bought a plasma cutter today, but didn't buy the Yes cutter.  Got the lotos and I'll tell you why.
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/255364852474
> ...


I hope you have better luck with your Lotus.
Mine ate consumables, didn’t cut very well.
Maybe it was the operator and the air supply had too much water?
I sold it and bought a Hypertherm 45 Pro. The guy I sold it to bought a Hypertherm 45 Pro about six months later.
It’s $1,000 bucks more though.


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## Eddyde (Feb 14, 2022)

Yup, Plasma cutting needs very dry air, I use a refrigerated dryer and have no issues.


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## keeena (Feb 15, 2022)

@MikeInOr - regarding the grounding: one tip I came across recently for welding was to use a bundle of large-gauge stranded copper wire between the ground location and clamp. Supposedly can help give more surface area as well as give the clamp more substance to bite on (if clamping area is on the thinner side).

I used some wraps of solid copper wire around one end to keep the strands from completely unwinding. Grounding directly to the piece is obviously ideal but this might be worth a shot if that's not possible.




[edit] - the clamp that comes with your plasma cutter is likely a bit flimsy and upgrading the wire size and clamp couldn't hurt.


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## TomWS (Feb 16, 2022)

alloy said:


> Good write up.
> 
> I bought a plasma cutter today, but didn't buy the Yes cutter.  Got the lotos and I'll tell you why.
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/255364852474
> ...


I've had a Lotos LTP5500D for 2 years and haven't had a bit of trouble with it.  When I first got it I ran through consumables pretty quickly but that was due to three reasons:
1. I was a TOTAL newbie and made some stupid mistakes,
2. I was using Lotos and cheap consumables,
3. I fixed my air supply so it was DRY.

I solved #1 by learning a bit.
I solved #2 by finding a good supplier of quality consumables (https://www.georgesplasmacuttershop.com/products if any one is interested).
I solved #3 by adding dryers and filters and replacing my almost 20 year old compressor with a new one.

Do I envy those who have Hypertherms?  You betcha!
Will I buy one of those?  Nope, what I have works for me.


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