Spent $1500 on a new plasma cutter and I'm still not sure it was worth it

I had this old job come in, a bunch of custom flanges for a heat exchanger retrofit. My old torch was just too slow and the bevels were never clean. I bit the bullet and got a mid-range plasma cutter, about $1500 out the door. The first cut was like butter, perfect edge, no cleanup. But then the issues started... the consumables burn out faster than the book says, and a set is $80. It also needs super clean, dry air, which meant another $300 for a better dryer setup. So now I'm $1800 in and some days I think it saved me 10 hours of grinding, other days I think I got burned by the hidden costs. For the guys who do a lot of plate work, is this just the cost of doing business, or did I pick the wrong tool?

3 comments

3 Comments

juliaa6524d ago

You said the extra costs are proof you're getting work done, but that's not always true. Sometimes it's just a bad tool eating your money. Have you checked if your air pressure is too high? That can torch consumables fast.

rosepark24d ago

Man, does that hidden cost thing ever hit home. I mean, you get the shiny new tool and the first cut feels like magic, right? Then the real world bills start showing up. Maybe it's just me, but that extra dryer and the consumables eating your budget is the worst part. It feels like you're never really done paying for it. I get why you're second guessing the whole deal.

fionanguyen24d ago

Nah, the "never really done paying" part is what makes it worth it. Those extra costs mean you're actually using the tool to make stuff. The dryer and blades are just proof you're getting real work done instead of letting it collect dust.