Plasma cutter, RIP

[MigTig]

I waited 7!!! weeks for the cutter from Essex Steam, worked fantastic yesterday but today its down. I have emaile John in hope of sorting it, but has anyone else had these problems:
Bear in mind the whole system is set up correctly, I have read the manual, and it WAS working fine yesterday. I have checked the earth clamp, torch, air pressure etc etc...

I am only now getting the HF start, and no plasma stream. This is on sheet metal, at around 20-25a, was fine yesterday on Stainless, nothing now
Was looking forward to this, I hope I have been beaten once again by Chinese stuff.
Was going to review it today aswell..

 

[weldequip]

In your own words MigTig, "Sick of Chinese C**p, GO British products"!
Sorry mate no consolation, but it's only a matter of time before all Chinese Inverters go T*Ts up. Now, if Essex Steam were dealing with a steam engine I've no doubt the problem would be rectified straight away; as it is, I will guess a lot of head scratching will be involved and further delays.
weldequip

 

[Drains]

If you've got a guarantee, Essex Steam have to sort it, NOT the manufacturers. Even without a guarantee, "fit for purpose" means more than 24hours, in this instance!

Go and sit in their shop and refuse to leave until you've got a replacement that works. Take a chair and a flask. Look like you mean business. And scare away the other customers. Never fails!

Si

 

[snowcat]

bugger, afraid i run mostly usa gear weldequip!, but i guess theres a reason why a hypertherm or equivelent is twice the money, now i know very little about the internal gubins in machines so can you tell me why the chinese stuff is made so badly as i thought componants were made on a global scale and just asembled in the country the product is made in?

 

[weldequip]

The American & European stuff is more than twice the price because they have been in the game far longer than the Far East or Eastern Europe, and, as such have spent huge amounts of money on R&D, testing & component sourcing. The Chinese come along, buy a Hypertherm machine & basically copy it with inferior copy components & quality control - it's not all about cheap labour. They will get it all right one day, but the Americans & Europe will probably have moved on to the next level anyway. In summary... you always have done, and always will, get what you pay for.
weldequip

 

[snowcat]

Hmm the trouble is sometimes you can end up with a product thats too good because a well made product strugles to compeate with the cheep imports my workshops full of them, I have 4 bits of Alfread Herbert Kit, the oldest built in 51 the newest late 60s all still runs as well as the day it was made, I have a 70s oxford, phillips mig, elliot mills, etc all of thease are ether backrupt or "sold out" . In 15 years time and I hope not will i be puting the lincoln, TD, Hypertherm, Murex into the same band, because they built this kit too well. but then im preaching to the converted hey weldequip.

 

[weldequip]

You'll be replacing it all within 5 years mate, not 15! The rot set in in the 70's/80's when the cheap Far Eastern stuff first started coming in. The British (largely) stuff had to compete on price so started cutting corners on quality - it's continued ever since! You simply cannot buy the old, bullet proof quality of yester-year. And who to blame? Not China... YOU, for buying it!
weldequip

 

[MigTig]

I should have known better will have to sort out a replacement, see how it goes.. it came with a years warranty.
Feel gutted though, reall looked forward to this tool.

Like a kid who just dropped his ice cream

 

[weldequip]

You'll be right MigTig I'm sure, just a ball-ache sending back & waiting for a repalcement & all that.
weldequip

 

[Welderpaul]

Why not flog it on ebay in the old 'err i havn't used it for a while so i can't vouch for it styleee - it might work, it might not'? Cut your losses sort of thing.
You can pick up a decent second hand Lincoln Electric plasma for what you paid for your ***** one. Just a case of hanging in there till one shows up.

 

[snowcat]

You,d struggle to find a chinese bit of kit in my shop weldequip.

Whilst we talking of good old british kit i have a large herbert lathe going beging, 6" mandrel, 2 foot chuck 20hp motor, powered capstan its siting under a sheet going rusty,its no. 2 of a pair i salvaged no.1s in my workshop, be ideal for a someone into locos hey cappy, If its not found a home then the old girl will be broken for scrap. Oh and it weighs 5-6 ton. just seams a shame to scrap it if someone can use it.

 

[weldequip]

Didn't you just buy a Thermal Arc machine??!
Would be a crime to scrap that old girl - sure a good home can be found?
weldequip

 

[Welderpaul]

Very slightly off topic - We go to a lot of auctions to pick up cheap plant, consumables stuff like that. It is a crime to see some real nice pieces of kit go for pennies, or the scrap man in the corner bidding away knowing that these quality bits of kit are going to get burnt up.
A lot of it gets shipped abroad where it has a second life. Just a shame we can't make it work financially over here. Scary the amount of large companies closing down and selling up. Pisser.

 

[weldequip]

Precisely the reason they are all closing down! - we shipped over our 'redundant' stock years ago, thinking we were years ahead. They upgraded it & now knock our socks off!
weldequip

 

[snowcat]

Hypertherm weldequip,
Those old lathes were kicking about at the end of an auction it was only because the pikes couldnt shift em for scrap that i saved them.

 

[shenion]

You simply cannot buy the old, bullet proof quality of yester-year. And who to blame? Not China... YOU, for buying it!

Not exactly true. Those old units were mechanical beasts. They are getting more and more expensive to manufacture. They also can not have advanced features. At todays labor prices, those old units would be many times their price.

Most used huge variac transformers (hence the hand crank to adjust voltage/current.) Then just some diodes and a few switches.

So you want adjustable current from a foot control, pulse current or a robotic interface? Can't be done on many of these beasts.

Enter electronic control. New features can be added, more feedback, accurate digital meters, fancy features. Costs go way down as much can be assembled by machine.

However the # of components goes way up, so reliability suffers unless proper R&D is done. This is where the Chinese really fail. On copying a 150 amp machine: "They used 200A components, we only need 150A parts and and can save money"

I have dealt with them. Unbelievable the tricks they try to pull. My clients that have tried to have my designs built in China have moved back to the US. The first units they get are fine, later they change parts and don't tell you.

The high-end units are expensive for a reason, they are overdesigned. Use parts rated for higher currents/voltages increases reliability as they are tested to higher standards. The difference between 100V and 60V parts? the 60V parts failed the 100V tests.

You are right, the very low end crap is pushing the name brands to try to push costs down, sometimes too much.

Well, I pick up a Lincoln, Airco and a Miller dinosaur tomorrow. Checked out the Miller, almost all of the pins on the 14-pin connector are "not implemented"

 

[weldequip]

I rest my case.... you get what you pay for.
weldequip

 

[MigTig]

Well, John has replied already, with something I must try (check the resistance on the torch lead) he said he had a faulty one come back. I will check it tomoro and get a new torch if its fried. I will then buy a British Portamig, followed by a propper plasma cutter.

I will keep chugging away, earning my £400-500 a month that gets used to buy my tools its just a waiting game for the next step. Thats why I was let down a lot by the failing of the cutter can only get something new every 2months..

On the plus, the Jeep is arriving, I dont have many driving lessons left.. then we shall see what happens with the mobile welding I have been dreaming about.


No where is that chap making chinese welders on this forum? I feel like another rant

 

[weldequip]

You carry on the good work MigTig, most lads your age (including me ) are p*****G up their wages with nothing to show for it. You get yourself kitted out with a quality workshop & YOU will be the one smiling in a few years - it'll take a few years but "Everything comes to he who waits". Seen your work so far, you stick at it!
weldequip

 

[snowcat]

Yes iv heard the chinese are makeing some good kit