Eastwood plasma cutter review.

[chevy2]

Got this machine a few weeks back but only got round to setting it up today,

Was thinking of getting this from Frost restoration but perfect timing in an Ebay email offering 10% discount with paypal sealed it,
£349 -£34.90 discount so came in just under £315

Reasons behind getting this one was...
Preferred the power switch, regulator and gauge on the front so i dont have to keep climbing around the back as it'll on the bottom of the welding trolley.
They claim 3/8" max cut on full 40amp output,
as i rarely use more than 1/4" this should be adequate,
Also wanted a long torch lead as most of my work is cars it saves moving the machine,
6m torch & 3m earth lead,
A must have is a pilot arc on the torch which should avoid pre-cleaning of painted or rusty material.

Yeah it's a chinese rebranded machine by Eastwood but comes with a 3 year warranty,

Torch thats used takes Hypertherm consumables should be readily available.
As it's a USA machine Frosts fit a 13amp plug for UK use,
its also dual voltage, 110-240 i think?

Fitted air hose extension so i dont need plug the air at the back.

First cut on 1/8" steel, not sure what settings so tried about 25amps and 50psi air, freehand cut.

Seemed ok so tried a bit thicker,
3/16" steel, 34amps & 60psi air.
Freehand again.

After a few taps with the hammer looks clean enough after what is only the second time i've used this plasma

 

[Country Joe]

Nice idea, that small extension for the air connection. Mine sits in quite an un-accessible place, and plugging the air in is always a bit of a pain, plus it seems unbelievably heavy, for its size.
Good of you to do a quick write up as well. Always good to know the "inside info" on things like this - like the Hypertherm consumables part.
All the Best,
CJ

PS Rapid Welding in Portsmouth do Hypertherm consumables, but I expect you already know that!

 

[Epicyclic]

Thanks for the write up, was just wondering how you were getting on with the Eastwood machine?
I'm thinking of getting a s/h m/c but at the current price I'm thinking its worth going for new....
Cheers, Henry.

 

[chevy2]

Thanks for the write up, was just wondering how you were getting on with the Eastwood machine?
I'm thinking of getting a s/h m/c but at the current price I'm thinking its worth going for new....
Cheers, Henry.

Still happy with the Eastwood plasma,
glad i got a machine with the longer 6m torch as i havn't needed to move the machine since i bought it.
Mine doesn't see heavy use as it's one of a variety of tools i use depending on the job,
Since i've had it i've only changed the first tip recently,
also more familiar with it's power consumption, i have it wired to a blue 16amp but mostly have it connected via an adaptor lead into a 3pin 13amp plug, continued use over around 25-30 amps will pop the plug fuse so if i need to crank the power up for thicker stuff i plug it directly into a 16amp socket.

 

[Epicyclic]

Thanks for that, good to know it's working well. Hadn't noticed the 6m torch as I was more interested in the pilot arc feature - unusual in this price range.
Will have 16A sockets in the garage soon...

 

[FranV8]

I've got one too, again not heavy use, 13 amp. I tend to be cutting 3mm mild steel with it, at 27 amps. Not had any fuses go yet on 13 amp.

I like how it is all integrated, without the regulator bolted separately on the back. It's also quite compact, I'm often moving mine about.

 

[Epicyclic]

Thanks Fran, I don't expect to be cutting much more than 3mm in steel and 2mm in ali. It's for modifying a kit car frame I have later in the year. Do you get your torch consumables from Frost?
Toyed with buying a band saw but it would take up too much space. I can always tidy the cut up if necessary.
Cheers, H.

 

[chevy2]

I bought my spare tips from plasmapart in the uk,
When you go on their site you need to look for trafimet cb50 torch spares.

 

[FranV8]

Hello Henry. I haven't got through any yet, although I've cut through quite a few bits and pieces. I'm quite careful on where I start a cut (with pilot it's tempting to keep firing the torch in mid air because it looks cool, but I think it wears consumables quicker)

Bandsaw, I had a slight quandary, but a chap on here (Paul G) was selling a slightly modified Sealey 6 x 4 at a great price, it takes up a little space but it's worth it. If what I want to cut fits in the saw, I use that. Does give a great cut with no clean up needed.

I did make myself a couple of guides for making perpendicular and 45 mitre cuts with the plasma. I'llhave to take a pic if I remember. Super simple, but effective.

 

[Epicyclic]

Fran, just looked at your thread "New Plasma - Eastwood Versa Cut" - I found it through your profile! I know what you mean about wantititus!

Will have to get an inline filter for the compressor now too!

Again, both, thanks for the info - have to see what the credit card looks like when it comes....

 

[Mr shiney]

I bought one of these from Frost this week. It failed within five minutes of coming out of the box. The overload came on after one 2" cut on 1mm sheet and the stayed on and the arc would not strike. Air flowed fine but nothing else. Turned off and left for five minutes tried again, one cut shirt cut and the overload permanently on now. Its a bit weird how the air flows for 10 seconds after releasing the trigger but that is apparently normal.

Now waiting for a new unit..........

 

[Wendelspanswick]

The post air flow is to cool the torch head, perfectly normal.
With the 'cheaper' plasma's it's worth checking the inner electrode on the torch as they have a habit of unscrewing themselves when used or being transported. I now nip mine up with a pair of pliers.

 

[Mr shiney]

OK, finally an update as my replacement unit has arrived. It worked perfectly right out of the box. It has a different torch to the original unit as well.

I have been carving things up with it all afternoon!! What a joy to use. It goes through pretty much everything I have tried like a knife through butter leaving a clean edge. The instructions with it on air pressure and amps are non existent so I am groping around in the dark a little. I seem to be doing OK so far!

The pilot arc is brilliant, put the torch near the work, press the button and it fires up. Cutting through dirty, rusty metal is a breeze.

I put an extension hose on it for the airline as recommended earlier which makes it easy to connect the airline to as it is on a shelf on my welding bench. This means I can stick stuff on the bench or in the vice and cut away.

The one thing I did find disconcerting was 4mm cable ending in a 13amp plug! I have fitted it with a 32amp plug now. If I did need to use it portable I have converter to take it back to 13amp.

All in all very pleased with the outcome. Now to find some proper projects to actually use it on. I bought it on a bit of a whim........

 

[Mr shiney]

One question...... What are the extended tips used for?

 

[Jim Davey]

For when you want to get into an area where standard tops won't reach, also gets the nozzle cap/insulator a bit further away from the hot rubbish that blows back when doing overhead work in wheel arches and other areas where you are trying to cut through accumulated layers of rust, metal underseal and body filler!

 

[Mr shiney]

Thanks Jim. I did wonder!! I got a set of them with it as well 2 sets of normal ones.

I have to say I am getting on really well with it now. I just modified a motorcycle engine mount. A job that normally takes ages as I have to shape the bracket and the bottom of the in frame oil tank with a cutting disk and grinder. Being able to cut the exact shape and cut the blanks to the exact shape makes the job a lot quicker!!

 

[rikrobson]

For spares I found plasma part on t'interweb

they are much cheaper than frosts for the consumables