With annual bonus and tax refund time approaching I'm seriously looking at getting the plasma cutter I've lusted over for years.
I'm figuring something in the $1,500 +/- range that seems to be the mid range for capacity and am looking for suggestions as to which units to consider and why.
I'd like to be able to sever up to 1/2" AL though most work would be
1/2" steel and below where I'd expect a pretty clean cut. I also want a machine that has enough duty cycle to handle up to about 1/4" steel on a CNC table without having to stop and rest. A quick disconnect torch connection would be a plus though I suppose it's not critical.I've got an adequate compressor, but knowing how sensitive plasma cutters are to moisture, it the standard desiccant filter adequate or is it worth the modest investment in putting one of the HF refrigerated air dryers ($250 or so on sale / coupon) before a backup desiccant filter?
This is for basic home shop use, not any sort of "real" use but I'd prefer a quality unit (like my Syncrowave 250) that will last several lifetimes and handle whatever I may throw at it. Power isn't an issue (240V 100A 1ph), but it would be nice to be able to operate on 240V 20A from a generator occasionally for light material. Anything else I'm missing?
Thanks,
Pete C.