I personally tested the top rated plasma cutters of the year, and can officially say that whether you're a seasoned professional or all about DIY, these machines hit the spot.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
1. Lotos - Non-Touch Pilot Arc 50Amp 110/220V
Highlight: Small, portable, and plugs into any wall outlet.
Helpful review: As a gunsmith, I did not need a plasma cutter. Then, one day, I saw someone selling the steel targets for rifle shooting and the plate rack someone drug out to the range, and I needed a way to make some of my own. That convinced me that I needed a plasma cutter.
With my newfound need to have a plasma cutter, I did not include the fact that I don't really know how to use one in my equation. So like all of my heavy-duty decisions, I just jumped in and started figuring it out, as I went, most of the time very poorly. What I have in my corner is YouTube, where everything in the world is taught, and Joel's phone number and good whiskey lure him here to show me how to do it correctly.
I have also seen several YouTube reviews doing metal penetration tests to show penetration and power demonstration. So, I don't need to cut more than half an inch of thick metal, some of which will be the AR500 and some mild steel plates. I don't need to cut the boilerplate or anything like that. A cheaper maker will do just fine, and I am not in a hurry and don't make my living on this to afford the time for cool-down times.
Of course, I first thought of the stuff they have on the shelf at Harbor Freight. Still, I should look at the rest of the field, or some of the field, and see what they are all about, so I went to Amazon and found the Lotos machines. It took about a week and a half, and a heavy box appeared at my door. I had to open it and get my fingers on it right away. I did not say to read the instructions first; just bring it to the shop.
I set up the machine outside the shop door, hauled out the compressor hose, and hooked it up to the quick release; I am now ready to go. I am ready, except I don't know how much air to give it, so I opened the owner's manual now. Since I don't read Chinese, I used the next best thing and did a little Google research. It said 60psi, so that is what I set the dial to.
I needed some stuff to cut, so I grabbed all the metal that would not be missed in the neighborhood and had at it. I started with an old metal shelf from the cabinet that holds my shovels. That is when it hit me; I didn't know where to set the machine, so I started low and tried my luck. I learned that it would not work, so I used the junior high school test-taking method, went to the first even number, and set it to 20, which cut very smoothly away. I had to keep looking to see if it was working as well as I thought, and it was – YES!
Now, onto the plate steel, I found it at my brother's shop and bought it for this project. I think it's about ¼ inches thick and needed to be shot at the range. I drew the pattern and set it to 20. It worked like a champ before but did not this time. So, I did what everyone else would do, turned it to 50, and went to work. I did not know how fast to make the torch, so it looked rugged and sloppy. That is precisely the method I used. I learned later to slow down, which works much better.
PROS:
- Dual voltage: 110v or 220v. You can use this in the field or easily take it to a different place with a heavy-duty extension cord, and it will get to work. By the way, most reviewers say it's the best 110v plasma cutter on the market. But, of course, it all depends on what you need it for.
- Small. This is minor and weighs less than my daughter's chocolate lab. It does not run around nearly as much and does not need to play catch with a slobber-filled, shaky doll.
- Pilot Arc is great for working with rusty and dirty metal. I like this because the stuff I will cut will not get sanded or buffed before cutting; it will just be thrown on the sawhorses and cut, then some cheap paint, and it goes to the range.
- Spare Electrodes. It's great to have consumables as part of the kit, especially when I don't know what I'm doing. I can keep playing around while the replacement consumables are in the mail.
- Clamping Stand-off. The stand-off does not lip on, so it can pull off most of the time; with this one clamp in place, such guys like me can look like we know what is going on.
CONS:
- Ground clamp. This thing is short; this must be one of the places they script on to save money. All I have to do to fix this is to make a new one or order a longer one for a different machine and hook it up. No problem, just a pain in the butt.
- Air Gauge. The gauge is not marked in psi, which is wrong if they sell it in the USA. We need to have the exact measurements to know what is going on.
So all in all, there's a reason this option by Lotos is considered one of the best plasma cutting machines out there, and why so many people recommend it. The pros outshine the cons, and the machine is sturdy and dependable. I don't know if it's the best plasma cutter under $1000, but it's definitely worth the $400 bucks it sells for.
Get it from Amazon now: $399.00 & FREE Returns
2. BestArc - 7th Generation 50Amp 110/220V
Highlight: Digital screen and gauges in English.
Helpful review: This machine uses a 220/240v line and an adapter to use 110v. Others will use the 110v and then adapt up to the 220v. So, this one wins on that front. It has much better quality and dependability to build to handle the higher voltage and then drop down to house current.
The old version of this machine used a dial to measure the air pressure; now, the air gauge is digital. This is not a great idea for air pressure, as it never sits still or is static; once the trigger is pulled, the air pressure will change. The way this works the best, especially for a tool like a plasma cutter that uses the air to blow out the molten steel, is to set the pressure to, say, 70psi, then pull the trigger, watch the pressure, and adjust the knob to be 70psi when the machine is using the air.
This plasma cutter went to Joel's house to test his plasma CNC. To our surprise, it worked like a champ, and now we have a bunch of steel targets to practice within the desert. We set the unit at 50 and ran it on 240v because the plasma cutter he had on the unit was wired to the setup.
After we proved it would work on the CNC, we needed to make some frames. So then we went to the other side of his shop and used it to cut some angle iron. Since it was on the other side of the shop, we plugged it into the 110v wall outlet, and away it went. There was no problem with cutting the angle; it was not thick-walled or 4 inches wide, just a simple 1x1 angle, and it smoked it.
The customer service folks are very responsive and answer the phone whenever I call. To prove that point to myself, I called back at different times of the day, and every time someone answered the phone, it was very nice. If you ask: is this the best plasma cutter for the money? My answer is: it's definitely good enough for what I need it for.
Get it from Amazon now: $249.99 & FREE Returns
3. YesWelder - Blowback Digital 65Amp 110/220V
Highlight: IPT40 torch.
Helpful review: According to everyone on YouTube who pays for their equipment for their home shops, this machine by YesWelder is considered the best plasma cutter for home use. And after getting my hands on one, I know why. This thing should cost more than it does.
I have a 220v service in my shop, so I plug into it whenever I need it. At 220v, it works like a trooper and does not hesitate to do what I need it for. It struggled slightly when I plugged it into the 110v to see what it could do. I will cut the metal; it is a little slower and kinda overwhelming on the 110v for cutting the ¼ inch plates.
One issue with the YesWelder touch is that the company lacks replacement tips. Go to Home Depot and get one off the shelf and a bunch of replacements for a typical maker, and then get away with the one sent with the plasma cutter.
This machine is an auto body worker's dream machine. The unit will cut that metal like butter and only needs an extension cord. The machine is light enough to be hauled around the car, not the other way around, and moving the car all the time. The size of the cutter is nice and small, about the same size as the black and white dog that lives next door.
I have read reviews of folks using this to cut the braided cable. I don't know what or who cut braided cable all day, but that reviewer loved it, so I must take their word for it. The cable cutter says it will cut up to 3.4 inches. Some folks by the cabin have used cable in their fences to keep the cattle on the right side of the road; maybe I will take this over there and see if I can try that out and get back to everyone. The only cable I have handy is in the winches on the RZRs, and I am not cutting that to check. My nephews says this is the best plasma cutter under $500. I will add his personal review after he uses it for at least 6 months at his own home shop. But for now, I can confidently say this cutter is awesome.
Get it from Amazon now: $359.99 & FREE Returns
4. ToolIom - Non-Touch Pilot Arc 50Amp 110/220V
Highlight: It only weighs 13 pounds and is easy to carry around.
Helpful review: This thing looks like it was made by a race car company, which, in my opinion, makes it the best plasma cutter under $300. I don't know why, I just love it! The Orange and black color palette is very tough-looking. The machine was packaged perfectly and arrived like it had just been placed in the box that morning.
When I pulled this out of the box, I found a little screw in the box and began to look for its home. I found that it fell out of the aluminum heat sink bar. I tried to put it back, and the hole was stirred, or the screw was too short; I don't know. I grabbed another screw from the bottle of screws that did not need to be thrown away, and it fit perfectly, especially when I pushed a little harder; it fit like it was born there.
The air hose that comes with the machine may be the Chapes tiar hose made in China and should be replaced. Save the headaches and put a new piece of hose on, even if it doesn't leave the factory. The pressure adjustment knob leaked a little when I turned it up; when I looked into this on YouTube, one site told me that it might be the way they address moisture. They just let a little leak out, and the water blows out past the leakage; I suppose that will work; it did not keep the machine from doing its job, but what a weird thing to do on purpose.
I replaced the barbed air line hook-up with a regular quick release and the pressure gauge with one from Harbor Freight that showed in psi; I am not doing that again; I just replaced it to know what is happening.
It took more effort for such a good-looking machine to get to the starting line I wanted, so I do not think this one will live here long. After I did all the little fixes, it worked; I used it to cut some pipe I found, and it chopped that up without any worries. It works on 220 and 110v adapters, so it will work. It is just a bit of quality control missing from the factory that had to be dealt with first.
So if you're into saving money at the moment, this ToolIom passed my test as one of the best budget plasma cutters on Amazon. It's not a $1000 machine, and not even a $500 one. You can get a better one for $400. But for what it costs, I think it's good enough. If you want to save even more, go for the next option by S7 (it's really cheap and actually quite impressive).
Get it from Amazon now: $289.99 & FREE Returns
5. S7 - Intelligent Digital Display 50Amp 120/240V
Highlight: The kit comes with everything to cut right away.
Helpful review: For anyone who wants one of these handy, this one will do all the jobs for about $150! Why would anyone not get one of these for that price and its ability to replace the never-ending grinder wheel action?
This is not a metal shot plasma cutter and does not claim to be one. The power cord is terminated with a dry plug, so that should let everyone know how much work this is designed to do. The air regulator is mounted through the metal skin, and I had to open the box to put the bolts through the holes and then tighten them up. This is not a big deal; I expected this kind of stuff for the price.
While inside the skin, I looked around for other loose stuff to see if there were any apparent problems or waiting to become an issue later. The inside looks clean and well assembled, so good job on that front, S7. The ground wire is short, not as short as some, but I use it for a machine that should sit on the ground wheel; a four-foot wire is kind of dumb. It was easy to move the machine or the metal to a different place or get a new ground wire and put it on, so I did that method of fixing a simple thing.
Let's move on to a fundamental problem: the supply wire is too small. It's not too short, but there is an insufficient wire gauge to handle this much current. Even if I plan on using this for only five minutes, I am worried it may cause a big electrical problem or start a fire. I can fix this with a new supply line, and eventually, if I keep it, I may trade it to someone who can replace the issue and have a good plasma for simple jobs.
You guessed it, the air pressure stuff was cheap and weak. I am starting to lose faith in this machine, as it is too cheap to be bothered. I just set the air compressor at 60psi at the source so I would not overwhelm the stock fittings.
Now, onto the good parts: this machine will work with a small generator and pancake compressor in the field, so if I went nuts and needed to take this in the RZR and cut something, I don't know what, but I could. This will fit in my buddy's truck box at the cabin, along with all the generators and stuff, and he now has it and has done the upgrades to make it work for him.
He uses it to cut rebar on-site and loves it, so it has a new home and a good job. This replaced the need to carry an oxy/acetylene setup or use a jillion cutoff wheels. He starts the generator, plugs in the plasma and air, and works a perfect fit. So to sum things up, this is really the best cheap plasma cutter of the year, in my opinion. I don't think you're going to regret this purchase.
Get it from Amazon now: $149.99 & FREE Returns