ray648•13h ago

$500 plasma cutter vs $100 angle grinder debate for CNC prep work

I dropped $500 on a Hypertherm plasma cutter last month thinking it would speed up my sheet metal prep for CNC jobs. First few cuts were clean as hell but then I blew through a $60 consumable set in under a week on rusty stock. My buddy swears by his $100 angle grinder with cutoff wheels and says I wasted my money. Has anyone else found a happy medium between speed and cost for cleaning up raw material before it hits the machine?

2 comments

2 Comments

simoncarr9h ago

Clean new steel it's a dream" is EXACTLY what I found too. That first week had me feeling like a wizard until I tried cutting some old bed frame scrap. My Hypertherm turned into a consumable shredder on that rusty mess. I landed on the same combo you did though. I use the plasma for breaking down big clean sheets quick and then I swap to the grinder for the dirty stuff. It's not as sexy but it saves me a FORTUNE in tips and nozzles. Honestly using both tools is the real play, not picking one over the other.

the_evan11h ago

I used to be on your buddy's side. Told everyone angle grinders were the only way to go. Cheap and simple. But I finally caved and bought a used plasma cutter off Craigslist for about $300. The difference is night and day. For clean new steel it's a dream, but yeah, rusty stuff will eat your consumables fast. I found a happy medium. I use the plasma for clean cuts where I need speed and precision. Then I keep an angle grinder with a flap disc handy for the rough edges and any mess the plasma leaves behind. Saves me time and keeps my consumable costs way down.

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