Looking into buying a plasma cutter,which one?

I have 220 volts and am looking to cut thin sheet metal ,and metal up to 1/2".Just asking ,but how thick can a plasma cut?

How thick can your wallet go? That is the question.

buy the best you can afford. Forget HF and NT. A 7-900$ brand name machine will do for up to 3/16 but will be marginal on the 3/16. A cutter that will handle 1/2 will be over 2 G

I just bought a Hyper Therm 600 and it will cut 1/2" does a great job on 3/8". Don't buy one that will just barely cut the size you need. Buy one that is a little bit better because of the duty cycle thing.

before you buy look at Ebay there are some great deals on there with no shipping. I called Hyper Therm to check before I bought from a dealer on Ebay. Hyper Therm said they buy in large quanitys to get a good price and pass on the savings.

I second that comment on eBay.

I bought my PowerMig 255, and my ThermaDyne Tig from eBay sellers. Those two purchases were over $5k total, and I got a terrific deal over the local retailers.

I finally purchased my plasma cutter, $1450, for a Miller Spectrum 375,new in box.I could of bought one for $1100 but would then be put on a waiting list ,and they are SLIGHTLY used. It' cut's best 5/16" ,3/8", and quality cuts still at 3/8 to 1/2",and will still make it through 5/8".I could of found one of a different brand ,but I have always felt comfortable with Miller ,even though I think I paid a little extra for the name.:D

We also have the Miller plasma cutter
very handy being able to switch from 220 to 120 if you need to
be sure to get extra consumables if you get a "off brand"
they might not be easy to get locally
hank

Ya thats part of the reason I went with Miller,Theres nothing more frustrating then haveing to wait for parts to arrive.With the Miller someone in town is going to have what I need on their shelves.

I have a Hyperrtherm powermax 600. All they make is plasma cutters. I will rough cut 7/8" and maximum cut 5/8 " @ 10 inches per minute and recommended 1/2" @ a cutting speed of 24" per minute. After I got it I had get use to it, I really like using it. www.hypertherm.com