I learned about Parker Plasma Cutters on this forum and I decided to give them a try, since I always wanted a PC, but I could never justify the cost until now. I purchased the 40 Amp unit off eBay, but I opted for the 50A turbo upgrade to increase the cutting capacity. I had promised to review my experiences with this Chinese made PC once I got it up and running, so here is my review. The PC is shipped w/o a cord end, since it can be hooked up for either 110/220V. I set mine up for 220V using 25amp 4 prong female twist-lock end. I did it this way since I also made a 30" extension cord out of 10-4 rubber coated wire with cooresponding male twist-lock connectors on both ends. The reason I did it this way, was that I plan to use this extension cord for my backup generator as well. Like others stated earlier, I didn't care for the small air-pressure gauge that read in metric units not PSI and faced to the back of the PC, so I replaced it with a larger size air gauge that read in PSI and faced upward. I thought the upward facing gauge was better, since I will most likely have the PC on the ground when I use it, so it will be much easier to see while standing above the unit. I thought it was funny that the directions state the air pressure in PSI and the gauge they provided only had units for MPa & kgf/cm2. After hooking up the power and air line I turned on the power switch and I could see unit powered up by the lighted power switch and the sound of the cooling fan, but when I tried to use it nothing happened! The trouble shooting instructions directed me to check to make sure I had the 70 psi air hooked up and that their was a good ground connection to the work piece. Both these things were fine, but I also noticed that the torch head was not straight in the gun handle and could be turned by hand. I opened up the torch handle by removing 4 screws and found a bad solder connection on the power button and a loose inner torch head sleeve was what was causing the torch head to move. I re-soldered both the switch wires and tightened the inner torch sleeve and now the PC works great! I cut up some 1/8" thick angle iron I had laying around and it worked great, it made a nice even cut with very little slag. I plan to use this PC mostly to cut sheet metal and no more than 1/4" thick metal, but it is rated to cut 5/8" thick material routinely and can sever 3/4" if needed. I called Parker in AZ and told of my problem with their PC and they seemed genuinely concerned and were grateful for the feed back and said they have not had this problem before, but plan to check for this issue before shipping any future PC's. Hopefully this will the only problem I have with this PC. I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about purchasing a Chinese made PC, but the price of US made machines were out of my reach. I also need to keep in mind that I will only be using this PC at home and was not purchased for use in professional shop. Parker makes an extra effort to make these Chinese made more reliable by replacing some of the lesser quality parts and standing behind them with a one year warranty and service what they sell. This 40 amp PC sold for $399.99 on eBay and the 50A turbo upgrade was an additional $50 if you wanted it the extra cutting capacity. It cost me $65 dollars for S&H to NY from AZ, so the total cost was $514.99. You also need to add the cost for hooking up the electric once you get it home. This could be as little as $5 if you only need to add a plug end to the 6' power cord or could be much more if you go the route I did. I already had a 30A/220V circuit in my garage, but needed to add a new receptacle and I also made a 30' extension cord to make the unit more mobile. I used the more expensive twist-lock connectors and 10-4 rubber coated wire, so my cost for hooking up to electric was ~ $100. This type of tool is nice to have if you do a lot of metal cutting and I got by for many years w/o a PC, but cutting metal has never been more fun! I hope this review has been helpful.

 

Nice review. I have used PC's at work and want one, but couldn't justify spending $1200 or more for one. We just got a new one that has something like 50ft leads so you can walk all over the place without moving the PC.
That one doesn't cost much more than a torch.
Are replacement tips readily available?
And are they in Parker, AZ?
I'm in Phoenix so thats not too far if that is where they are located. Not to mention that is a good place to go during spring break.

 

Super Steve, Parker Metal Working Products is located in Apache Junction, AZ (888)-281-2820. They ship the PC w/ the following consumables: 7 double ended electrodes, 7 nozzle tips, 1 ceramic shield cup, & 1 ceramic swirl ring, in addition to the ones already installed on the PC. They sell the consumables as well, but they are not listed on their website. The prices they list on their website for their PC's are a lot higher than what they are selling for on eBay BTW.

www.parkermetalworking.com

 

That is a lot cheaper than their website.
Did you get the second one?

 

No, I didn't want to get gready ;-D

 

nice reveiw. Do you have a website or a ebay# to see them?If you get a chance can you try cutting thicker steel and see how well it works. I would be cutting 1/4" and 3/8" for some prodject but to know the max for test. Thanks

 

What I meant was did you get the second one shown on the website.
I just looked and saw the first is 220v only, but you said yours is dual voltage, so I guess it is the second.
I am real curious to find out about long term durability.

 

I just checked on eBay and Parker Metalworking has one listed like the one I bought:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ParkerMP-40Amp-P...QQcmdZViewItem

Someone else on eBay is selling one similar to the one I bought used for $350.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Parker-Plasma-Te...QQcmdZViewItem

The one he's selling is the same model I bought, but I opted for the "50 amp Turbo Upgrade" (additional $50) on the one that I bought that is supposed increase the cutting capacity and duty cycle.

Woody367, I think I have some 1/4 or 3/8" steel that I have laying around that I will cut with my PC and I will take some pics and let you know how it worked on the thicker material.

 

Thanks, I look forward to the results.

 

Hi, all...

Roger here, I'm happy to say I helped point Cujo to the Parker, and we had a pretty lengthy thread that got out of hand, and was removed in December. I'll try to go a bit over my experiences.

First off, thicker metal...I also bought the 50 amp upgrade, the thicknesses that Cuj mentioned are for the 40 amp (5/8", 3/4" sever). The 50 amp specs are 3/4" cut, 1" sever! I don't have any 1" to try, but I did try a piece of 3/4" square, that I had laying around. You can see it in the following picture, at the bottom of the picture:



Cut slow, of course, but made a nice cut! I will keep looking for a piece of 1", but I have cut 1/4" and 1/2" and it cuts great!

I don't have a problem with the electric hook up, as virtually everyone has a different hook up at home, so why pay for a connector a lot of people would just take off, anyway?

I recommend the 220 hookup. The PC will determine whatever it's hooked up to, 110 or 220, and adjust itself accordingly. It's simple to make an adapter, to go from your 220 plug to 110, if you should ever need it, like at a buddy's house, who doesn't have 220, etc. I have made one up, because I am lending the cutter to friends, who want to try it before they buy.

As for the loose solder joint - I know that there have been some problems with the machines. But, you have to remember what these are - they are made in China, and although I feel that Parker has tried to make sure they are built to their specs, accidents happen. But, Parker in all circumstances that I have heard about, save one, have tried their best to make sure that the customer is served! And as Cuj mentioned, this was the first wand they had seen that on, and will now check that, as well. I know that they test the units before they leave Parker's. But I would guess they don't test every lead, they just hook up one of theirs in a test environment. But that they take the time to listen to customer's problems is a big plus.

Also, Cuj mentioned a 1 year warrantee. They actually warrantee the electronics for THREE years, with the rest warranteed for 1 year! That's an incredibly long time!

Consumables are readily available on Upay, with sets of like 50 pieces, 100 pieces, and 150 pieces. Parker has informed me, when I asked, that they are pretty much the same as the ones they sell, however, Parker inspects the electrodes, and has found that a certain percentage have an incorrect size hole, affecting performance. Parker checks all the consumables they sell, making sure you receive quality products. However, if you are willing to inspect the large quantity purchases from the "cheap" vendors, and either toss the ones with too large holes, and fix the ones with too small holes, you'll save a substantial amount of money. I'd like to see Parker sell a large-quantity package, for just a bit more than the Upay vendors, with their quality inspection. They may do it, I haven't checked, but haven't had to buy many consumables at all, and will check on that, when I DO have to buy a bunch...

All in all, I've been VERY happy with the Parker. It's a great product, for the price. Sure, it's not a $1500 machine. But, in my opinion, it's a $1000 machine, for half of that. It has done everything I could have expected it to do, and more, and done it quite well. And all MY dealings with Parker, have been excellent!

Now, some might have a problem with buying Chinese instead of American. As a local Union leader, I have problems with that too. But, my philosophy is that I look first at everything I buy for American, and Union if at all possible. But, I also take into account that if I were to buy an American plasma cutter, I would NEVER own one, at the price, I just can't justify needing a $1500 plasma cutter for my home/hobby work. But, I can justify a $500 plasma cutter. So, since I wouldn't buy one anyway, if it was $1500, there's nothing wrong with taking advantage of a $500 one. I'm not taking my dollars away from an American company, which is what I try not to do. Now, if I were making money with one, I would have an American one, even if it took a long time to pay for it. Hope this makes sense.

If you are looking for a plasma cutter, I urge you to take a look at the Parker. For the reasons I've given, I don't think you can go wrong...

R

 

I could only find some 1/4"plate steel to test my new Parker PC on, so I practiced on this piece for awhile. I have never used a PC before and it takes a little time getting use to the proper torch speed, since the rate of cut is directly proportional to the thickness of the material being cut. I was cutting the 1/8" angle iron at quite a good clip, but when I cut the 1/4" plate I had to slow down quite a bit, but it cut it just fine. I just need to practice cutting in a straight line

Here is a picture of one of the finished cut on the 1/4" plate:



Here is a little video of the cut happening:

http://rides.webshots.com/video/3037...52948230ocjXMt

 

Just wanted to introduce my self. I'm Phil Jr. with Parker Metalworking Products and am happy to answer any questions you might have with any of our products. I try to get on the fourms a couple of times a day(time and workload permitting). Please feel free to IM me or just give me a call.

Have a good one.
Phil Jr.
480-983-6030
888-281-2820

 

I got a 36 amp harbor freight one had it for a few years. works great and was about 400 bucks.. if it fails i will be upgrading to that 50 amp parker!!! i would love to cut 3/4"!!!!! right now about mx max cut is 1/2" and its slow going. but 10x better then a cutoff wheel or grinder!

Ray

 

Nice to have you on board Phil! I have only cut a few things with my Parker PC so far, but I know it will really help me with my restoration projects. I've been using jig saws and die-grinders to cut with up to this point and although they work well enough it is really slow going. I just bought a 8' Ford truck bed for parts and using the PC will really speed up the process of cutting it up for patch panels.

 

The biggest problem I've had, is remembering I have it!! I was finishing up my welding table (friend gave it to me, mostly done), and had to have 1/2"+ holes for the big vice - after drilling with 3 different size drill bits, dulling two, I realized I could just blow them out with the plasma...perfect! One of my next projects will be to make assorted templates, of different size holes, just to have them. Getting better with it all the time. My next truck project with it will be pie-cutting a front bumper on the flanges, to make it straight, for the rear. The rear's are rather tough to find for the '51/'52's. It will be a challenge, but the spare front I have isn't worth selling, plus I'm going "paint grade" on the bumpers, anyway.

Wish me luck!!

R