amy858•5d ago

Why I stopped using oxy-acetylene for most of my cutting work around here

I used to swear by the torches for everything. Been doing it that way for maybe 15 years. Then I picked up a plasma cutter from a guy leaving the trade in Houston back in 2021 for $400. Took me a good 6 months to really trust it on thick stuff. Now I only drag the bottles out for heating or when I'm working on something over an inch. The cleanup alone saves me about 20 minutes per job. Anybody else made the switch and found it worth it or am I just getting soft?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryan_carr595d agoMost Upvoted

Man plasma is a game changer for sure. Picked up my first one in 2020 and honestly felt stupid for not doing it sooner. The lack of slag and grinding time alone makes it worth every penny. Still keep the torch setup for heating stuff up or cutting real heavy plate but for daily work plasma is where its at. Sounds like you found a sweet deal on that machine too.

ryan_carr595d agoMost Upvoted

Wait you got your first plasma in 2020? Dude that's like peak pandemic times I thought everybody was hoarding tools back then. Honestly impressive you even managed to find one in stock let alone score a sweet deal on it. I remember trying to buy a welder around that time and it was a nightmare everything was backordered for months. How bad were the prices during that whole mess? I feel like I heard people paying double for stuff that was already overpriced.