Is a HyDef 3070 or Powermax 1100 worth it?

[Retro]

Hi there!

I was looking today for another plasma source.

I came across two Hypertherms.
A Powermax 1100 for 1000 bucks and a HyDef 3070 including many consumables, a gasmixer, controles... for 800 €. Both are in working condition.

Id like to have the option to use different gases for cutting an shielding. Thats what the HyDef offers. Would this work with a Powermax 1100 machine?

Got an opinion on these? The cutting thicknesses are equal as far as i see, the HyDef is way bigger then most machines.

[Retro]

Ok, i found the specs for the HyDef and it's worse than my current plasma. So, forget about it. But what about the Powermax 1100? I have to get a retrofit torch for the new consumables. It doesn't seem to be a bad machine. The 1650 would be nice, but too expensive.

[weldguy]

I would steer clear of that HyDef unit. The 1100 is a good old machine and if you were to outfit it with the new Duramax torch you would have great setup.

[Retro]

But the question is, is it bettee than my Kjellberg since both are more than 20 years old

[weldguy]

Well I have no experience with a Kjellberg however I learned it was a water cooled torch with HF start and getting rid of those to things alone would be a big benefit. I would say yes The 1100 would be better.

[Retro]

I mean, the HF start works great, no problems with my USB Controller at all. I'm getting my torch fixed by kjellberg, let's see how that works.

[RDA]

You do understand that these are 2 completely different plasmas? One is an old gen "high def plasma" and one is a simple air/air plasma. You saying the 3070 is worse than what you have now and then want to switch to a powermax doesn't really make sense either.

I guess you should decide based on your use case. If you have a simple small table and cut only "thin" stuff, then go for the powermax. If you want a real industrial machine and cut mostly on the thicker side then go for the HD3070, just note that spares can be scarce, if not now then for sure in the future.

Also comments about getting rid of HF and a water cooled torch is a good thing, why is that? You dont get a plasma like a 3070 without water cooling and very few without HF, I think Kaliburn/Lincoln has patent for non HF start on the high def plasmas but all the rest are HF.

[Retro]

I really have no troubles with my HF and if Kjellberg really can fix my torch, i will stay with that for longer. Usually i want to cut 8 mm steel, some Al less CrNi.
The Problem with the 3070 would be the power consumption which is worse then my plasma rn. And the size.

[RDA]

I really have no troubles with my HF and if Kjellberg really can fix my torch, i will stay with that for longer. Usually i want to cut 8 mm steel, some Al less CrNi.
The Problem with the 3070 would be the power consumption which is worse then my plasma rn. And the size.

Well this "The Problem with the 3070 would be the power consumption which is worse then my plasma rn. And the size." answers your question, go with the powermax if you have to change.
But comparing these 2 plasma's doesn't really make sense. Today's equivalent would be to compare the SYNC to an XPR and these are 2 very different plasma's.