February 18th, 2009 
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Many people go to the store for a welding machine and they know exactly what to buy. When you are going to buy a plasma cutter there are more issues to take into consideration because of the way it is made.
When you are looking for a plasma cutter the first thing to consider is what you will be cutting most of the time. Plasma cutters are generally rated by how thick the material is that you will be cutting so it is important to make sure that you do not have a machine that will undercut the metal you are working with most of the time.
As you look at plasma cutters study each make and model to see what they do and how they do it. You will choose one that will fit your needs for what you want to do. One way to do research on this is to go to online forums that discuss this topic. People will talk about what they bought, what it does, why it works for them and more.
What Brand To Buy
This is not something that can be answered for you because you will have to decide based on what you need. There are four major brands: Miller, Hobart, Firepower and Hypertherm. Each of these is a good brand but they all have different prices for lots of different plasma cutters. You will need to shop around and comparison shop before you buy.
The Power of the Output
Each plasma cutter will have a certain amount of power it puts out depending on the thickness and the type of material that you are going to cut. The thickness will also tell you the right sized nozzle opening that you will need and it will determine the type of gas, the amount and the air that you will need to use it.
The way to figure this out is to think about the type of metal you will be working with most often and then check the cutting capacity that the machine has that you want to buy. Also, check the cutting speed because some plasma cutters are faster than others which cuts down on the time it takes you to produce your work.
Finally check the amperage that you will need. Someplasma cutters are able to use multiple currents and this may be important to your needs.
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I would suggest any American made plasma cutter in your price range.
Talk to your husband's work friends to find out if he has a favorite, obviously he has mentioned it if you know he wants one.
Many sources on the internet to purchase, however buying from your local source allows you to deal with warranty and returns easier and not have to deal with shipping. Look for local dealers that carry Lincoln, Miller Hypertherm. Make them put in writing that you can trade for a different model if by chance you got the wrong one.
Wow, what a wife you are!
I try to find the best place for you to buy hypertherm and thermal dynamics plasma cutter.
The prices are good and FREE Shipping.
From this link…
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=hypertherm+dynamics+plasma+cutter&x=21&y=22&tag=aor-sale-20
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=hypertherm+and+thermal+dynamics+plasma+cutter&x=13&y=21&tag=aor-sale-20
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=PlasmaCAM+Cutting+Machine+Model+DHC2+with+controlling+software.&x=11&y=15&tag=aor-sale-20
Hope this help. Good Luck!
Best is a matter of personal evaluation. Hypertherm seems to be accepted as one of the best liked plasma cutters around. I use miller welders, but my Miller dealer steered me toward the Hypertherm 1000. I've had it for two years and get along great.
plasma arc is for welding metels. plasma cutter is for cutting metels. "miller is the best". look at the amp of machines when shopping and the duty cycle.
Unfortunately, even "entry-level" cutters are pricey.
Avoid the mistake of purchasing the cheapest one you can find.
Try a local welding supply and see if they have rental units you can try before you buy.
if your planning on 1/4" and thicker good luck less than 1500 new, I'm blue power all the way (miller). check Craig's list and watch for machine shops going under, where I got mine. if your doing any amount of cutting pay attention to the duty cycle don't buy less than 60%.
Is there something else on the same 110V branch? That could have been causing your breaker to go off when you add the cutter load to it.
I'd also be worried about the drop in your wire. Does it do the same thing without the long cord? Try it.
Or your cutter has a problem…
EDIT: The IR drop in the cord could be causing the cutter to draw more current in order to maintain the same output power. That would trip the fuse. Try a heavier cord, or consider a 220v cord to your dryer outlet.
Are you looking to buy one or build one ? To get a controllable cut, the power supply needs to provide clean output characteristics and the ability control it. Some info :
Power Supplies
PAC power supplies are direct current electrode negative (DCEN). The process requires a constant source of DC and a high open circuit voltage (OCV) to initiate the arc (typically at least twice the operating voltage). The following is a summary of some basic differences among PAC power supply types.
DC Droopers. Early plasma systems included drooper power supplies, named for their drooping output power curves. These units provided a high OCV and relatively stable current and operating voltage. They used a fixed-output DC rectifier bridge consisting of a series of diodes to convert AC power from a transformer into usable DC for the cutting process.
These simple systems created a lot of power but wasted energy and had too much ripple in their output power. (Ripple is fluctuations in DC output that cause a rough cut and short part life.) To further regulate power output, multiple transformers could be used, each providing a higher level of output current.
Reactors. Reactor power supplies were the next step in power regulation. These used a reactor device to control the amount of AC voltage supplied to the bridge rectifier. The reactor consisted of a group of AC coils with a DC winding around it. The current in the DC winding controlled the amount of AC that passed through the reactor, which created an adjustable transformer that allowed variable DC output from the bridge.
SCRs. Silicon-controlled rectifiers (SCRs) are another type of continuously variable output power supply. SCRs convert three-phase AC power from a transformer directly to DC. They require huge capacitor banks and large transformers. SCRs are large and powerful and are used for high-amp PAC systems but are not well-suited to hand-held applications.
Switch-mode. Switch-mode power supplies use transistors to modulate DC power after the rectifier. Choppers are a type of switch-mode power supply that use power semiconductor devices such as isolated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), which take raw DC with ripple and chop it up, rapidly switching the power on and off to smooth the output characteristics. IGBTs can be fired much faster than old reactor-type power supplies. The result is a very smooth output power curve.
Inverters are another type of switch-mode power supply. They use devices such as transistors on the input side of the power train to raise the frequency of the AC into the transformer. Higher frequency input allows a much smaller transformer to be used. Because a smaller transformer is used, inverters are much lighter and more portable than conventional power supplies, making them ideal for hand-held applications.
Early inverter power supplies were limited by low output current and complicated design and poor reliability. When problems occurred, sophisticated techniques and troubleshooting were required to solve them.
Today's inverters are more reliable, robust, and powerful. Most manual PAC systems now use inverter or switch-mode technology. These sophisticated, electronically or microprocessor-controlled devices are better able to tolerate variations in line voltage, take more abuse in the field, and deliver better cutting performance while consuming less power
Most Chinese stuff is absolute crap and it's not worth wasting your money on.
Buy American.