Best Plasma Cutter Under $300, $500, $700, $1000, $1500 and $2000

Welcome to our comprehensive guide on choosing the correct plasma cutter for your desired budget. Today we are going to break down the best machines for a variety of different price ranges and explain to you why these machines are your best value.

We encourage you to take a look at plasma cutters both above and below your intended budget to make sure you’re getting the machine that fits your needs. If a machine is not on this list it does not mean that it’s bad, but rather we found a machine that we feel provides more value for the price.

Picking a plasma cutter is all about balancing power, features, build quality and price. Every machine has its place for different users and finding a machine that fits your specific application and expectations is what’s important.

If you plan to spend $300 dollars or less on a plasma cutter you will be getting a very basic machine that is built in China. These machines do work well, but lack any type of features and are built with lower quality materials compared to more expensive machines. The durability over many years can be questionable depending on your usage, so these machines are best for those who plan to use them in a non-professional setting. Machines in this price range can be an exceptional value for weekend warriors and with proper care of your machine you will get your money’s worth.

What To Expect In This Price Range

The Pros

• Very inexpensive
• 50 Amp machines available that can cut 1/2″ Steel
• Inexpensive consumables (easily purchasable online)
• Dual voltage machines available

The Cons

• Made in China
• No Pilot-Arc
• Sub-par torch consumables
• Cuts will not be quite as clean as more expensive machines

Getting a plasma cutter that costs around $500 is really the sweet spot that we recommend for users who are looking for a solid budget machine. What’s great about plasma cutters in this price range is that they come with pilot-arc. Pilot-arc allows you start your cutting arc without having to ground the tip of your torch to the piece of metal you’re cutting. This makes cutting a lot easier in many different scenarios and it helps increase the life of your consumables by preventing blow back. All expensive plasma cutters have pilot arc and it’s a feature that you can’t live without once you have it.

What To Expect In This Price Range

The Pros

• Machines come equipped with pilot-arc (huge feature)
• Very inexpensive compared to similar US made machines that cost over $1500
• Dual Voltage

The Cons

• Made in China
• Sub-par torch consumables
• Cuts will not be quite as clean as more expensive machines

When you get into the $700 range you can find more Chinese made machines that have higher amp outputs and more refined features/quality. These machines will typically be anywhere from 50-60 amps and will have pilot-arc built in.

The only thing to watch out for is whether or not they are dual voltage. Depending on your work environment you may want a dual voltage machine, but most 60 amp plasma cutters are not. Our number one pick for this budget is the Primeweld CUT60, which is dual voltage and has higher build quality compared to other machines in this price range. This one of the best Chinese made machines you can get for less than $1000.

What To Expect In This Price Range

The Pros

• Pilot-arc
• Most machines come with higher quality components (cutting torch/cutting torch consumables)
• 60 amps is the average amp output for this price range
• EURO style plasma torch connection available on some machines
• CNC Interface Ports available on some machines

The Cons

• Still made in China
• Cuts will not be quite as clean as more expensive machines

What’s interesting about plasma cutters in this price range is that there is not a machine that really beats the CUT60, which was our #1 pick for the best plasma cutter under $700. So in short, the best plasma cutter under $1000 is still the CUT60 from Primeweld (luckily it comes in way below budget).

Unfortunately a $1000 is not enough to get a USA made machine, so instead we have to look at what’s out there for machines made in China. The only other machines that really compete with the Primeweld CUT60 is the Lotos LTP6000 and LTP7000. Both of which are nice machines, but we feel the CUT60 is a better value based on the warranty and the upgraded torch.

What To Expect In This Price Range

The Pros

• Highest amp ratings available (Up to 70 amps)

The Cons

• Still made in China
• Most machines are not dual voltage

When expanding your budget to $1500 you are able to purchase a USA made machine that is both very high in build quality and cut quality. The top brands that we recommend are both Hypertherm and Miller. Both have fantastic plasma cutters, but if we had to choose we would give the slight advantage to Hypertherm.

Machines in this price range really show a build quality increase and you can tell that all of the components are built very heavy duty and can take a beating. This means that they can be used day in and day out without being prone to failure in a professional environment.

We also find that the torch consumables are very high quality and produce some of the cleanest cuts possible (although the consumables are very expensive).

Another thing to note is that USA made machines tend to perform more efficiently than the Chinese made machines we have tested. For example, the Hypertherm Powermax30 XP (30 amp machine) had slightly more cutting power than the LOTOS LTP5000D (50 amp) in our cutting tests. So don’t base you decision purely on amp rating, but rather the specified cutting range from the manufacture.

What To Expect In This Price Range

The Pros

• Made in the USA (Increased build quality)
• High quality consumables produce very smooth cuts
• Fine tip consumables available
• Great warranty and customer service
• Full range of replacement parts available

The Cons

• Very expensive compared to machines made in China
• Consumables are expensive

Having a budget of $2000 will get you a full on professional grade machine that can cut 7/8″ mild steel with a severance of 1/1/8″ mild steel. We recommend the Hypertherm Powermax45 XP. This machine is packed full of features and has a wide variety of torch options and consumables. This machine is CNC ready if you ever choose to use it on a CNC table.

If you’re a professional and looking for a do it all machine with the best cut quality you can find than we highly recommend the Powermax45 XP.

What To Expect In This Price Range

The Pros

• Made in the USA (Increased build quality)
• 45+ amps of power
• Machines that can cut 7/8″ mild steel (1-1/8″ severance)
• High quality consumables
• Fine tip consumables, flush cut consumables etc.
• Great warranty and customer service
• Full range of replacement parts available
• CNC ready

The Cons

• Very expensive compared to machines made in China
• Consumables are expensive
• Not dual voltage

Our Guides

• Full List of Our Plasma Cutter Guides
• The Best Plasma Cutters With Built In Compressors
• Our Plasma Cutter Shoot out

Manufacture Websites

• Primeweld
• Hypertherm
• Miller
• LOTOS