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Thread: Aldi Plasma cutter
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12th Apr 2019, 03:06 PM #1New Member
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Aldi Plasma cutter
I see ALDI are having a special on workzone Plasma Cutters soon in South Australia. Can avyone tell me if they are a good brand or are they inferior quality.
The model has 35 amps and cuts to 10mm
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12th Apr 2019, 04:09 PM #2Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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12th Apr 2019, 07:38 PM #3Most Valued Member
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Everything Aldi sell is made to a price, the lower the price the better, unfortunately quality goes down as well.
I've seen some absolute rubbish there, I don't even bother opening their advertising flyers.
KrynTo grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.
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12th Apr 2019, 08:51 PM #4Golden Member
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Our Men's Shed had one, thankfully we were broken into and someone stole it
We replaced it with a Unimig Viper and I haven't heard any swearing when cutting since
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12th Apr 2019, 09:07 PM #5Most Valued Member
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So, they did you a favour then????? Probably find it in Cash Converters or at a Garage sale, if you're really interested in getting it back!!!!!!!
To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.
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12th Apr 2019, 09:29 PM #6Golden Member
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12th Apr 2019, 11:16 PM #7
HI JOHN
Welcome to our Metal Work Forums.
I'll near guarantee you will have problems with a cheap and nasty machine.
Start off by working out what metal/s you want to cut and in what mm thickness.
First you need to know that that the nominated 10mm cut might only be in aluminium. It is easy to get caught in the wording.
As the metal changes- aluminium, steel, stainless steel you will find that while it might cut 10mm Aluminium it will only cut a lesser thickness in Steel and and less again in Stainless due to the heat dissipation rates of the various metals. So, advertising that might claim it cuts 10mm,but it will be in Aluminum but not 10mm stainless steel.
Work out the biggest cut you may wish to make in stainless and go from there.
Look for unit thats preferably sold from a bricks and mortar shop-not online-,fewer problems with warranty-if needed. The machine needs to have has a reliable source of spare consumables and can be repaired quickly. Price is not the only factor!
Known brands that also make other welding products eg.mig,stick and tig machines are also a good indicator to finding reasonable quality.
Cheers and
Welcome again
Grahame
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13th Apr 2019, 09:27 AM #8Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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My understanding is that PC max Al thickness cuts are usually 2/3rds to 3/4 less than for mild steel.
I have seem some manufacturers claims for max thickness cuts to be the same for Al and MS but these are usually for just a few higher end machines.
Cheap PCs are a lottery and longevity depends on what its used for.
At the mens shed we have been given 3 cheapie PCs. One was bought on ebay and only a year or so out of warranty but in a non working state and not worth repairing. One we could no longer find consumables for and the 3rd one was a POS that struggled to cut more than 3mm MS.
A mate of mine who's more of an artist bought a cheapie on ebay about 6 years ago and its still going strong. He can still find most consumables and we had to do a minor repair on the torch a year or so back. He doesn't cut more than 1mm thick MS or SS with. he's tried 3mm but it he wasn't impressed with the roughness of the cut. I've cut a couple of thick pieces with my machine for him and he says that's what he will buy when his finally dies.
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16th Apr 2019, 11:17 AM #9Banned
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I have a number of Workzone tools. Never had any problem with them and found the quality to be pretty good, certainly good value for the price.
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17th Apr 2019, 08:07 PM #10Golden Member
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I have a pile of workzone tools too. The various spanners, etc. are pretty good - I do a lot of work on boats, underwater, etc., so it's great to have tools that I don't care about getting rusty. Cheap tools have a place.
However, I would never bother with something like an aldi welder, plasma cutter, table saw etc. - just too cheap and useless.
If you are still tempted, I'd check whether the consumables are standard/easy to obtain.
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9th May 2019, 07:30 AM #11New Member
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Aldi plasma cutter
Yeah, I bought one about a year ago. So far it has been great. I have cut 10mm steel with it.....it struggled and left a ragged cut but it did it.
It goes through 3mm like butter and handles 5mm very well. I was sceptical but am now very satisfied with it for occasional use.
I was concerned about getting consumables for it but found it uses a common hand torch and got about 20 sets of consumables for around $12 from China (Banggood.. they use PayPal + a 5 week wait.).
MIG tips for my small welder ... $11 for 40 off. (@.8mm)
Anyway, we'll see how long the PC lasts.
Note that you need 10amps for the PC plus probably 10 amps for your air compressor. I use 2 separate circuits in my shed.
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12th Sep 2019, 09:43 AM #12Most Valued Member
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Aldi Plasma cutter
I bought one for a birthday present when they were on special back in April. Gave it a quick test on some old 4mm steel checkerplate just to check it wasn't DOA. It cut that nicely.
It then had to go back in the box until my birthday last month
Used it in anger for the first time last night, cutting the mudguards off a ute tray. Probably 1.6mm thick but could be 2mm.
Seems to be a bit hit and miss as to whether the arc strikes up properly initially, but given it was on painted galvanised steel probably not ideal conditions.
Once struck it cuts well and definitely did the job much more easily than having to use cutting discs in an angle grinder. Also a lot quieter. Not that I have close neighbours but I'd happily use the plasma any hour of the day without fear of upsetting anyone - unlike the angle grinder.
Here's a couple of photos. Keep in mind this is only my second time using a PC and I didn't play with the settings much - just got the job done!
Steve
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12th Sep 2019, 10:35 PM #13New Member
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Aldi Plasma cutter
I understand the reluctance of some to buy cheapy gear. I have had to get refunds from Aldi myself. I only use the Aldi PC occasionally so a "proper" one would not be appropriate in my situation. Having said about cheapy Aldi gear, I keep my Aldi inverter gasless MIG right beside my bench. I own 4 welders including a quality 200 amp gas MIG which I run on CO2 but the Aldi MIG is the one I turn to first for tracking and small jobs.
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12th Sep 2019, 10:48 PM #14Diamond Member
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Seems to have done the job. My only observations as a relatively inexperienced PC operator, are that unlike a grinder, there's no physical contact with the work, hence no inherent guiding of the cut, or feedback when it gets harder or thinner. Also, an ideal cut means adjusting the amps or travel speed such that the plasma stream exits at an angle, not straight down - the latter means too slow a travel speed or too many amps, and leaves excessive dross to grind off.
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13th Sep 2019, 01:44 AM #15Most Valued Member
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With the cheaper units, when they say cut thickness it means its maximum thickness it will sever. If it is 3mm for example, it will/should cut 2mm without any problems.
More quality units will state severence cut, which means you'll get a rough cut, and cut thickness is a thickness where you'll get a nice neat cut with little dross on the underside of the cut. This is of course that you have ALL the settings correct.
KrynTo grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.
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