Super Cut 50 Review

[WAYNESWORLD]

I am posting my review of the Super Cut 50 that I won. I am going to state both the good and bad as I see fit. Now keep in mind that this unit cost me nothing and I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth but I was asked to provide a review and I cannot in good conscience over look the obvious. I am not running for election nor am I looking to step on any ones toes. If your opinions differ so be it and as long as we are respectful of each other we can discuss matters in greater detail. Please note that I am not looking for arguments so kindly refrain from bashing.
First, a little about me. I have been in manufacturing for over 30 years starting in tool & die which included a lot of welding and fabricating. I have worked in high level OEM and custom machine manufacturing from design to building, wiring (UL, CE and ISO compliant). I currently manage the engineering product support team at a major defense contractor and serve as the Lean Manufacturing Six Sigma plant practitioner. I am also bald and according to my wife a little paunchy around the mid section.
The unit was well packed and there were no signs of damage. All parts were accounted for as per the parts list. This is a nice looking unit, better than most imported welders I have seen. General fit and finish is impressive
The first thing I did was to review the enclosed instructions and quite frankly they read like a comic book. I did print out and read the manual from the web site.
A few things that caught my eye while looking at this new toy were the wires lying against the punched louvers (more on this later) and the cheap looking switch on the torch. I was hoping for one of the newer style torches that I have seen on the web site like the Ergocut S45. I would rank this torch as a hobby duty piece since it is my opinion that a commercial unit would have an integrated switch not one with an exposed spring that is held on with wire ties. Now the switch did function and the torch was comfortable and easy to articulate while wearing gloves so the cheapness may be more perception than actual fact. None the less I would hesitate to place such a unit into a production environment for fear of a failure.
When I went to install the air pressure regulator the screws supplied are too long. There is a cover hold down screw on the top of the unit that is in line with one of the regulator mounting bracket screws. I opted to shorten the screw via a belt sander. The regulator is a quality piece and came with the necessary fittings and hose to complete the installation. My shop air system uses a large piston type compressor with an IR refrigerant style drier but I added a disposable air tool filter as added protection. I placed the filter after the regulator due to the high pressure of the shop air.
Since I had to remove one screw to shorten it I decided to remove the rest of the screws to get a better look at those wires that were resting up against the sharp punched edges of the louvers. Once the cover was off I was impressed with most of the inner assembly. The placement of the components and the solder joints both surface and through hole looked good. I did notice a few wrung out phipils head screws on the inner frame. My real concerns were related to the lack of protection of some of the wires that may be compromised due to vibration or repetitious movement of the machine and since the machine has a carry handle I would surmise the unit will be tossed about like any other piece of portable equipment. In one area the wire was wire tied to a sheared edge of the frame. I added some spiral wrap to the areas of concern and secured the cover back down.
I wired on the appropriate plug and carried the little green box outside to see what it would do. Now the weather this week was not conducive to working outside with electric so it has taken me a week to get this far. I have the garage full with no room for flying sparks and my latest project is a freshly painted firewall and engine compartment on my 55 T-bird so I could not push it out into the rain. My first cut was on a slab of .750 blancher ground 1018 cold rolled steel. I am mounting an arbor press on this plate and needed to add the cut out. I started with 75 psi and the power at 50 amps. It started to slice through but the flame was curving and fading towards the bottom of the cut. I reduced the pressure down to 65 psi and this improved the cut. I played around with the pressure and pressures and ended up with full power and 60 psi netting the best results. One problem I was plagued with was the machine kept shutting off. This may have been my fault. I found if I attempted to drag cut it would shut off after 30 seconds or so but I could cut much longer if I held the tip slightly above the work piece. I also had problems with the restarts. It seemed to start sometimes but not always. I did a pierce cut and some chamfer cuts as well. Other then the shut off issue the machine performed well on the ¾ plate. I finished the cut and even sliced through some old 3/8 hot rolled steel I had. The machined really shined here. The cuts were quick and clean. I would have tried a few more cuts but it stopped working and I ran out of time. Again, I may be doing something wrong so until I can talk to the technical staff at Everlast I will refrain from any negative thoughts. The machines general performance was impressive. I am a bit confused with regards to the capacity of the unit: The instructions state the cut thickness as being 14mm based on the 220vac input but the web sits indicate up to 1 inch. That is quite a disparity. I hope to get some clarity on this and based on the typical response time of the crew at Everlast I am certain it will be handled quickly.
It did not take me long to appreciate what this little green box can do for me. As soon as I resolve the stop/start issue I will find a few more things to burn through. At this point if I was asked for a recommendation I would have to qualify it with the following stipulations:
• This unit is a great value. You get a sizable, powerful cutter for the money.
• This unit is not in the same category as some of the higher priced big brand units but you are not paying the big price. It would however probability give them a pretty good run for the money.
• This unit is made in China but the quality is not typical Chinese. It seems to be much better than most other foreign made machines. Though I would like to see the manufacturing related issues resolved.
• In its current configuration I would not consider this unit to be a heavy commercial or industrial machine but I would recommend it for light commercial, hobby or general fabrication usage. With a few changes I think it could get to the next level. I would question the reliability of the torch switch and the potential for an impact/shock type of failure. A failure mitigation design review would determine the level of G load and vibration this little box would survive.
This sums up my Review of this Super Cut 50. Remember I won this machine in a contest and I am genuinely grateful to have won it. I currently have on order (back ordered) with Everlast a 250EX Tig welder. After seeing the way this unit is build and performs, I am really looking forward to receiving the Tig welder.
Wayne

[WAYNESWORLD]

All,
Feel free to post or link this review to any other site. I only ask that the content or context not be altered in any way.
Wayne

[performance]

Wayne,

The little unit is our entry level unit. It is generally a tough unit. I have spent all afternoon carving on a trailer to rebuild it with an older supercut.

But, when you do get to the duty cycle limit, you will have to let the unit cool sufficiently to prevent overheating. You can't use it and let it rest a little. It needs to rest while running for at least 4 out of 10 minutes to keep it running well. Once duty cycle is exceeded, it may take a little longer even to cool back to its normal operating cycle.

The torch IS a heavy duty torch and is perhaps the most trouble free torch we have had in the past. It is a panasonic designed torch. It is also the basic torch that ESAB has used with the same type mounted switch for years. Yes the ties are wierd, but it is not anything that was just slapped together. The torch has been around a long time. Consumable wear is good and easy to replace.

We have had some foul ups by our web designer in misassigning the wrong specs. This unit is geared for a maximum of about 5/8 inch with the occasional 3/4 -7/8 severance cut. If your were continually cutting for long periods of time with 3/4 or thicker, you will run into heat problems.

Drag cutting is only intended for 3/8 inch or so for any extended period of time. And in general, I would say it is forbidden over 1/2 inch.


If the unit is not operating, Mike can walk you through some simple steps. It is likely to be something simple or amiss. I had a similar problem not long ago. I thought...great. this is happening to me..but, I checked everything several times, and nothing worked. Turns out on the last check, and the third time the cover had come off, The plug I had put on it had come loose internally at the connection. It started shutting off and then would repower for a few seconds as well. Apparently it was making just enough connection that it would work until the connection would arc or cool down enough for the internal connections would shrink enough to touch together again.

[WAYNESWORLD]

Hello Mark,
Thanks for the suggestions but I do not believe it was duty cycle or heat related. I base this on the fact that I was working in 40deg weather and most times I could not get the machine to cut past 30 seconds. I had some one watching the over current light and it never came on. It did however cut some passes 2-3 inches long in the ¾ material with out shutting off but that was holding the torch above the part. To clarify the situation: when you press the button the air will start to flow but no arc or spark will ignite. The post flow will time out and you may or may not get positive results on the next try. If the torch started right away it would likely cut for a while but if it took several tries to start then failure was assured. This also held true when cutting the 3/8 material. I was able to start and sever several sections as long as it started on the first pull of the switch. I think you may be correct in the possibility of a loose connection, I will check every thing over when I get the chance. I do not believe it is any thing serious; I just did not have the time to investigate. I do like the machine and now that I know what the capacity really is I am even more impressed with its performance cutting the ¾ steel. Most companies tend to over state the limits of their equipment, I can attest to the abilities of this machine to reach the capacity with confidence. As for the torch, like I said “it is my perception” of the unit and that in no way implies there is a short coming in its ability to endure. Will you be offering the latest designed torch with this model plasma or is an upgrade available? Will the current or the new torch accept any over the counter consumables or are they all proprietary? I applaud you and the team at Everlast for a good product at a fair price (this equates to value) and even more for your support and customer service.
As I mentioned in my previous post I ordered my 250EX on August 24th and I am quite excited to receive the newest offering from Everlast, I just hope it arrives soon.

Wayne

[roadymi]

Wayne,
I had similiar symptoms to what you describe with the plasma on my combo machine. I discovered that I did not have the electrode and tip screwed tightly enough. At first I just finger tightened them and soon learned that they work loose. I would then have intermittent arc. I learned to give them just a slight turn with a pliers and have had no issues since.

[performance]

Yes,
This is a common issue. It is worth checking. I have had it happen myself. The electrodes sometimes will work loose slowly. Or, I don't get them in securely.