Hearing the older experienced welder say he is very impressed with the machine says all I need to know to go out and buy one of these machines.....good video.... thanks much.
It was 40 years ago since I took metal trades in high school. It has probably been 25 years since I have been paid in the metal trades. I mostly do woodworking now. When they sent me this to review, I figured he would be much more knowledgeable than me since he has been in the metal trades for 60 years and still does it daily. After watching him use it, I wanted to keep the machine. I had already told him I was giving it to him so I am going to have to buy myself one also. He is using it to build a cnc plasma table.
Hooked up little Bestarc plasma to my newly built JD^Garage cnc plasma table and it worked great, just be sure to use shielded cable to the switch. Thanks for letting an old person use new technologies. I recommend this little machine.
They said they were sending the 7th gen, but we got the 3rd instead. It was a great machine. Fingers crossed that they may send out the 7th gen to test.
Pops had put a table on Craigs list for sale and a guy drove from out of State to come get it. It is amazing what old people will collect during a lifetime.
Going to buy one now! i don't do this alot but having a 200 dollar one is an easier pill to swallow then a 1000 dollar one that gets used once or twice a year
I agree, it is had to spend $1000 on tool that is only needed a couple of times a year. It does say a lot that my Dad who has a $1000 machine, that when his last one went out bought another $1000 machine, likes using this one better.
I am glad to hear it has lasted. Pops was asking how it was so much cheaper and lighter than his miller but was able to cut thicker material. I told him the miller probably had a longer duty cycle and would last longer. Knowing it will last a couple of years and can buy 5 of these for the price of one Miller make me confident it is a good deal. Thanks for the info.
@@ShopRamblings yes for the price I don’t think you can beat it if mine quit working today I’d order a new one in a heartbeat the 7th gen though, they came out the same week I ordered mine should have went with it for some upgraded features but I’m still happy with it.
I agree. However, Pops said his Miller stopped working, and he sent it in for repairs. I think he said it was going to be around $800 to repair. It wasn't 20 years old. You could replace this one 4 times and still save money. In a commercial setting, I would still get a higher end machine, but I think this one will work fine for the average individual.
Got mine yesterday. Packaging was in great shape. Opened the box and the pressure regulator knob was busted off. Poor internal packaging or it was already broken when they packed it. I took the cover off and fixed it, but the regulator was pushed into one of the circuit boards, so I figured it's better to just return it and get a replacement. Now I gotta wait another couple of days. :(
Excellent demonstrational video.....certainly very informative. I need one of these plasma cutters to cut three pipes that I'll be using to make three smoker grilles. Any idea how long these machines will last and if they come with a warranty period? Thanks for the video.
My dad is still using it, and it is still working great. He does more than the average person. I also got one of their welders. All of their products are good quality.
They also use T15 which is also known as a tool steel. The only true way of finding out what it is is to send it to a metallurgical shop. They can scan this using a laser or a radio frequency machine AKA x-rays can you give me the composition they might even do this for free. But thank you very much for doing the review on this machine as I have been interested in it for some time.
The chipmunks inside the machine take the volts and spin them really fast. As the volts drop the amps increase. I have not looked up the output voltage but you can put out 70 amps at 30 volts on a 20 amp 110 volt breaker.
I believe the difference is one you have to touch the metal to start the arc and the other you don't. I am not a professional metal worker. My Dad has been for around 60 years. He was genuinely impressed by this machine. The machine he had cost 4x what this one does and could not cut what this one can. The difference is the duty cycle. His is a commercial machine that can basically cut all day without stopping. This machine may have to cool off after a lot of cutting.
Great video! Thanks. Any idea what the difference might be between the 2nd generation and 7th gen on Amazon? They look the same to me. What gen did you order?
Nevermind, I looked at the comparison on Amazon and they added a digital screen for the 5th gen and on. I actually like the analog dial for less money. All other features and settings look the same.
Most cnc tables use low frequency plasma machines. I states this is a high-frequency machine. They sell a low frequency machine. It sounds like you didn't know what you needed and bought the wrong thing. That is the good thing about free returns.
@@ShopRamblings When I bought my Bestarc Gen 7 I wasn't shopping for a CNC plasma table, but soon after experiencing the improved capabilities of the Bestarc, I was looking at ArcDroid and a few others, only to find out the low frequency requirements. By that time i had my Bestarc long enough that the free Amazon returns had expired.
It depends on what you want to cut. My dad had a Miller. This will cut thicker material but has a lower duty cycle. I believe this I better than the Miller unless you are doing.production work.
Hello, My concern is my compressor’s flow rate is 2.2 CFM at 90 psi Just wondering if that would be enough output for this particular plasma cutter? I’ll be cutting no thicker than 1.0 mm Thanks
Bestarc says it needs around 8cfm. That would be cutting at max pressure. At 1mm you will not need as much pressure so you will not be using as much air. It would probably work but you may have to wait for the tank to fill between cuts.
@@ShopRamblings I just bought a 10 gallon Fortress air compressor today with 4.3 SCFM @ 90 PSI, 5.4 SCFM @ 40 PSI… this should be plenty for what I’ll be doing Thanks again
what is the cfm /tank size of your compressor? Amazon ad says recommended air flow is 250Lm-or 28 cfm…I have s 26 gallon and cfm is only about 8 at 90psi🤔
I was at my Dads shop. I am not sure what size his compressor is but it was way bigger than needed. It only kicked on once all day. What you cut and if you are running 110 or 220v will determine how much air you need. Their recommended is enough to run the machine at max. If you plan cutting with 110v or thinner than 1/4" it will not take near about as much. It also depends on what you are cutting. Are you cutting 2" pieces of angle iron or 8' sheets. If you are not constantly making long cuts the compressor should be able to catch up in between cuts or you may need to wait for the tank to fill.
In a perfect world just use new metal. In the country we use what we got. Before you could you could be back with a grinder the cut would already be made.
My friend is mopping up his mess sloppy sloshing noises then these 2 smacking while speaking not reading a script with junk around, plasma box trash everywhere. Who's more annoying? I can't tell
