Plasma cutter is 50 maps a good size

I am thinking about buying a plasma cutter for mostly 1/8" thick iron, max around 1/4" thick. seems like 50 amps is standard small size unit. Is this enough amps for home shop use. small jobs, plenty of time to cool between cuts.
Bill D.

For a maximum thickness of 1/4", I don't think 50 amps is really necessary. My Hypertherm Powermax 30 will cut 1/2" (barely), but 3/8" and less cuts very nicely. For what you're doing with it, the Hypertherm PM30 would be perfect.

I've owned a couple of the chicom machines...and they're really not that good. The torches feel like a kids toy, the consumables are expensive and you go through them rather quickly. Sometimes they cut decently, sometimes they don't. Each of mine worked for about a year before they quit, at which point I through the last one in the trash, quit screwing around and bought the HT. The HT torch and consumables are designed so that you can drag the torch on the work. Dragging will quickly foul the consumables on most other torches. I've probably cut over 100 linear feet (piercing, dragging the torch, etc) with my new HT unit, and I'm still on the originally installed consumables.

The other plus is, Hypertherm is made in the US.

+1 on the HT

I gotta add i have only ever had the chance to play with a hypertherm a couple of times at demos. After that though, every other make i have encountered s come a poor second. What is really bad is how many other makes slam the cheep Chinese machines but use the same frigging torch & consumables marked up through the roof.

Personally, i would love to get a hypertherm, just don't really have enough call to own a plasma cutter. Rest assured i would be buying a hypertherm too, not because there American made, but because there just the best out there, the profits get ploughed back into there development and its a genuine quality product.

I have had a Miller 625 Spectrum for about 10 years now and I LOVE IT!! I have cut 3/4" with it. It was slow and rough but got it done.
Like most things if you buy over the size you need it won't have to work as hard and you will have extra if you ever need it.
I only use my O/A torch for heating now!

I went with a Hypertherm 45 and have been very pleased with it.