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.