Customer Reviews for Lotos 50 Amp Non-Touch Pilot Arc Inverter Plasma Cutter for Metal, Dual Voltage 110V/220V, 1/2 in. Clean Cut

I read alot of reviews on this cutter before purchasing it and tried to have everything I needed to complete hooking it up when it got here. Some of the reviews stated to use alot of teflon tape on the connections to the regulator. I taped, taped and retaped and they still leak some. The ground lead is much too short. The machine itself is amazing. It was alot smaller than what I was expecting but after hooking everything up I tried cutting 1/8 " angle iron and it zipped right through it. So far I've cut up to 1/4" metal and have not had any problems. I do have it plugged into a 220 outlet as that is what others recomended. Looking forward to trying out on larger projects.

I bought this unit to work on my street rod a year ago and found it to be a great little unit for sheet metal removal and repair. I have used for thicker metals and it performs with no hesitation. Assembly was a snap for me and I set it under my mig welder on the same cart.

I haven't used it yet cause it doesn't tell you that it comes with a 220 plug if you want to use it with 120 you have to purchase the adapter so I'm waiting for that.

I really didn't need one but a plasma cutter has been on my bucket list for some time. I wasn't willing to spend the money for the gold standard Hypertherm or Thermal Dynamics as I just want to occasionally cut some sheet metal or angle iron or square tubing. I do have an Acetylene setup but would like cleaner cuts. I was going to purchase this on sale from Amazon, but it seems that they have had a high failure rate and you have to pay the shipping both ways for warranty service. I was assured in a chat with the HD customer service rep that I could return the unit to any HD store if it failed, so I purchased the 3 year warranty for a mere $60.00. They were also nice enough to match Amazon's price on the unit. Free shipping also, so it was a no brainer to buy it from HD. The unit arrived undamaged and I set it up on a cheap HF welding cart which I had bought and assembled on anticipation of buying a plasma cutter. I threaded a quick disconnect for my compressor hose into the air regulator. Threaded one of their barbed fittings into the output side. Screwed the air gauge into the back of it. I found that the screws in the unit turned when I tried to remove the 8mm nuts to which you fasten the regulator. I had to grind down an 8mm end wrench to hold the inner nuts while removing the outer ones, but no big deal. Installed the regulator and the hose. The regulator is also supposed to be a water separator, but I am yet to see any water in the bowl. Also you need to pull up on the regulator knob before you can turn it to set the air pressure. You should set your air pressure regulator on your compressor to 90-100 psi to limit the pressure to the unit's regulator. Then you can set the unit's regulator to 70-75. I cut a piece of the air hose provided and installed it with the hose clamps. Next, I connected the Torch's air connection, power connection, pilot arc connection, and the ground cable. The unit's power cord is very short but I have a 15' 10 gauge extension cord with the NEMA L6-30R 240 volt connector for my MIG welder and shop heater, so I was all set. I would suggest that you buy a 10 gauge extension cord rather than putting a new cord on the unit. Also the ground cable is only 10 feet but it has a very good material clamp on it's end. I guess that I can live with it. The instructions are really sparse. I can't understand why LOTOS doesn't spend a little time to write a comprehensive manual for this thing, but you kind of have to wing it and figure some stuff out on your own. Although the pilot arc unit doesn't require cleaning the material of paint and rust, it is important to run a wire brush or wheel a bit at the spot where you will connect the ground. A good ground is very important. I have read that a poor ground can cause heating in the unit. So I got all geared up and found a piece of angle iron and cut the heck out of it. I had never run one before but had watched a couple of YouTube videos. It has a wire standoff which barely keeps the torch from contacting the work, but I soon got a feel for holding the unit a bit away from the work. It does slice like butter and makes nice cuts. I wonder if I will ever use my acetylene torch again. Maybe for big stuff. When I was done, I noticed a little slag on the torch tip. I have a small wire brush which cleaned it right up. I think that it is also important to do this each time you use the unit. Sometime this week I'm going to drag an I-beam into my shop and see how this unit does on thicker material. I hope that the unit will last for many years. I have read most of the negative reviews here on HD and on Amazon and believe that many of the problems are caused by customer unfamiliarity with plasma cutters. Some units in the past have arrived DOA. Lotos says they now test them before shipping. They have also supposedly updated the electronics this year for better reliability. I think some have been damaged in shipping. Others aren't set up correctly. Some probably have poor results because they don't have a 240 volt power source. I hope mine continues to work great but, if it fails, I hope to take it back to HD for repair or replacement, at least for 3 years.

Purchased and imported to Canada. Unit does not work. Faulty dryer and pressure gauge. Manufacturer said the dryers are fragile. Sent me a replacement and was poorly packed. This one broken too. 3 weeks in and getting ready to bring it back to Home Depot

Needed repair straight out of the box in order to function. I recently purchased this Plasma Cutter. When I first tried to use it, it would not start. I pulled the handle apart and found that an electrical connection inside the handle for the switch was not mated. I made that connection and then it worked properly. The switch in the handle was obviously not tested prior to shipping, so LOTOS has some quality control issues. Some other notes: This thing really cuts metal. I have cut through thin sheet metal and mild steel up to 3/8". It cuts very well. The hold off that comes with the unit to keep the torch off of the metal you are cutting does not work very well. It cakes up with slag quickly, then makes smooth motions difficult. I pulled it off and now use the torch without this, and that approach works well. The plug that comes with the unit is a 30 AMP 220 Volt plug. Note that this is a different size than a 20 AMP plug, even though they look very similar. Check the outlet in your shop to make sure it is a 30 Amp fitting, or you will need to replace the plug on this unit. I did that, and it cost me about $10. I will update this review as I get more experience with the unit. I hope that it holds up and is reliable. I am finding that I really like having the plasma cutter capability in my shop.

Good buy for home craftsman at a great price. Probably not heavy duty enough for a busy shop but works fine for my home shop at 1/3 the price of Miller.

The Lotos 50 is a great plasma cutter for the price. The cut is clean and easy.

I have been cutting and welding for over 45 years. After purchasing this machine I plugged into 220v and set my air pressure at 75 PSI. I have used it to cut 1/2" spring steel, 1/4" aluminum, 3/8" brass and 1/4" stainless steel. So much better than my days of oxy-acetylene torches and band saws. This is a time saver because it takes to conductive materials like a hot knife to butter and allows me to follow patterns with ease. It reduces the amount of waste materials making the things I create much more profitable. For the price it would be extremely difficult to beat.

So far so good with product cutting mostly 1/4 steel plate

So I received my plasma cutter and put it together. It didn't work so I called Lotos customer service. They got back to me within a day and said to open it up and test a couple things. I did what they said and it still didn't work. I was really surprised that they wanted me to be the repair tech instead of sending me a new one. I returned it to Home Depot store with no problems.

First time with a plasma cutter ,and happy to say it worked perfect. The price @homedepot.com was also perfect ! If you are looking to buy a plasma cutter check out this one from Home Depot you won't be disappointed ! Little tip ,if you have a welder change the twist plug on the cutter to one like your welder just makes it handy in the workshop !

Don't buy if you plan on using the 110. It would barely cut 18ga, about 6 inches at a time before it blew my breaker. Other than that simple to use seemed high quality minus the regulator. The whip was nice and had a swivel ball to rotate the gun. I'm sure with a proper power source this thing can perform.

This little Plasma Cutter is a snap to set up and use. I have tested it on both 240v and 120v and it works great! I even used it with a 100 foot 12ga extension cord on 120v and it zips right through rusty metal on the job site. Since everything only weighs only 20 pounds, this unit will be part of my standard tool box supplies. Home Depots sale price allowed me to buy the 3 year protection plan and still beat units for sale on the internet. I'll save money and time not having to buy metal cutting disks for my grinder. For the money, you can't go wrong with this cutter.

very small but delivered every thing as described, will use this product in plqace of acetylene torch.

Great product plus great price. My Miller PlasCut Jr. died after 15 years of service but it would only cut 3/8 steel and it was expensive. The Lotos can cut twice the thickness for under 300 bucks! I'm very happy that I took a chance on this cheaper product.

I wired the LOTOS plasma cutter for 220 so I could be certain of reaching the 50A output. After just two or three cuts on various ferrous materials ranging from 10 gauge to 1/2", I was fairly confident in my ability to make clean cuts. The results are much better than with the old oxy-acetylene setup that I've used for years. The dross chips off easily with a welding hammer or wire wheel. The best part may be that the cut material doesn't get nearly as hot as it would with the torch. For the 1/2" material, you must go slowly, while thinner material cuts quickly. I haven't figured out why the output amperage is adjustable when the manual recommends 50A for everything. To get something comparable to this machine you should expect to pay $800 or more.

I do a considerable amount of metal work and refuse to pay the price to rent bottles of oxy/acetylene. I bought this on the recommendation of a friend. Assembly was easy but had to make another pigtail for my 220 plugs, I wish they made those things standard and having used a mig welder for a number of years after I assembled the inner nozzle I dipped it in Lincoln nozzle gel then put the outer ceramic shield in place. I periodically put more gel as I work. Having said all that I wish I had bought one of these years ago. I cut 10 gauge rolled steel plate, use a piece of angle iron for a guide and it works like a dream. I did attempt to free cut some knife blanks out of 1084, 1/4 and 3/8 inch thick and it turned out ok but that was me, not the cutter. I think if I create a template I will be fine. It cuts 3/8 and 5/8 cold rod and rebar easily and clean. I did read the posts prior to purchasing and admit the power cord is short and the negative lead could be longer but for my workshop 24X30 it works well. I like it and would recommend it.

I have only used this cutter once just to try it out when I got it. I had a half inch piece of steel and it cut right through it with two passes. I can,t give a true rating as I have not really used it for any real work yet!

Works awesome came in a timely manner and worked just as described would buy again

I love this plasma cutter! Used this unit twice so far and it greatly exceeded my expectations.

Fired up the new plasma cutter using 220v connection. It cut through 1/2 steel plate like going through butter. Excellect item. I wish I would have bought one a long time ago.

Like some of the other reviews, I agree that the compressed air supply coupler could be better constructed. I ended up making my own. Instructions were a bit vague. But this unit cuts like nobodys business. I've used it for about six total hours and it hums along with zero issues. I'm happy with it.

good product has good ratings seems to do the job it was intended for

Can't go wrong...cut as fast and smooth as any cutter out there at a fraction of the price. Have only used on 220V so can't vouch for its 110V ability. If this one ever goes out I won't hesitate to purchase another one...only complaint is plastic component of torch overheats at max duty cycle... but it has held up to continuous use. Thoroughly pleased with my Lotos.

It was easy to hook up. The product takes both 120 and 240 volt witch is very nice. It also easy to use.

great product,light weight.awesome price.cant beat it

I was a bit skeptical about this machine because of the low price. After using it for a Jeep restoration, I am very impressed with it. It has very little trouble cutting through 1/4 mild steel, which I used for some reinforcing. Sheet metal is effortless. Good machine!

For the money ya can go wrong work pretty good Ive cut sheet metal and metal up to 3/8 inch thick works pretty good just have to cut slow or you will get slag I hooked mine up to 220 volts right of the bat figured 120 would not do much so never even tried so all I can say it for the money its not bad for such a small unit

If you get one out of the box that works as advertised, you got a deal... Otherwise you will have a fight with HD... Buy it from someone else.