LOTOS LTP5505D 55A Pilot Arc Plasma Cutter with Rust Removal Mode

I have included a few pictures of my first cutting project with my new Lotos LTP5000D that I got yesterday evening. I am making a type of hanger that goes outside by the front door. It will be a half circle with a circular image hanging in the middle of it. I had to use a plate from the kitchen to go around with the cutter - it was unbelievably easy! The half circle I had to do by hand - and had to clean it up with the grinder...but I expected that. Next I'll cut out the design that goes in the circular part, and then hang it within the half circle, weld a mounting plate to the half circle, and probably hang it outside. I am using 1/8" flat plate steel. I have a rather large, older plasma cutter I picked up at Harbor Freight many years ago. I tried to use it about 6 months ago and it's not working. I am getting back into metal work in the garage and wanted to get a new, portable plasma cutter. 3 days ago, I went to the 2 big box stores (L. & H.D.) and was disappointed to find that they don't even carry them in the store. I'm glad now that they don't. When I got back home, I went online and started reading info and reviews on diff. machines. Initially I looked at a couple in the $150-180 range on Amazon, but decided to spend more and get a much better one. I didn't know what pilot arc was but I ended up buying the Lotos LTP5000D...and ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!! My 220 in my garage I and a friend put in many years ago when I got my first plasma cutter. However, the 220 plug on the Lotos is the 3-prong circular pattern plug, which doesn't match my existing outlet. I looked at different ways to make it work, and eventually decided on this: I bought an adapter that has the circular female side and the male side is the two vertical blades (one wider than the other) and the round piece. I also ordered a matching 3-prong outlet, which I wired in place of the existing 220 outlet. It was simple...the two 110 hot wires to the two blades, and the ground (green) to the round one. I did have to go to Lowes this am to get a mounting box to install it. Found one cheap, got it installed, and started cutting metal. Yesterday, I had used the circular plug with the 220 to 110 pigtail and it worked fine...the first time with low amps because I was cutting out the bottom of an old coffee can to make a shroud for a small fan. Problem after that was that I popped the power strip when I was using higher amps and my compressor kicked on. I then plugged the plasma cutter into a different outlet, but twice when the compressor started while cutting, the whole garage power went out. That's when I knew for sure I needed to get my 220 line working, since it's a dedicated line that doesn't affect any other power in the house. Since it's been many many years since I've actually used a plasma cutter, it is taking me a little bit to get back up to speed, but this Lotos unit really makes it easy. And it works so much better on 220! I was nervous that my compressor would have a hard time keeping up, but to my surprise and pleasure, I've found that even running at 42 amps with the psi set around 55-60, when the compressor does kick on, it still is at about 90 in the tank, and only runs for about less than a minute. I'm so glad - don't want to buy a different compressor! Also, that pilot arc is awesome! I can see it really saving me on consumables - with my old plasma cutter, I had to get the torch down to touching the metal, which created a lot of blowback. With this one, I can start the arc much higher and work it in. Also, with the power of this machine, I can start the tip right on the metal and punch through the metal instantly...without the blowback on me or on the torch tip. This will definitely save money by making the tips and the electrodes last longer. So I'd say that after spending $335 on the cutter and about $70 on the pigtail and set of consumables, coming in around $443 for everything, and getting my cutter about 48 hours after ordering it, I am extremely pleased with the purchase. I can't speak for longevity or durability yet, but I can say that the cutter feels solid and well built, and the cords (ground and power/air/arc power combo) seem very durable and capable. For apparent quality, ease of use, and performance, I could easily give this many more stars - if that were possible. I can't say enough about the looks, the feel, and the performance so far with this machine. I've learned the hard way that products can start out amazing and then develop problems, so I can't speak for longevity as yet. But in the short (1 day) time I've been using it, I am extremely satisfied with my purchase, and would highly recommend the Lotos LTP5000D to anyone just starting plasma cutting, needing to switch/upgrade from a current machine, or simply needing a second plasma cutter around the shop or in the truck (this thing is LIGHT - compared to my MIG welder, and especially compared to my stick welder!!! oh...and I can't speak for customer service since I haven't had to contact them - and hope I never do. Get this plasma cutter!!! If it runs as good and easily as mine has so far, you won't regret it!!

I am pretty darn happy with this little cutter so far. Some thoughts as to what they could do to improve and some thoughts as to how it is out of the box. The air regulator was missing a couple pieces out of the box, nothing you could not find at the local hardware store for a couple bucks, but I have informed them of the missing parts. They responded even on a weekend that they are checking into it. I also noticed that the plug was not the same as the other 220 plugs I have on my other machines so I would have to get an adapter, but I had already ordered the optional 110 converter as well so I decided to try that out first. That little accessory in my opinion should be included. I would gladly have paid an extra $30 to have it in the package. The air regulator fittings are very loose fitting. Not sure if the fittings and the regulator are slightly mis-matched or what, but several wraps with some teflon tape (like a lot of wraps) and everything is sealed up with no air leaks. Like the other reviewer I noticed that the hose would not seal well, but after cranking down on the clamp I was able to achieve 90% seal, haha. tiny little hiss still but nothing overly worrying. I will be replacing the hose with rubber as well or maybe some good silicone hose. I thought it odd that the ground clamp (or is it positive clamp?) is a good bit shorter than cutting lead. I am sure it would not be a big deal to extend this piece either at home or at the factory, but if I were the manufacturer that would be on my to do list. It is over a foot shorter if not 2 feet. Kinda weird, but it really does not kill the product, just an oddity that I will address one way or another at a later date. I also noticed that it does not seem to "positively" lock into the machine. Some of the other machines I have used, including my other Lotos welder it just seemed to lock in there better. More on this later. So after a glance at the directions to verify I had everything on there correct, I took out some scrap thin steel and some scrap .120 wall chromoly tubing from my scrap pile. I chose these pieces as they were pretty darn rusty. I wanted to see how well the pilot arc would do. I set it on about 40 amps with air pressure at my regulator at right around 70. Note on my regulator on my big compressor setting it to 70, when you pull the trigger it would drop down to about 60. Not certain if the machine would have issues if I turned it up higher, I left it at this setting. The machine cut through the 22 gauge sheet metal with ease. I was just playing around with it to make sure everything worked and it did very well. I am sure that I could have got the cut a little more narrow if I had turned down the amps, but I was just messing around to see how it did going across rusty areas and such. Travel speed will also have an effect on the width of the cuts I am sure. The faster I moved on this thin metal the thinner the cut was. I am sure there is an art to it like anything else. Moving on to the thick .120 wall chromoly tubing I went to cut and noticed it was having a hard time starting. Then the light came on...hmmm this was not good. Well as it turned out the ground clamp had popped out of the machine due to the ground wire being shorter than the torch cables and not positively locking in the machine. With the clamp put back in the machine and turned as tight as it would lock in there, I went back to the chromoly. This time it lit up perfectly and sliced right through the .120 wall tubing with ease. Once I got it dialed in the cut was very crisp and went very fast. Mind you all this was done on 110v. Being sick, I just wanted to test the machine when it arrived to verify everything worked. Next up will be some time with it on 220v once I get the new adapter plug. I plan to test out on some other materials such as aluminum and partially painted materials. Not sure if I can update, but if so I will add to this review.

As most are, I was leery about buying this. I got it on a lightening deal at a steal of a price for what its capability is. I figured what the hell, box showed up a couple days later, not too badly beat up. Opened it up and everything was as it said it would be. set up was easy and i was burning through some metal in no time. I started out on 115 volt being as that was available at the time. No problems with it, lit off easy and kept its arc. If you got higher on the settings on 115 it would trip the breaker, as expected. on 220 I never had a problem and could slice away. ThenIi started having a problem. the pilot arc (hi frequency) would start to fade away. I could hear it inside the machine but it was dying out at the torch tip. Double checked all my connections and such, and I could not find a problem. I called the tech support to see what was up and they had a trouble shooting guide they emailed me and wanted me to go through a few things. I did all of that and didn't have any luck. There were a few calls, emails, and videos sent back and forth. I was informed that the problem could only be fixed by swapping out for a new machine. So I was happy about that but not about paying for a shipping label. $69 in shipping for both ways. They were quick to let me know when they received my machine and to let me know when my new machine was shipped and also sent tracking. New machine was set up a little bit different for the air regulator and filter. I did not like this because i have a much far better set up for clean air in my shop. Other than that it works and cuts. I cut some 1/2" aluminum no problem and so far haven't hit the duty cycle. It was under a month that I had found the problem, contacted lotos, troubleshot and had a new machine. Sometimes they didn't answer the phone there after 2 or 3 no answers, I would send an email saying please call me and they were pretty quick to call me back. The new machine has a weird quirk where sometimes it won't relight instantly when you pull the trigger, you will have to wait for the air to stop flowing through it. other times it doesn't do this, for not I'm calling it good.

I haven't used it much yet to know about long term reliability, but so far I am greatly impressed. I have used other commercial brands of Plasma cutters, and this one works just as well as some that would have cost me 3X as much, or more. I got mine in a 'lightning deal' for $340, and i cannot believe at how well it works. It will cleanly cut 1/4 inch steel, with almost no slag if you watch your cutting speed. I have cut 1/2 inch thick steel with it, a little faster than my acetylene torch, and with about the same slag. Not too many years ago, that would have required a machine that cost upwards of $1500, amazing what technology is giving us. Now, getting something that works, and at such a low price does require some compromises. Here are the ones I have found: Ground cable - short. Fortunately, the machine itself is easy to carry, making it easy to bring to your work. Torch/torch cable - this is of a decent usable length, but it is not nearly as stout as what you will find on a commercial grade cutter. However, for the average user, who won't tug too hard on it when it snags on something, and takes a little care to keep it away from sharp edges and hot surfaces, it should hold up fine. Remember, this is a machine meant for hours of use per week, not per day. It quickly and easily connects to the cutter, so replacing it if it does cause problems should be quick and easy. You can also remove it if you aren't going to use the cutter for a while, to reduce the risk of damage. No hose connections. It does come with a little air filter/dryer, and a bracket to mount it on the back of the machine. It even comes with a length of air hose, but there are no hose barbs to connect it. There is one lone barb, that screws into the air inlet of the welder. To use the filter/dryer, you need to get your own barbs. I highly recommend you use the one they included, even if you already have a filter/dryer, because it also has a regulator built in, which is a great feature. I set the regulator for the pressure I want, and put a quick-coupler barb on the inlet side, and whenever I want to use the cutter, I just hook it so my shop air, no need to turn it down at the compressor. Instructions, or rather, a major lack of instructions. Fortunately, the cutter is built so that everything has a different connector, so the only way things can be hooked up, is the right way. However, before you actually try to USE the machine, please go on Youtube or somewhere, and watch a couple instructional videos. They give a couple pictures and tips for assembly, but nothing in terms of how to use it. No tips on air pressure, heat setting, etc. FWIW, I found that 20PSI works well with the lower part of fhe amp range for thin metal, gradually increasing pressure up to about 40 (working) by the time you get to the highest setting. Now, to the good, It WORKS, and works well, In anything under 3/16 inch, if you get the heat and air settings right, there is almost no slag. In sheet metal, it cuts like a hot knife through butter, if you will pardon the pun. Above 1/8 inch, you need to slow down a little, to avoid slag, and above 1/4 inch, it will almost always produce a little, but it doesn't seem to be any worse than a regular torch, and cuts faster. I have cut 1/2 inch, creeping along, and that is about the practical limit in steel. You probably could go a little thicker if you had to, but you are getting into the 'cuts it if it has to' instead of 'cuts it like it wants to'. A couple years ago I considered getting a plasma cutter, and the welding shop let me try one out, that seemed to have about the same capacity as this one does, and it cost right at $1500. I know they came down in price, but it still seems like a real bargain. I looked online, and this was listed as the 'best Plasma cutter under $500', After you end your cut, air will flow through the tip for a few seconds, this is normal, it cools the tip for longer life. Also, if you have a wire brush handy, a quick swipe over the cutting tip while it is still hot removes some of the spatter from it, making the tip last longer. It seems well made, all the controls work smoothly and precisely, and the cooling fan has a nice smooth hum to it. Light enough to carry in one hand, with a handle on top. I understand it comes wired for 240V, but can be run at 120V at reduced capacity. If all I had were 120V outlets, I think it would be well worth it to wire in a 240V socket for this cutter. Even doing thinner materials, it will cut much faster if you can use it to capacity. Lastly, if you are considering a plasma cutter, spend the extra $50 (or less) and get the one with the pilot arc feature (the 'P' in the LTP). Cutters without the pilot arc require you to start the cutting arc, much the same way you strike an arc with a stick welder. With the pilot arc, it 'sparks' to start the arc for you, so you never have to worry about touching the tip to your work, so the tips should last longer, while at the same time being much easier to use. Also, there is a little guide included, that you install on the gun, that holds the tip at the proper distance from the work, and preventing touching the tip. Works great on most any flat surface, and makes it that much easier to use.

I was pleasantly surprised when this plasma cutter arrived and functioned as promised. For the price I paid (which appears to have gone up quite a bit) I expected it to work, but I also expected it to work not as good as advertised. I was ready to settle because I needed a plasma cutter, but was not ready to spend big bucks on one yet. When I initially unboxed the unit I was surprised at how small and compact it is. My first thought was "No way this tiny thing will cut 1/2 inch steel." Turns out it does. And makes a pretty decent cut too! So I cut a few scrap pieces of steel, and it worked flawlessly. Ok, maybe this really is a great plasma cutter? Now I had a few projects on my list. The first was cutting some 3/8 inch AR400 steel to make pistol targets. The first one I cut was not very good. The cut was beveled horribly and the slag was just brutal on the back side of the cut. But before I passed judgment I needed to cut this AR400 on a flat table. You see I had the sheet of AR standing upright, it weighed over 250 pounds and I was alone that day, so moving it was not an option. The next day I had my son help me lay the sheet flat and I commenced to retrying the initial cut. I increased my airflow to 100psi (had a long hose connecting to the plasma cutter so I was factoring in for air pressure drop) and I also used a clamped on straight edge as a guide. Well that cut came out great! I did a slight clean-up on the cut using a grinder, but I was very happy with the quality of the cut. This machine is actually what it is advertised as. It is weird that I should be surprised by that, but you and I both know many companies have a tendency to over promise and under deliver. Plasma cutters use consumable tips which wear out quickly based on amperage, contact with the surface, and air quality. Keep the tip clean and off the work surface and they will last longer. Most importantly keep your air supply dry. Moisture in your compressed air will cause arcing in your tip wearing it out much faster. On my set-up I have a very large compressor which then runs through black steel pipe around the perimeter of my garage. That helps to cool the air and drops out a lot of the condensation. At my regulator, which is 45 feet of pipe away from the compressor I have an air drier. That hooks to my air hose and runs to a second air drier attached to the back of my plasma cutter. I am pretty confident I am getting some dry air to my machine. It really makes a big difference. I have cut angle iron, steel plate up to 1/2 thick, steel tubing, thin sheets of steel and even 1/8 aluminum diamond plate. All of the cuts came out great. I am very happy with this machine. The only problems I have had so far are cutting thick steel plate vertically does not give a great cut, so lay it down flat. the second problem is I am not that great at cutting freehand. the machine cuts where i put the tip, but my skills are not so great there. So I spend a little time making jig and then use that as a guide when I need to cut multiples of a certain design. Works great using a cutting guide.

Phenomenal machine. The price was shockingly low for the quality received. It cut simply and easily out of the box. Make sure to purchase a universal female coupler for the air input. After only a week, another guy in the shop bought one of his own. Fantastic and responsive customer service.

This plasma unit (my first) is extremely light and believe it or not, it "looks and feel" well made. It does NOT have the usual made-in-china crappy feel. For comparison my welder is a Miller Multimatic costing several times the cost of this plasma cutter. Obviously this plasma unit is no Miller but so far it can hold its own for metal cutting. The controls are easy to use including a digital display for the amp setting. The torch has a safety cover over the trigger. All the hoses and wires are covered by a rubberized plastic shield. When comparing these low cost plasma cutters, here're some Pluses of this unit: - NO contact with the material (using the included non-wire metal piece): This prolongs life of consumables, provides cleaner cuts, and is easier to use. Usually found on higher price units. - It works well under both 110/220 voltage - but you need a pigtail adapter to use it in 115. - Obviously it can cut much deeper under 220v ( up to 3/4 ragged 1/2 pretty clean) but at the right depth (¼ or less) it cuts just fine at 115v. Some people report cutting at ½ in 115v. I haven't. - As I said above to use it with 110 make sure to get / buy the pigtail adapter - It has a built-in air regulator with a water cup filter (insures your air is dry and clean): Comes included as a standard feature. Something that some $2000 plasma cutters lack. - It also has built-in male adapter for you to plug in your air hose from compressor. Notice you MUST have an air compressor to provide the air that will be turned to plasma. I've used it several times times and have loved it so far. At first I used at 115 but now I use it at 220. The consumables are available here in Amazon and in their own website (uwelding don't com) Cutting straight lines and circles require a steady hand. But most people use templates, straight edges or compass-like tools. They do make a compass-tool for this unit at their website uwelding.com. It allowed me cut circles of different radii up to 18 inches (for 36" diameter circles): I wish more people made templates for this plasma unit. I'm posting some pictures. Will post some videos. PS: I highly recommending getting a plasma water table to catch all the by products (slag) from the molten metal. Amazon sells one I love from 911motorcrossing. I've only owned it for a a few months. And after hearing all the horror stories I sort of expect it to die soon but it keeps on working.

Okay, I have owned two Hypertherm models in the past 15 years and am kind of comparing this one to what I have personally experienced with Hypertherm. I have owned a Hypertherm that was rated at 1/2 sever and one that was rated at 1" sever. this unit falls in the middle, rated at 3/4 sever. First, weight. This is MUCH lighter than either of the two Hypertherm units I owned. I have only been using it with 240 volt supply. Easily about 25% the weight and once warm weather comes around I plan on testing this extensively with 120 and 240 volt on a pile of metal I need to "clean up". First, this has the "pilot-arc", which is supposed to allow you to start the torch cutting with out actually touching the work. So far, this ONLY works in a very few and exacting conditions: the metal has to be very clean (no paint, no rust) and the torch head needs to be EXTREMELY close (almost touching) for this to actually work. With the included stand-off attachment, I get the the plasma flow to actually start about 1 out of every 20 to 25 attempts, and this is VERY frustrating. I finally gave up and took the stand-off off the torch head and just did drag cuts. This will wear out the tips faster but it also means *I* can work faster with out screaming. Speaking of this, I ordered the extra consumables; one because they are "consumables" and two, the ceramic cap on the torch head STRIPPED because I was rotating the stand-off on it. NOTE: the factory included ceramic cap is ALL ceramic, including the threads and strips if you even think of tightening it an extra 1/16 of an inch!! Now I have the consumables pack and, guess what?, the included ceramic cap has a brass inset for the threads !! Great improvement, how about including one for FREE with the unit? Okay, onward. My unit came in the factory box, no additional packaging, should have been okay but I have a bend in the front edge of the machine where the corner of the box was crushed. Bad ShIpping ! Unit is packed with an upper and lower foam padding, but somehow, something hit between these and cause and deflection in the sheet metal of the unit. Cosmetic and I am not going to cry about it. This is where some of the money is saved between this and Hypertherm. Hypertherm is heavy because of the frame and the much larger inverter, this unit uses thinner/lighter guage metals and obviously a smaller inverter (but in 15 years, smaller may be equal). Cutting: Down to the nitty gritty. I first cut some very thin sheet metal and had no issues at all, very nice. I was using about have output and 35psi. Then I got out a 3/4 piece of plate steel (my makeshift anvil) and cranked it up to 50 and 70psi. I will sever, it is slow (as to be expected) and not the cleanest but definitely a usable cut. Since the initial testing I have been cutting some 4" wide by 1/4 thick plate for a project and am very happy once I quit trying to get the pilot-arc to work for me. Drag cutting on the 1/4 was MUCH better than trying to use the stand-off attachment, plus, side the threads on the ceramic cap stripped, the attachment like to move too much. I would say that this is well worth the money and for my occasional use, should last me the rest of my years ;^) Lotos: Give us the brass threaded ceramic cap with the unit and improve the pilot-arc

I've had the unit for a week and it works very well. I'm using it to cut up shipping containers and all the steel work involved in the fabrication and it's so much better then using cut off disks on grinders. Not an inexpensive option when you factor the cost of the unit, consumables, power to run it, the compressor and the heavy gauge extension cords needed but time is money and this is the right way to do it if you are doing more then one box. We will see how long it holds out for.

Llegó en buenas condiciones y el artículo es exactamente el descrito. Buen empaque y sin daños. Necesite comprar por separado el pigtail.

Fácil de usar y da gran servicio

funciona perfecto y sin ningún problema de funcionamiento, llego en un buen estado el empaque, visualmente todo en buenos acabados, lo negativo solamente seria el precio de los consumibles comparado contra otras maquinas, llego en tiempo indicado,

Pretty darned good little unit for what is costs. It does eat up consumables pretty fast. That being said, for the most part, I have been using it at full power on mostly 1/4 to 3/8 material. Not real fast with this much meat to chew, but still gets the job done. I'm not real happy with the packaging of consumables though, as I really don't need 10 tips @ just under $200 in one shot, but that was all I could find. Also, the price of the little wire height guide--8 bucks a pop--com'on, that's ridiculous---and if you need them, they come in a 10 count package.