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Best Plasma Cutter UK 2025 – Reviews & Buying Guide

Given that you are in this article of ours, you must be looking for a great plasma cutter to purchase. However, do you fully know what a plasma cutter is, and what its advantages and disadvantages are, how to pick the right tool for yourself?

Yeah, apart from the best plasma cutter reviews UK, we will also solve these critical questions for you in order that you can complete your projects perfectly.

Keep rolling down to learn!

What Is A Plasma Cutter?

A plasma cutter is a device that provides the function of cutting through various kinds of metals, especially conductive materials like brass, steel, copper, aluminium, and more.

When powered, the machine uses the electricity to create an electrical channel of plasma. This channel of plasma is called an arc.

This arc will be sent through a gas (nitrogen, argon, shop air, or oxygen) to heat and ionise its particles, making them electrically conductive to cut through metals easily.

A plasma cutter is widely applied in metal recycling, metal art, industrial manufacturing, automotive repair, fabricating metal, DIY projects, and so on.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Plasma Cutting

Advantages of Plasma Cutting

In fact, a standard plasma cutter manages to cut almost any kind of conductive materials, including both ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

It should works perfectly with common metals such as copper, steel, stainless steel, titanium, alloys, and iron. The list goes on!

Most plasma cutters are very lightweight, and all models are engineered to be portable. In spite of their compact sizes, these appliances still have a high performance.
Plasma cutting can penetrate the great thickness of from 50 mm up to even 150 mm. However, the majority of portable models for hobbyists, DIY-ers, and other beginners/amateur users can merely cut as deep as 10 – 50 mm.
On average, plasma cutting machines are not expensive and do not cost much to operate in the long run. It is energy-efficient, and plasma torches also do not require frequent maintenance and replacement. As we calculated, it only costs half as much as oxygen cutting.
There are CNC plasma cutters that offer maximum precision and high repeatability. Workers can create odd shapes such as curves and multiple intersecting cuts by a highly precise beam.

You can perform beautiful cuts manually, just like drawing lines with a pen. The results are especially good with computer-aided control.

Plasma cutters are easy to use and user-friendly, which can reduce the cost of training workers dramatically.

Plasma cutters can work even underwater, resulting in narrower heat-affected zone (which means cleaner cut), and also reducing the noise and fume levels.
The cutting kerf of plasma cutting is much smaller in comparison with flame cutting.
Plasma cutting uses inert gases so that it is dramatically safer than oxygen-based cutting. There would be no risk of accidental ignition or explosion, both while in storage or use. The plasma cutting gas is only heated during the use of the torch.
Plasma cutting can cut quickly and effectively, penetrating through objects faster than oxyfuel.

In fact, plasma cutting often takes you only one-fourth of the duration of most comparable techniques to cut a metal piece. Besides, short process time also alleviates the risk of erroneous cuts, metal abrasion, or distortion.

Disadvantages of Plasma Cutting

The heat-affected zone and kerf that plasma cutting creates are wider in comparison with laser cutting.
The cutting quality with thin plates and sheets is not as high as laser cutting.
Tolerances of plasma cutting is less precise than laser cutting.
No plasma cutter can cut through the maximum thicknesses that flame cutting or waterjet can cut. Its fleeting nature of plasma makes it ineffective against thick or dense metals.
Plasma cutting typically leaves a wide heat-affected zone that waterjet does not.
Plasma cutting emits annoying noise when penetrating thick sections.
There is fume and arc glare when you perform plasma cutting in air. You should wear a safety helmet or mask to protect yourself from sparklings.
You have to pay for the costs of consumables (electrodes and nozzles) when they break down. Moreover, it may be challenging to fabricate the plasma mix if there is no specialist equipment on site.

How To Choose The Best Plasma Cutter?

Safety features

Safety is always the foremost factor when working. Your plasma cutter should have as many safety features as possible.

We recommend that you should use models that come with overload protection, over-heat protection, over/under-voltage protection, air pressure protection, etc.

Duty cycle

The length of the duty cycle is the amount of time your plasma cutter can work continuously without overheating and turning off. After the machine has completed a full duty cycle, you have to wait for it to cool down before you can use it again.

Therefore, if you plan to use your plasma cutter for a long time per session, go for models with a long duty cycle.

Electrical Output

Every machine has different electricity requirements. For example, some plasma cutters are only compatible with the power of 220 or 120 volts. Meanwhile, a few dual voltage models are able to handle both.

To create a good arc, the capability of switching between two voltages is critical.

Portability

If you often have to move the tools between places, buy yourself a lightweight and compact plasma cutter. The most lightweight models may weigh only 6 – 8 kg, while the average weights are 10 – 12 kg. You can also meet some products that weigh up to 30 kg, but they are often used for heavy-duty industrial works.

Also, it should come with a shoulder strap, carrying handle, and long cables for easy transportation. Nonetheless, be aware that the more portable a plasma cutter is, the shorter its duty cycle is.

An Air Filtration System Or An Air Compressor

A plasma cutter needs to pair with an air filtration system or an air compressor to have air while cutting. So, you had better buy a model that has an integrated air filtration system or air compressor.

Otherwise, you must buy an external air compressor that meets the requirements of your device.

Cutting capability and performance

Think about the different types and thicknesses of the materials you are going to work with before buying a plasma cutter. For example, if you need to make cuts on titanium, steel, copper, and brass, opt for a machine that can handle these metals.

And how deep the equipment can cut will depend on its amperage. The higher its amperage is, the deeper it can cut.

CNC table or free-hand use

Think about whether you will cut your workpieces on a CNC table or do that free-hand. If you want to work on a CNC table, you must buy a plasma cutter that can be hooked up to it.

Only plasma cutting or both cutting and welding?

The chances are that most workers who use a plasma cutter will need a decent welder sometimes. Therefore, if you have not owned any welder, consider buying a dual-function device that can both cut and weld metals.

Replaceable parts/ Consumables

You may need to utilise a lot of consumables when using a plasma cutter, which can cost you a small fortune. Therefore, check whether the product you are going to buy includes these items in its price.

Product Warranty

A plasma cutter is not a cheap product, even in the lowest price range. Therefore, you ought to have some warranty on your investment.

Depending on the amount of money you are willing to pay, pick a machine that is covered long enough to deserve that cost. A premium device should have at least a 1-year warranty or better.

Your Budget

Although it is common sense that the more expensive a product is, the better it is, you do not necessarily have to buy something go beyond your budget to have features that are not helpful for you.

For example, if you only work with two to three types of metals, you can cut down on the cost of multifunctional features. Determine what you need and buy an affordable appliance that serves these main purposes well. That is sufficient!

Yet, if you have too much money to think about the price, buy a deluxe model that offers more convenient features, versatility, and more extended warranty that may be beneficial for you in the long term.