Avoid At All Costs GiantTech Welder Plasma Cutter Combo Unit

This is the danger of using ebay to buy important parts in my opinion. I'd much rather have a warranty that's somewhere in writing (either with the part physically or electronically).

I've had experience with someone on ebay (I won't give names) that harassed my email because I left neutral or no feedback, which I found kind of dumb to be honest so I looked into ebays policies on selling things. I wasn't able to find anything explicitely against having a bad feedback (though I'm sure potential buyers become wary of them) but I did find something interesting you might like:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/feedback-extortion.html

On that webpage, they explicitely define:

"A seller refuses to let a buyer use a warranty included in the listing unless the buyer leaves a positive Feedback or good DSRs."

That's basically you, am I right? You should probably report him with any/all emails/documents the seller had sent to you.

You might also want to look into ebay's buyer protection "http://pages.ebay.com/coverage/index.html" You might find some more tips or ideas you can do to fix your particular situation.

Good luck mate, it sucks to order a part and get something completely different/DOA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caveat_emptor

Welcome to the party. You'll never get ripped off here. And if you do, there's an iron clad money back guarantee.

Wait a minute. The web site looks like an advert for these machines. What gives?

It is. R007 is showing us what to avoid.

Guys , read the lost 4-5 pages of that thread . I was actually considering his unit. Price was so good . It gets interesting around page 12 !

David

Sorry to hear of your trouble dear Sir!

If not too much time (within Ebay's allotted time frame) has elapse since you bought the unit you may have recourse regarding getting your money back...especially if you used Paypal to make the payment. If you used credit card you have federal statutes that you can fall back on to recover losses or get your money back under the warranty.

If the bastard is blackmailing you then report him to Ebay and Paypal, as well as your state's Attorney General! I had a guy from Red China try to pull that crap on me regarding a DOA Notebook....he played games regarding the warranty and shipping costs etc plus saying I lied about it being DOA.....this guy had two addresses: one in Hong Kong and the other in Red China just north over the border from Hong Kong....I did send the dead unit back to the bastartd who then never acknowledge receiving the parcel even though I had evidence to the contrary....needless to say Ebay and Paypal yanked him, but you know he probably just changed his user name and uses a different drop box address and probably still is operating in Ebay! Damn Chinese names all look and sound the same to me and probably Ebay's Safe Harbor security forces. When I dealt with him, he had no less than 4 different addies!

Just to show you that watch how you deal with these snale oil salesman because they've got it all figured out how to make a fortune while screwing you and other consumers royaly BIGTIME====right up your arse man! Did I mention SCAM?????

Anyhow, back to plasma cutters. I could afford avery expensive plasma cutter like a Lincoln Electric or Thermax, so I instead bought a relatively inexpensive 50 Amp "Lotos" plasma cutter last year from an Ebay seller out in CA. I haven't had any problems whatsoever with the unit and it has been a workhorse in my opinion.......run it off 230 VAC instead of 115 VAC and it keeps going and going and going like the Energizer Bunny Whabbitt!

Also, the consumables for the Lotos machine are readily available on Ebay and elsewhere, and are very high quality solid copper (not like the cheapo Chinese copper plated splatter cups, nozzles and electrodes), unlike most of that Chinese junk. The consumable parts are made in Italy. Face it, you'll be spending a small fortune buying the consumables over the lifetime of the machine if you do a lot of metal cutting! Do your research and Google search independent consumer groups that perform reviews etc. and let consumers rate and report via blogs.

I did look into the GiantTech plasma torches at the time and came away very leery of the product after reading the negative postings...basically they're a piece of sh*t IMHO. The key to these machines are the electronics, so make sure that you have either GE or Mitsubishi "whatchamacallit" parts!

GA from me .

You are right do your homework, it is tempting if you are in a hurry but the cost can result in a bigger delay.

How about a hint of the copper plated tips supplier, I have noted several Ebay suppliers with these sort of products and had considered using them but up to now have not seen any of there items. Forewarned is forearmed.

Garth,

This information that I'm providing to you will only help you if you have a Lotos plasma cutting torch. Please check the Seller's product description for a list of cutters these consumables are compatible with. I don't know if the Seller sells other manufacturer's consumables, so you may have to contact him/her.

The Ebay Seller's ID is: "usametalworker", and he/she has a 99.5% positive feedback rating.

Use the Ebay search engine by inputting the following: "lotos consumables"

I have bought consumables from this seller before in bulk (last year) and have yet to have any problems with them, especially the nozzles and the electrodes. I have one nozzle in particular that's still on the torch and it's prety much shot with a hole in the side, but it was still very effecting in cutting through a 5/16-inch thick cast iron exhaust manifold last week on my Dodge sportscar! AMAZING!!!!!

But, please be forewarned that these consumables are not cheap at all and that the seller sells them in bulk quantities only.....I believe @ 150 pieces for around $115 USD ("Buy it Now"????). I've inquired about buying a lesser quantity and was turned down politely.

Good luck!!!!

I purchased a Giant plasma 2 years ago, When I got it it was wired for 110 and I ordered it to be 220, They sent me a brand new one with a return box for the 110s return, they even offered me a deal on the 110 if i wanted it. I use it all the time. I really like the machine, I loaned it to a fabrication shop for a couple months, never thought I'd get it back. After I did get it back they bought 2 for them selves as well as their friends. You must have got a rotten egg. as for buying it on Ebay. I wouldn't think it would be Giants fault for the actions of the seller.