Are Harbor Freight's Plasma Cutters Any Good? Here's What Users Say
Ever since Harbor Freight was founded by the Smidt family in 1977, its focus has been on selling affordable tools that undercut those produced by big-name brands. The retailer currently offers a trio of plasma cutters in its broad lineup, with two sold under the Titanium brand and one sold under the Chicago Electric brand. Like most of Harbor Freight's tools, they sport attractive price tags, but a cheap price doesn't count for much if the tool itself isn't suitably capable.
One of the most reliable ways to determine whether any Harbor Freight tool is up to the task is to turn to the reviews left by previous customers. Out of the three currently available plasma cutters, the cheapest tool — the $329.99 Chicago Electric 20 Amp Plasma Cutter — gets the lowest average review score. At the time of writing, it has an average score of 4.3 stars from just over 100 reviews. Plenty of reviewers are happy with their purchase, with one saying it, "cuts pretty decent for the price," and another noting that they'd, "recommend this for the occasional user."
However, multiple reviewers who left a one-star score claim that the cutter either worked for a short time before malfunctioning, or was broken out of the box. One three-star review noted that the cutter was "very light and easy to use but the power is a bit weak." While it should be enough for light users, buyers who want maximum capability and reliability will likely want to look elsewhere in Harbor Freight's cutter range.
Titanium plasma cutters are both generally well reviewed
Harbor Freight's Titanium brand offers both a 45 Amp Plasma Cutter and a 65 Amp Plasma Cutter, and both receive more consistently positive reviews. The 45 Amp cutter is particularly highly rated, with an average rating of 4.8 out of five stars from more than 500 reviews. However, with an MSRP of $799.99, it's still not exactly a no-brainer at its price. Buyers considering whether or not to invest in one will be reassured by the very small number of one-star reviews — at the time of writing, there are only five one-star reviews for the 45 Amp cutter, representing less than one percent of the overall review tally.
Reviewers say that the tool is "easy to operate," and that it "cuts like butter." One recent reviewer claims they have, "been fabricating most of [their] life," and that they were "amazed" by the cutter's price and quality. The 65 Amp cutter, which retails for $999.99, gets similarly positive reviews. One owner who left their feedback for the tool claimed that their "son says it [is] way better than the high dollar one he uses in school," while another notes that it's "the real deal."
The 65 Amp cutter isn't quite as consistently liked
Despite being generally well liked by reviewers, the 65 Amp cutter does have a slightly higher number of low-scoring reviews than the 45 Amp cutter. That drags its average score down to 4.5 out of five stars overall, from a little over 120 reviews. Most of the most negative reviews allege various reliability issues, with some claiming the cutter kept displaying error codes and others claiming it didn't work at all upon purchase.
None of Harbor Freight's plasma cutters are without their drawbacks, according to reviewers. However, if you're a hobbyist metalworker and don't want to shell out for a plasma cutter from a big-name brand, then all three might be worth considering. Harbor Freight reviewers point to the Titanium 45 Amp cutter as a particularly capable tool for the money, although if you're looking for maximum cutting power, the 65 Amp cutter could also help level up your home welding setup.
How we got here
To determine whether Harbor Freight's plasma cutters got the seal of approval from users, we relied on reviews left by purchasers on the retailer's website. This is intended to be a general overview of buyer feedback for each currently available product, and should not be treated as an endorsement of any particular tool.