Powermax 85 shortage? Jim Colt

[magma-joe]

Hi Jim,

I have been wanting to purchase a Powermax 85 since they came out in September of last year. I am selling my 1250 tomorrow to help fund the purchase of the Powermax 85.

I called my welding supplier to order the 85 today and he claims Hypertherm is telling him a delivery date at the end of April! Is production that far behind on the 85 or is there a misunderstanding?

I hate to miss the sale of the 1250 but I would be out of business waiting that long. What gives?

Magma-joe

[WSS]

Magma-joe, Have you tried DT? Seems like lots of guys are going to get them soon. I actually have not heard from anyone who has one.

WSS

[magma-joe]

Hi WSS,

I have not tried DT or anyone other than my local distributor. I did shop for prices elsewhere but in the end there are 3 reasons I like to order from my local distributor. They have definitly gone above and beyond to take good care of me.

1. Nobody beats their price

2. I like to support local when I can.

3. Since the machine will be shipped to my distributor I have no worries about freight damage. This is always a concern for me. I have received freight damaged equipment before and getting it replaced can a real pain and very time consuming or they just keep denying your claim.

Shipping companies can drag their feet for months before paying a claim. I used to be a UPS shipper with daily shipments. I got to see first hand how they screw you when there is a freight damaged package.

You can be sure the first thing out of their mouth will be;

YOUR ITEM WAS NOT PACKAGED CORRECTLY MEETING OUR PACKAGING STANDARDS. CLAIM DENIED

Anyway, I have read only 2 internet posts about other people receiving one of the new powermax 85 or 65 machines? After being on the market for 5 months you would think more people would be talking about them?

Hopefully Jim can chime in and tell me there was a mistake and the lady at Hypertherm meant to say 3 days not 3 months.

Magma-joe

[jimcolt]

The current lead time on a Powermax85 is around 3 weeks.....if one is ordered by your distributor from Hypertherm today, it will be shipped in about 3 weeks.

April is quite a bit further out than that...so you may want to check around at other distributors....some will have them in stock.

Hypertherm strives for next day shipping on our hand held plasma systems, but since the introduction of the Powermax65 and 85 last fall, and the demand level for these systems...our lead times are certainly longer than we would like. We have added many more production personell, as well as an additional shift.

Part of the delivery problem is also with component suppliers...we work very closely with suppliers to forecast demands for parts such as PC board components, fans, transformers, etc., but when the demand exceeds the forecasted capacity it unfortunately takes some time to catch up.

As I said, check around, you will probably find a Powermax85 in inventory, current lead time is about 3 weeks, and you won't regret waiting for these plasma cutters! Trust me on that! There are already thousands of the Powermax65 and 85 systems in use in the field with happy owners, we at Hypertherm apologize for the longer than normal lead times and are doing everything in our power to solve the problem.

Best regards, Jim Colt

[magma-joe]

Thanks Jim,

I could make it 3 weeks but the 3 months scared me. Hypertherm makes great products and no matter how long the wait I would'nt consider anything else. My 1250 has served me without one problem since I purchased it new 6 years ago. Even after 6 years it still sold for 2/3 of the original purchase price!

Magma-joe

[jimcolt]

Joe,

I sent a note to our production people to get the latest info regarding lead times for our air plasma systems....I may not get it til Monday, but I'll post the info here when it is available.

Jim

[tinman13]

For what it's worth I ordered an 85 on the 17th and it came in yesterday! The torch is supposed to be in Monday! I thought two weeks was a long wait. Guess not!
For what it is worth I took in the A120 on the 17th also, the last I heard they will look at it Monday.

In both cases it seems frustrating but I guess thats the way it is these days.

[WSS]

Originally Posted by magma-joe Thanks Jim, I could make it 3 weeks but the 3 months scared me. Hypertherm makes great products and no matter how long the wait I would'nt consider anything else. My 1250 has served me without one problem since I purchased it new 6 years ago. Even after 6 years it still sold for 2/3 of the original purchase price! Magma-joe

Hmmmm.....

2/3rds of the price? So a 85 is really not impossible. I could move on my 1650 and offset the cost. I was hoping Hypertherm would produce a retro-fit, conical flow torch for the 1650. I sure like my 1650, but I don't want to be the only one on the block with out a 85.

WSS

[jimcolt]

We are working on a torch upgrade kit for the 1650 as well.....it will just take a little longer, the new torch is undergoing consumable life and reliability testing at 100 amps in Hypertherms labs.

jim

Originally Posted by WSS Hmmmm..... 2/3rds of the price? So a 85 is really not impossible. I could move on my 1650 and offset the cost. I was hoping Hypertherm would produce a retro-fit, conical flow torch for the 1650. I sure like my 1650, but I don't want to be the only one on the block with out a 85. WSS

[magma-joe]

Originally Posted by jimcolt Joe, I sent a note to our production people to get the latest info regarding lead times for our air plasma systems....I may not get it til Monday, but I'll post the info here when it is available. Jim

Jim,
Have you heard back yet?

Magma-joe

[tinman13]

Joe, Mine has a sticker inside on one of the components that shows a build date of 1-20-2011. It was in at the store on the 29th.

It looks like you need a more aggressive distributor?

A little salt in the wound............. I sure like it!

Steve

[jimcolt]

Yes...sorry I thought I got back on this...but it was a post on another site! The current lead time on a Powermax85 is about 1 week. The machine torches for the Powermax85 have a lead time of about 3 days. We have added substantially to our production department, adding new employees and a complete shift....reducing lead times dramatically. The Powermax65 is about 2.5 weeks, and the Powermax45 is about 3.5 weeks.

Jim Colt