Hi, all, thanks for having me on this forum. I'm a total newbie to this whole world of metal cutting and fabrication. I'm excited about it and eager to learn, but I will admit that it's a little intimidating right now. I’m looking at buying either a 4x4 or a 4x8 CNC plasma, mainly for metal art in thinner metal. Everyone on this forum seems like they’re eager to help – so bear with me if I ask what are probably rookie questions…and thanks for the help in advance!

I'm either currently looking at, or have looked at, Torchmate, ArcLight, PlasmaCam, Tactical CNC and EZ Cut. Right now it’s probably down to either PlasmaCam or ShopSabre. Here's what my dilemma with all of these different machines has been. I need to be able to take photos, images from the internet or even design ideas out of my head and convert those into designs that I can cut. I’ve had some stuff cut by a guy who has a PlasmaCam, with the DesignEdge software, and since I’ve looked into them, I know that this is their proprietary software. I have a small shop space and I like the concept fo a water table fro fume control, and PCam doesn't offer those that I've seen.

I've been looking on CNC Zone and everything I've been reading says that DesignEdge software is the easiest, best and fastest doing this. I know the PlasmaCam system is proven for what I do and need, but I want to make the best possible decision. My question is, does anyone know how the ShopSabre software compares to DesignEdge in terms of ease of use and doing stuff like this? I understand that no matter what system I use, there'll be a learning curve, but the highest and best use of my time will be cutting metal, so I need to know that I can do what I need to do easily and quickly. I won't be cutting oilfield or automotive parts, or HVAC stuff. My biggest need is to be able to convert designs into art easily and quickly, and getting the quality cuts that I need.


Apologies for the long post – but thanks again for the feedback and help.