If you bought a plasma cutter from TWL, chances are it wasn’t for mucking around.
You weren’t cutting artwork.
You were fixing something.
Maybe:
● Gate hinge snapped on the farm in Southland
● Stock trailer cracked near Ashburton
● Bracket torn off the old delivery truck in Palmerston North
● Rust creeping through the deck on the ute in Taranaki
You needed steel cut.
Quick.
Clean.
Back to work.
So you grabbed a plasma cutter from TWL.
Plugged it in.
Got stuck into it.
Sweet as.
Until the consumables start wearing out.
And now you’re thinking:
“What do I actually buy for this thing?”
TWL Sells Workshop Gear – Not Just One Type
TWL supplies proper workshop gear.
But they also sell a range of machines.
Some heavier.
Some more entry-level.
And just because it came from TWL doesn’t automatically tell you what torch is hanging off the lead.
That’s what matters.
Not the badge.
Not the invoice.
The torch.
Fixing The Old Delivery Truck
I had an old delivery truck years back.
Nothing flash.
Just a workhorse.
Chassis bracket cracked near the rear spring mount.
Needed cutting out clean so I could plate it properly.
Dragged the plasma cutter out.
Got the job done.
Mint.
Few weeks later I’m back at it on another repair and the cut starts getting sloppy.
Arc wandering.
Tip spitting.
I remember thinking:
“Surely TWL will just have the right tips.”
Yeah, they might.
But that still doesn’t tell you what family of consumables you actually need.
Because TWL doesn’t manufacture the torch.
They retail the machine.
Big difference.
If The Tip Pushes In → PT31 / LG40
Pull the front cap off.
If the cutting tip:
● Pushes in
● Doesn’t screw in And the electrode:
● Is double-ended
● Can be flipped around
You’re running a PT31 / LG40 scratch-start torch.
Common.
Reliable.
Cheap to run.
Plenty of generic consumables available.
If The Electrode Screws In → AG60
If instead:
● The electrode screws into the torch
● The tip screws in
● The electrode isn’t double-ended
You’ve got an AG60 pilot-arc torch.
Different ignition system.
Different consumables.
Still common in the 40–60 amp range.
Scratch-Start vs Pilot-Arc Out On The Farm
Scratch-start means the torch must touch the steel to start the arc.
Pilot-arc fires inside the torch first, then transfers to the metal.
Doesn’t matter if you’re in Dunedin, Tauranga, or Whangārei — the physics is the same.
Ignition type affects how it starts.
Torch family affects what parts fit.
Scratch-start means you touch the steel to start the arc.
On clean plate, easy.
On rusty farm gear in Waimate covered in paint and dirt? Bit more tapping involved.
Pilot-arc fires inside the torch first and then transfers to the metal.
Handy when you’re cutting:
● Rusty stock crate
● Mud-covered bracket
● Painted chassis rail
● Old trailer crossmember
Different ignition.
Different internal parts.
Different consumables.
Farm Work Is Hard On Tips
Cutting dirty, painted, or galv steel is harder on consumables than cutting fresh flat plate.
If your TWL plasma cutter starts:
● Cutting wider than usual
● Struggling to maintain arc
● Feeling inconsistent
First thing to check is the tip and electrode.
I’ve tried squeezing “one more cut” out of worn parts before.
Doesn’t work.
Fresh set in and it feels like a new machine again.
Before Blaming The Machine
If it feels weak, don’t immediately blame TWL or the cutter.
Check:
● Air pressure
● Air quality
● Steel thickness
I covered this properly here:
👉 Why Is My Plasma Cutter Struggling to Cut Thick Steel?
Same rules apply whether you’re in Invercargill or Rotorua.
What Consumables Fit?
Push-in tip + double-ended electrode → PT31 / LG40 consumables
Screw-in electrode + screw-in tip → AG60 consumables
That covers the majority of the 40–60 amp machines sold through TWL.
Not every single one.
But most.
We Stock The Common Torch Families
We don’t specialise in proprietary industrial torches.
What we stock properly are the common torch families most NZ sheds and farms actually use:
● PT31 / LG40
● AG60
● Other generic torch types
The stuff that keeps gates swinging and trucks moving without crazy consumable bills.
The Takeaway
If you bought your plasma cutter from TWL to fix real problems:
● Gates
● Trailers
● Farm gear
● Work trucks
Don’t guess what parts fit.
Pull the torch apart.
Identify the family.
Match the consumables.
Then get back to work.