Water Jet

Shannon Treger, KD Machinery · Reviewed 2026-08-12

What you are cutting decides the machine. The material, its thickness and the size of your parts set the table you need and the pump that drives it, and the pump is where most of the running cost sits. Most used waterjets KD lists fall between $39,975 and $98,995.

Most of the 377 waterjets KD has listed fall between $39,975 and $98,995, with asking prices across the group running from $800 to $430,265.

What decides which waterjet you need?

Three things matter — the brand, the table size and the pump — but only one of them is really a decision you make first. Start with what you are cutting. The material, how thick it is, and how big your parts are will determine both the table you need and the pump that has to drive it.

That order matters because it is easy to shop the other way round: to find a machine at the right price, with a table that looks big enough, and only then discover the pump on it will not cut your material at a rate that makes the job worth doing.

• Part size sets the table. Your largest part has to fit, with room to fixture it.
• Material and thickness set the pump — its pressure rating and its horsepower. Thicker and harder material wants more pressure and more power to cut at a sensible speed.

Tell us the material, the thickness and the part size and we will tell you what the machine needs to be. That is a much shorter conversation than working backwards from a listing.

What table size do you need?

Table size is quoted as width by length, and we record it on about four in five of the waterjets KD lists — one of the more consistently recorded specifications on this class, so you can usually filter on it directly. Where a listing does not show it, ask and we will confirm.

Size to your largest part with room to fixture it, and remember that a waterjet cuts flat sheet: it is the footprint of the material that matters, not the finished part. A 6.6′ x 13.1′ table — the most common size in KD’s own history — takes a standard sheet comfortably.

Table size does track price on this class. Looking across everything KD has listed with both a table size and a published price, the median asking price rises steadily with table area: machines under 50 square feet ask the least, machines from 50 to 89 square feet noticeably more, and machines of 90 square feet and up the most again. The step up at each stage is substantial rather than marginal.

So buy the table your parts need rather than the biggest one you can afford, and budget for the size you choose — on this class, unlike some specifications, you are paying for it.

What pump do you need, and why does it matter most?

The pump is the heart of a waterjet and it is where the money goes — both to buy and to keep running.

Pressure rating moves price — but not tidily, and the exception is worth more to you than the rule. Across KD’s own listings:

Read the 50,000 PSI row carefully, because it asks more than the 60,000 PSI machines despite being a lower-pressure class. 36 of those 38 machines are Omax, median build year 2014, while the 55,000 PSI group is a mix of builders and older on average. That row is telling you about a builder and a build year, not about pressure. It is worth carrying into every listing you read: when a price pattern looks clean, check whether one brand is sitting inside it.

Higher pressure cuts faster and can cut thicker and harder material — which is why the pressure you need comes back to what you are cutting rather than to a general idea that more is better. A 60,000 PSI machine is the mainstream choice and by far the most common on the used market. If you are cutting thick, hard material and cycle time matters, the higher-pressure machines earn their premium.

On pump type, there are two designs you will meet. An intensifier pump uses a hydraulic circuit to multiply pressure, and it is the design used where very high pressure is needed — the 90,000 PSI class machines are intensifier territory. A direct drive pump uses a crankshaft to drive the plungers directly. It is typically more energy efficient and simpler to maintain, and it is generally found at the lower end of the pressure range.

Which one suits you comes back to the same question as the pressure rating: the material and thickness you are cutting. If you are working at 60,000 PSI and below, a direct drive pump is worth considering for the running cost. If you need the top of the range, the choice is largely made for you.

Our listings record the pump by horsepower and pressure rather than by type, so ask if it matters to you and we will find out.

How should you value the pump on a used machine?

This is the part of a used waterjet purchase most likely to catch a buyer out, so it is worth being direct about it.

Most machines are listed with a pump. But a pump is a wearing item: it needs rebuilding periodically, and eventually replacing. That cost is real, it is not small, and it does not appear anywhere in the asking price of the machine.

We know this well enough that we sell standalone pumps as their own line — because a good machine with a tired pump is a common situation, and it is often a solvable one rather than a reason to walk away.

What that means practically when you are comparing two machines:

• Ask what condition the pump is in and when it was last rebuilt.
• Treat a machine with a pump near the end of its service life as a machine plus a pending cost, and price it that way.
• Do not rule out an otherwise good machine because the pump is tired — ask us what replacing or rebuilding it would involve first.

Flow or Omax?

These are the two names you will see most, and KD has handled a lot of both — 268 Flow machines and 115 Omax, which between them are around 81% of every waterjet we have listed.

The honest answer is that quality between the two is a toss-up. There are simply more Flow machines out there, which is the main reason you will see more of them for sale and why they are the easier machine to find in a given size.

Omax machines do tend to ask a little more. Across our listings, Flow runs to a median asking price of about $64,990 and Omax about $79,990 — but the Omax machines we have handled are also, on average, two years newer and have smaller tables, so that gap is not a straightforward quality premium.

Our advice is to choose on the application rather than the badge: get the table size and the pump right for what you are cutting, and let the make follow from which machines are actually available in that specification.

What does a used waterjet cost?

Across the 377 waterjets KD has listed with a published price, most fall between $39,975 and $98,995, with the full range running from $800 to $430,265.

The median machine we have listed was built in 2014, making this one of the younger fleets we publish a guide for. Waterjets have been bought steadily by fabricators over the last fifteen years and reach the used market in reasonable numbers.

What moves the number, in rough order: the pump and its pressure rating, the table size, the age of the machine and the cutting head. Table area tracks price closely enough to plan around — see the table above.

Note also that some listings on our site are support equipment rather than machines — abrasive hoppers, closed-loop water systems, chillers and standalone pumps. They are genuinely useful if that is what you need, but they are not waterjets, and none of the figures on this page include them.

What should you ask before buying?

Alongside the pump questions above:

• What is included? A waterjet is a system, not just a table — the pump, the abrasive delivery, the water treatment or closed-loop system, and the control all have to be there and working.
• What cutting head is on it? Standard, dynamic and tilting heads do different work, and a head that can taper-compensate changes what parts you can produce.
• Can you see it cutting? A machine still installed and under power tells you far more than a machine already dismantled, and it is worth establishing before you travel.
• What consumables and spares come with it? Nozzles, orifices and seals are ongoing costs and a machine that arrives with a stock of them is worth more than one that does not.

Quote the reference number on the listing when you call and we will get you the specifics on that machine.

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose the right waterjet?

Start with what you are cutting. The material, its thickness and your part size determine the table you need and the pump that has to drive it. Choosing a machine first and checking the pump afterwards is how buyers end up with something that will not cut their material at a workable rate.

How much does a used waterjet cost?

Most of the 377 waterjets KD has listed with a price fall between $39,975 and $98,995, with the full range running from $800 to $430,265. Pump pressure broadly tracks price: 60,000 PSI machines run to a median of about $64,995 and 94,000 PSI machines about $96,995. It is not a clean ladder, though — the 50,000 PSI machines KD has listed are almost all Omax and ask more than the 60,000 PSI group, which is a builder effect rather than a pressure one.

Is a bigger waterjet table more expensive?

Yes. Across KD’s listings the median asking price rises steadily with table area — machines under 50 square feet ask the least, those from 50 to 89 square feet noticeably more, and those of 90 square feet and up the most again. Buy the table your parts need, and budget for the size you choose rather than assuming it comes for free.

Do I need a 60,000 or 90,000 PSI waterjet?

It follows from the material and thickness you cut. 60,000 PSI is the mainstream choice and by far the most common on the used market. Higher pressure cuts faster and handles thicker, harder material, and the machines ask accordingly.

What condition should the pump be in?

Ask what condition it is in and when it was last rebuilt. Pumps are wearing items that need periodic rebuilding and eventual replacement, and that cost does not show up in the asking price. A good machine with a tired pump is often still a good buy — we sell standalone pumps for exactly this reason.

Flow or Omax — which is better?

Quality between the two is a toss-up. There are more Flow machines out there, which is why you will see more of them for sale. Omax tends to ask a little more, though the Omax machines KD has handled are also newer on average and have smaller tables. Choose on table size and pump for your application rather than on the badge.

Key facts

• KD has listed 473 waterjets, with 61 available now.
• Most fall between $39,975 and $98,995 asking, across 377 priced machines.
• Flow and Omax together are around 81% of every waterjet KD has listed.
• Pump pressure broadly tracks price: 60,000 PSI about $64,995, 94,000 PSI about $96,995.
• Table size tracks price – the largest machines ask substantially more than mid-sized ones.
• Table width and length are recorded on about four in five of the machines KD lists.

What is in stock at KD right now

Browse current inventory, or start from a related category or a machine we are listing today:

• 2022 Flow Mach 100 3020
• 2022 Omax Maxiem 1515

Figures on this page are asking prices from KD’s own listings, indicative only, and not a valuation of any particular machine. Specifications and prices change – please confirm anything you intend to rely on with us before purchasing.