2016 AHP AlphaTIG 200DX 200 Amp IGBT AC DC Tig/Stick Welder with PULSE 110v 200v

This machine arrived quickly and in good condition minus a cracked plastic face. (ahp sent a new one as well as two other items free of charge as simple as one phone call to them explaining the situation).You will be hard pressed to find another machine for the price that performs this well. I have used it relentlessly since its arrival. Its more than a fair trade, less money for a few less options and larger size.The instructions are scant, so I hope this helps. To be able to see what amps you are welding goes as follows..With the machine set in 2t (hand control) and standard, not pulse the display will read your "main amps" adjust while switches are in this setting.With the machine set in 2t (hand control) and pulse the display will toggle between your main amps and your pulse "peak amps" adjust your pulse amps while switches are in this setting.With the machine set in 4t (hand control) and standard the display will read your start amps for the 4t mode. It does NOT display the ending amps but the knobs are fairly accurate with twelve o'clock being 100 amps.With the machine set to the foot control, the knob on the foot control limits the maximum amps with the pedal all the way down, and the display will actively read whatever amperage is being used while you are welding. So if you have a helper and are welding, want to set up for the hand control have them let you know what it is reading while you are in the middle of the bead.Another tip is when welding aluminum on ac, the balance is normally turned to 9'oclock or further counterclockwise for most work. (9'oclock is a good base setting, if you try the center you will likely burn up electrodes). This applies until you reach thicker or stacked plates of aluminum.I haven't used the stick welding function of this machine, and highly suggest a flow meter over the supplied regulator. A flow meter allows you to see with a visual indicator how much gas is flowing to the gun tip which changes every time you change the nozzle size.Barr not having a pre flow for gas or variable frequency, this machine should do about anything the "do it yourself" or light fabrication shop should ever need provided you don't work past its thickness ratings. I have worked the machine vigorously and never has the overheat light ever come on, before my hands were uncomfortable. (I only use standard tig gloves)The lowest tig amperage setting on dc is 8 amps on the read out (10 amps rated), and on ac is 30 amps but with the balance turned all the way down which affects output, It actually puts out slightly less if needed. Aluminum pop cans can be welded together with .040 rare earth tungstens and a gas lens set up. (i'm sure there are other ways). But its able to be done with this machine. It runs smooth every time (i use it only with 220v. used with 110 it is limited to half of its output or less). I did however test it to assure that it would operate on 110v and it did.The pulse function works fantastic for thinner metals and when working near edges, the pedal is great, stays put and has a low profile allowing me to use my toes rather than having to set my whole foot on it like most other foot controls.A wp9 torch is almost a must if you are going to weld small tubes etc, and will thread on to the hose/ power cable they supply with the machine.Using a larger torch and 5/32 tri mix tungsten, this machine will easily weld 1/4 aluminum (running at less than 130 amps) and more, but with supplied torch remember the duty cycle of torches and amperage capacity falls to about 110 amps for the wp17 torch and 50% duty cycle. I melted the factory torch and cable at the torch connection with the balance turned up and amperage on a higher setting while welding thick aluminum. Most people probably won't do this but if you smell "band aids" let it cool off.The supplied torch is actually rated at about 150 amps normally so you can over heat it if rapidly if you work with thicker metals. I have had custom torch and cable made for this machine allowing the use of a heavier wp26 torch if needed. It's larger and not as agile, but won't burn your hands as quickly given the extra reach current capacity.There is a us based company that makes tig high quality torch cables for this machine (usaweld aka htp) who made a number of torch cables for this machine for me and allowed me to diversify it.. Yes you can hook an wp26 or wp18 to this machine, and yes you can adapt it to use a water cooler if you want to invest the money. The wp26 attaches via the gas outlet and the dinse connection both at the same time.The ahp has exceeded my expectations, after hearing false horror stories about customer service, and literally melting the torch and cable, I called them and told them about the cracked cover, torch cable and a regulator that wasn't performing properly. Within three days i had a box of replacement parts in my hands, no questions asked. Thank you AHP, for good customer service, and a great product at a great price. Ahp representative said there would be a new model within three months ( Basically consisting of a different foot pedal apparently but no other changes).Bottom line, I have run countless bottles of argon, tungstens, and consumables through this machine already and it has been an absolute pleasure to use every time. There is someone on the other end of the phone, and my dealings with ahp have been 100% GOOD! Thank you again. This welder has paid for itself several times over already, I am glad i didn't waste my money on another machine when this one does the job perfectly.

In my youth I worked as a TIG welder, mostly using big, 440v three-phase powered, industrial stuff. I've long wanted a small TIG machine for jobs around the house. A TIG is like a sewing machine for metal, you can make and repair lots of things with it. When I was faced with numerous projects that involved welding I decided to go shopping for something that would do the job.I mostly needed a machine that could weld aluminum, ie. AC/DC. Most cheap TIG welders are DC only and just do stainless and mild steel. Aluminum also requires a lot more heat than steel, so I figured I'd need a 200-amp machine to handle it. After doing a bunch of Internet research I decided to buy the Alpha-TIG. So far, it seems money well-spent.The industrial equipment I used before was big and heavy, usually equipped with a big lifting eye for moving with a crane. The Alpha-TIG is about the size of a large suitcase and weighs about 55 lbs. It has a handy lifting handle and is fairly portable, although I plan to put it on a cart. The accessories that come with it are decent. I ran across a video by "Mr TIG" that panned the torch and regulator, but in general I found them adequate, if not ideal. It comes with both a foot pedal and switch. While most of my work in the past used only a switch, the foot pedal is nice when welding aluminum because you can back off easily when it starts to get too hot. I had not used an invertor-type welder before and found it does a great job with aluminum, which can be quite frustrating to weld properly. I have yet to use some of its features, like pulse mode and "4-T" mode, preferring to keep it simple. However, I plan to try them when I get the right project.I had some concern about its ability to run on 110V but so far have not had any problems. The power cord and adapter are heavy-duty. The manual is very minimal and presupposes you have a basic knowledge of TIG welding. You can find it online as a pdf file if you look, I found it on a Sears website.One item not well descibed in the manual involves a plastic nut cover that covers the torch connector. You will find it in the bag containing the torch. Why they don't put it on at the factory I don't know.In order to install it:1) Pull the torch head away from the handle. The handle is rubber and easily separates from the head. A slight twist helps.2) Disconnect the hose from the torch head. This involves loosening the flare-type connection using 10&11mm wrenches.3) Grasp the 17mm panel connector nut and pull the hose out of its black cover.4) Slip the nut cover on the small end of the hose and pull it down to the panel nut.5) Feed the hose back into its cover.6) Put the torch handle back onto the hose and reconnect the torch head to the hose.7) Push the torch handle back onto the head.It comes with one 5/64 thoriated tungsten, though I would recommend lanthanated for safety reasons. It also has a variety of collets, though I bought a package of collets and cups. This equipment has a definite metric tendency so it's nice to have collets that hold common tungsten sizes you'll find at welding supply places.A final feature that I hope to never use is that it can also do stick welding. It comes with a decent electrode holder and has a panel switch for doing straight stick welding. If you need this feature I would suggest you be sure to connect it to 220V as it requires a lot more current.In general, the Alpha-TIG 200X is a great value in a small, light-duty TIG machine that handles both aluminum and steel. So far it's worked great for me.