AHP AlphaTig 200x

The AHP AlphaTig 200x is an AC/DC Tig welder that comes complete with torch, ground clamp, foot pedal, regulator/flowmeter, and pigtail adapter for using with 115 volt power.

The model I am reviewing in this video was sent to me several months ago and I wasn’t able to make the time to get it out and weld with it for quite a while. I think it is a 2015 model.

AHP Alphatig 200x Review and a few observations

This welder stayed in the box way too long.

In fact, so much time passed that AHP has since come out with a newer version that has higher pulse capabilities.  ( the new 2016 version has 2 ranges for pulse…high and low and pulses up to 200 pps)

If you watched this video, you heard that I am going to be giving this welder away.

Details of how to be eligible are in the video  and giveaway date is going to be Aug 2016.

I didn’t want to ship the welder off to the winner without making sure everything worked so I unboxed it and actually welded 20 steel parts at around 170-175 amps  without any issues.

After that, I fired up on some .125” (3.2mm) aluminum and dialed in some sweet spot settings.

and here they are….120hz, 30% cleaning on the AC balance, a #6 cup with 12-14 cfh of argon flow with amperage set to 131 and using the foot pedal.

Coincidentally, or maybe not, these are the exact settings that my Miller Dynasty 280 displays as the “pro settings”.

Tig inverters that have AC balance and AC frequency control are all a bit different but these settings are a very good place to start with any tig inverter that has ac balance and ac frequency settings.

I typically use lower frequency on thick aluminum and higher frequencies on thin.

AC balance is directly related to polarity so pay close attention to the section of the video where I explain the effects of electrode negative vs electrode positive vs AC.

AC frequency is how frequently the current direction switches back and forth between Electrode positive and electrode negative.

I believe some efficiency is lost during the switching time.

I do notice that if I am limited to 200 amps, Aluminum puddles quicker if I set the frequency to around 50 hz as opposed to a higher frequency like 120 hz.

There are other tig welders available that incorporate what is known as "amplitude settings" where amperage can be adjusted for each part of the AC cycle.

This feature changes the game quite a bit as for welding thicker aluminum...more on that in a future post.

Observations using the AHP alphatig 200x

The foot pedal was a bit hard to press all the way down...it uses a spring and so as it is depressed the spring compresses and makes it harder to press the farther you go.  I got used to it....but definitely noticed it.

The torch is not bad.  Its a flex head #17 air cooled torch.  Felt better, and worked better with a stubby gas lens kit installed

flowmeter made noise at low settings.  when I set the flowmeter to a low setting of 10cfh, it would not hold the setting without making a noise and acting up.  Once I increased the flow to around 15 it stabilized.  This would be a drawback when using small #4 or #5 cups.