Ahp 2015 Alphatig 200X at Amazon for $680

[carbon]

Just ordered this. Ahp 2015 Alphatig 200X at Amazon for $680 plus ~$30 shipping. Usually $800. Eff-yeah! Been watching this forever; only catch is its not in stock. I can wait a month or two for a 200 amp ac/dc tig welder for $710 total.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00REX6USW/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[kryte]

Thanks for posting this deal, just ordered myself one. I've been keeping an eye out for a decent TIG/Stick machine and this will meet all my needs.

The AHP AlphaTIG, Eastwood TIG200, and Longevity TigWeld 200SX welding machines are compared in this video:

If you have the time I recommend watching the entire video if not at least skip through it.

ChuckE2009 and weldingtipsandtricks were my go to youtube channels for when I was taking welding classes and needed a little extra help figuring out were I was going wrong.

Lastly, I know its not USA made and many people on the forum seem to be against any Chinese made machines, but for the hobbyist I don't think the price difference is justified. If I needed it to make a living then I would probably change my tune.

Edit: This video is an unboxing and overview of just the AHP Alphatig

 

[carbon]

I watched that vid before I bought the AHP. Didn't think of posting it, good on you. Also chucke2009 has a funny vid on trying to break the HTP 2400 mig. He welded continuously until his 10" roll of wire ran out. He was exhausted!

 

[dkroth]

TS3g posted this over in the Chinese TIG Welder Group Buy thread and I hopped on it right away.

A bunch of guys over there were farting around waiting on a 10% discount and here it is at 15% off through Amazon.

 

[t1r2u3s4t]

I'm eyeing this deal as well. Any thought between this TIG and the elusive Miller 211 MVP for a first home project/motorcycle welder? They come out to be about the same after all the discounts. 110V capability is important to me...

 

[Youngguns]

The Miller 211 is a MIG welder, which will be much easier to use. Mig welding is point and shoot (to an extent), whereas TIG involves both hands, a foot, and skill.

 

[TS3g]

The Miller 211 is a MIG welder, which will be much easier to use. Mig welding is point and shoot (to an extent), whereas TIG involves both hands, a foot, and skill.

Pretty much what Youngguns said. TIG is the most versatile (can literally weld any metal) and produces the nicest/cleanest welds, but is by far the most difficult to learn. MIG is quick and easy, can produce nice looking welds, and with the awesome Miller rebate and free spool gun, you'll still be able to weld aluminum, not just steels.

Also a note on the AHP, I've read that they are now shipping with a flowmeter instead of the crappy regulator, as well as a flex head torch now. Also if you want, SSC makes a replacement foot pedal that is like the industry standard units, available here

 

[t1r2u3s4t]

Thanks. I've done some MIG and oxy before, but never TIG or stick. i agree that MIG was easy to get started, though I didn't like fussing about with voltage and wire speed. I'm looking at a longer term investment in equipment and skills learnt as well as versatility in terms of the type of metals.

The Miller 211 is a MIG welder, which will be much easier to use. Mig welding is point and shoot (to an extent), whereas TIG involves both hands, a foot, and skill.

 

[AndeiH]

Thanks. I've done some MIG and oxy before, but never TIG or stick. i agree that MIG was easy to get started, though I didn't like fussing about with voltage and wire speed. I'm looking at a longer term investment in equipment and skills learnt as well as versatility in terms of the type of metals.

i would consider a more reputable machine i that case.

 

[t1r2u3s4t]

I think you hit the nail on the head there. This is something on the back of my mind...

I think I would go for the Miller 211 for now and add a TIG rig later on when I exceed the capability of the MIG process (right? ). The AlphaTIG is a like a shiny flashy toys with all the bells and whistles though.

i would consider a more reputable machine i that case.

 

[danscobra6]

There are some really great bargains on welders right now. I do have the 2014 and 2015 AHP's. These are awesome for the price. I usually wait until it says in stock before I pay. To big of time frame for me to have them sit on my money. Another smoking deal is on E- bay. I have one now and ordered one more this morning. It's a Lotos 175 amp mig with a spool gun. $449.10 shipped. The one I have I pulled the cover and was amazed at the quality of this thing. You would think for the price you were buying ****. Power is not an issue with these, you actually have to dial it down from the recommended settings. I never mig welded aluminum before and it is incredible and the same on steel. Not doing a commercial here just providing some info. Dan

 

[Professur]

If you're experienced in oxy welding, you've most of the still needed for tig already.

 

[t1r2u3s4t]

That's an awesome deal. Won't work for me right now though because I need 110V for right now. Once I added a 220V circuit then it'd be perfect!

There are some really great bargains on welders right now. I do have the 2014 and 2015 AHP's. These are awesome for the price. I usually wait until it says in stock before I pay. To big of time frame for me to have them sit on my money. Another smoking deal is on E- bay. I have one now and ordered one more this morning. It's a Lotos 175 amp mig with a spool gun. $449.10 shipped. The one I have I pulled the cover and was amazed at the quality of this thing. You would think for the price you were buying ****. Power is not an issue with these, you actually have to dial it down from the recommended settings. I never mig welded aluminum before and it is incredible and the same on steel. Not doing a commercial here just providing some info. Dan

 

[Professur]

I believe the AHP will work on 110V

 

[trackwelder]

i would consider a more reputable machine i that case.

The future of parts and service would be my concern. It's a gamble for sure to get into a cheap tig.

 

[t1r2u3s4t]

Service seem likely non existence, from what I gathered on the Internet. The company (ahpwelds) address is some apartment in San Francisco (where I live), so I'm pretty sure these guys just an importer.

The future of parts and service would be my concern. It's a gamble for sure to get into a cheap tig.

 

[danscobra6]

Service seem likely non existence, from what I gathered on the Internet. The company (ahpwelds) address is some apartment in San Francisco (where I live), so I'm pretty sure these guys just an importer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by trackwelder View Post
The future of parts and service would be my concern. It's a gamble for sure to get into a cheap tig.

I must say both these comments are way off base. First AHP is far from a cheap welder-inexpensive yes. Very well built and now there is nothing to upgrade on the 2015's except maybe the foot pedal. It works fine but some prefer different.

Service being non existent, where does that come from? I have heard of only 2 problems so far and the first was mine. The regulator rattled loose in shipping and marked up the pedal. Being as picky as I am I called and had a new one in 2 days. They said keep the old one.
Second was a display issue and the unit was returned and replaced with shipping paid both ways. Not to bad in my opinion

 

[t1r2u3s4t]

Thanks, good to hear your first hand experience.

Service seem likely non existence, from what I gathered on the Internet. The company (ahpwelds) address is some apartment in San Francisco (where I live), so I'm pretty sure these guys just an importer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by trackwelder View Post
The future of parts and service would be my concern. It's a gamble for sure to get into a cheap tig.

I must say both these comments are way off base. First AHP is far from a cheap welder-inexpensive yes. Very well built and now there is nothing to upgrade on the 2015's except maybe the foot pedal. It works fine but some prefer different.

Service being non existent, where does that come from? I have heard of only 2 problems so far and the first was mine. The regulator rattled loose in shipping and marked up the pedal. Being as picky as I am I called and had a new one in 2 days. They said keep the old one.
Second was a display issue and the unit was returned and replaced with shipping paid both ways. Not to bad in my opinion

 

[trackwelder]

Service seem likely non existence, from what I gathered on the Internet. The company (ahpwelds) address is some apartment in San Francisco (where I live), so I'm pretty sure these guys just an importer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by trackwelder View Post
The future of parts and service would be my concern. It's a gamble for sure to get into a cheap tig.

I must say both these comments are way off base. First AHP is far from a cheap welder-inexpensive yes. Very well built and now there is nothing to upgrade on the 2015's except maybe the foot pedal. It works fine but some prefer different.

Service being non existent, where does that come from? I have heard of only 2 problems so far and the first was mine. The regulator rattled loose in shipping and marked up the pedal. Being as picky as I am I called and had a new one in 2 days. They said keep the old one.
Second was a display issue and the unit was returned and replaced with shipping paid both ways. Not to bad in my opinion

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EL8UQH4/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Not trying to turn this into a shitstorm they are great for people looking to get a cheap tig. They are what they are a "inexpensive " tig with no service from any dealers except the importer. Only time will tell if you will have any parts or service in the future. As I stated they are a gamble in my opinion

 

[danscobra6]

No shitstorm here and yes I am a gambler. With a 3 year warranty I'll take the chance. Just so everyone knows the pic in the above link is the 2013 model with 2 pin connectors for the pedal. I wish they would show a date in the listing. 2014's have 1 connector but still have the screw on gas/power cable. The 2015's have the 35-50 dinse.

 

[Shadowdog500]

Service seem likely non existence, from what I gathered on the Internet. The company (ahpwelds) address is some apartment in San Francisco (where I live), so I'm pretty sure these guys just an importer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by trackwelder View Post
The future of parts and service would be my concern. It's a gamble for sure to get into a cheap tig.

I must say both these comments are way off base. First AHP is far from a cheap welder-inexpensive yes. Very well built and now there is nothing to upgrade on the 2015's except maybe the foot pedal. It works fine but some prefer different.

Service being non existent, where does that come from? I have heard of only 2 problems so far and the first was mine. The regulator rattled loose in shipping and marked up the pedal. Being as picky as I am I called and had a new one in 2 days. They said keep the old one.
Second was a display issue and the unit was returned and replaced with shipping paid both ways. Not to bad in my opinion

They have improved the thing every year so far and I bet they will continue to improve the design every year. This means that this years model isn't the same as the 2013 model. I also see that AHP does not keep many units in stock since they are always back ordered waiting for the next shipment. What is the probability that AHP will have parts to repair a 2013 unit in 2020 or 2025?

Chris

 

[carbon]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EL8UQH4/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Not trying to turn this into a shitstorm they are great for people looking to get a cheap tig. They are what they are a "inexpensive " tig with no service from any dealers except the importer. Only time will tell if you will have any parts or service in the future. As I stated they are a gamble in my opinion

You linked to the 2014 model, which ironically is more than the sale on the 2015 model.

 

[Amphicar770]

The "if it is not Miller, if it not SnapOn, etc. argument" is just silly.

Fir the hobbiest, small shop, someone looking to learn, these are a great value and will likely outlive the owner. At the end of the day, good tig welding is more about the operator than the machine.

If this is your livelihood, and an outage costs you money by the hour, then certainly buy the miller. For the typical home user, you will need to burn through 5 of these before you pay for the name brand. My own welder gets dragged out of the corner every few years.

I do buy brands like snapon for tools I rely on. For the lefthanded monkey wrench that I may use twice in my life, harbor freight is just fine. Buy what you need.

 

[trackwelder]

The "if it is not Miller, if it not SnapOn, etc. argument" is just silly.

Fir the hobbiest, small shop, someone looking to learn, these are a great value and will likely outlive the owner. At the end of the day, good tig welding is more about the operator than the machine.

If this is your livelihood, and an outage costs you money by the hour, then certainly buy the miller. For the typical home user, you will need to burn through 5 of these before you pay for the name brand. My own welder gets dragged out of the corner every few years.

I do buy brands like snapon for tools I rely on. For the lefthanded monkey wrench that I may use twice in my life, harbor freight is just fine. Buy what you need.

Comparing a $700 welder to a HF monkey wrench is silly!!!

It's been said things have changed with each model year. What do you think is going to happen in few years when a board or some other electrical part is burned out. Hope that the importer can call his Chinese manufacturer and get a board. I'm not saying that this welder isn't capable of producing good welds, just wondering about support.

 

[txvwnut]

So I drank the coolaid and ordered one. Got my tracking info and it will be here Monday, and my Longevity 200SX goes in the trash Monday evening.

 

[davewo]

I drank the coolaid months ago when the fan in my Hobart MVP caught on fire and rendered it useless until the correct Miller replacement (with proprietary circuitry and $60) was sent to me. In the meantime I decided to pull the trigger on a tig machine; and the 2015 Alphatig it was. I've had absolutely no problems with it so far. I'm learning to tig so I cannot evaluate its performance relative to another machine, but I have played with mild, stainless, aluminum and cast iron with good results. The torch is a standard size and Amazon has been a great resource for accessories.

 

[txvwnut]

Got mine yesterday and put it on the cart today and gave it a little test run. This things got a sweet little flex tig torch and a great zippered cord/hose assembly jacket. The ground clamp is your basic import clamp that I think I'll change it out to a true 200amp copper one. I ran some test beads on a piece of scrap angle iron and they ran pretty good for a guy with limited tig experience. I intentionally played around to get excess penetration and then concentrated on running good beads and playing with the settings to get a feel for what they do. I only used the foot pedal and arc start was great, my previous tig(s) are a torch setup for my mig unit so it is DC only scratch start the other was my longevity 200sx which has sucked right out of the box, the arc flame is really stable and quick to light. I quite like the pulse functions as I can just step on the pedal and go for it without having to remember to pulse the pedal. Now I can't wait to put it to the test of welding a project up which I have a few of drawn up and materials on the rack for.

 

[dipan]

Looks like a great deal. Thanks for the tip. Just placed the order! I have been waiting and waiting to pull the trigger on a multiprocess MIG/TIG, but they seem less flexible in regards to TIG and more expensive. I really want to do mostly TIG anyway.

 

[danscobra6]

Amazons ad is still a bit confusing. The header says 2015 and below it states 2016 features and in the description it shows the pulse freq of the 2015. I received a return e-mail from AHP and the one I ordered the 4th will be a 2016. Just a heads up for anyone interested, that is one hell of a great deal still at 680.00. I've had the 2013,14 and 15 and not a glitch in any of them. They just sent a tracking# and it has been picked up in Ca. I assume the price will go back up now that the 3-5 week window is out.

 

[tearlessj]

Looks like it's sold out.

 

[danscobra6]

I like this deal so I thought before the price went up, I'd order a second one. It's already been shipped and right after this order they were sold out.

 

[jdcompman]

FYI back in stock but up $40 to $720.

 

[383 240z]

I've got the 2015 version, I REALLY like it. For the guys on the fence, in a few weeks they will be shipping with a better torch and cable.

Read up here: http://weldingweb.com/showthread.ph...ess-you-have-used-own-one!&highlight=alphatig

 

[danscobra6]

The first 2016 showed up today and It came with the new torch cable. It does seem a bit bulky-heavy so I really don't see that as much of an improvement. I'll put a flex 9 on it and use a water cooled one for higher amp projects. Some people are not to fond of the pedal but they do work good. I thought I'd give the HTP bigger pedal a try and then converted an Everlast narrower pedal with a 10k ohm pot. It works really good on the 2015. No reason why it wouldn't but if this welds the same as the 2013,14 and 15 the AHP is no doubt a great buy. IMO

 

[PoorOwner]

How thick steel can this tig at 120vac?

 

[txvwnut]

How thick steel can this tig at 120vac?

Depends on if you preheat the material first. But I don't see why you can't do 3/8" without a preheat.

I think they have these welders rated at 150a on 110vac and 200a on 220vac.

 

[txvwnut]

The first 2016 showed up today and It came with the new torch cable. It does seem a bit bulky-heavy so I really don't see that as much of an improvement. I'll put a flex 9 on it and use a water cooled one for higher amp projects. Some people are not to fond of the pedal but they do work good. I thought I'd give the HTP bigger pedal a try and then converted an Everlast narrower pedal with a 10k ohm pot. It works really good on the 2015. No reason why it wouldn't but if this welds the same as the 2013,14 and 15 the AHP is no doubt a great buy. IMO

I see they added another wave length selection and frequency adjustment.

Have you welded with the 2016 version yet?

 

[danscobra6]

This is from my experience only. 3/16" will be no problem. Just figure the amperage drops 20-25% going from 220 to 120v. So your still at 150+ amps. I did a bunch of 1/4" **** and lap joints on 220 yesterday with the 2015. I used the trigger switch at 180 amps and it was to hot. If you don't have a big heat sink under what your welding you can go pretty thick.

 

[danscobra6]

I see they added another wave length selection and frequency adjustment.

Have you welded with the 2016 version yet?

The wave length thing you are referring to is the high-low-off pulse settings and last years version also had adjustable a/c freq. I'm just putting a cart together now so I'll check it out tomorrow.

 

[PoorOwner]

Does anyone have experience with customer service , someone on Amazon say there isn't any. Not sure who to believe