NEW 2024 AHP AlphaTIG 203Xi Amp IGBT AC DC Tig/Stick Welder with PULSE 110/220v 3 YEARS WARRANTY

I like it a lot its a nice welder very glad I got it!! All the positive reviews and you tube video reviews etc really sold me. Especially like the duty cycle that is the single most important thing to look for in any welder this one is very good. I did a ton of research on this welder. I was a bit skeptical of pre-buying something that was a month or so out. But I saw day after day watching the ETA dates kept getting further ahead so took the chance and pre-payed for it. Plus the pre-buy price was very reasonable to me, saving a $120 over in stock prices is awesome. The welder came at least 2 weeks early and was in perfect condition. All the included accessory's are perfectly suited for the type welding I need this for. I highly doubt I will change anything. I started torch welding in late 60's in VO-AG in jr high and all the way thru high school even before I learned stick welding. This is just about the same it was very easy to pick up and start tig welding steel. The ac aluminum took me just a bit to get familiar with and was my big reason to buy tig in the first place. I am at least competent with the settings etc now so I get better every time I weld. You tube has great instructional videos on this welder!!. I use it on 120v all the time I really appreciate the fact I can do that and not stuck needing a 220 outlet. Cant comment on the stick I may not use it for awhile? I have a commercial mig for the big projects but I am quite sure this AHP will burn rods with the best of them.Edit: I said I wouldn’t change anything but I forgot to mention I did buy a stubby gas lens kit and that’s what I am welding with and it works great. I can’t comment on included cups etc but pretty sure they would be fine plus you can start welding soon as you get gas and rods.

I have owned this unit since mid December of 17 and I'm just now getting around to writing this review. I wanted to make sure I had a lot of hours of service into it so I could really get to know the machine and not write some useless 2 sentence review after using it for a couple of hours. Overall tl;dr of the review, I love it and I would highly recommend it to anyone.Stick: The stick mode in the AlphaTIG is the BEST I have ever used. I've ran Miller, Lincoln, and junk Harbor Freight welders and the AHP's stick welder is the smoothest. Striking an arc is effortless it takes a very light swipe or touch to the metal to initiate it. Once the arc is going it is extremely smooth and easy to manipulate. The unit is not picky on arc length so if you accidentally long arc on a start there are no worries about it going out.I've ran 6011, 6013, 7018, and 308l stainless rods through it in 3/32 and 1/8 and it ran them all perfectly without any issue the way it should. I haven't attempted 6010 but I've heard the machine will not run it. It's not surprising to me as several inverter machines have issues running 6010. Really though if you are on a budget buying this machine 6011 works fine because I doubt you'll be doing code work with the unit. I've let several people run beads with it and they all commented about how smooth it runs sticks. You can swap the machine over to AC while it is in stick mode which is awesome, and the hertz of AC is fully adjustable too. I've only had to do it once out of necessity because of arc blow but it is an extremely useful feature when you need it. Not many machines in this price range will let you do that.I've used the machine quite a bit on 120v with the adapter in places with no easily accessible 240v. I use a 12 gauge 25 foot extension cord with it and it runs great, there is no noticeable power loss through it. The one bad thing about running on 120v is that the digital readout and the knob readout do not match for some reason. The knob is the "correctish" amperage on my unit you just have to get a feel for the heat. Another bad thing is the unit will let you run up to full amperage while it is in 120v operation, which if you don't pay attention you will flip a breaker if you run too hot. I decided pretty quickly that unit is pretty much limited to 3/32 rods only in 120v, you can get away with burning 1/8 6011 on the low end side of it's operation. Also AC stick operation works just as good on 120 as it does 240.TIG: The machine does TIG great. I've only used one other TIG machine before, a Lincoln Square Wave, and the AHP is on par with it. The HF arc start works great and it's easy getting it initiated. The machine only goes down to 10 amps, which can bind you up on some really thin stuff. I was doing a repair on .20mm thick stainless and it was a little tricky getting that done but with the right technique it is doable. I've welded a quite a bit of carbon and stainless steel and it's worked great. I haven't done a whole lot of aluminum work but from the limited stuff I've done the machine does a good job. The AC controls work like they should and seem to be spot on. The pulse works like it should and is handy in some instances. I've only used 3/32 E3 tungsten with it and it works good and I don't plan on changing to any other at the moment.Accessories: Everything that comes with the unit is pretty good in my opinion with the exception of the ground clamp. The copper in it started breaking looses pretty quickly, and the general construction of it feels very cheap. I replaced it with a Lincoln ground clamp. I like the tig torch a lot. The hose isn't protected in any way which could be a con for some, but it makes the torch light and easy to maneuver so I like it. The torch head is flexible so you can bend it certain ways if you find yourself needing to. I see a lot of people complain about the foot pedal but I haven't had any comfort issues with it I think it works well and I like it. It adjust the amperage precisely and has a good up and down feel. I haven't used the TIG finger switch and I don't plan to so I don't have any comment on it. The flow meter it constructed well. I don't know if it's accurate I haven't used a calibration tip with the torch but I haven't had any obvious arc issues so it's working good for me. The stick stinger is good I see no reason to replace it.Overall: I really enjoy the machine it's been dependable for me. If someone was to say they needed a TIG machine it's my first recommendation. The only real con about the unit I have is the 120v operation with the digital readout not working right and not capping the machine off at 85 or 90 amps in stick and a little higher for TIG. I hate that as I do stick weld quite a bit with it on 120v. I also worry a little about the future of AHP. They're relatively unheard of to most people in the welding field. If someone goes wrong with the machine 5-10 years from now will you be screwed if they go away? It's a small gamble to take. However if the machine continues to work as great as it does and stays affordable I think AHP will start to get bigger and more known. I emailed AHP support to ask them a question about the unit and I received a reply within 4 hours so that was pretty nice. I've seen a video of the welder getting disassembled and it looks to be built with good components and assembled nicely. I know this was a long review but I feel like products that are several hundreds of dollars deserve them, and I would be happy to answer any questions if anyone has them. Hope it helps!

I bought this welder originally for stick welding and eventually to play around with tig. I am a fairly new welder so my point of view will be different than the experts.I bought the unit about 7 months ago and was holding off reviewing until I was able to use most of the options. I have used the stick and DC tig to weld steel. I have not done any AC tig welding with it.So far I am completely satisfied. In a welding class I was able to use a wide variety of big name welders and honestly this machine works just as well and even better in some cases. Now, I dont weld for a living and do not need to weld huge projects...but for home diy, ornamentation projects its awesome.Set up and switching between stick and tig is easy. The kit came with both a foot and hand pedal for tig, which I love. I have only used the foot pedal....wanting to get good at it ...but plan to switch to the hand once I feel comfortable with everything else I need to do with my hands!I also played with the pulse..works well and is really good for a newbie like me. eliminating the need to think about pulsing by foot while trying to concentrate on not contaminating my tungsten, tungsten angle, the puddle, the filler rod, keeping my line straight, etc.The price is really reasonable. I didn't want to spend a ton of money on something that is a weekend hobby and didn't want to end up with a cheap unit that I would be struggling with (dealt with those in welding class too).The only negative is the spring in the ground clamp broke about 5 months in. I replaced it with a heavy duty one. Besides that, everything else seems well made and I am very happy with the unit so I'm still giving it a 5 star...I should have called them up for a replacement to test their service..might still do that.