Best Welding Systems
AHP Aliphatic 200X 200 Amp IGBT AC DC Tig/Stick Welder with PULSE 110v 200v. quality TIG welding on aluminum, stainless or steel and precise welding of thinner-gauge materials. Advanced Inverter Technology with PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) Using IGBT technology; PULSE FREQUENCY RANGE - 5 to 5HZ; PULSE AMP CONTROL 10 - 200 WELDING AMPS; PULSE TIME ON (WIDTH) - 10-90% OF PULSE CYCLE.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"After reading the many positive reviews on here for AHP's welder I decided to take a chance and buy one. I did the troubleshooting which consisted of checking some power supplies and making sure that a snubber coil wasn't too close to the output terminals. There was also a sheet on proper grounding for HF welders that was lifted from a Miller manual. After I sent a couple reminders Jabin wrote me and informed me I had a bad boost control board. I filled out a ridiculously long and tersely worded RMA where I had to prove I actually bought the machine or they wouldn't honor the warranty. Finally losing my patience I sent an email telling them that if they didn't help me I would post a negative review on Amazon. They also cut off my access to Jabin, a move I find laughable considering he has done absolutely nothing to resolve my problems in a two month period. I have worked on large scale electronic system for 40 years and currently make my living fixing multi-million dollar linear accelerators. To put that in perspective Miller includes a general schematics and a parts list in their well written manual. Typical of low end Chinese electronics, the circuits are constructed with many unmarked components. Good luck fixing this thing without an accurate schematic if the company goes out business. Customer service issues aside there are several other disturbing things about the design and construction of this Tig. The boards are coated with a clear sealer which is a good thing in harsh environments. When they soldered in the new integrated circuit they used excessive heat and did not bother to clean flux off the board after repair. Due to small differences in switching times and conductivity there is always more stress on one device than the others. This design approach goes back to the old days when individual devices were incapable of handling the power. Of course since none of these devices are marked I can only speculate on their capacity based on physical size and the shear number of them in the circuit. I don't even know if they use the newer more robust IGBT technology or if it is built with SCRs or large conventional transistors. Given the number of satisfied reviewers here I conclude that if you get a good one, and don't have to endure what passes for customer service at AHP, it has the makings of a competent hobby class welder. Granted it doesn't have the stated capacity and adjustment capabilities of the 200X, but chances are it won't blow up on you and it comes with better accessories. Extensive dealer networks and the shiny semi-trucks full of welders at the state fair cost money."
"Working at a welding supply store that is a Miller dealer I've had the opportunity to use almost every domestic welder (Miller and Lincoln).I'm not going to say that this machine is getting a Dynasty 200 DX for a quarter of the price, because it certainly is not."
"It took about 3 weeks to get the welder, and while waiting I studied the manual and watched numerous tig welding videos. After receiving the welder in good shape, I set it up and started welding. While I still have a lot to learn, I feel confident enough to start my next welding project using this welder."
"I've been welding with a Lincoln SP135 Plus for several years (MIG welder), but had some jobs where a TIG welder would be the better way to go. I spent quite a bit of time looking at welders at the local supply house (Central Welding is where I usually go), but the cost of the machines, even used, were simply more than I was willing to spend for what I imagined would be relatively light duty use over the years. I think the only real thing missing on this welder is a giant power switch on the front of the welder that can be operated with gloves on, otherwise everything else is very livable. Welding mild steel is just kids play with this welder. Welding aluminum is a bit tricky, but not because of this welder at all. If you're expecting a TIG welder to magically make welding aluminum easy, you are not being reasonable. Welding stainless is the one thing I've had more trouble with, but I also have not been equipped with a second tank to properly purge the welds. I've been able to weld stainless similar to welding steel, but the welds are definitely more brittle without purging and not as good as I'd hoped. In my opinion, welding stainless seems a bit more difficult than welding aluminum, but I'm not sure if that's just me or a common experience others have had as well. The settings are pretty universal though, so if you can find a buddy that knows their TIG welding, they should be able to tell you what all the settings are for. There is also Start Amps, Main Amps, and End Amps, which I think are all pretty obvious and do pretty much exactly what they say. Pulse Freqency, Pulse Amps and Pulse Time On allow you to control the speed of the pulse, as well as the amount of amps the pulse drops to, and the amount of time that the pulse is at the Main Amps setting (or percentage of it based on pedal input); or at least this is the way that it seems from my experimenting with it. You can turn pulsing on or off with a switch, as well as switching between stick and TIG, AC and DC, or pedal and finger switch input by switches as well. I have a larger bottle, somewhere over 300 cubic feet, and it seems to last me about a week of intermittent welding, perhaps 7-10 hours total depending on what I'm welding. It does cost a lot more to weld with TIG than MIG in my experience when it comes to the gas, so plan to spend twice as much on about the same amount of welding. I only use a small 90 cubic foot (if I remember right) bottle with my MIG, and I feel like I get the same amount of welding done with that as I do with the larger bottle on the TIG. MIG forces you to work at it's pace, or end up with a pile of ugly weld if you don't cooperate. I've come to a workflow where I use the TIG where I want welds to look perfect and require no real cleanup, but where I can use the MIG for heavy quick welds, I do so to keep costs down (at the expense of having to clean up a little bit of weld spatter). I have not used the finger switch more than a couple times, but when you need to work where you can't use a pedal, it's a pretty good option. Once you start welding, the display will show you the amps in real time, so if you are using the footpedal, and let up on the pedal a bit, the amps reading on the LED will drop to match. If I recall right, the first click goes to the starting amps, the second click to the main amps a third click to the end amps and a fourth click to off, but it's been a while since is used that function and I may be off."
Color: welding machine. 【Household Smart Welder】compact and exquisite MIG gas welder, made of heavy duty stainless steel body, painted with durable yellow paints, ensure its long-last serving life-span. Features a easy carrying handle, light weight, compact design, easy for translation and storage.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My buddy borrowed it and put the cheap harbor freight 30 wire in it, and the thing just cranks out welds. Having 4 heat settings and infinite wire speed control is the reason i tried this one instead of slightly more expensive home gamer brands like it. Was expecting cheap garbage that didn't work, but was pleasently surprised by the welds a $99 machine can lay down."
"The welder also comes with a handheld mask which is good for occasional project, but you will need to upgrade if you plan on using regularly. The caliber of the MIG welder sets it at a high-end product, so the current price makes it a good value!"
"Works Great and price is great too. I have had very large welders over the years but today I only need small a for my garage today and it works great. Photos of welder and bench welded with the MIG 130. After using this welder for few weeks I found to work GREAT for size. This would even work well in large shop weigh of machine and working on 120 volts. Tips I have found using the MIG 130. I found it works best with .030" [0.8 mm] wire The welder works good with .035. '. I found the best plug to use was my garage door opener pull and heavy cord 12GA. '."
"the settings werent dialed in correctly, i had no idea how to properly prep a weld, i had no idea how to weld a weld... that being said this machine absolutely has issues. just because its a simplified machine doesnt mean that the welding itself is dumbed down, there is still alot to learn about getting the most out of it."
"I bought the mig 130 for my Husband as a gift ."
Feature Stainless steel body. Perfect for welding steel. 4 adjustable heating. Two air-vent on the machine to make the temperature lower. Torch With Full On / Off Safety Control. Automatic Thermal Safety Protection. Comes with welding wire and mask. 【Household Smart Welder】compact and exquisite MIG gas welder, made of heavy duty stainless steel body, painted with durable yellow paints, ensure its long-last serving life-span. Features a easy carrying handle, light weight, compact design, easy for translation and storage.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My buddy borrowed it and put the cheap harbor freight 30 wire in it, and the thing just cranks out welds. Having 4 heat settings and infinite wire speed control is the reason i tried this one instead of slightly more expensive home gamer brands like it. Was expecting cheap garbage that didn't work, but was pleasently surprised by the welds a $99 machine can lay down."
"The welder also comes with a handheld mask which is good for occasional project, but you will need to upgrade if you plan on using regularly. The caliber of the MIG welder sets it at a high-end product, so the current price makes it a good value!"
"Works Great and price is great too. I have had very large welders over the years but today I only need small a for my garage today and it works great. Photos of welder and bench welded with the MIG 130. After using this welder for few weeks I found to work GREAT for size. This would even work well in large shop weigh of machine and working on 120 volts. Tips I have found using the MIG 130. I found it works best with .030" [0.8 mm] wire The welder works good with .035. '. I found the best plug to use was my garage door opener pull and heavy cord 12GA. '."
"the settings werent dialed in correctly, i had no idea how to properly prep a weld, i had no idea how to weld a weld... that being said this machine absolutely has issues. just because its a simplified machine doesnt mean that the welding itself is dumbed down, there is still alot to learn about getting the most out of it."
"I bought the mig 130 for my Husband as a gift ."
Best Welding Systems
quality TIG welding on aluminum, stainless or steel and precise welding of thinner-gauge materials. Advanced Inverter Technology with PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) Using IGBT technology; PULSE FREQUENCY RANGE - 5 to 5HZ; PULSE AMP CONTROL 10 - 200 WELDING AMPS; PULSE TIME ON (WIDTH) - 10-90% OF PULSE CYCLE.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"After reading the many positive reviews on here for AHP's welder I decided to take a chance and buy one. I did the troubleshooting which consisted of checking some power supplies and making sure that a snubber coil wasn't too close to the output terminals. There was also a sheet on proper grounding for HF welders that was lifted from a Miller manual. After I sent a couple reminders Jabin wrote me and informed me I had a bad boost control board. I filled out a ridiculously long and tersely worded RMA where I had to prove I actually bought the machine or they wouldn't honor the warranty. Finally losing my patience I sent an email telling them that if they didn't help me I would post a negative review on Amazon. They also cut off my access to Jabin, a move I find laughable considering he has done absolutely nothing to resolve my problems in a two month period. I have worked on large scale electronic system for 40 years and currently make my living fixing multi-million dollar linear accelerators. To put that in perspective Miller includes a general schematics and a parts list in their well written manual. Typical of low end Chinese electronics, the circuits are constructed with many unmarked components. Good luck fixing this thing without an accurate schematic if the company goes out business. Customer service issues aside there are several other disturbing things about the design and construction of this Tig. The boards are coated with a clear sealer which is a good thing in harsh environments. When they soldered in the new integrated circuit they used excessive heat and did not bother to clean flux off the board after repair. Due to small differences in switching times and conductivity there is always more stress on one device than the others. This design approach goes back to the old days when individual devices were incapable of handling the power. Of course since none of these devices are marked I can only speculate on their capacity based on physical size and the shear number of them in the circuit. I don't even know if they use the newer more robust IGBT technology or if it is built with SCRs or large conventional transistors. Given the number of satisfied reviewers here I conclude that if you get a good one, and don't have to endure what passes for customer service at AHP, it has the makings of a competent hobby class welder. Granted it doesn't have the stated capacity and adjustment capabilities of the 200X, but chances are it won't blow up on you and it comes with better accessories. Extensive dealer networks and the shiny semi-trucks full of welders at the state fair cost money."
"Working at a welding supply store that is a Miller dealer I've had the opportunity to use almost every domestic welder (Miller and Lincoln).I'm not going to say that this machine is getting a Dynasty 200 DX for a quarter of the price, because it certainly is not."
"It took about 3 weeks to get the welder, and while waiting I studied the manual and watched numerous tig welding videos. After receiving the welder in good shape, I set it up and started welding. While I still have a lot to learn, I feel confident enough to start my next welding project using this welder."
"I've been welding with a Lincoln SP135 Plus for several years (MIG welder), but had some jobs where a TIG welder would be the better way to go. I spent quite a bit of time looking at welders at the local supply house (Central Welding is where I usually go), but the cost of the machines, even used, were simply more than I was willing to spend for what I imagined would be relatively light duty use over the years. I think the only real thing missing on this welder is a giant power switch on the front of the welder that can be operated with gloves on, otherwise everything else is very livable. Welding mild steel is just kids play with this welder. Welding aluminum is a bit tricky, but not because of this welder at all. If you're expecting a TIG welder to magically make welding aluminum easy, you are not being reasonable. Welding stainless is the one thing I've had more trouble with, but I also have not been equipped with a second tank to properly purge the welds. I've been able to weld stainless similar to welding steel, but the welds are definitely more brittle without purging and not as good as I'd hoped. In my opinion, welding stainless seems a bit more difficult than welding aluminum, but I'm not sure if that's just me or a common experience others have had as well. The settings are pretty universal though, so if you can find a buddy that knows their TIG welding, they should be able to tell you what all the settings are for. There is also Start Amps, Main Amps, and End Amps, which I think are all pretty obvious and do pretty much exactly what they say. Pulse Freqency, Pulse Amps and Pulse Time On allow you to control the speed of the pulse, as well as the amount of amps the pulse drops to, and the amount of time that the pulse is at the Main Amps setting (or percentage of it based on pedal input); or at least this is the way that it seems from my experimenting with it. You can turn pulsing on or off with a switch, as well as switching between stick and TIG, AC and DC, or pedal and finger switch input by switches as well. I have a larger bottle, somewhere over 300 cubic feet, and it seems to last me about a week of intermittent welding, perhaps 7-10 hours total depending on what I'm welding. It does cost a lot more to weld with TIG than MIG in my experience when it comes to the gas, so plan to spend twice as much on about the same amount of welding. I only use a small 90 cubic foot (if I remember right) bottle with my MIG, and I feel like I get the same amount of welding done with that as I do with the larger bottle on the TIG. MIG forces you to work at it's pace, or end up with a pile of ugly weld if you don't cooperate. I've come to a workflow where I use the TIG where I want welds to look perfect and require no real cleanup, but where I can use the MIG for heavy quick welds, I do so to keep costs down (at the expense of having to clean up a little bit of weld spatter). I have not used the finger switch more than a couple times, but when you need to work where you can't use a pedal, it's a pretty good option. Once you start welding, the display will show you the amps in real time, so if you are using the footpedal, and let up on the pedal a bit, the amps reading on the LED will drop to match. If I recall right, the first click goes to the starting amps, the second click to the main amps a third click to the end amps and a fourth click to off, but it's been a while since is used that function and I may be off."
Best Welding Protective Equipment
This light weight welding helmet is so versatile that it can be used on grinding, cutting and welding applications. - Exterior lens covers: Amazon ASIN# B00CIOKN6C. - Inner lens covers: ASIN# B00CIXN50O. - Head Gear:ASIN# B01N5HCMIX. - Hard hat adapter: ASIN#B075FCZJZH, B075FH4J4C. - Sweat Band: ASIN#B073XT6CCQ. - Auto Darkening Lens: ASIN#B01M2DHSDR. - Cheater Lens: ASIN# B017IDJKMK (Diopter various). Great For TIG MIG MMA, Plasma Applications with Grinding Feature.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great auto-darkening helmet for the money, cheaper and better than HF."
"Noobie welder and needed a helmet."
"This is my first auto darkening helmet and I really love it."
"It adjusts automatically, except when I forget to put it on the appropriate function..either welding or grinding."
"Got this for my dad's birthday."
"Acted glichy once but fixed itself , good product for the price , if I was a welder by trade I would buy a much better one but has been good for part time use."
"And works great no matter what you are welding in whatever enironment you are in."
"Negatives- Small or difficult field of vision or viewing angle no matter how I adjust the helmet, but in fairness, their are models available. with a larger lenses To obtain the best and most natural view of my work area, I have to leave a lot of open area near my. chin, but I will use this helmet when I have to wear my respirator."
Best Welding Equipment & Accessories
The Hakko 599B-02 is a replacement solder tip cleaning wire sponge. No contamination risk compared to conventional tip tinners.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The brass is softer than the soldering iron's tip, but it's harder than the oxidized crud that builds upon the iron's tip."
"I purchased this just before I ordered a Hakko soldering station that came with one of these as part of the station."
"Hated using a wet sponge because it reduces the tinning effect on the tips causing premature wear."
"I only wish the bottom wasn't fit so tight to the top as it makes cleaning a bit of a task."
"This works much better at cleaning a solder iron tip than a wet sponge."
"Order this along with some other items for my hobby / side business I've always had and reserved about if these things actually worked I've seen them on YouTube but thought why not try one."
"The Hakko 599B-02 Solder Tip Cleaning Wire and Holder is well made."
"The brass pad works so much better than the sponge. Every so often when the brass starts to fill up, I empty the container and "fluf" (for lack of a better word) the brass sponge."