Welding Tips and Tricks

Happened to see that Jody had a 200 DX that he gave away to a member and I saw a lot of different good reviews on it. I can do DC Tig on my Lincoln Power Mig 210 and I bought the one pack with the spool gun so I can do Aluminum and if I wanted to I could add a bottle of Helium and DC Tig Aluminum but it kind of limits me to cast and 6061 and it's not always pretty..

So... I ordered the newest version which is the 201 DX. They took the flip up window off it and replaced the foot pedal with an old Lincoln style like SSC makes. I love that foot pedal and was probably a major factor in me hitting the buy button on my confuser.

The unit shipped today and will be here UPS on Monday... I'm getting this feeling that it's coming out of the SF Bay Area or it wouldn't get to Nevada that fast. Hum, that's where Everlast is too... Could they be one in the same company.. I don't have the shipping origination point yet but I will soon.

Honestly, I'm not expecting this thing to be all that great but as long as I can learn it's quirks I should be O.K. Any big projects can be done with the Lincoln and the spool gun. I like spray transfer for bigger stuff anyway.

Are we all still waiting for Jody's part 3 of the affordable TIG Welder reviews? I'll review this one for him in the mean time.

Just got the pickup point. It is South San Francisco, Ca. I did a quick search and someone on weld.com say's that Everlast and AHP are one in the same. Oh well, maybe I won't need customer service but if I do, I know exactly where they are because I picked up my old Everlast rather than let UPS beat it to death. if I'm sounding skeptical, it's because I am more now than I was before. I am going to give it a go, who knows, it might just work fine.

Welder arrived today. It's missing the stick holder but they gave me two complete work clamps so I guess it's a wash. I have a really good holder already.

The connections are all standard except the foot pedal if there is a standard for that. The foot pedal fell apart in my hands but it was easily fixed. It is the same style as the older Lincoln/SSC's in fact I think its the same as the one that came with my Lincoln 210. One of the fans is htting something inside the case but that's not a big issue and I can fix that. I have to get in there and check the contacts for the HF start anyway. All in all I give it a pre-welding QC of about 8 out of 10. Even my Lincoln had a wire traped between the case and front cover.

The plastic flip up cover is still there just like on the 200DX so that didn't change. I fired it up on 110v and that seems to work fine. It takes a few seconds before it reacts to any changes and the pot's on it are super sensitive. I tried to set it for 60 amps and it took longer than I like to get it to exactly 60. The EN and balance settings are a little confusing so I'll just have to play with that until I get it figured out.

The torch is a Weldcraft WP-17 with the flex head. I've used them before and they're ok. It's air cooled and I don't have any big projects planned so it will do the job. Since the connectors are standard, I can swap off to one of my other torches if I want.

Is it an Everlast? No but it's sold by the same people. The shipper's address is the same anyway.

After I get the little problems straightened out I'll get some time on the bench with it. I cut up a bunch of cupons while I was waiting for it to arrive so I have plenty of test material.

Now for the big question. Would I recommend this machine to a begining welder. Nope, there were enough little problems that I think a beginer would probably have sent it back. Heck, I may send it back if it doesn't weld like I want it to. I will go with another Miller Dynasty if that happens. I'm going to give it a big chance so this thread will continue.

sschefer, I have the 200, I don't think there are too many major changes from the 200 to the 201, except maybe the foot pedal. I disagree, I think the AHP is suitable for beginners. It doesn't have all the digital menu options, preset program settings, etc, but it is still pretty easy to figure out. As long as you take the time to learn a few basic parameters(amps, balance, filler size, etc ) you'll be okay, you might even learn more than if you pick a metal and size, and let the machine tell what to do. My 2 cents

ljdm1956 wrote:sschefer, I have the 200, I don't think there are too many major changes from the 200 to the 201, except maybe the foot pedal. I disagree, I think the AHP is suitable for beginners. It doesn't have all the digital menu options, preset program settings, etc, but it is still pretty easy to figure out. As long as you take the time to learn a few basic parameters(amps, balance, filler size, etc ) you'll be okay, you might even learn more than if you pick a metal and size, and let the machine tell what to do. My 2 cents

I think you missunderstood. The welder came to me with a foot pedal that fell apart, a wire trapped in the lower fan housing and no stick electrode holder. The warranty specifically states that if you pop the cover you warranty is voided. I popped the cover to fix the fan. I have worked on foot pedals before so putting that back together was no problem. The lack of a Stick holder might confuse a new welder since in my case I got 2 work leads with clamps. Could I use it for a stick holder, sure but would a newbie be happy? Don't think so. Can you imagine getting a cool welder and being anxious to get your first weld laid in and then opening the box to find what I did.

I'll find out how good of a unit it is tomorrow when I put it through it's paces but I still would not recommend it for a new welder knowing that it might need to be sent in for repairs before the first bead Is run.

sschefer wrote:I'm getting this feeling that it's coming out of the SF Bay Area or it wouldn't get to Nevada that fast. Hum, that's where Everlast is too... Could they be one in the same company.. I don't have the shipping origination point yet but I will soon.

I do not know the full story between Everlast and AHP, but they are certainly related. The owner of Everlast could have some interest in AHP, but I have heard they are separate companies. I'm not sure the AHPs are manufactured in the same factory, but they can't be too different from Everlast being made in China. I always laugh how usawelds.com advertises on ebay for Everlast calling them "China Green", so I guess that makes AHP, "China Yellow".

I do have a "China Green" machine and not unhappy with it, but let me give you a classic example of what you put up with on these inexpensive welders.

I had only a couple things that I've had on the list of things to replace, one being the ground clamp. I bought 25' of flexible welding AWG #2 (using for 200 amps). I also ordered a Lenco, made in America Dinse-50. But guess what? Yep, that Dinse-50 doesn't fit in the Everlast Dinse-50 female on the welder. WTF? It is somehow just off a bit and can't be turned...

So, I said screw that, and ordered new Lenco Dinse-50 Females for my Neverlast and replacing them. Oddly, the Lenco female Dinse-50 will accept either Lenco Dinse-50 male or Neverlast Chinesium Dinse-50 male, so the Lenco is a win-win.

So this is to say that it's all good that you are told you can use standard Dinse-50 consumables, but go try it...

Anyway, that's the type of pleasant experience you'll probably have with your AHP as well...in no time at all you'll probably feel that Chinesium burn as well...just take it in stride and move on.

It's like anything in life, if you don't have any problems with it you'll love it, but if you do have problems you'll remember even if they're small things like a standard Dinse-50 not fitting in the Chinesium connector on the machine.

ljdm1956 wrote:I disagree, I think the AHP is suitable for beginners. It doesn't have all the digital menu options, preset program settings, etc, but it is still pretty easy to figure out.

I completely agree, they're not bad machines, AFAICT. No worse than my Neverlast. The consumables aren't too bad, but I would (DID) replace them. I like that PrimeWeld 225 for that reason, it has a CK 17 torch with it.

Alan

The dinse connector thing is the same way with the Lincoln mp210. The size of the square keeper post on the connector is to large on the lenco replacement fittings to turn into place. When I made extensions for my leads I just filed a little bit off the square post so that I could lock them in without changing the machine lugs.

Alan[/quote] I always laugh how usawelds.com advertises on ebay for Everlast calling them "China Green", so I guess that makes AHP, "China Yellow". [/quote]

Usawelds.com is Italian Red, Lol


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So this is to say that it's all good that you are told you can use standard Dinse-50 consumables, but go try it...

I ran into that problem with an Everalst that I had in the past. However, the AHP does accept Dinse-50 and so does my Lincoln 210. I have a CK torch and a 25ft work clamp that I made up from new parts and they fit just fine in both machines. So, at least that part is good.

Here's something that may or may not make a difference to you. The gas hose that AHP provides is Poly-Butyl. The connector pulled out right of the bat so I replaced it with a 3/16 ID rubber hose. Some people say that Poly-Butyl gasses off and can cause contamination issues. I don't have any evidence of that happening but I prefer Harris's hoses because they seem better made. I also use Harris flow meters and won't be using the one that came with the AHP.

Still haven't fired it up yet, I want to go into town (35 miles away) and get another Harbor Freight welding cart. At 39.00 each you can't build one for that price and they work well enough to get you by until you can build your own.

So it sounds like a negligently put together piece of trash. Hard pass every time.

You get what you pay for, and the lower tier of TIG welders, tempting as they might be, are best ignored, IMO.


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Cncdave wrote:Usawelds.com is Italian Red, Lol

Well, what would you feel most comfortable owning, China Green, China Yellow or Italian Red ???

sschefer wrote:I ran into that problem with an Everalst that I had in the past. However, the AHP does accept Dinse-50 and so does my Lincoln 210. I have a CK torch and a 25ft work clamp that I made up from new parts and they fit just fine in both machines. So, at least that part is good.

I know I can file the key like Josh did and yes it will work just fine...the point is, why should you need to do that? I'm a bit surprised that the Lincoln ran into that problem for him, but not totally alarming as the Lincoln boxes are imported for the most part. What happened to Lincoln's "Italian Red" box? (V205T) They opted for China/Mexico Red.

sschefer wrote:Here's something that may or may not make a difference to you. The gas hose that AHP provides is Poly-Butyl. The connector pulled out right of the bat so I replaced it with a 3/16 ID rubber hose. Some people say that Poly-Butyl gasses off and can cause contamination issues. I don't have any evidence of that happening but I prefer Harris's hoses because they seem better made. I also use Harris flow meters and won't be using the one that came with the AHP.

Ok, funny you should mention the gas hose. My LWS told me that those barb style connectors are actually one of the better ones, and I don't deny that, but we still have the situation that China is crimping the barb connector, so can you put trust that it was crimped properly? I've read about them leaking. I got rid of that hose and bought a smith that is crimped, but not with barbs. No issues whatsoever. Could be made in China, that I don't know...but it works. I also replaced the crappy flometer as well. On the surface they look like a nice brass meter, but when I started to look really close I could see that things are slightly bent, not aligned properly, etc...it's just a recycled piece of brass most likely. I replaced with a Victor. Amazing how much smoother the knob is, the quality is apparent between the two.

Here I thought I was done upgrading and it turned out the dinse connectors needed some attention. I've replaced everything, grounding clamp, stinger, torch, cables, added pedal, etc...I'm saving all of my lovely consumables provided by Neverlast and will gladly package them up when I sell this China Green box.

usaweld.com. Not usawelds, lol.

Italian red FTW!

Just came in from the shop after putting a little time on the AHP. I started off with a 1/16 tungsten because I was going to run it on 110 but decided to go to 220 instead and forgot I had the 1/16 still in the torch. Whoops... that burnt down pretty fast so I got my head back on and switched up to 3/32. Much better but not enough gas coverage at 20 cfh using a #5 cup. Rather than bump up the gas I switched a gas lens and a #5 cup.. That was a lot better and I started seeing some cleaning action but barely enough to see on the edge of the weld. Switched to my favorite #6 cup and dropped the A/C balance down to 30% from 35% and bingo, a perfect frost line and nice shiny welds. I ran it from 75 hz all the way up to 200 hz and it maintained a nice smooth arc with no wander.

As a welder, once you have all the little bugs out, it is pretty darn nice for the price. If there was one thing I'd like to pass along it's that the A/C balance is EP not EN like a Miller and some of the older Lincolns. When you increase the percentage, you are increasing the EP so 30% on the AHP is 30% EP and 70% EN. If was a Miller you'd set it at 70% and get 70% EN and 30% EP.

I ran it at max amps and used the foot pedal so I'm not sure what amperage I was running and I don't just mash the pedal, I use it to keep the puddle where I want it. Some people add filler to cool the puddle, I like to pedal it and only add filler if it's really getting away from me. Too each their own on that subject.

All in all, it's a good economical welder that welds very nicely. I think it's a keeper.

Oscar wrote:Italian red FTW!

Count me in on some welder envy in this case...

sschefer wrote:As a welder, once you have all the little bugs out, it is pretty darn nice for the price.

Yeah, that's how I feel about my Everlast...but it's still given me grief with some of the shortcuts. It is what it is, a cheap inverter manufactured as cheap as possible in China.

sschefer wrote:All in all, it's a good economical welder that welds very nicely. I think it's a keeper.

That's really the main thing, you're the one using it. I know I'll replace my Everlast machine, it's the last piece of Chinesium I have to replace on my welder...the welder itself.

Another small problem arose. I was tinkering with the welder this morning trying to set post flow and the shop was quiet. I could hear gas leaking at the machine when I activated the internal gas valve which is not normal. I suspect that the hose from the valve to the connector at the front is not crimped properly. This would explain why I had to change to a gas lens yesterday. Since I already voided the warranty, I'll pop the cover off again and see if I can find the problem.

As dopey as it sounds, I really don't remember if it was my Everlast or my AHP, but I had a small problem (again, dopey, don't remember what). but I called Tech about it, and was told not to worry about voiding the warranty by opening the case to fix it, guess it was better to them, rather than sending it back, and them dicking around fixing a minor issue. I almost think something stupid like the dinse fitting orientation on the panel made it very hard to connect a fitting next to it? Terrible thing to lose your mind, huh? But also, after having the cases opened on both, there are no seals, etc, that would indicate to them that it was ever opened. Just out of curiosity, what size torch are they sending now - seemed strange that I got a 200 amp Tig with a 150 amp torch.

sschefer wrote:Another small problem arose. I was tinkering with the welder this morning trying to set post flow and the shop was quiet. I could hear gas leaking at the machine when I activated the internal gas valve which is not normal. I suspect that the hose from the valve to the connector at the front is not crimped properly. This would explain why I had to change to a gas lens yesterday. Since I already voided the warranty, I'll pop the cover off again and see if I can find the problem.

We have to realize that this is typical for Chinese products. It is the reason I replaced all the consumables on my welder, all the cable, hoses, flowmeter, ground clamp, stinger, torch, etc...my torch wasn't too bad, it was a size 26, but of a ck copy, not the euro style they sell with some. I bought a flex head on Amazon for it, and that is what I have used mostly over the past year. I recently got a ck 17 and will use the original with the switch to tack.

ljdm1956 wrote:Just out of curiosity, what size torch are they sending now - seemed strange that I got a 200 amp Tig with a 150 amp torch.

Not really strange, because most people buy a size 17 as it's the most usable for most work the majority do. This seems like a smart thing to do, but leaves the customer with a torch that will not properly handle the full potential of the welder.

As far as voiding a warranty, I was told by Everylast (Marc specific) that by opening my welder and wanting to understand adjusting the points, that I voided my warranty. I laughed at him and told him if there was a problem, I would hold them to fix it. What a rude way to treat a customer. There are some people that have gotten a lemon, happens in everything, doncha know...but the majority of the cheap inverters work ok. Everyone gets what they pay for on these cheap inverters, which is basically a cheaply made product that the manufacturer doesn't really take pride in assembly. The quality shows on the inside of the boxes.

The gas leak is fixed I just needed to finish crimping the clamp. Pretty quick fix.

The units are shipped with a Weldcraft WP-17 flex head torch. I typically buy CK torches but the Weldcrafts are not bad.

We have a Washoe Zephyr going on here in Northern Nevada. That's winds 30-50mph. It blows my garage door back, breaks the seals on the edges and creates a pretty good draft. The winds are supposed to be over tomorrow night so I'll get back on the welder with good gas flow on Friday.