AHP Alpha TIG 201xd In-Depth Review – 2022

The Alpha TIG 201xd is a great machine to start your welding career with. The welder is carrying the tradition of its successors but in a better way.

AHP has made some notable and praiseworthy updates which can make this the desired welder for you.

ahp alphatig 201xd

Image From: AHPWELDS

What's new? Comparing with AHP AlphaTIG 200:

I am here to talk about the updates and features of Alpha TIG 201xd. To give you a clear understanding of the picture I would like to compare the AHP 201XD with the AHP200

If you look at and analyze you will find out that the alpha TIG 200 has done a pretty good job as a TIG welding machine. This machine has set a high bar for the alpha TIG 201xd to reach.

From the outside the knobs, dials and switches will look the same of the both welders. It is really hard to tell from the naked eye unless you take them both to work.

The alpha TIG 200 comes with a bleeding edge inverter technology. It is a machine of high frequency and loud noise. 

It works best on all types of metals and aluminum. The machine offers the best service among this price range. 

On the other hand,

The alpha TIG 201xd comes with the same accessories as the alpha TIG 200.

The best thing the machine comes with is the nova pedal. The pedal is so smooth that you will find the sweet spot with ease. 

The cables are made of good quality materials and they are better than the alpha TIG 200. You can see from the outside a plungy thing in front of the machine prevents the dust from entering the plugs.

The fans of this machine are really quieter which makes the work environment more peaceful. 

ahp alphatig 201xd settings

Other than these the technology and the settings of the Alpha TIG welder 201xd is made better than the previous versions.

The settings are balanced and the programs are really easy to operate. The remote control features allow the machine to swap between the programmable features. 

This is not all about the alpha TIG 201xd welder. There are more tricks under its sleeves. 

Overall Idea of the unit:

Let's start with the overall idea of the machine here. I will talk about the details in the later parts. The Alpha TIG 201xd is an outstanding performer.

The welder is perfect for light, medium and heavy welding. The inverter technology and superior setting makes the machine a good to go device for a newbie as well. 

You can complete your light and medium industrial works with ease using the alpha TIG 201xd. You can also complete your daily welding maintenance chores with ease.

The machine is a 200AMP AC-DC TIG welder. You will get a 140amp output on 120v. At 240v you will get the full 200amp. You will get the 60% cycle at full amp. 

(For you who don’t have a clear understanding of a duty cycle, “ It is the reading where the welder will show a higher reading by using a low amperage”. For the AHP TIG welder 201XD you will get a standard reading by using 60% amps of 200)

The minimum amperage required for the machine to start for DC is 10amps and for AC it is 20amps.

The list of accessories:

I don’t want to talk much in this section as there is nothing much to say. Just want to mention that the cables, wires etc are upgraded and better than the ones which come with AlphaTIG 200.

AHP AlphaTIG 201XD accessories

The accessories that come with Alpha TIG 201XD are…

- Alpha TIG 201XD

-Rotating Head 9/17 TIG Torch (12.5ft, 35-70 DINSE Connection, 9mm Quick Connect)

- Stick Holder (9ft)

- Ground Clamp (6ft)

- Nova Foot Pedal

- Argon Regulator

- 110v Plug Adapter

- Basic Consumable Kit (does not include tungsten)

The convenience pulse feature and the capabilities:

The first and the special trick the alpha TIG 201Xd has is the adjustable pulse feature. I have mentioned in the title about the pulse feature specially because I want to draw your attention to it. 

This feature makes the tricky heavy tasks lucid and easy. The pulse timing prevents the machine from getting hot as it controls the heating of the machine. 

There is an advanced inverter technology installed in the unit that also gives the option to manipulate the heat output. The frequency of the pulse feature is 0.5 to 200hz.

The machine can be used in both AC or DC mode. These usable alternatives give a wide control over the frequency range.

The surprising thing about it is that there is also a stick weld mode. This gives the welder to work as a quality arc welder.

The machine works like a charm when you use it to weld: 

  1. Alloy steel
  2. Stainless steel
  3. Aluminum and thin-gauge materials.

If you are planning to work with steels then using the DC mode is more than enough. But when you are working with metals like aluminum then there are no alternatives than the AC mode.

Using the AC mode on aluminum brings out the best of TIG welding in this machine. 

Versatile usages:

I have spoken about the versatility a bit of the TIG 201XD already. The machine works like a charm on metals as it is a tungsten-gas welder.

The features, technology and other upgrades in this machine makes it easier for you to complete your all TIG weldings done with ease.

You can weld both thick and thin metals using the Alpha TIG 201XD. The variable range of power input ( 10-200amps) and an outstanding pulse frequency of 5.5 makes it easier for you to do TIG on the thick and enormous steel rods like 7028 and 6013.

The welder brings your welding skills to life and you will find it while working on ¼ inch aluminum or ⅜ - inch mild steels as well.  

All you have to do is set up the perfect amperage and find the swift spot on the pedal for a greater welding result. You can use any filler rods you want. 

The weight and the design:

I always wanted a machine which is easily transportable. I mean I want to carry my machine to places, I want to shift it from one self to another etc. I hope you have got what I am trying to say here. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any machines meeting my expectations. Well I can't blame the machine or the manufacturers for that. There are so many things to install in a machine. The weight of the Alpha TIG 201xd is 50 pounds.  

Clearly this is not the machine which I consider as transportable and compact. Still the welder makes up for it by its robustness and durability. 

There are slightly any changes in the design of the machine than the alpha TIG 200. They look almost the same. Alpha has tried to keep the design plain and simple. 

The machine is tall and a little bit big for portability. The flaws in the beauty of machines are made up by its usefulness and great performance.

Stability and heat control:

The AlphaTIG 201XD is a very useful and stable device for your TIG welding.

The 60% duty cycle and the IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) technology allows the arc to be more stable.

For the same reason the machine doesn’t overheat even if you are working for long hours.

The pulse time (10%-90%) and the inverter technology is the godsaver in this purpose. These features control the heating of the machine and thus metal welding is made more easy and comfortable.

The wide range of frequency gives you the options to weld a variety of metals with ease. 

Problems I found:

The most annoying for me was the slipping of the nova pedal. While working when I was pressing the pedal it kept slipping away from me.

FOOT PEDAL

I set it on a rubber pad and after that this issue was solved. I am not complaining about its working capabilities here as I have praised it as a great pedal right in the start. 

Though the torch and the cable are well built I don’t know why mine leaked. I am sure you will be happy if there are no flaws in yours as they are really well built. I didn’t want to take the hassle of replacing it again as I had work to be done. I had another torch and it worked really well with it. 

Other than that the accessories that came with the machine are of good quality and I have no complaints about them after using. 

Final Verdict:

Apart from all the cool features, upgrades and technologies the question still lies: Is the AlphaTIG 201XD worth it?

This is a tricky question to answer.

Still I want to say this welding machine is really a well built device which is made keeping the professional and serious usage in mind.

The serious as well as the noobs and start working using this machine. The AC/DC feature, the inverter technology, the pulse feature, an outstanding duty cycle, and an easy to use interface etc makes this a great TIG machine to own within this price range. 

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