What’s New on the HTP Invertig 251 AC/DC TIG Welder?

I've never seen a welder do all that before...
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Chapters:
0:00 Welcome
1:00 Who is HTP?
2:29 Machine Package
4:10 Fast Tack
5:22 Double Pulse
8:16 Dynamic Power
10:45 Thin Material Tests
13:10 Zero Crossing Current
13:46 Thick Material Tests
15:38 Mix AC/DC
16:19 120 Volt Operation
17:26 Asymmetric Waveforms
18:32 Final Thoughts

[@elliottstevens8564]

That is a very fully featured and impressive machine. The amp varying by torch height feature is an eye popper!!!

[@tedbastwock3810]

Wow, those features are very impressive. I dont think I can justify it in my home shop, but I enjoyed watching and it is good to know what is available out there. It seems that if there were a readout recording of the V and A off the Dynamic power feature, one could use that to see how steady their hand was during the weld, e.g. by looking at a graph over time of the V and A. Thanks for sharing, Tim, very cool tool, and very well done video. I appreciate it.

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! Even without dynamic power, you can tell how steady someone is by watching the voltage output because voltage correlates directly with arc length on any machine.

[@casey3235]

htp are good solid machines. had one for almost 10yrs.

[@joyuncovered]

This was a wonderful video with great arc shots! I learned a ton thank you!

[@TimWelds]

Thank you!

[@melgross]

Nice review Tim. It’s amazing how fast welders are evolving these days. When I started welding in 1973, we were using welders that looked more modern than the ones from the late 1950s, but it was mostly new case designs. In fact, until inverters came out, little was done. Lincoln had their transformer Squarewave machines, and a few other relatively minor new features came out from comoanies, but not all that much that made a real difference. But now, you have a machine for three years and it seems obsolete. When I bought my ESAB Rebel 215 it was at the head of the pack. But then the 205 came out and that’s what I’m using. What will be next?

[@rjbath5041]

Very well presented and explained. Having owned both an Invertig 221 and 400, and instructed with both, the simplicity and clarity of the screen display of the Invertig 251, as compared to the Invertig 221 with all its drop down menus and sub menus should make this the ultimate professional level welder in this amperage range. I am looking forward to getting one to replace my 221. Nicely done as a KZbin Video

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! I completely agree. The menus on the 221 takes a little getting used to, as did all the machines released in that era. The 400 is a lot easier, but the 251 is on another level completely; it's really an awesome machine.

[@donaldhalls2189]

Good little welder, great demonstration, thanks for sharing, all the best to you and your loved ones

[@TimWelds]

Thank you!

[@riley6723]

I love the HTP’s. They run as good or better than the Dynasty’s. My only gripe with mine is no scratch start and the wireless foot pedal set up is a bit “aftermarket”. Other than that I love mine

[@TimWelds]

I agree 100%. I have a Dynasty and 2 Invertigs besides this one and I've also demo'ed Fronius, Lincoln and others. The HTP's honestly run as well as or better than any of them at a much more reasonable price. This one has a live lift start option, it's called lift pipe mode and it works great when you don't want to use a pedal. I haven't used one of the HTP wireless pedals, but I've seen them and they don't seem quite as well integrated as the Miller. I might buy a Miller wireless pedal for the Invertig 251 since it's compatible with Miller accessories, but I'm not sure if it's worth it for me since I plant myself at one spot at a workbench for almost everything I do and the wire isn't a big deal in that situation.

[@Proto.Fabrication]

Dang, I already have the revolution 2500. Now I’m going to have to buy the inverting 251 too!

[@TimWelds]

The Revolution is an awesome machine as well!

[@Proto.Fabrication]

Yes I love my revolution. I now have an invertig 251 also tho lol.

[@TradeWorks_Construction]

While I always appreciate options and features especially when it’s done to this level of quality, does the manufacturer provide an additional in depth suplemental information packet that explains not just a definition of the features but a practical explanation for when it might be helpful to use … if i can’t leverage all these interesting waveforms and features then I’d be better off picking a simpler package and paying less. I think this video is an excellent example of what a good feature explanation could look like or at least take some notes from. While options and features are almost always better to have available than not, the more that can go wrong the more points that a failure may adversely affect the systems function. What i wish manufacturers understood was keep it simple and keep it fast and easy to access. If you want to include extra features using a single rotary encoder knob it gets ridiculous to operate once you’ve gone past 4 sub menu deep. If i have to hunt for an option it’s too deep, somewhere out there a balance exists between readily accessible & over-cluttered + over simplified & difficult to access(options & features). It doesn’t have to be all analog/toggle switches or one single digital display w/ rotary encoder. (IMO) Make the most common and useful features readily accessible immediately by toggle switches or no deeper than 1 submenu past opening screen & make a section off to the side boxed off called User Profile #1, 2 , 3 for single button press customizable settings/modes that wont erase even after power removal. That way I can pull up setting to cover 98% of what i will encounter and the other 2% I’ll remember to send a thank you card after realizing i didn’t have to exert special effort/attention to utilize the extra features that were made for these very situations,

[@TimWelds]

This is a great comment, and I agree. HTP actually hired me to create a 6 part video owners manual series that you can find on the HTP KZbin channel and they will probably link it in the product description as well. In these videos, I walk through the setup of the machine and the settings for every feature that it offers, so you can see exactly how the menus are operated and some practical applications. The menus are pretty straightforward on this one, and there are 5 buttons below the screen in addition to the rotary encoder knob. I get what you mean about the deep menus, because I've lived that for years and it's a real pain. I was at a shop the other day and was talking to one of their welders who was struggling to weld some very thin aluminum. I asked if he had tried triangle wave and reduced the start amperage, he had no idea that you could even do those things (it was a different brand of machine, not HTP). I was familiar with the machine and walked him through about 25 button presses to set that stuff and I still wonder if he was able to get back out of those settings when he finished the job. This machine is much more intuitive. There is a series of menus that walk through the main settings for a given process to make sure that you address them. Beyond that, nothing is more than 2 menus deep. One of the best things they did is add a basic interface setting, so you can set it to basic mode and just have the essentials. This simplifies things and makes it a very easy machine to run, then when you need the advanced features, they're available. It does have the ability to store jobs, so you can do what you're describing and store the settings for the different jobs you do, then it's just 2 button presses to recall everything for whatever type of job comes up.

[@tinkering123]

Welding is great skill to have. Jus start'n this new hobby. Good review. Any info is good info to me.

[@TimWelds]

Awesome! You're going to love it!

[@ArcEyeJames]

Hey Tim Could you do a video with the SMAW capabilities with this machine? Want to see especially 5/32 7018 and 1/8 6010 or even 5/32 6010 Would be grately appreciated sir 👍

[@andyb7754]

Very interesting review, thank you. If I didn't have two Everlast MTS welders I'd think about the HTP. One thing, as I watched the video it looked like you used two different torches, one water cooled black and the red one that came with the welder. Any reason why? Just wondering, no big deal. Thanks again your videos.

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! When it first came in, I switched the box out onto my Invertig 221 water cooled setup to get a feel for the machine on a few projects. I didn't unpack the accessories until I made a set of video manuals for HTP, which show the setup of the machine. When I made this video, I thought it would be interesting to include some of the actual project work that I did when I was kicking the tires, so those are the clips that have the water cooled torch. It's available with that torch and a cooler in a different package you can get from HTP.

[@jakemasterson4344]

Super excited about this one. How do the arc starts feel in comparison to the Rev. 2500?

[@TimWelds]

It's a great machine. The arc starts are very similar to the Revolution 2500. Both machines have the option to set a hot start amperage and start amperage independently to fine tune it if you want. They also both TIG weld very well, but the feature set is much more advanced on this one.

[@ZILAwelds]

80% of the hardware ( the boards inside ) are identical though …. But the software is much more advanced on the invertig 251

[@oddfoxchassis786]

Sir. Doesn’t appear in some shots you’re using the torch it came with but you are describing features it has.. Why the CK in some shots and water cooled it appears at that. . Confusing. Can you elaborate how heat even with a bigger air cooled torch might affect the tungeston vs water cooled over time and keeping the tungeston at a consistent level of heat. Trying to learn and understand. I don’t know..

[@TimWelds]

Great question! I can see how that would be confusing. You can buy this machine in a water cooled package that includes the same CK torch that I was using and a water cooler. I just looked at the prices they have listed for the water cooled package and it's actually a really good deal for that upgrade, though the air cooled torch works really well too. The reason that both appeared in the video is that I've had this machine for a few weeks and when I first got it, I dropped it onto my cart that already had a water cooler to use on a few projects and get familiar with it before I made any videos. When I started filming specific videos about the machine, I set it up with the stock torch. I figured a few clips from those initial projects would be useful in the video, so I included them even though I hadn't unpacked the stock air cooled torch at that point. As far as water cooled vs. air cooled torches go, using a water cooled torch has 2 advantages. First, you can use a smaller size torch for a given amperage which makes it easier to handle. Second, the torch body doesn't heat up after long runs like it does on air cooled torches. It doesn't have much of an effect on the longevity or consistency of the tungsten electrode itself, though overheating collets can cause them to deform a bit. While I would generally grab a water cooled torch given the option, I often use an air cooled torch when I'm on the go or in the shop if I'm not making long runs at high amperage in order to avoid the noise from the water cooler.

[@tomtb2205]

Thought heavy hitters rigs was a 2 piece cable

[@TimWelds]

That’s a pretty common pipeline setup for the gas cooled torches, but this one comes stock with a CK super flex cable.

[@vernaaustin6345]

Good features.Cost???

[@TimWelds]

It depends on the package you get. The machine alone is $3k, which just for context is half what you’ll pay for some comparable machines with less amperage. As tested, $4k.

[@tinkeringinthailand8147]

Woah, nice kit but too pricey for me :(

[@giacomoorru3420]

Noi italiani sappiamo fare tutto di prim'ordine.... supercar ,donne e saldatrici

[@ZILAwelds]

Das ist sehr witzig. Ein deutscher hat die Hälfte der machine designed….

[@MarvUSA]

So, Tim, what do you do with all the machines you make videos about. Do you sell them, give them back to the source.

[@TimWelds]

It really depends. I started off with Miller machines that I used for my own work because that's what I had heard of before the days of internet videos and the like. Early on in my channel journey, I bought a lot of lower cost machines to get a variety of experience and several companies sent machines out as well. Many of them never appeared on the channel, but it gave me a body of experience to speak from. I sent some of those back, gave some away and sold some. In the last few years, I have done very few machine reviews. I turn down almost all of them because as fun as it is to open new stuff and as profitable as promoting cheap machines can be, it's a lot of work and feels awkward to me to promote something different than what I personally use. The few that I do make videos about now, I keep and use.

[@MarvUSA]

@@TimWelds Thanks for the reply Tim. It does get a little confusing for those interested for a new machine, and watching reviews for information.