[Entropy11]

HTP has teased on their site for a few weeks about “something new” on the horizon. They just released a pic of the Revolution 2500 yesterday with a preorder date of tomorrow 6/18. They also aren’t (directly) releasing any info about it till then, but it obviously looks like a MIG machine. Whether they meant to or not, you can back-door your way into the manuals section and get all the details from the actual manual.

My take on it is that’s it’s one of the most feature packed AC/DC MIG/TIG/Stick (MTS) machines available and surprisingly a 110/220 machine (they even approve 15A 110). Pulse is available in all modes including stick and double pulse option also available in MIG (in addition to regular pulse, synergic, and manual). There are a handful of pulsed MIG machines around that are also MTS but most of them make sacrifices on the TIG side like no HF starts or lack the ability to disable TIG “hot starts”. Here it appears you can kill the hot starts and get true 4 Amp starts for very thin material. Interesting they give you square and triangle waveforms too. Stick has Arc Force and Hot Start adjustability like you’d find in a full featured stick machine but mostly absent in MTS machines.

Not trying to push HTP although my home machine (Invertig 221) has admittedly made me somewhat of a “fan boy” of their products. To me it looks the the first “all in one” auto body capable machine that makes zero sacrifices in either MIG, TIG, or Stick. Price should be interesting for an Italian-made machine. At least it will hopefully raise the bar for future combo welders that routinely drop important features in those machines.

[Entropy11]

Prices were released today.

$4k with the standard MIG gun for steel

$4,050 with the MIG gun for aluminum instead

$4,500 for both guns and some other extras

Not cheap, but given the capabilities it’s at least $1k under what I was expecting. If I didn’t already have their Invertig 221 I’d be all over this. As it stands I think I’ll wait for a sale on the ProPulse 220 to get another MIG in the garage.

[dataway]

Does more than all my separate machines do if they were combined. The minimum 10 amp start on my Lincoln TIG annoys me.

[JSchmitz]

Originally Posted by dataway

Does more than all my separate machines do if they were combined. The minimum 10 amp start on my Lincoln TIG annoys me.

What are welding that takes less than 10 amps? Aluminum foil? lol

I have an old Syncrowave 250 that'll do it all. It's better than newer machines that we have at work.

[dataway]

I sold my Syncrowave to buy the new Lincoln inverter TIG, it was a size and weight decision not a performance decision.

You'd be surprised how annoying an instant-on 10 amp "pop" at the start of a delicate weld can be. Unlike a Syncrowave where you can basically start with just the HF arc dancing around make a super soft ramp up to welding current, a 10 amp instant starting arc when you touch the pedal is distracting.

And yes, welding 24-26 ga with something like silicon bronze when you just want to warm the metal up to temp slowly .. 10 amps is too much to start with when you are maxing out at 25-30 amps.

While my Syncrowave that I used for 30 years was very nice for a wide variety of materials ... it certainly wouldn't do it all. The adjustable frequency and waveform on a high end modern TIG is outstanding, what my new Lincoln TIG will do that the Syncro wouldn't is weld aluminum as easy as steel, "easy" being the key word. Cleaning action, penetration, bead shape ... way easier to control with variable frequency and wave forms. Yes amazing aluminum welding can be done with the Syncro, but it takes many years of experience to achieve what can be achieved with a modern welder quite easily.

[Fishin2Deep4U]

I have had a 221 for years. If I did not have that machine, I would already have sent them some money. I may anyway. Absolutely love their products and support.

Dave