Review over on WeldingSite - Amico MIG-130A, 130 Amp Flux Wire Welder, 110/230V Dual Voltage

   / Review over on WeldingSite - Amico MIG-130A, 130 Amp Flux Wire Welder, 110/230V Dual Voltage #2  
Cool and thanks for the reminder on Welding Site.
 
   / Review over on WeldingSite - Amico MIG-130A, 130 Amp Flux Wire Welder, 110/230V Dual Voltage #3  
California, are you still happy with your amico MIG-130A? I've got to make my mind up. Torn between it and the s smider.
 
   / Review over on WeldingSite - Amico MIG-130A, 130 Amp Flux Wire Welder, 110/230V Dual Voltage #4  
   / Review over on WeldingSite - Amico MIG-130A, 130 Amp Flux Wire Welder, 110/230V Dual Voltage
  • Thread Starter
#5  
California, are you still happy with your Amico MIG-130A? I've got to make my mind up. Torn between it and the s smider.
I love it! The Amico is one of those tools that you just pick it up and start using it, and everything works as you had hoped. At that $149 price, future reliability is unknown so I bought the $21 3 year warranty along with it. (separate vendor, its listed next to Amazon's price).

I think Amico's quality is at least equal to HF's medium price stuff, better than HF's cheapest. It cost less than the HF Titanium 125 that was out of stock for months when I bought this.

The Amico is dual-voltage. This means when plugged into a 240 volt outlet it will really do the claimed 130 amps output, while HF's Titanium may not get enough amperage from a 120 volt outlet to output its claimed power. The Amico duty rating is substantially higher than HF but considering what it cost, I won't push that.

For a comparison last weekend I got out the HF MIG-180 that I bought used a few years ago for $25. I discovered something I should have known about the MIG-180, the experimenter prior owner had added a start delay so gas would cover the weld site before the arc starts. But I use only flux core, outdoors, so the delay on that welder isn't helpful. A moment of bare cold wire coming out a quarter inch initially after you pull the trigger just adds un-needed uncertainty. I had learned to work around that (cut the wire short) but now I'm going to wire across that delay relay to make the MIG-180 work as smoothly as the Amico already does.

I already have a 130A stick welder (and an old 230A AC buzzbox) so the S Smider flux/stick combo wouldn't buy me anything. But it would be tempting if I expected to need a moderate-amperage stick welder as well as a flux 'mig'. My opinion: I don't know if switching modes on the S Smider from flux to stick is a nuisance but if so, and you can afford it, then separate flux-mig plus a higher amperage stick welder would be more useful. The Amico is dual voltage for more power when used on 240v and I think any small stick welder should be dual voltage, too. Finally, do you really need a stick welder? I haven't use mine since I bought that MIG-180.

Well I didn't intend to write a novel but this got longer than I expected. :)
 
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   / Review over on WeldingSite - Amico MIG-130A, 130 Amp Flux Wire Welder, 110/230V Dual Voltage #6  
I love it! The Amico is one of those tools that you just pick it up and start using it, and everything works as you had hoped. At that $149 price, future reliability is unknown so I bought the $21 3 year warranty along with it. (separate vendor, its listed next to Amazon's price).

I think Amico's quality is at least equal to HF's medium price stuff, better than HF's cheapest. It cost less than the HF Titanium 125 that was out of stock for months when I bought this.

The Amico is dual-voltage. This means when plugged into a 240 volt outlet it will really do the claimed 130 amps output, while HF's Titanium may not get enough amperage from a 120 volt outlet to output its claimed power. The Amico duty rating is substantially higher than HF but considering what it cost, I won't push that.

For a comparison last weekend I got out the HF MIG-180 that I bought used a few years ago for $25. I discovered something I should have known about the MIG-180, the experimenter prior owner had added a start delay so gas would cover the weld site before the arc starts. But I use only flux core, outdoors, so the delay on that welder isn't helpful. A moment of bare cold wire coming out a quarter inch initially after you pull the trigger just adds un-needed uncertainty. I had learned to work around that (cut the wire short) but now I'm going to wire across that delay relay to make the MIG-180 work as smoothly as the Amico already does.

I already have a 130A stick welder (and an old 230A AC buzzbox) so the S Smider flux/stick combo wouldn't buy me anything. But it would be tempting if I expected to need a moderate-amperage stick welder as well as a flux 'mig'. My opinion: I don't know if switching modes on the S Smider from flux to stick is a nuisance but if so, and you can afford it, then separate flux-mig plus a higher amperage stick welder would be more useful. The Amico is dual voltage for more power when used on 240v and I think any small stick welder should be dual voltage, too. Finally, do you really need a stick welder? I haven't use mine since I bought that MIG-180.

Well I didn't intend to write a novel but this got longer than I expected. :)
Thanks. I came to the same conclusion about the stick and ordered the Amico.
 
   / Review over on WeldingSite - Amico MIG-130A, 130 Amp Flux Wire Welder, 110/230V Dual Voltage
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Update. Nearly a year now. I like it, it works great.

Don't bother responding to my review over on WeldingSite. That entire website has been abandoned to 100% viagra spam posts for months now. But the review over there that I linked above, remains accurate.

I've learned to keep it on 240 volts. 110v trips a 20 amp breaker after a few seconds. 110 or 220 input gives identical output at the same knob settings.


I'm posting this update because I noticed one of the several vendors that shows Amico's shipping address is now offering it for $10 less, now $139.

Now approaching Christmas, Amazon offers no-question return through January if you don't like it. I still recommend adding the 3 year $22 warranty.

 
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   / Review over on WeldingSite - Amico MIG-130A, 130 Amp Flux Wire Welder, 110/230V Dual Voltage #9  
Update. Nearly a year now. I like it, it works great.

Don't bother responding to my review over on WeldingSite. That entire website has been abandoned to 100% viagra spam posts for months now. But the review over there that I linked above, remains accurate.

I've learned to keep it on 240 volts. 110v trips a 20 amp breaker after a few seconds. 110 or 220 input gives identical output at the same knob settings.


I'm posting this update because I noticed one of the several vendors that shows Amico's shipping address is now offering it for $10 less, now $139.

Now approaching Christmas, Amazon offers no-question return through January if you don't like it. I still recommend adding the 3 year $22 warranty.

I've been very happy with mine. Haven't had a chance to use it much. Only on my second roll of wire.
 
   / Review over on WeldingSite - Amico MIG-130A, 130 Amp Flux Wire Welder, 110/230V Dual Voltage #10  
 
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