Outdoors, rust, thick steel · review
Less current than everything around it, and the only stick machine here with a seven-year term and an address.
Where we come out The stick machine to buy if you want an address behind it, and the wrong one if you want the biggest number.
At €106 the MMA-160R costs more than the 250 A machines on this page and delivers 160 A. The argument for it is not the arc; it is the seven years and the address.
A 230 V single-phase supply feeding a small inverter has a real ceiling, and it is nearer 160 A than 250. Machines that claim more are not lying — they will produce the current briefly — but the figure describes a peak, not work. A manufacturer that publishes the number it can hold is telling you something about how it thinks.
In practice 160 A runs 3.2 mm (0.13 in) electrodes properly, which covers steel from about 3 mm (0.12 in) to 8 mm (0.31 in) with sensible preparation. It stops short of 4 mm (0.16 in) rods and thick plate in one pass.
Seven years, from IPO Technik-Handels GmbH, Friedrichshafen, with a street address on the listing. In a category where a large share of sellers are brands invented for a single listing, that is a specification. It does not promise the machine will not fail; it promises there is somewhere to send it when it does.
The duty cycle is described as « high » without a percentage or a temperature. That is the one place the sheet goes soft, and at this price it is a fair criticism rather than a disqualification.
Current, process, display, protections, set contents and warranty come from the manufacturer’s published specification. No duty cycle figure is stated there, and none is invented here. Market availability was verified per market on the EAN.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 2026-08-13. The live price is at the top of the page.
| Current | 160 A |
|---|---|
| Process | MMA (stick) |
| Display | Digital |
| Protection | Overload and overheat protection (manufacturer’s description) |
| Supplied | Sold as a set with earth clamp and electrode holder |
| Warranty | 7 years (IPO Technik-Handels GmbH, Friedrichshafen, DE) |
| Amazon reference | B07YG6LFT1 |
| EAN | 4251395107713 |
Because 160 A on a 230 V single-phase supply is a figure a machine can hold, and 250 A on the same supply is a figure it can touch. What you are buying is the gap between the two, plus a named company with a registered address and a seven-year term. Whether that is worth €6 more than a 250 A machine depends entirely on how long you plan to keep it.
Comfortably: 3.2 mm (0.13 in) electrodes, which suit steel from roughly 3 to 8 mm (0.12 to 0.31 in) depending on preparation and passes. That covers gates, frames, brackets, trailer repairs and most farm work. Where it stops is thick plate in a single pass, which needs 4 mm (0.16 in) rods and the current to drive them.
7.5/ 10
The stick machine to buy if you want an address behind it, and the wrong one if you want the biggest number.
A reference exists on these Amazon stores: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom. Listed is not the same as in stock — availability changes daily.
Details checked on August 13, 2026.
A machine you expect to still own in five years
Here because the consumable states this machine by name.
Specifications: the manufacturer sheet for welding and metalworking machines and the matching Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure on this page names its source.
200 A · 230 V · rutile, basic, stainless, cast iron to Ø 4 mm (0.16 in) · €263
The only machine in this batch live on all six markets, and the only one that names the electrode types it is built for.
Best for: Someone who welds cast iron or runs basic electrodes and wants the machine to cope
≈ $405
200 A · single-board IGBT · TIG-ready with an optional torch · €100
A plain stick machine that becomes a DC TIG set when you add a torch — which is the cheapest route into TIG on this site.
Best for: Someone who wants stick now and may want TIG later without buying twice
200 A · suggests a current for the thickness · arc force · €140
The only machine here that tells you what current to use — it reads out a recommendation for material up to 10 mm (0.39 in).
Best for: A beginner who would otherwise spend the first evening guessing at settings
