I also occasionally use Amidol, mostly with fixed grade papers. The contrast control with a water bath is a real plus. For VC papers I am a big fan of Ansco 130. I like the results produced by glycin.
Interestingly, a few years back, I hosted a Per Volquartz printing workshop in my DR. We tested several paper developers, including Ansco 130 and Amidol, with a variety of papers, that were available at the time, both VC and fixed, including Azo, (Oh...the good ol' days!).
Quite honestly everyone's favorite two soups were the Ansco 130 and the Amidol. There was virtually no difference in the blacks and a bit of difference in the tonal range, that is until selenium toning. After toning there really was no difference on the VC papers and it was most difficult to see any differences on the fixed grade.
As David said, the vary nature of VC paper lends it to much simpler contrast control methods than water baths, etc. Although Ansco 130 is not an inexpensive soup, it has a long life. I keep replenishing my working stock, so it has developed "personality", perhaps, like a sourdough bread starter.
Amidol is great, when used where needed. When it is the best choice, the cost per tray become less the deciding factor. I bought quite a stock of the Chinese Amidol through Greg Davis, so cost is even less a factor for me.
Have fun. Experiment. Choose the tools that work for you!
Cheers,
Geary
