Miller MIG guns w sticky triggers - anyone else?

[D60]

I wanted to see if this problem is more widespread so I'm starting this thread

Piggybacking off this thread:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?p=7931147#post7931147

I'm not the only one to suffer from a Miller gun w a sticky trigger. I now have an M10 gun and an M25 gun w this problem. Both did it from the time they were new.

I emailed Miller the following:
About 2 years ago I purchased a MM135 to use in places
where my Hobart 210 wouldn't easily reach. The M10
gun that came w the MM135 had a sticky trigger. I
found it annoying, but dealt w it until recently, and
figured it was a quality control fluke. Recently I
bought an M25 gun to put on my Hobart. This gun also
suffers from a sticky trigger. Now I've got one M10
gun and one M25 gun, both w triggers that stick. What
gives? A little research revealed that Miller guns
are known to be problematic. On a shop and tool forum
which I frequent I found comments from other users who
have also experienced a sticky trigger, and the
concensus was that Bernard, Binzel or Tweco guns were
considered an "upgrade" while costing less money. I'm
disappointed as I've always been a fan of
Miller/Hobart. Should I start shopping red? I paid
nearly $200 for my M25 gun when I apparently should
have spent half that on a Tweco. I simply don't
understand why a company like Miller can't manufacture
a reasonably reliable on/off switch.

Miller replied w this:
The Miller Electric Mig guns are made by Tregiskiss and Bernard.

Bernard makes the M-25 gun and it has the standard Bernard trigger in
it.

Tregaskiss makes the M-10 gun and it has the standard Tregaskss
trigger.

Both guns do carry a standard MIG gun warranty through Miller Electric
of 90 days.

Mike Gruenke
Light Industrial_SIMS Service
Miller Electric Mfg.
Phone: 920-954-3499
Fax: 920-954-3435"

IMO it seems they're not terribly concerned about the problem, altho I have a hard time believing this is the first they've heard of it. He also infers, IMO, that my experiences must be a fluke due to the M10 and M25 allegedly being manufactured by different companies.

This isn't exactly what I'd call pro-active. The 90 day warranty may not help me much at this point as my invoice was dated sometime back in November '07.

So are the sticky triggers a relatively isolated event and I'm just that unlucky? Post up if you've experienced this too.

[Islandzuki]

my 251 currently has a sticky trigger but this is after a year and a half of good use....

[DUG]

I had a M172 with a sticky trigger after about a year of owning it; I ended up finding splatter in the handle that was shorting on the switch.

I cleaned it out and had the SAME problem in a few months.

[Static-XJ]

I replaced my M10 gun before it had a chance to give me any problems. IMO, Miller guns are toys. Everything about them just seems cheap.

[mondtster]

FWIW, the mig gun that came with my new Hobart I recently purchased is a Miller gun. The switch in it was DOA when I attempted to use it for the first time. I got a replacement switch from the store which I bought the welder from and have been satisfied so far, but haven't put a lot of time on the machine yet.


IMO it seems they're not terribly concerned about the problem, altho I have a hard time believing this is the first they've heard of it. He also infers, IMO, that my experiences must be a fluke due to the M10 and M25 allegedly being manufactured by different companies.

This isn't exactly what I'd call pro-active. The 90 day warranty may not help me much at this point as my invoice was dated sometime back in November '07.

They probably aren't real worried about the problem for a couple of reasons. #1, you're likely talking to the wrong person. I used to field tech support calls and I can't tell you how many times people called up complaining about the design of the product. To which I always felt like saying "I don't give a shit because you bought it anyway and there's nothing that either of us can do about it now is there?" The folks at Miller customer service probably feel the same way.

#2, you should have complained about your problems sooner. I also got a lot of phone calls with people claiming that their problems with their '02 model year product have been ongoing since they bought it. Well, it is 2008 now and the warranty was only 1 year long so why do I give a shit about your problems! The same applies here.

With all that said, if you dislike the Miller mig guns so much, buy something different and quit complaining.

If you really want to continue to complain about your sticky switches, you might try posting on Miller's or Hobart's web forums about it. I *think* that some of the engineers watch the forums, but don't know this for certain. The engineering team would be the ones who would likely be able to make a change, not the customer service dept.

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/communities/mboard/index.php
http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtalk/

[n_colonna]

My Millermatic 251 Gun was sticky brand new. I changed the switch and it works great. The switch cost ~$10-$15

[Brian1]

I also have a sticky trigger on my 130xp. I bought the whole setup used so I dont know how much it had been used. I need to get a new switch but I have been putting it off.

[Brad]

MM210, stuck trigger, replaced it, happened again and I got rid of the whole gun. I had a roughneck gun on it for a while(which was WAY to big for tube work) I was on shopfloortalk.com and someone posted that Bernard was swapping brand new guns for the ones on the new MM350P's. I emailed Bernard and said I wish you guys would have had this offer when I bought my machine, told them my story. The next day I had an email asking for me to call them. Before the week was over I had a Bernard gun and tips on my doorstep with no charge to me. All I have to say is I LOVE this gun compared to the stocker MM gun and the roughneck. Its the right size for EVERYTHING. Call Bernard, even if they dont give you a gun, BUY ONE!

D60, you have a PM ;)

[PabstBlueRibbon]

Ive been using tweco guns for 13 years now....its industry standard. walk into almost any shop and youll find a tweco gun

[D60]

The thing about all this is that makes me think Miller just doesn't give a shit.

I woulda been thrilled to hear that I'm SOL 'cause my guns are out of warranty and I waited too long to complain, BUT that Miller is aware of the problem and has taken or is taking steps to correct it. THAT would make me believe Miller is a company I can continue to do business with.

Instead Miller acted as tho I was crazy, or at the very least confused or mistaken about what I've experienced. I replied again to Miller asking if they've taken any steps to address sticky triggers, and they simply never replied.

Clearly from the replies in this thread my experiences were not isolated.

Brad, I'll call Bernard per your PM

[tmorgan4]

Yep, my M10 gun trigger sticks quite often.

[azhayseed]

The H10 gun on my hobart welder ( same as an M10 gun but with the ends to mate up to a hobart welder) has has problems with the trigger sticking but I finally replaced the trigger and it stopped, what I did find out is the switch is sensitive to dirt or debris getting inside the switch.
I'm on my 3rd switch in about 10 years, not too bad I suppose. When I have to change the gun I'll go to a Tweco.

[fj40charles]

I have not had any problems with mine. I guess I'm lucky.. I would be interested in buying the mig guns if you want to sell them.. PM me with details.

[WHITE RHINO]

my miller 250 gun sucked so i bought the cheapo gun which was a tweeco i love it good quality and cheap