Nutz-n-Bolts wrote:Wow, who knew? REDONE that's who! I always love your insight.
So glad I decided to go blue now. I considered Hobart when I found out they were the "same" but went with Miller since my gas supply co. sells them.
Good luck with your problems Grand Wag 85, and let us know how it turns out.
They share a lot of similar components and I don't fault Illinois Tool at all for there logic. They have to compete with so many entities, some reputable like ESAB and Thermal Dynamics, and others that are straight rip offs like Speedway and Harbor Freight. Whatever they have to do to keep there products competitive and domestic I'm all for it. I'd have Millers at home if I could justify swinging that kind of scratch around, but I just can't. All their machines, even their "Hobby" level machines are Pro grade, ready to be run at their cycle 8 hrs a day or more, 7 days a week...or more. I can't justify that and most others can't either. Don't get me wrong, Miller shows that you get what you pay for and Miller offers the best. I got my home machine which was built in Ohio for half the price, but I know full well when it fries a board or the drive craps out I'll either be scrounging ebay or homebrewing the repair. With Miller, the parts will take forever to fail, but when they do, they'll be available, from the factory. Two weeks ago our MIG gun at work finally cut through it's wire liner. I don't have a pic, but it's obviously proprietary. It looks like a caulk nozzle except it's threaded on the outside in order to screw into the MIG gun. This MIG gun is at least 20 years old, as it's hooked to a Miller Sinc 300 with NO LED display, just knobs and switches. Since Miller embossed the PN for the gun into the plastic body of the gun instead of just printing it onto a sticker that falls off after a year, I was able to reference the MIG gun I needed the wire liner for. Now, many may say that $20 for a caulk nozzle with threads on it is expensive, but after 20 years of faithful service, with a replacement cost of $600, $20 is pretty cheap, and that's where a Miller pays off.