I've had them both apart checking the switches. not much to them and not much to go wrong beyond some corrosion from arcing current. keeping the switch clean is no problem,....a dab of electrolytic jelly at the contact point is all that they need. still they simply don't have the snort. even the brand new one I have has as much trouble as the older one that was given to me and I have no idea how old it is.
I am disappointed in them,....I always thought they were stronger than they are.
I always wondered why my buddy's dad never used one,..... he was an avid flyer with a lifetime's accumulation of planes of all sizes, but he always used a chicken stic or a gloved hand,.....I now know why he never bothered with a starter.
i'm glad at least one of mine was given to me, .....other wise it would be an expensive way to obtain a cone to put on my battery drill. as it is ,.... it's a shame I had to invest 50 bucks in the two wet-cell ATV batteries to discover that the decision not to use my battery drill was a poor decision.