Is anybody still buying modern SK Tools?

[finn]

Why?
Milwaukee has f@cked over just as many purchasers as B&D/Stanley/Dewalt.

According to various tests, Dewalt and Milwaukee are basically playing musical chairs with their impact drivers, so it doesn’t really matter which one you choose, except possibly for battery compatibility.
Didn’t Dewalt keep their batteries compatible with their older tools for longer, while Milwaukee kept ditching systems?
Milwaukee batteries were used for a number of other professional tool brands, but most have since switched to either Metabo CAS, or to the Bosch AMPshare because TTI Milwaukee’s switching of battery systems was screwing over the other users.
Some of the Milwaukee hand tools and non-power tool items are interesting, but a bunch of the tools seem to have complaints about material quality, or lack of it, like the designers used back materials, or were not knowledgable about the necessary manufacturing procedures to properly use those materials.

People complain about Stanley shutting down the US manufacturing plant, but they spent $90+ million setting it up, and dumped it just before the last election, when they may have wanted to shore up finances, or were uncertain how the election would go, and what the repercussions would be.
Stanley also wasn’t getting the results they wanted, and it has been pointed out repeatedly on this forum that Stanley seems to stand behind their warrantee obligations.
Stanley likely didn’t want to sell potentially faulty **** that they would then need to spend more money mailing out warrantee replacements for.
I suspect the shipping and customer service time actually costs more than the replacement parts.
They were also not trying to make expensive tools in that plant, at least yet, like the premium prices Milwaukee is charging for their hand tools.

When I say Milwaukee gets a pass, it’s in the spirit that GJ members undeservingly seem to be protective of Milwaukee, for whatever reason.

I’m not saying they deserve a pass, just that folks here get offended of any Milwaukee criticism, and love to pile criticism on other manufacturers. Sort of a protected class of power tools.

Just my observation, and, yes, I have a number of corded, M12, and M18 Milwaukee tools. They don’t seem all that special to me. Good tools for the most part, but not exceptional, at least for my use case.

 

[Etchase]

Don’t we buy TTI because Home Depot told us to? They are half of TTI’s sales.

 

[dr_clyde]

Milwaukee does have a bit of a cult following with some trades people. This is in keeping with most brands that make higher quality stuff where the brand is the image.

I don’t work in the construction trades where the real “cordless battle” is being fought, but from my understanding your tools very much give you an image. Right or wrong, what tools you roll up with on a job tell your co-workers and the other trades something about you. Milwaukee has gone out of their way to make their jobsite image the “cool” one with TONS of merch, packout accessories, trinkets and other stuff that adds to the aura. None of the other major brands have this level of marketing and merchandising. Just the packout system alone gives Milwaukee a huge leg up on their branding, as none of the other brands have nearly the same product or system. Some are close, but Milwaukee is head and shoulders above all other brands when it comes to modular and portable tool storage. So even if you’re using Dewalt tools, if they’re stored in a Packout, that’s what people see first. Kinda like having Craftsman sockets in a Snap-on toolbox.

It’s a carefully cultivated PR campaign.

I use Milwaukee because they make some tools that work for me. I avoid buying or using stuff that Milwaukee makes but someone else makes better. I wouldn’t buy a Milwaukee socket or wrench set, for instance. I also have Metabo cordless grinders, because they’re better than the Milwaukee ones. Snap-on makes the best cordless trim screwdriver, IMO, so that’s what I bought.

The other thing about cordless is they really promote “ecosystems” and brand loyalty to take advantage of battery compatibility. Once you buy in, you’re heavily incentivized to stay in, not unlike a cult… lol. Corded tools don’t have this problem (or feature, depending on which side you’re on) so this is a fairly recent phenomenon in the tool world. Once you’ve bought into a system, you don’t want to be told you bought into a bad or inferior product so a lot of guys get really defensive if you poke at their choice of tool.

I have discovered that you are allowed to have multiple brands of cordless and the world will not stop spinning. I have 4 different brands right now. 5 different batteries, if you distinguish between M12 and M20, which may as well be different brands as they’re not interchangeable. It’s no problem. I can still get my work done. My tools didn’t spontaneously combust if they were allowed to touch. Even when I did mobile work, all it meant was I had to take an extra charger or two along. Big whoop.

So yeah, TL,DR Milwaukee has a devoted community because they intentionally built the brand that way.

 

[JeepYJ]

Milwaukee does have a bit of a cult following with some trades people. This is in keeping with most brands that make higher quality stuff where the brand is the image.

Many times the COO (and ownership of the brand) is very important with tradespeople from the clothes they wear to the truck they drive to tools they use. This is where the paradox comes in with Milwaukee Tools. “I ain’t gonna use SK now that it’s owned by the commies” but they’ll gladly load up on Milwaukee tools at a Home Depot sale. Just not consistent thinking and values.

 

[dr_clyde]

Many times the COO (and ownership of the brand) is very important with tradespeople from the clothes they wear to the truck they drive to tools they use. This is where the paradox comes in with Milwaukee Tools. “I ain’t gonna use SK now that it’s owned by the commies” but they’ll gladly load up on Milwaukee tools at a Home Depot sale. Just not consistent thinking and values.

I understand your logic, but there is one HUGE difference in thinking.

There are no USA made power tools, at least not in a meaningful way.

DeWalt has a few "assembled in USA" tools, but not a lot. Snap-on has a few. I'm sure there are a couple others, but they're RARE.

We don't have much of a choice. If we need power tools, we must buy imports. Once that wall is breached, the flood pours through.

Hand tools on the other hand, there are quite a few brands still USA made. It is FAR easier to buy domestic.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't know of a power tool brand that is majority USA made.

Yes, at one point Milwaukee was made in USA, but that ended a LONG time ago. If we just wholesale said "I ain't gonna use Milwaukee now", what are we left with to use? It's not like we can spend our money on the USA option, because it doesn't exist.

I can choose to patronize Wright, Proto, Snap-on, Williams, Mac, and other USA made hand tools with SK leaving.

It isn't black and white. We just have to choose what level of grey is acceptable to us.

 

[JeepYJ]

If we just wholesale said "I ain't gonna use Milwaukee now", what are we left with to use? It's not like we can spend our money on the USA option, because it doesn't exist.

Dewalt is owned by a US company, not sure if they assemble any power tools in NA now or not. Heck even HF is a USA company that takes a ton of **** for being Chinese junk (some of it is, some of it is really good especially for the price and not Chinese).
There are some tradespeople who will only drive vehicles from the Big 3 (even though Chrysler/Ram/Jeep is now foreign owned). Same kind of thinking there too.

 

[CGarage]

Many times the COO (and ownership of the brand) is very important with tradespeople from the clothes they wear to the truck they drive to tools they use.

And the majority of the time it comes from an outdated way of thinking and viewing the world, and from a lack of current knowledge.

Perhaps there is bliss in such ignorance, but going through life so uninformed is not a good way to live.

 

[dr_clyde]

Dewalt is owned by a US company, not sure if they assemble any power tools in NA now or not. Heck even HF is a USA company that takes a ton of **** for being Chinese junk (some of it is, some of it is really good especially for the price and not Chinese).
There are some tradespeople who will only drive vehicles from the Big 3 (even though Chrysler/Ram/Jeep is now foreign owned). Same kind of thinking there too.

So, I should just settle for that instead of getting the tools that I need?

Results matter. The end product is important. I’m buying a product first and foremost.

Dewalt doesn’t make half of what Milwaukee does.

If Toyota made a 3/4 ton diesel truck for the US market, I’d probably buy one. I drive a GMC for a lot of reasons, but I primarily drive what I drive because they’re one of 3 companies that offer a 3/4 ton diesel for the US market. Stellantis products hold zero appeal to me, and I’ll take a Duramax/Allison over whatever Ford is selling these days.

Toyota and Nissan make incredible trucks, they just stop at the 1/2 ton size here. Toyota also makes cars here, and employ lots of US workers.

I use Mazak CNC machine tools when I can. They’re a Japanese company, but they also make world class machine tools. They also make a lot of lathes in Kentucky. Haas machines are US made, but Haas is also an entry level machine tool and they **** in comparison to Japanese iron. I’ll take my used Mazak any day of the week over a brand new Haas.

I buy American when it makes sense. But I don’t do it blindly. And I don’t like supporting sub-par manufacturers. Make **** and I don’t care where it was made, I won’t buy it.

In general, the US makes good stuff, but there are exceptions.

My stuff needs to work. Then I’ll worry about the rest of it.