Are Makita, Milwaukee's seconds?

[Stick-man]

A sales associate at Northern Tool store said that if the Milwaukee internal part's don't meet their standards, they go to Makita. And if it doesn't meet Makita standards, they go to an off brand. I find this unbelievable, but could it be possible? I have never looked at the internal parts, I just use them.

 

[mike93lx]

Lol. That's great.

You should go back and offer this

 

[The Cobbler]

Urban legend

 

[manwithtools]

I also have one of these for sale, slightly less expensive than @mike93lx price...



BTW, not even remotely possible. The design is not even remotely similar across all the tool brands. Also, that's why that ***** works at Northern Tool and not somewhere that requires brain cells.

 

[FigN⋅m]

All part of the same RigiDeWaulkita line

 

[vwpieces]

Guess this means Fe-Stool goes to Milwaukee.

 

[Kscardsfan]

That's a new one for me. I thought I had heard it all.

 

[mike93lx]

I'll beat @manwithtools price, guaranteed. And I offer financing. Have him PM me

 

[f121]

Ask him where the Milwaukee tools are made, $10 says he answers ‘Milwaukee’

 

[KnurledNut]

I recently heard a HF manager telling a customer ICON was made by Snap-on. He even prefaced it with, "I'm not gonna lie..."

 

[cherrybomb]

Your not going to believe this story,but I swear this really happened

 

[Stick-man]

Lol. That's great.

You should go back and offer this

Yeah, I didn't believe it either. This was said to my brother, and he kinda bought into it. He's been bringing it up in other conversations. Mainly about car and truck batteries, and which brand is better, etc. Finally, I'm sick of hearing this so I told him I would post it up. But, I honestly never looked at the internals, so.........

 

[mike93lx]

Yeah, I didn't believe it either. This was said to my brother, and he kinda bought into it. He's been bringing it up in other conversations. Mainly about car and truck batteries, and which brand is better, etc. Finally, I'm sick of hearing this so I told him I would post it up. But, I honestly never looked at the internals, so.........

The brands are completely unrelated.

This would be like saying that honda's quality rejects go into Toyota, but we know they go into hondas. Right @Metallitubby ?

 

[KnurledNut]

Can’t be the case because Makita actually uses quality components.

 

[Stick-man]

Can’t be the case because Makita actually uses quality components.

Ouch!!!

 

[PCustoms]

This would be like saying that honda's quality rejects go into Toyota, but we know they go into hondas. Right @Metallitubby ?

But I thought Acura's rejected parts got put into Honda? And we all know how Honda has been lately...

 

[bonneyman]

All part of the same RigiDeWaulkita line

Try saying that 10 times fast!

 

[Banjorear]

I recently heard a HF manager telling a customer ICON was made by Snap-on. He even prefaced it with, "I'm not gonna lie..."

Was that "customer" a member here who started the ICON Talon plier thread(s)? LOL.

 

[blown94conv]

Tell the lie enough times and it becomes the truth.

 

[engineer2]

They all have their own design. Technology is similar, but parts are all different dimensions.
You may find an occasional bearing or fastener is the same, but those are industry standard parts.

 

[IndyGarage]

I wonder where something like this starts.

Of course it's not true. Even if the tools might be made in the same factory, they have individual specs from their design companies.

I find both Milwaukee and Makita tools to be very good these days. I wouldn't worry about whether one is better than the other.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Just to set everyone straight. The parts all start with Bosch and then work there way down the tool pecking line.

 

[rust in the eye]

A sales associate at Northern Tool store said that if the Milwaukee internal part's don't meet their standards, they go to Makita. And if it doesn't meet Makita standards, they go to an off brand. I find this unbelievable, but could it be possible? I have never looked at the internal parts, I just use them.

I couldn't have bit my tongue if told that. I wonder how many sets of parents this stooge was passed down through before HE was deemed acceptable.
Where do they grow these people?

 

[d.mcfarland]

Was this store in the middle of Tennessee?

 

[Firebrick43]

Ask him where the Milwaukee tools are made, $10 says he answers ‘Milwaukee’

They have a plant in Milwaukee where they still make tools , just one on many around the world.

 

[Firebrick43]

I wonder where something like this starts.

Of course it's not true. Even if the tools might be made in the same factory, they have individual specs from their design companies.

I find both Milwaukee and Makita tools to be very good these days. I wouldn't worry about whether one is better than the other.

There are Chinese tool manufacturers of off brand tools that have employees this method of quality control in the past.

Running with old worn out machinery and unskilled labor parts were cranked out and then were all checked after production. Parts were sorted by how close the were to nominal and may have been two or even three “grades”.

The top grade for the ones that were in spec went to the company they were suppling parts to.

Now they had all these leftover parts, so they sold them to local Chinese companies that made either a clone or at least the internal hard parts were the same, but out of tolerance.

This is what led to the rise of the Chonda clones and a lot of off brand chines power tools are made where made with out of spec guts from other contracts.

I don’t know how prevalent it still is as Chinese companies have heavily invested in new CNC machinery in the last decade and the tolerances are being held with many parts They are even starting to design their own ****, very occasionally with a spark of originality.

The company I worked for set up shop the 14 years ago and it was interesting to hear from the Chinese counterparts on how things worked over there

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I don't remember Milwaukee being around on jobsites when I started working. Makita was the norm. It was awesome when makita went from 7.2v to 9.6v!

 

[Old Steamer]

Tell the lie enough times and it becomes the truth.

Lot of truth to that.

 

[PoorUB]

I don't remember Milwaukee being around on jobsites when I started working. Makita was the norm. It was awesome when makita went from 7.2v to 9.6v!

It must be a regional thing. Twenty years ago we didn't see a huge amount of Milwaukee cordless in this area, but a lot of DeWalt, Milwaukee second, and not much Makita. I would guess it depending on who was selling, or not selling it. Today it seems like Milwaukee has taken over, with DeWalt as a runner up. Makita, Ridgid and few others fighting for the scraps.

 

[Firebrick43]

It must be a regional thing. Twenty years ago we didn't see a huge amount of Milwaukee cordless in this area, but a lot of DeWalt, Milwaukee second, and not much Makita. I would guess it depending on who was selling, or not selling it. Today it seems like Milwaukee has taken over, with DeWalt as a runner up. Makita, Ridgid and few others fighting for the scraps.

Same here

 

[zendriver]

They all must be ****** power tool companies, if they make that many **** parts, they can ship them across the world, to have Asian companies cobble them into a whole new product line.

 

[PoorUB]

A sales associate at Northern Tool store said that if the Milwaukee internal part's don't meet their standards, they go to Makita. And if it doesn't meet Makita standards, they go to an off brand. I find this unbelievable, but could it be possible? I have never looked at the internal parts, I just use them.

When sales people make comments like that I will flat out ask them where they came up with that BS! Then find another sales person!
I have called out a few sales people over the years and had a couple of them double down with more BS.

 

[mike93lx]

When sales people make comments like that I will flat out ask them where they came up with that BS! Then find another sales person!
I have called out a few sales people over the years and had a couple of them double down with more BS.

Changing the world, one sales person at a time. Stay the course

 

[zendriver]

A sales associate BSs a customer, towards purchasing a more expensive product?

Is this news?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

It must be a regional thing. Twenty years ago we didn't see a huge amount of Milwaukee cordless in this area, but a lot of DeWalt, Milwaukee second, and not much Makita. I would guess it depending on who was selling, or not selling it. Today it seems like Milwaukee has taken over, with DeWalt as a runner up. Makita, Ridgid and few others fighting for the scraps.

I started 40 years ago. And regional is a thing.

 

[mikegt4]

A sales associate at Northern Tool store said that ..........

No need to go any farther, "Northern Tool" is interchangeable with HF, HD, Lowes, Autozone etc.

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

First, the story of ‘Milwaukee second’s’ inside ‘Makitas’ is obviously B/S.

Secondly, my personal observation is, and that might differ from how it works in the US/ North America, it’s all about availability and accessibility for those outside the ‘forums’/‘social media’-bubble. You still have some of the ‘it’s always been done this way’ people mixed in between, but at large/ scale: what is most conveniently available/accessible gets bought & used.

From a couple of ‘Thanksgiving haul’ type tool reviews/videos I have watched over the years, it seems that the US big box stores offer a great variety of brands and almost all seem to have Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita, (…).

There was a time when a - mainly work clothing - supplier started to offer some tools as well. Let’s say the basics, not full blown industrial supplier range. DeWalt power tools and a lot of Stanley hand tools and accessories. It didn’t take long and many of the ‘guys’ buying those supplier’s clothes, turned up with DeWalt power tools and their hand tools in that one Stanley tool bag they sold.

One of my supplier’s wouldn’t even touch Milwaukee if it was the last tool brand on earth. They are a Bosch premium specialist and thats what they sell every day, what they have in stock, what they service, what they can offer at best price because they’re stocking them at scale. They offer other & also specialist niche brands as well, but no Milwaukee ever. Right or wrong, I don’t judge/care - I know what I can get from them and what not. Needless to say, their regular customers are probably on the Bosch train for the most part when it comes to power tools - even more so, when they are not influenced by ’forums’/‘social media’.

On the contrary, another supplier that is the closest to me, they kicked Bosch & Festool to the curb and switched over to DeWalt completely. Business decision. And while back in the Bosch days they obviously offered the Bosch owned ‘Hawera’ brand drill bits, now that Bosch has done away with that brandname, they don’t sell the Bosch accessories but switched over to Heller brand drill bits/ consumables.

I’m sure you’ll find people not switching the brand but the supplier, but again, at large? It’s still the closest supplier for an x k amount of people and most with a credit line/account …

Personally, I ain’t hatin’ nobody. The more the merrier.

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[tarbellb]

tell me youre gullible without telling me youre gullible

 

[Aaron_W]

When sales people make comments like that I will flat out ask them where they came up with that BS! Then find another sales person!
I have called out a few sales people over the years and had a couple of them double down with more BS.

I find this tactic tends to end the conversation before they can spew any nonsense

 

[manwithtools]

Was this store in the middle of Tennessee?

You mean where all the people from CA, WA, OR and the Northeast have moved too? That would explain the stereotype of TN ignorance, only today it's because of all the transplants!