Damn Chinese made Milwaukee tools

[ecotec]

Mine looks like the grandfather of that one, and was in fact given to me by my grandfather. It has chewed through many wall studs in my lifetime and before. There is no plastic anywhere on it, and it is built like a battleship.

when i first started as an electrician, nobody wanted to work with the old milwaukee drills with no paint. they are arm breakers. the new ones are safer. but if it was my grandpa's, maybe i would think differently.

 

[babzog]

I was in to the tool/fastener shop yesterday and was browsing the power saws (skilsaws). Guess how many are made in NA? None! Well, Dewalt makes one in Mexico, but all of the rest are made in China. Nothing made on this side of the ditch - not even something made in Europe or Japan!

Over $200 for a Chinese saw. Tool guy said what I'd said earlier... Makita, et al control the factory, control the specs and staff it but damn dude, the materials are still sourced from China - hopefully there's quality in the plastics and steel and the workers are all Chinese locals making their pittance per hour - what interest do they have in making their product last 20 or 30 years? Tool guy said nothing last that long anymore - 10 years is the best you can expect out of Makita, Milwaukee, etc.

TEN YEARS!

For the prices they're commanding ($200-$240 or more for a power saw) for such a low life expectency, I'll buy Mastercraft or Craftsman or buy quality used at auction. Really disappointing.

 

[american lockpicker]

I was in to the tool/fastener shop yesterday and was browsing the power saws (skilsaws). Guess how many are made in NA? None! Well, Dewalt makes one in Mexico, but all of the rest are made in China. Nothing made on this side of the ditch - not even something made in Europe or Japan!

Over $200 for a Chinese saw. Tool guy said what I'd said earlier... Makita, et al control the factory, control the specs and staff it but damn dude, the materials are still sourced from China - hopefully there's quality in the plastics and steel and the workers are all Chinese locals making their pittance per hour - what interest do they have in making their product last 20 or 30 years? Tool guy said nothing last that long anymore - 10 years is the best you can expect out of Makita, Milwaukee, etc.

TEN YEARS!

For the prices they're commanding ($200-$240 or more for a power saw) for such a low life expectency, I'll buy Mastercraft or Craftsman or buy quality used at auction. Really disappointing.

Festool makes a German one.

 

[Monte]

Mafell + Metabo too, you could check out Hilti too, at least they have 1 german saw sourced from Mafell.

 

[Bolster]

Chinese locals making their pittance per hour

Update! Chinese locals not making a pittance anymore. They may earn less but their products and materials are less so their buying power is not so different from ours.

China is NOT a "developing country" anymore. They will claim that as long as they can, so they can continue belching pollution, but it's a crock.

How can the manufacturer to THE WORLD, with full nuke capacity and a space program rivaling ours (yep, read the papers!), be considered a "developing country"? It's one of the biggest, of many info-turds* we are asked to swallow on a daily basis by the dis-information distributors.

*Info-turd: a stinking pile of propaganda, generally sent to you via your TV or New York-based newspaper, to wit: [examples deleted]. Bon Appetit!

 

[babzog]

Bolster: I agree. Any country that builds aircraft carriers, has a million men in their army, can shoot down satellites in space, has one of the largest nuclear stockpiles on the planet, has one of the largest economies on the planet, has (or at least, building) more power generating capacity than anyone else (whether it's dirty coal or clean hydro or nuclear), is not a "developing" country. They are developed. Past tense. I'm tired of sending foreign aid money there.

You'd think they could could at least build a saw with a life expectancy greater than 10 crummy years.

 

[scooby074]

Even the mighty Hole Hawg... not the Hole Hawg

A little while ago i bought a Milwalkee Drywall gun. Made in US. Current one.. China

 

[Bolster]

You'd think they could could at least build a saw with a life expectancy greater than 10 crummy years.

Our only hope is that their nuclear arsenal is as crappy as their tools!

 

[babzog]

Ah... I see HD (and Amazon) has a Japanese made Makita power saw. Twice the price of the china version... and probably 4x as good. I'll be keeping my eye on this one as the holiday season approaches.. think I just found my new saw.

 

[mrpowderkeg]

Bolster: I agree. Any country that builds aircraft carriers, has a million men in their army, can shoot down satellites in space, has one of the largest nuclear stockpiles on the planet, has one of the largest economies on the planet, has (or at least, building) more power generating capacity than anyone else (whether it's dirty coal or clean hydro or nuclear), is not a "developing" country. They are developed. Past tense. I'm tired of sending foreign aid money there.

You'd think they could could at least build a saw with a life expectancy greater than 10 crummy years.

They better hope that huge dam lasts longer than 10 years.... Lots of questionable issues with it, the last I've heard is that the concrete is cracking... all concrete crack, but some people are worried about it... only time will tell.

I've pretty much stopped buying new tools, I've got 30+ year old tools I use on a regular basis, I love my old Milwaukee tools, and it's a crying shame that the new ones are engineered for a 10 year lifespan. I wanna buy a tool that a company is proud to produce and it will last a lifetime with proper maintenance. Things use to be built that way, not anymore.

This is the real deal, a new drill would a step down IMO

 

[Jeff]

When my 19-year old Dwalt corded drill finally died earlier I chose the Milwaukee 0240-20 corded drill. Yeah, it's made in China but Milwaukee's quality control is top-notch. Good value for the money.

 

[TheGrooveking]

I can remember when you could only buy Milwaukee at Grainger or other industrial sources, then they went into Ace Hardware and since then its become a status symbol, as many referenced them as the most heavy duty industrial graded power tools. It is ashame that they've gone to China to manufacture. But I must comment that I am highly impressed with their M12 stuff that I've bought.

TheGrooveking

 

[kc-steve]

I was in to the tool/fastener shop yesterday and was browsing the power saws (skilsaws). Guess how many are made in NA? None! Well, Dewalt makes one in Mexico, but all of the rest are made in China. Nothing made on this side of the ditch - not even something made in Europe or Japan!

Over $200 for a Chinese saw. Tool guy said what I'd said earlier... Makita, et al control the factory, control the specs and staff it but damn dude, the materials are still sourced from China - hopefully there's quality in the plastics and steel and the workers are all Chinese locals making their pittance per hour - what interest do they have in making their product last 20 or 30 years? Tool guy said nothing last that long anymore - 10 years is the best you can expect out of Makita, Milwaukee, etc.

TEN YEARS!

For the prices they're commanding ($200-$240 or more for a power saw) for such a low life expectency, I'll buy Mastercraft or Craftsman or buy quality used at auction. Really disappointing.

Don't misunderstand me, I do agree with your rant overall, HOWEVER, I do take issue about the earnings of workers around the world. It is wrong to compare a Chinese worker's wage with an American worker's wage. The difference is the cost of living. A Chinese worker earning half what you do might be running the company, and living a hell of a lot better than you do.

You can even see it here in the U.S. where someone living in New York City would be living in virtual poverty earning what most people make around the country.

It's a common misconception. But many people use that earnings thing as way to further their political agenda rather than argue the true facts.

Steve

 

[danski0224]

Ah... I see HD (and Amazon) has a Japanese made Makita power saw. Twice the price of the china version... and probably 4x as good. I'll be keeping my eye on this one as the holiday season approaches.. think I just found my new saw.

Better go to HD and check the COO before you get your hopes up.

 

[pl_silverado]

Better go to HD and check the COO before you get your hopes up.

x2





.......

 

[Moose-LandTran]

Mafell + Metabo too, you could check out Hilti too, at least they have 1 german saw sourced from Mafell.

I don't like Mafell. I went to a tool show a while ago and the guy on the Mafell stand wouldn't give me a free cap. *******.

 

[Monte]

I don't like Mafell. I went to a tool show a while ago and the guy on the Mafell stand wouldn't give me a free cap. *******.

Maybe you look like a guy who only goes to shows/fairs to pick up the free pencils, free caps and baloons (like me ) so the Mafell dude thought he rather give the cap to a future customer

 

[babzog]

It is wrong to compare a Chinese worker's wage with an American worker's wage. The difference is the cost of living.

Point well taken... you're right, that's something that is often overlooked or forgotten. I do think, however, that it's more complicated than that... their standard of living is rapidly increasing but not everything is necessarily within reach.

Better go to HD and check the COO before you get your hopes up.

Yeah, I will, don't worry. I've already pretty well resigned myself to the inevitable but there's still a glimmer of hope.... If the darn things would last any amount of time, I'd feel better about dropping two bills on one, but for B&D quality from a formerly respectable brand, they aught to be charging B&D prices.

 

[willy3486]

Many of the complaints posted here are the reason I have almost quit buying new tools. I try to get any old tools or parts I can find. I have worked on and rebuit tools for myself since I was a teen over 30 years ago. For example I had a newer scroll saw, probably 70s or 80s model dremel. It was the same as a craftsman. I found a older delta made in the 40s to the 50s and bought it. I had to make a few parts for it but I was able to rebuild it. It works so much better than the preveous one I had or even new ones I have seen. I also just bought a older 40s model craftsman metal lathe to rebuild. I even have a few parts lined up to make when I get it reworked. I have a few older aluminum bodied tools and such. I take them apart,clean them up, put new cords on and use them. From what I have seen if you rewire them and put the ground on them I have not had any issues. I have a add right now on my local traders post type online sales board looking for the old stuff. I have a box of the newer stuff that had died, I save it for parts. Some of the parts you can reuse on the older stuff. So I just look for the old stuff and pass on the new.