Flex Power Tools

[Steel_Rain]

FLEX really never entered my thought process. Suspect that's the case with many others.

THIS. I think they really did try to enter the market with powerful tools and what builders and technicians were actually looking for. Chervon spent huge money on marketing (terrible infomercials, linked below), but they lost their way by losing focus on the people they built the tools for in the first place. I think the bean counters convinced them to shift focus on profits instead of tools and they also underestimated how loyal American's are to tool manufactures because of battery platforms. Initially, one of the huge selling points was the battery technology and when that failed early on, that left many people sour.

As I've said prior, I think the tools are actually great. The warranty is great. The price (now) is great. But Lowes failed the brand and the brand failed itself thinking it could accomplish disruption without a reliable, long reaching marketing plan with a big box Vendor like Lowes.

For the morbidly curious among us:

Also, to further prove everyone's point about recognition, here are the YT sub counts to the official FLEX vs Milwaukee channels:





Yikes.

 

[KnurledNut]

THIS. I think they really did try to enter the market with powerful tools and what builders and technicians were actually looking for. Chervon spent huge money on marketing (terrible infomercials, linked below), but they lost their way by losing focus on the people they built the tools for in the first place. I think the bean counters convinced them to shift focus on profits instead of tools and they also underestimated how loyal American's are to tool manufactures because of battery platforms. Initially, one of the huge selling points was the battery technology and when that failed early on, that left many people sour.

As I've said prior, I think the tools are actually great. The warranty is great. The price (now) is great. But Lowes failed the brand and the brand failed itself thinking it could accomplish disruption without a reliable, long reaching marketing plan with a big box Vendor like Lowes.

For the morbidly curious among us:

Also, to further prove everyone's point about recognition, here are the YT sub counts to the official FLEX vs Milwaukee channels:





Yikes.

When FLEX first showed up in stores, they had wooden benches set up to test the impact drivers with wood screws. I brought my Makita in to try them side by side. The Makita was like riding in a Lexus and the FLEX was like riding on a go cart. It was pretty bad. I may be exaggerating a little but not much.
It didn't take long for those displays to become useless because the stores I frequented never charged the batteries and the tools were dead. I was surprised how long they let them sit there wasting prime aisle space.

The other thing that rubbed me wrong was them promoting these 24v tools as 20% more powerful than the competition. That seemed promising until I read the fine print that they were comparing it to 18v/20v tools.

 

[Blind1]

Unless Milwaukee pulls lineup wide high torque shenanigans, the higher tier 18 (and 12v) Li-ion market is set.

Battery chemistry? Higher voltage? I don’t know what the next disruptor is.

Flex had a hard path.

 

[Steel_Rain]

The Makita was like riding in a Lexus and the FLEX was like riding on a go cart. It was pretty bad. I may be exaggerating a little but not much.

Agreed, my Makita XGT stuff (Impact wrenches mostly) are way more refined and balanced. If you followed the marketing material, FLEX rarely would talk about balance or refinement because they were targeting the Milwaukee / DeWalt crowd for raw power. While I agree you do need raw power in some instances, how many of use the full capability of a power tool for any trade that requires impacting every hour of every work day?

As I get older, I'd rather have balance and refinement over raw power. That doesn't mean I can't have a separate tool for raw power, but that also means I don't want to carry around that same tool, let say a 10lbs sledge to drive 16 penny nails for 10 hours.

If I was 22 and worked on heavy equipment 14 hours a day, I'd probably feel differently.

 

[Steve_P]

Agreed. There was another post that quoted Den of Tools YT channel and how he made a good point about the LACK of budget tool brands these days. It really does seem that most **** tool brands are gone and the mid-tier brands are moving more upscale.

I guess it's good thing that power tool evolution has given us few bad options these days.

Yep. Ryobi cordless tools are a bargain, especially on sale, and they have such a huge selection, it just doesn't make sense to buy something like Skil or Black and Decker to possibly save a few dollars and then be burned in a few years when you can't buy a new battery for it.

 

[dnschmidt]

FLEX could have made an impact if they were 20% below Milwaukee and DeWalt. Lowes thought FLEX was their answer to Milwaukee at Home Depot being a professional line. To a degree they are but somebody that has $4,000 in Milwaukee and DeWalt batteries doesn't give a **** if FLEX's grinder is actually better than Milwaukee's. At this point in time the batteries cost more than the tools. I have at least $3,000 of FORGE batteries the the last thing I need is another battery platform. As stated the cost of the tools is not the deciding factor it's the batteries, If we were in the old days of corded power tools FLEX could have made it as we chose those based on individual performance. For example I always preferred DeWalt's (Elu's) routers to Milwaukee's. But in this day and age it's the BATTERIES that govern which tools I buy. I already have three complete battery systems: Milwaukee, DeWalt and Bosch. I don't need another.

 

[Steel_Rain]

To a degree they are but somebody that has $4,000 in Milwaukee and DeWalt batteries doesn't give a **** if FLEX's grinder is actually better than Milwaukee's

yup.

 

[Steve_P]

FLEX could have made an impact if they were 20% below Milwaukee and DeWalt. ............ But in this day and age it's the BATTERIES that govern which tools I buy. I already have three complete battery systems: Milwaukee, DeWalt and Bosch. I don't need another.

Re the first sentence, I don't think so because it's a mature market that's already flooded with excellent choices- you have to offer something unique or vastly superior at a similar, or lower, price than what's existing. Toyota and Honda didn't gain a foothold in the US because their cars were necessarily cheaper, it's because people got tired of buying Vegas, Chevettes, and Citations and having them fall apart, or blow up, in three years; and a Celica and Civic didn't. You need to offer something vastly superior to break into a mature market and Flex didn't- because the market is already so competitive with excellent products. They had nothing to set themselves apart, I guess unless you liked gray and were just getting started buying cordless tools and wanted to be a masochist and be the guinea pig on a new brand available only locally in Lowes.

And yes on the battery choice. The people that buy Milwaukee and DeWalt and have even 5 batteries aren't going to switch to a new unknown brand because their drill is 20% cheaper and then they have to add a new battery lineup. Especially when the tools are only available locally at Lowes.

 

[Steel_Rain]

And yes on the battery choice. The people that buy Milwaukee and DeWalt and have even 5 batteries aren't going to switch to a new unknown brand because their drill is 20% cheaper and then they have to add a new battery lineup. Especially when the tools are only available locally at Lowes.

Exactly. So now FLEX has the plan of now moving online to somehow fix it? That’s ********. Here is what they will do…Lowes will allow them to be sold online for a few months, then drop the brand entirely. This is simply a marketing move to get people to buy up the remaining product and Chervon will go back to focusing on core product for Lowes, and maybe try to create a higher end brand from within the Kobalt (beyond the XTR stuff) range.

Chervon will sell the ODM to the highest bidder to recoup some losses and offer some type of convoluted warranty that involves jumping though hoops so they avoid paying for anything with FLEX brand and still make the FTC happy. 10 billion later and your fancy grey power tools are without support to a pissed off customer base.

But this is the world we made ourselves.

 

[david3921]

Maybe Flex will move to Menards and join Skil and Masterforce tools that are also produced by Chervon.

 

[dnschmidt]

Menards is a regional player. I don't think they can compare to Lowes.

 

[zendriver]

If there is a company out there that is dumb enough to take on the flex power to a line, then they too, will be able to enjoy lackluster sale figures, and probably endless numbers of lifetime warranty claims

Sears is still around - more or less they like warranties

 

[yevangelis]

I returned the 1/4 impact when I realized it didn't have the 'auto' or 'quick' chuck. Unacceptable for a brand that considers itself premium.
Same goes for metabo hpt, anyone who uses an impact from a ladder knows the value of that feature.

 

[Steve_P]

If there is a company out there that is dumb enough to take on the flex power to a line, then they too, will be able to enjoy lackluster sale figures, and probably endless numbers of lifetime warranty claims

Sears is still around - more or less they like warranties

Google says that Sears currently has 8 stores in the US. Sure, that's "still around", but it's also an irrelevant nationwide retailer with only 8 stores; I somehow have five Dollar General stores within a five-mile radius of me.

 

[zendriver]

Google says that Sears currently has 8 stores in the US. Sure, that's "still around", but it's also an irrelevant nationwide retailer with only 8 stores; I somehow have five Dollar General stores within a five-mile radius of me.

It was sarcasm, in response to posts that maybe HF, Menard's, or some other lost retail souls. might see some light at the end of the tunnel for Flex Tools. (that wasn't an oncoming train)

Maybe it just me if it was a good thing, seems Lowes - if anyone, would be embracing it.

The tools are probably fine, but it really doesn't matter if no one is buying them.

 

[dnschmidt]

To quote Dandy Don Meredith. "Turn out the lights the party's over."

 

[Aaron_W]

If they were smart the would have made Flex, Skil and Kobalt use compatible batteries. Hook people with the lower priced tools, then give them a way to pick and choose higher end tools where they need / want one without buying into an entirely new battery platform.

Ryobi has two levels of battery, a standard and an HP, so they could have gone that route as well offering better Flex batteries to give it more of a premium appearance, but still being able to use Skil or Kobalt batteries.

Got to have a gimmick to get people to try something new in a full field.

 

[david3921]

If they were smart the would have made Flex, Skil and Kobalt use compatible batteries. Hook people with the lower priced tools, then give them a way to pick and choose higher end tools where they need / want one without buying into an entirely new battery platform.

Ryobi has two levels of battery, a standard and an HP, so they could have gone that route as well offering better Flex batteries to give it more of a premium appearance, but still being able to use Skil or Kobalt batteries.

Got to have a gimmick to get people to try something new in a full field.

They might very well be compatible. I have one Skil cordless tool (reciprocating saw) that I got at Menards for a great price. It sure looks like the battery from it will fit the cordless Masterforce tools down the aisle.

 

[yevangelis]

if anyone has a lead on where to get a Kobalt battery to flex tool adapter let me know. I can't find anything. maybe that's a sign to get me a 3d printer...

 

[finn]

If they were smart the would have made Flex, Skil and Kobalt use compatible batteries. Hook people with the lower priced tools, then give them a way to pick and choose higher end tools where they need / want one without buying into an entirely new battery platform.

Ryobi has two levels of battery, a standard and an HP, so they could have gone that route as well offering better Flex batteries to give it more of a premium appearance, but still being able to use Skil or Kobalt batteries.

Got to have a gimmick to get people to try something new in a full field.

Dewalt and Milwaukee both have multiple levels of batteries as well as tools under the same brand.

Actually, Ryobi is a brand of TTI, slotted under Milwaukee in price, so Chevron and TTI are essentially following the same model. Ryobi and Milwaukee don’t share batteries either.

 

[JerseyBoatBuilder]

From what I was told and mentioned a while back by the regular tool section guy and the MST Manager who is responsible for his people doing reset's. It was going to be replaced and expanded with Dewalt cordless tools next month. When I was there last week they showed me none of the Flex stuff is on order for the store.

 

[Dh3256]

Glad I searched before starting essentially this thread.

There have been a lot of rumors and misinformation spread by youtubers trying to drive traffic to their channels. The rumor of the demise of FLEX can be traced to a particular youtuber...

Both FLEX and Lowes have confirmed that FLEX will continue to be stocked in-store. They also recently announced a new battery design, so now we know they were closing out the old products for the new. According to the RM in this part of the country, the new products should be in-store by mid January.

 

[Dh3256]

Moving discussion from another thread:

I started a new thread here:

Flex Power Tools

Yo start a damn FLEX tools thread, most of us don't care There has been much discussion about this topic in other threads, so I wanted to start a dedicated conversation. I own many FLEX power tools, but about mid-way though 2023, I noticed a huge slow down in marketing from them. I think...

www.garagejournal.com

It appears the things you’re citing are circa 2022-2023? If you have a formal source for the last 90 days, please cite it here and don’t tell us to go search for it. We can continue the discussion in the other thread.

No, last week actually. Information is available on the Lowes and FLEX web pages and FB pages.

The battery announcement is from the NE RM, in a conversation, he said that is public information now but I have not seen anything official.

 

[Steel_Rain]

No, last week actually. Information is available on the Lowes and FLEX web pages and FB pages.

Please cite these links.

 

[gamp945]

The battery announcement is from the NE RM, in a conversation, he said that is public information now but I have not seen anything official.

I don't trust store managers to have accurate information about things like this, but I would expect an RM to be in the loop. The suggestion that there is a new battery design seems plausible given the recent advent of tabless 21700 cells and even more recent advent of tabless 18650 cells. My understanding is that supplies of these new cells are limited and would likely go to the largest contracts first (e.g., Milwaukee), so a later introduction by FLEX could make sense.

To add some objective support for the argument that FLEX will continue to exist and expand, consider the following:

• FLEX is actively marketing itself at trade shows, most recently SEMA in November 2025 where they announced their new "Track-Lock" storage system that will be available in March 2026 with 30 new SKUs
• FLEX is still announcing new tools, like their cold-cut metal saw
• FLEX in NA is apparently still supporting influencer marketing in December 2025
• FLEX Germany's website shows new cordless tools that have not been announced for FLEX 24V or Kobalt 24V.

 

[Dh3256]

Please cite these links.

www.lowes.com
www.facebook.com

If you have any credible sources that support your perspective, please share them. It's understood that most Youtubers are not reliable or accurate sources and are mostly trying to drive views of their channel.

 

[liliysdad]

Sure is a lot of arguing over what amounts to an absolutely irrelevant line of tools.

 

[zendriver]

Sure is a lot of arguing over what amounts to an absolutely irrelevant line of tools.

You must be new here

The brand is relevant for the sake of argument, even if no other reason.

It’s like arguing for weeks, if the moon landings were real as if it makes any difference today

 

[liliysdad]

You must be new here

The brand is relevant for the sake of argument, even if no other reason.

It’s like arguing for weeks, if the moon landings were real as if it makes any difference today

It’s not like I was commenting with any expectation of change…


Just an observation..

 

[Steel_Rain]

If you have any credible sources that support your perspective, please share them. It's understood that most Youtubers are not reliable or accurate sources and are mostly trying to drive views of their channel.

I don't think we receive anything formal from Lowes or FLEX because it's not in either parties best interest to admit the tool brand is leaving or vastly cutting back.

What I can share is what's been posted on FLEX tools owners group on Facebook in the last 72 hours:






I think some of the confusion is the way Lowes is playing this out. It appears that FLEX will still be sold in isolated locations, with the bulk of stores dropping the line altogether. It also appears at the moment that FLEX will still be sold online only in the long term.

I'd consider Stuart from Toolguy'd a creditable source:

Massive Discounts on Flex and Skil Tools at Lowe’s

toolguyd.com

Rumor: Lowe’s is Dumping Flex Cordless Power Tools from Stores

toolguyd.com

I feel like by years end, the stores that drop FLEX will replace the entire aisle with DeWalt/Kobalt or Craftsman. The few remaining stores that carry FLEX will still sell them in stores until the brand goes to another bricks & mortar or online only. That said, I don't feel like the brand can last solely on that marketing strategy, so my guess is that they fizzle after about a year or so.

Time will tell all, especially over the next 30-45 days, so maybe we just all need to play wait and see.

 

[Dh3256]

I don't think we receive anything formal from Lowes or FLEX because it's not in either parties best interest to admit the tool brand is leaving or vastly cutting back.

What I can share is what's been posted on FLEX tools owners group on Facebook in the last 72 hours:

Which owner's group? I'm not finding a Facebook group with that name or those photos.

FLEX TOOLS NA OFFICIAL is the official FLEX tools Facebook group, and also one place where they have confirmed that FLEX tools will continue to be sold in-store at Lowes.

A lot of people don't know that Lowes store managers have a lot of discretion over what they stock, so I am not surprised someone was able to find one store that is not focusing on FLEX. I have two stores near me, and one caters more to homeowners and DIYers, so they carry DeWalt, Ryobi, Skil, etc. and only have a half aisle of FLEX. The other store caters more to the pros, and they have a whole aisle each of FLEX, BOSCH, and Milwaukee but only a few DeWalt, Skil, and Ryobi tools.

The restocking of FLEX as well as the effective end of sale and clearance pricing further supports the continuation of the products in-store. Kind of sad I missed out on some of the earlier pricing, now that most tools have been back to regular price since Thanksgiving.

 

[Steve_P]

Dunno. I have a friend w Flex tools, he's currently chasing the clearance sales, and all the Lowe's near him have almost no stock. He's convinced it's going away in Nashville.

 

[Steel_Rain]

The other store caters more to the pros, and they have a whole aisle each of FLEX, BOSCH, and Milwaukee but only a few DeWalt

Lowes stopped selling Milwaukee in 2007.

 

[Steel_Rain]

Which owner's group? I'm not finding a Facebook group with that name or those photos.

Flex Power Tools:



They have almost 17K members, the link is here: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17eTcjE2PS/

Please search away and notice the photos and comments from people around the USA, saying the same thing about stores not restocking and replacing the FLEX aisle with other brands.

Your right to be skeptical of YouTubers, but all those channels I've posted are saying the same thing. It's not coming from one source, it's coming from many at this point.

Go to 2:45

He claims he spoke to a senior level person @ Lowes to get that information.

You posted generic links to Facebook and Lowes.com. I posted my sources, post yours about this:

Both FLEX and Lowes have confirmed that FLEX will continue to be stocked in-store.

I'm heavily invested in this brand and I want to know the truth. Time will tell who is right.

 

[finn]

Which owner's group? I'm not finding a Facebook group with that name or those photos.

FLEX TOOLS NA OFFICIAL is the official FLEX tools Facebook group, and also one place where they have confirmed that FLEX tools will continue to be sold in-store at Lowes.

A lot of people don't know that Lowes store managers have a lot of discretion over what they stock, so I am not surprised someone was able to find one store that is not focusing on FLEX. I have two stores near me, and one caters more to homeowners and DIYers, so they carry DeWalt, Ryobi, Skil, etc. and only have a half aisle of FLEX. The other store caters more to the pros, and they have a whole aisle each of FLEX, BOSCH, and Milwaukee but only a few DeWalt, Skil, and Ryobi tools.

The restocking of FLEX as well as the effective end of sale and clearance pricing further supports the continuation of the products in-store. Kind of sad I missed out on some of the earlier pricing, now that most tools have been back to regular price since Thanksgiving.

I don’t recall seeing Milwaukee at Lowe’s.

Maybe I forgot, or missed something.

 

[Steel_Rain]

Lowes stopped selling Milwaukee in 2007.

I don’t recall seeing Milwaukee at Lowe’s.

Maybe I forgot, or missed something.

 

[Aaron_W]

Dewalt and Milwaukee both have multiple levels of batteries as well as tools under the same brand.

Actually, Ryobi is a brand of TTI, slotted under Milwaukee in price, so Chevron and TTI are essentially following the same model. Ryobi and Milwaukee don’t share batteries either.

TTI makes some of the Rigid and Hart power tools to, but as I mentioned in an earlier post these "lesser" brands may gain from their shared parentage and connection to Milwaukee, but it doesn't really work in reverse to boost Milwaukee. In fact some use that connection against buying Milwaukee (its just over priced Ryobi in red plastic ).


So Milwaukee is in a totally different situation than Flex. Flex is trying to break into a very competitive market without much name recognition, and one of the selling points that gets brought up in favor of Flex is that Chervon makes the Kobalt tools.

I was willing to take a risk on Bauer as a new brand because Bauer prices. Flex is essentially a new brand on the market at Makita / Dewalt / Milwaukee prices so a much bigger risk. It has to overcome inertia so it is kind of like a military buying into a new weapon system. As good as the existing isn't good enough, it has to not only be better, but be enough better to justify replacing all of the existing logistics trail.

That basically leaves its main market new tool buyers with the budget for upper tier tools (either a new pro or a well funded DIYr) willing to buck the brand advice of their peers or one with a very strong sense of Vive la difference. That is a pretty narrow niche.


Anyway the post you quoted about shared batteries was just an angle that I could see helping to guide people from the lower end Kobalt or Skil into a premium brand. Other than their circular saws Skil cordless seems to fit into the same market space as Rigid / Kobalt / Craftsman and Ryobi so again not a huge selling point for buying Flex.

 

[finn]

Exactly. Lowes stopped selling Milwaukee close to twenty years ago.

 

[matthew]

I think proprietary batteries are a problem for competitiveness. They make the barriers to change brands too high.

If a couple of manufacturers would collaborate on a single platform, I think there’s be more openness to trying other brands. Bosch kinda tried, but probably needed someone like Makita to join to make it work. Milwaukee wouldn’t be interested since they benefit from incumbency.

 

[matthew]

Personally I've felt like Lowes has been going downhill for years. In the early 2000s I liked Lowes better than HD as it felt like they offered better quality stuff. For quite sometime now I've felt like Lowes was just getting HDs scraps. Flex getting out of the Lowes exclusive thing may be a good thing if it allows them to offer some good deals in more locations.

20 years ago Lowe’s seemed to be aiming to grow by winning customers away from HD or Sears by offering more. At the time Kobalt was a legit attempt to outdo Craftsman. It’s seemed to melt into the bait and switch tactics that are too common in too many businesses.

It has also seemed to me that Lowe’s is run by purchasing people, not hardware people. I noticed them switch lines and clearance things, and fail to notice that selling declining quality into a market they undercut with their own clearance deals was a failing strategy.