Is masterforce any good?

[thetoolguy37]

I've been looking around and I have a menards near me. Is masterforce a good brand? Or do they have do's and dont's?

 

[Echohunter]

As Milwaukee or Makita?? ..no ..but decent stuff for normal homeowner .
..I've got a 35 foot tape that I've bought several of to have in multiple places and would say it's a great tape. . ..their returns are easy if you do have a problem also ..but you know that ..

 

[Crabman]

A lot of people like their tool boxes.

 

[thetoolguy37]

I have wondered about there tool boxes, I haven't seen many videos about them sadly

 

[GrayFlattop]

Their toolboxes are perfectly fine. Never purchased any of their power tools - I have plenty in that department. Since Menard's also carries Bosch (and Skil, Evolution, etc.) I don't think the small savings would be worth it.

Hand tools - eh again, no need for me. Once upon a time their screwdrivers were made in USA. Pretty sure that all of their hand tools are either China or Taiwan - that doesn't make them bad, but there is likely little to differentiate their hand tools from Harbor Freight. And HF Icon is a step up.

But if you have a need and a limited budget, you could probably do worse than Masterforce.

Wait until they have a rebate at Menard's (as they do currently) or for the once / maybe twice a year "bag sale" if you have the patience.

 

[finn]

Battery tools are made by Chervon, who also makes Kobalt for Lowe’s, and Skil. Chervon has been around since the nineties. Chervon also makes Flex battery tools.

Sockets, ratchets, and wrenches are made by Apex, who also makes GearWrench and Crescent. At one time the ratchets were branded Allen, but when the Allen brand was discontinued by Apex, there was a brief period when the Menards displays were stocked with GearWrench. When the MasterForce ratchets, etc, were introduced, they were indistinguishable, at least to me, from the previous Allen predecessors.

 

[thetoolguy37]

Thank you for answering my questions yall!

 

[bassJAM]

I have wondered about there tool boxes, I haven't seen many videos about them sadly

Unless something has changed in the 4 years sine I was doing research, their toolboxes are kind of in-between the Harbor Freight US General boxes and the Husky/Craftsman/Kobalt boxes from Lowes/Home Depot. And I'd say they're closer in quality to the US Gen boxes than the other big box store boxes. They use thicker steel, have a good latch system, and seem very nice overall. I went with US general because it was cheaper, but had Menards had them on sale when I was ready to purchase I could have easily gone with them.

 

[engineer2]

For the cordless tools, I would look at some YouTube tool reviews:

Probably fine for homeowner use. One question is where will you get batteries 10 years from now?

 

[Cruzan80]

It used to be that Masterforce would interchange with Craftsman Nextec, for 12V. The angle of the edge of the mould doesn't line up perfectly, but can modify fairly easily.

Not saying they still do or do not, haven't checked in a few years

 

[AC-WC]

I've bought quite a few individual Masterforce wrenches/sockets and in my use they're comparable to Craftsman in quality at a much better price point. Farm and home auto use. Yes, they're made in Taiwan. They carry a better stock than Lowes/Craftsman.

 

[JeepYJ]

I have a corded MF grinder. It’s works fine and the price was right.
I probably have a few oddball hand tools that had a rebate on them, nothing stands out as junk. I think I have a couple hand saws and tape measures.
Their prybar set with striking caps is made in the USA by Wilde. Those are great bargain.

 

[hans109h]

I've been pleasantly surprised by the consistent quality of their sockets and socket accessories. I would say it's of higher quality than harbor freight, and a bonus is that everything is available individually.

I haven't ventured down the Masterforce power tool aisle, as it just has a less than quality look to it.

Hans

 

[LOW1]

I've been pleasantly surprised by the consistent quality of their sockets and socket accessories. I would say it's of higher quality than harbor freight, and a bonus is that everything is available individually.

I haven't ventured down the Masterforce power tool aisle, as it just has a less than quality look to it.

Hans

That’s my observation as well. Menards sells Bosch stuff and I am happy with the corded ones of those that I have. But I wish they sold Dewalt and Milwaukee.

 

[engineer2]

A DeWalt rep told me Menards doesn't sell any of the Big 4 tool brands because they won't agree to staying above MAP (Minimum Advertised Price).

 

[XJSuperman]

I've got a ratchet and some other little things that I like. The toolboxes seem ok, but I preferred HF.

 

[finn]

i prefer Menards boxes over HF. The HF cart I have is saddled with the clunky release mechanism, Hopefully they have changed that by now, though.

 

[Buckaroo5]

I am in Menard's about three times a week - have one right down the street. I like the store and buy most of my lumber, plumbing, electrical and general painting supplies there. Their Masterforce hand tools are ok quality and I will buy something if I need it and the price is right. They do have a lifetime warranty but have never tried to take advantage of it. Don't have any knowledge of the battery tools but I am invested in Milwaukee and EGO so not for me. Toolshop is their cheaper brand which is like basic HF (Pittsburgh, Central Machinery, etc). Masterforce is a cut above that and maybe better than next tier HF (Bauer, etc).

 

[hans109h]

I love going to Menards. Secretly I wish that my Menards had a bar inside it, not so much that I want to drink at Menards but I think it's a place in the community that the other folks drinking there would actually speak our language. If Mr. Menards makes even more millions off this idea I hope he at least buys me a bourbon.

Anyways, I was there today and decided to buy the Masterforce T-handle hex (sae, metric) and star sets that I've had my eye on. They moved them to clearance and each set was $7.11 after rebate. I haven't used them yet but am doing a CNC mill conversion with a bunch of hex fasteners so they will come in handy.

Hans

 

[exmaxima1]

Probably fine for homeowner use. One question is where will you get batteries 10 years from now?

Doubtful anyone would even try after 10 years. At work I've gone thru Bosch, Porter-Cable, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Metabo, and Masterforce drills. They all work for 3-5 years and then we upgrade to whatever is on sale to replace them. Bosch had the worst chucks, Dewalt was the clunkiest. Metabo was HEAVY. Porter-Cable batteries sucked. Overall, I'd rate the Masterforce as above average and the best deal by far.

 

[engineer2]

At work I've gone thru....

I suggest giving Makita a try. The commercial grade like the XPH14T, not the consumer stuff.
I have 11 year old tools and batteries that still work great.

 

[powertrip]

Years ago, most of the Masterforce handtools were USA made. screwdrivers, ratchets, extensions, sockets, ect. The boxes are probably some of the best deals on the market for the level of quality they offer. They are made by Quality Craft which also makes Montezuma boxes. I'd rate them slightly above a HF US General mainly because they advertise what gauge steel they are built with and the latches are superior.

 

[Wellie]

Late to the party, but I have been daily using my Masterforce for roughly 20 years. Older 41-inch top and bottom box, not very deep. New boxes are nices. When I do replace it, it will be another Masterforce.

 

[jmiller_2308]

I love my master force tool boxes and contrary to other people's opinions I feel they are better quality than the US General from HF. The drawers hold a lot of weight, slide easily, have nice catches, and the whole thing is made from a heavier gauge steel than many other boxes. I also prefer the drawer arrangement over many other boxes including the US General boxes. That said, a lot of this is personal preference but I don't think you could go wrong with a master force tool box.

As for the master force tools I have a few hand and power tools from them but I do not consider those tools to be very high end. I think they are generally hands down better than HF tools but certainly not the quality of many premium tools. You kind of get what you pay for.

 

[WisJim]

When I was shopping for a new tool box, I would have bought the Master Force instead of Harbor Freight based on features and the feeling of the unit, but a HF showed up on Facebook Marketplace really cheap, and the seller delivered it to me.

 

[bwringer]

Depends on which MasterForce tools you're talking about.

In general, they're... OK.


I really miss Ye Olden Dayes when MasterForce hand tools were US-made, and excellent quality at bargain prices. The wrenches in particular were stellar, nearly identical to the beloved old US-made Craftsman raised panel. The wrenches are now Chinese lobster claws with that disgusting shiny soft chrome. Oh well.

But in general you can do a lot worse, and everything is on the shelf at decent prices and it mostly works just fine. I think the acetate handle MasterForce screwdrivers are still US-made. The pliers are Chinese but they're decent Chinese at least, and there's a huge selection.

I don't know much about the power tools, and as noted above a lot of people love the toolboxes.


As far as why Menards allowed Home Despot to pretty much take over the cordless power tool market... I have no idea. Their cordless tool aisle is just plain pitiful compared to the other big boxes. At least bLowes seems to be trying, with some decent Flex, Craftsman, and Kobalt (and a few dusty leftover Bosch boxes).

There's a little bit of Bosch stuff on the shelf at Meanies (and bLowes), and it's good quality, but the selection is tiny and the features are way behind the times. Menards also carries a little Skil stuff, some of which is surprisingly good, some of which is terrible. And maybe MasterForce cordless tools are great, but the pricing isn't compelling enough to make me want to jump into store brand stuff, and the selection is not that great.

 

[reader2580]

Years ago, most of the Masterforce handtools were USA made. screwdrivers, ratchets, extensions, sockets, ect. The boxes are probably some of

The reason Masterforce has shifted a lot of hand tools to imports is because the USA suppliers keep closing up. Supposedly Apex made the USA mechanic's tools at the Armstrong plant. When the Armstrong plant closed Menards shifted to Chinese mechanic's tools. WF seemingly made the screwdrivers for Menards, but they closed too.

There are other American manufacturers of both, but the price point tends to be much higher.

 

[ed_v]

Masterforce toolboxes are made by Montezuma. Best non-tool truck/consumer boxes made IMO. Their drawer slides are far better than husky, craftsman, hf, etc.

Ed

 

[engineer2]

As far as why Menards allowed Home Despot to pretty much take over the cordless power tool market... I have no idea.

With 340+ stores and $13 billion annual sales Menards has enough buying power to have their own private label tools. No middlemen, buy direct from Chervon (Ego, Flex, Skil, Kobalt) and other Chinese manufacturers. I've never seen a Masterforce cordless power tool in the wild, so I have no idea who buys them.

Menards won't guarantee staying above Minimum Advertised Pricing as required by most big tool companies to be an authorized dealer. That rules out Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita, Ryobi, Ridgid, etc. Other companies such as Metabo, Bosch, Blackened-Pecker, Skil, Worx, etc. seem to be OK with it or their products never go on sale.

 

[reader2580]

With 340+ stores and $13 billion annual sales Menards has enough buying power to have their own private label tools. No middlemen, buy direct from Chervon (Ego, Flex, Skil, Kobalt) and other Chinese manufacturers. I've never seen a Masterforce cordless power tool in the wild, so I have no idea who buys them.

HD and Lowe's both have their own brands of cordless tools too, but they still carry the big brands too. (Ryobi is supposed to be exclusive to Home Depot so it is pretty much their store brand.)

 

[Hakeem]

There are some hidden bargains and solid acquisitions amongst their lineup:



These are made by Wilde, only $23 for the set. Can’t beat that price with a stick.


These are on sale right now, $14 for the set of three. I got a second set for interior use, so that I could set my tools down and not scratch anything. They help me stay organized even in the field. Harbor Freight sells them for 3x the price (albeit individually)

 

[Bubba Fett]

There isn't a Menards near me, but I ordered some screwdrivers and nut drivers from them, which were made by Pratt-Read at the time. Not bad!

 

[ohhimark]

Some of their scrapers/knives are US made, and look very similar to Warner equivalents. They've held up well so far. IDK what the deal is with their power tools, they seem to be priced similar to the big names.

 

[bwringer]

There are some hidden bargains and solid acquisitions amongst their lineup:



These are made by Wilde, only $23 for the set. Can’t beat that price with a stick.


These are on sale right now, $14 for the set of three. I got a second set for interior use, so that I could set my tools down and not scratch anything. They help me stay organized even in the field. Harbor Freight sells them for 3x the price (albeit individually)

Nice! And yep, those pry bars are a steal, whatever color/brand they're labeled as. My set came from Sears years ago, but they've popped up at Walmart and other places as well.

This is tangential to the thread topic, but Meanard's stocks a very nice selection of Wilde chisels and punches at good prices, not to mention a good selection of Knipex. Overall, they tend to have a wider range available in tools than the other big box stores, from disposable "Tool Shop" or "Performax" shite on up to very nice brands. There are some odd gaps due to contractual or marketing matters; for example Klein seems to have some sort of exclusive agreement with bLowes.

 

[rust in the eye]

A DeWalt rep told me Menards doesn't sell any of the Big 4 tool brands because they won't agree to staying above MAP (Minimum Advertised Price).

This sounds plausible. I'm committed to the Makita cordless platform and notice pricing is essentially same everywhere.
I guess if the manufacturer stipulates such practices instead of the (willing) retailers it isn't price fixing. Right.

 

[plinker]

The tool boxes are very nice, best deal going for what you get IMO. I have some of the older Danaher production sockets, not much of anything newer to give an opinion on, they are Taiwan and look about as good as anything else in that price point. Pick & choose is my take on the brand overall.

 

[sparky 1971]

It's been several years ago, but Menards at one time had a huge selection of Makita power tools. As far as the Masterforce line, I haven't run across any junk yet, but I'm sure it's there, (the pliers with the fat handles?) it depends on who is contracted to make whatever it is. Sitting in my basement watching TV, off the top of my head, I have these with the Masterforce name: 60 gallon three HP compressor (Sanborn, no different than any other), 56" X 24" top and bottom tool box, 30X18 top and bottom, 41X18 bottom, (I think those are Montezuma), 3-1/2 ton floor jack, six ton jack stands, 12 ton stands, (Torin), orbital sander, multi tool, a bunch of pry bars and nail pullers, reversible ratchet wrenches, combination wrenches larger than 1-1/4 and 32mm, a few pair of slip joint pliers and some screw drivers. I also have a socket set and hex sockets from the days that those were rebranded Allen. Everything performs as it should, or at least, good enough. The screwdrivers aren't anything to brag about and the ratchet was replaced with something decent a long time ago. I'm sure I left a bunch out but right now it's not important enough for me to get off my **** and go look to see what I have.

 

[reader2580]

I don't recall Menards carrying Makita tools since I started regularly shopping at Menards around 2001. My original Makita LXT stuff came from Home Depot around 2006/2007.

 

[lardy1]

I have bought some of my Bosch cordless things from Menard's because it's often not easy to find any discounts on them. The standard 11% rebate has been the best price for me more than once.

 

[danski0224]

I've been looking around and I have a menards near me. Is masterforce a good brand? Or do they have do's and dont's?

The mechanics hand tools seem pretty decent, even though they are no longer USA made. Far better and deeper selection of stuff compared to the other two box stores, and the Masterforce brand will exist as long as Menards does.

Power tools? Except for a 12v Masterforcr Unishear that I have, that is no longer made, I don't know.