Made the switch to DeWalt

[Xcursion88]

I was a Makita guy and own several of their 18v LXT series.
Hammer Drill, impact driver, compact reciprocating saw, 5 1/2 circular saw (love that thing)
4 or 5 batteries...

That said something that always annoyed me was the fact Makita is all Asian. (If they make anything in USA I'm unaware of it)
Milwaukee...forget about it. They're Chinese through and through.
As most of you know I'm pro American...My SO box is exclusively full of SK and SO, Knipex(german), Mac (USA),
In other words no Asian hand tools.

I never paid attention to DeWalt and COO on any of their stuff.
Few weeks back I asked my Mac guy if he had any electric sanders for a project in the house. He said he had a woodworking kit. (Not USA) Not wild about switching platforms I said I'll take a look. While looking at his other Dewalt stuff I notced all these different boxes with USA on them. I said WTF. How did I not notice this until now.?.
It's definitely a sickness I have so much to the point I switched over to DeWalt just because of that. While their lineup isn't all USA some of it is. At least they're trying and that means much to me!!!
So far I have....
1/2"impact,
Sander, jig saw, oscillating tool
Drill
Driver
This big *** leaf blower (looks like a canon)
7 foot extended work light
DCG418 grinder that's a monster

On order is a recip saw...

Approximately half of that stuff is USA ....
(YES I know they use some global materials but they're still made here employing Americans!!)

To be continued.....

 

[mike93lx]

At least you should get good money for the makita selling it off as it is good stuff.

 

[Bubba Fett]

I think Milwaukee makes sawblades in USA, but they could simply be sourcing from an existing USA manufacturer.

 

[Steve_P]

not sure about now, but as of a few years ago, Makita did at least assemble some stuff in the USA. IIRC at that time they had some manufacturing in GA for some 120V tools.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I've been a DeWalt guy for 10 years and their stuff has never given me trouble. I really love their oscillating tool, which I think is a better buy than most of the competition. Their drills and impact drivers are top-notch. The only gripe I have is their high torque impact isn't as powerful as, say, the Milwaukee. But the DeWalt tool has been out longer, so perhaps they're working on one?

Remains to be seen. But they make great tools that last more or less forever. A testament to that is the number of their tools I have in my garage that I bought at pawn shops.

 

[Rabid Badger]

I was a Makita guy and own several of their 18v LXT series.
Hammer Drill, impact driver, compact reciprocating saw, 5 1/2 circular saw (love that thing)
4 or 5 batteries...

That said something that always annoyed me was the fact Makita is all Asian. (If they make anything in USA I'm unaware of it)
Milwaukee...forget about it. They're Chinese through and through.
As most of you know I'm pro American...My SO box is exclusively full of SK and SO, Knipex(german), Mac (USA),
In other words no Asian hand tools.

I never paid attention to DeWalt and COO on any of their stuff.
Few weeks back I asked my Mac guy if he had any electric sanders for a project in the house. He said he had a woodworking kit. (Not USA) Not wild about switching platforms I said I'll take a look. While looking at his other Dewalt stuff I notced all these different boxes with USA on them. I said WTF. How did I not notice this until now.?.
It's definitely a sickness I have so much to the point I switched over to DeWalt just because of that. While their lineup isn't all USA some of it is. At least they're trying and that means much to me!!!
So far I have....
1/2"impact,
Sander, jig saw, oscillating tool
Drill
Driver
This big *** leaf blower (looks like a canon)
7 foot extended work light
DCG418 grinder that's a monster

On order is a recip saw...

Approximately half of that stuff is USA ....
(YES I know they use some global materials but they're still made here employing Americans!!)

To be continued.....

Makita has a factory in Buford, Georgia...

 

[finn]

I've been a DeWalt guy for 10 years and their stuff has never given me trouble. I really love their oscillating tool, which I think is a better buy than most of the competition. Their drills and impact drivers are top-notch. The only gripe I have is their high torque impact isn't as powerful as, say, the Milwaukee. But the DeWalt tool has been out longer, so perhaps they're working on one?

Remains to be seen. But they make great tools that last more or less forever. A testament to that is the number of their tools I have in my garage that I bought at pawn shops.

Rumor has it that Dewalt is upgrading all of their impacts. The new Atomic was introduced this year, and mid and high torque are to follow next year.

At least that’s what some of the YouTube scuttlebut says.

 

[exmaxima1]

AFAIK, my Bosch router and jigsaw are both made in USA

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Rumor has it that Dewalt is upgrading all of their impacts. The new Atomic was introduced this year, and mid and high torque are to follow next year.

At least that’s what some of the YouTube scuttlebut says.

Might have to wait for the new high torque then.

 

[visionguru]

It's definitely a sickness I have so much to the point I switched over to DeWalt just because of that. While their lineup isn't all USA some of it is. At least they're trying and that means much to me!!!

"Made in USA (with global materials)" is just a marketing ploy. DeWalt is probably more "Asian" than Milwaukee. At least Milwaukee has saw blades (sawzall blades, oscillating blades...) that are truely "made in USA", jack hammer bits "made in Germany". I have yet noticed similar things from DeWalt.

 

[exmaxima1]

Rumor has it that Dewalt is upgrading all of their impacts. The new Atomic was introduced this year, and mid and high torque are to follow next year.

At least that’s what some of the YouTube scuttlebut says.

Are Atomic series made in USA? I didn't see a US flag on the box like I did with my XR drill

 

[Jim C.]

I just bought a DeWalt Atomic drill/driver and it was made in Mexico I believe.

Jim C.

 

[Handyandy23]

"Made in USA (with global materials)" is just a marketing ploy. DeWalt is probably more "Asian" than Milwaukee. At least Milwaukee has saw blades (sawzall blades, oscillating blades...) that are truely "made in USA", jack hammer bits "made in Germany". I have yet noticed similar things from DeWalt.

That's not entirely true, they do apparently have 7 DeWalt tools factories in the US:

DeWalt Factory Tour Link

This guy toured the Charlotte, NC factory and said they have about 350 employees. He also said that "made with global materials" doesn't really capture how many of the parts are global, just that some are. Could be all the components or a single component. But he said that they all have some US-content for the internals as well.

So that's 350 employees in 1 factory, with 7 total factories in the US. Even if you round down to say 2,000 employees, that's still 2,000 more jobs than there otherwise would be. Is it perfect? No, but it's certainly better than nothing. And the better they do with sales on their Made in USA tools, I'm sure the more they will expand the line. If everyone rolls their eyes at it and moves on, then they might as well go offshore again and save the money.

I work in vehicle production, so I'd like to think there are people out there that will support products assembled here. There's no vehicle on the road that isn't "made with global materials", but the Plant I'm at still has 5,000+ employees. And countless suppliers and vendors that are local. But when they say there's a global chip shortage, all of those chips and electronics are coming out of China. And lots of sub components that are built up by local suppliers come from overseas as well.

So you can draw some kind of arbitrary line and say "I don't care about that product if it isn't 110% USA," or you can support the companies that are at least employing some Americans. I'm guessing the people working at one of DeWalt's factories would like to keep getting paid their US-dollar wage.

 

[Max]

I've got a Milwaukee brushless drill that works well, but I've also got a non-brushless Milwaukee drill that has a slippy chuck. I got the slippy one as when I'm doing a lot of woodworking at times it's really nice to be able to use one drill as a drill and another as a driver. I looked for replacement chucks so no dice. So last year I got a DeWalt brushless to replace the slippy Milwaukee and I'm very happy with the DeWalt. I'd put it at least on par, or even slightly ahead of the Milwaukee brushless.

The DeWalt drill was assembled in US, so at least some folks were employed here to do so. For black Friday I bought the 6 AH/ 4 AH battery pack that had cells from Korea and was assembled in Mexico. The router that I got at the same time was also made in Mexico. I am not a fan of products made in China for multiple reasons, so I expect over time I'll have a lot more yellow products. How you spend your money is your business, but how I spend mine is mine.

 

[Xcursion88]

Makita has a factory in Buford, Georgia...

Ok....what cordless tools by Makita come from there?

 

[Xcursion88]

"Made in USA (with global materials)" is just a marketing ploy. DeWalt is probably more "Asian" than Milwaukee. At least Milwaukee has saw blades (sawzall blades, oscillating blades...) that are truely "made in USA", jack hammer bits "made in Germany". I have yet noticed similar things from DeWalt.

Wrong. DeWalt makes a decent amount of tools here. 7 plants I believe they have at present.
Your reply seems to be the common theme from those who love Milwaukee when the USA question arises.
I'm fully aware some of Milwaukee consumables are USA but that isn't the subject.

 

[Flared Base]

You could use Milwaukee consumables on you Dewalt tools to increase the made in USA content.

 

[qqzj]

Or buy Mac version of DeWalt. The percentage of USA product will be higher

 

[dstblj52]

"Made in USA (with global materials)" is just a marketing ploy. DeWalt is probably more "Asian" than Milwaukee. At least Milwaukee has saw blades (sawzall blades, oscillating blades...) that are truely "made in USA", jack hammer bits "made in Germany". I have yet noticed similar things from DeWalt.

Read the ******* ftc standard, https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/complying-made-usa-standard you cant use made in the USA without disclaimer unless all or virtually all is made in the USA,

 

[webscrounger]

FYI, might be able to check product COO here - https://www.productfrom.com/products/MX/DeWalt/0/1

 

[Xcursion88]

That's not entirely true, they do apparently have 7 DeWalt tools factories in the US:

DeWalt Factory Tour Link

This guy toured the Charlotte, NC factory and said they have about 350 employees. He also said that "made with global materials" doesn't really capture how many of the parts are global, just that some are. Could be all the components or a single component. But he said that they all have some US-content for the internals as well.

So that's 350 employees in 1 factory, with 7 total factories in the US. Even if you round down to say 2,000 employees, that's still 2,000 more jobs than there otherwise would be. Is it perfect? No, but it's certainly better than nothing. And the better they do with sales on their Made in USA tools, I'm sure the more they will expand the line. If everyone rolls their eyes at it and moves on, then they might as well go offshore again and save the money.

I work in vehicle production, so I'd like to think there are people out there that will support products assembled here. There's no vehicle on the road that isn't "made with global materials", but the Plant I'm at still has 5,000+ employees. And countless suppliers and vendors that are local. But when they say there's a global chip shortage, all of those chips and electronics are coming out of China. And lots of sub components that are built up by local suppliers come from overseas as well.

So you can draw some kind of arbitrary line and say "I don't care about that product if it isn't 110% USA," or you can support the companies that are at least employing some Americans. I'm guessing the people working at one of DeWalt's factories would like to keep getting paid their US-dollar wage.

Perfectly said.
Buying 101 percent made in USA is the goal but if the choice is between made in USA with some world materials versus 100% Asian made....
It's extremely simple to me. USA all the way if possible.

 

[JeepYJ]

"Made in USA (with global materials)" is just a marketing ploy. DeWalt is probably more "Asian" than Milwaukee. At least Milwaukee has saw blades (sawzall blades, oscillating blades...) that are truely "made in USA", jack hammer bits "made in Germany". I have yet noticed similar things from DeWalt.

Milwaukee is a brand and subsidiary of Techtronic Industries, a Hong Kong-based company. Dewalt is owned by Stanley Black and Decker, an American company. Seems clear which company is more “Asian”

 

[finn]

"Made in USA (with global materials)" is just a marketing ploy. DeWalt is probably more "Asian" than Milwaukee. At least Milwaukee has saw blades (sawzall blades, oscillating blades...) that are truely "made in USA", jack hammer bits "made in Germany". I have yet noticed similar things from DeWalt.

Dewalt (SBD) has double or more US employees compared to Milwaukee. Milwaukee is a Hong Kong Company. SBD is US based.

Do a search. The information is available.

Edit: SBD employs 19000 in 49 plants in the US.

Milwaukee employs 3500, mostly in Mississippi. (2017).

Another edit: Milwaukee claims 7600 US employees in a 2021 press release. That’s pretty good growth in four or five years.

 

[engineer2]

Might as well post up Makita.
Family controlled out of Japan with publicly traded stock. At least it's not owned by venture capitalists.
Didn't find employment by country for their 17,000 people.
Their biggest market is Europe followed by Japan and then the USA.
One plant in the US (200 people?) and a large new distribution center in Reno (85+ jobs). Plus several US regional offices.
Manufacturing in Brazil, China, Japan, Mexico, Romania, United Kingdom, Germany, Dubai, Thailand, United States (Georgia).

https://www.makita.biz/ir/upload_file/m005-m005_08/corporate_profile2020e.pdf

 

[bsaint]

I work with a lot of American companies that BARELY make conforming parts for things like engines and turbines. A lot of them are shipping in steel the Chinese wouldn't buy themselves it's so bad. Just cuz it's made here doesn't necc mean anything better in quality buuuuttt you are keeping a fellow American employed.

 

[Snapped-off]

Planning to sell your makita stuff? Let me know!

Nothing wrong with an Asian company making tools in Asia. It's when our companies pack up and move is my issue.

But seriously, are you selling your Makita?

 

[paulsomlo]

I bought several Makita cordless tools this summer - to my surprise, the jigsaw was made in the UK.

 

[mikew13]

Milwaukee is just Ryobi in sheeps clothing under the red.

 

[Xcursion88]

I work with a lot of American companies that BARELY make conforming parts for things like engines and turbines. A lot of them are shipping in steel the Chinese wouldn't buy themselves it's so bad. Just cuz it's made here doesn't necc mean anything better in quality buuuuttt you are keeping a fellow American employed.

That's not the point of this thread.

Let's be real here...the big 3 in the cordless world are
DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee.
Not saying others are lousy but clearly the big 3 are far in front.
That industry especially between the big 3 is ridiculously competitive. Chasing each other's tail.
Internet torture tests mean nothing to me and quite dumb. Tug of wars...submerging in 5 gallons of water for minutes.....seriously???

The tools all do what they're intended to do and do it well.

The fact you've got 3 players pretty much on par with each other the COO is very important to me.
Echoing again DeWalt doesn't make everything here but a decent amount. They're trying and a beautiful thing.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I'm of the opinion that you really can't buy a bad power tool these days if you stick to big names. DeWalt, Milwaukee, Makita, RIDGID, Ryobi, Bosch, etc. They're all pretty solid tools that will do the job well and probably last a long time, especially for a DIYer or even the heavy-duty DIY people with massive projects. Some do some things better than others and vice-versa. At the end of the day it's about feature set for the money, and sometimes it comes down to something even more minute like COO. Buy what you like and it will work for you.

Sure, most of them are made in China or Taiwan, but I think it has more to do with QA oversight than COO. Companies that place rigorous standards on manufacturing will build quality tools regardless of where they're made.

As I've said, I'm a big DeWalt guy. A good friend of mine is all Milwaukee, and the stuff of his I've used is seriously impressive. I almost made the jump to Milwaukee because of that. I needed to upgrade my aging 18V DeWalt drill, and nearly bought into the M18 line. But Ace had a killer deal a while back to get me into Lithium-Ion batteries on the DeWalt 20V system. A drill, an impact driver, and an oscillating tool for $250. I had such a great track record with them, and their tool line wasn't missing anything I wanted, so I stayed yellow. Based on their moving into more mechanics-based hand tools, I get the feeling they'll be offering a lot of the same product pool as Milwaukee in the future in that arena.

 

[Steve_P]

....So you can draw some kind of arbitrary line and say "I don't care about that product if it isn't 110% USA," or you can support the companies that are at least employing some Americans. I'm guessing the people working at one of DeWalt's factories would like to keep getting paid their US-dollar wage.

This is well said. It's extremely difficult to make any AC or DC powered consumer product 100% in the US because most small electric motors, and associated components, come from China; this was almost all offshored years ago. It's like trying to buy a US made T-shirt today. I heard a report years ago about how they developed the Xlerator hand dryer, and they wanted it to be all USA made. They couldn't source the motor here unless they wanted to go into the motor building business; so the motor comes from China. Or did at that time.
I'm not saying DeWalt doesn't make their motors in the US, they might, but it's difficult to make any consumer product with more than a few parts 100% in the US. So, as said above, do you set a 100% purity test?
I try to buy US made when possible, but I certainly wouldn't buy an inferior product just because it was US made. And China can make anything as good as we can, if they want to, or are forced to; I have a Makita circular saw that was made in China and it's absolutely flawless in quality.
My new cordless stuff is DeWalt because my prior stuff was, and I was happy with it. And the fact that it's at least partially made in the US is a bonus.

 

[GaryM909]

I bought 2 cordless Dewalt grinder back in the spring. They are both made in china but the batteries were made in Korea and assembled in china

 

[Badgerstate]

I was a Makita guy and own several of their 18v LXT series.
Hammer Drill, impact driver, compact reciprocating saw, 5 1/2 circular saw (love that thing)
4 or 5 batteries...

That said something that always annoyed me was the fact Makita is all Asian. (If they make anything in USA I'm unaware of it)
Milwaukee...forget about it. They're Chinese through and through.
As most of you know I'm pro American...My SO box is exclusively full of SK and SO, Knipex(german), Mac (USA),
In other words no Asian hand tools.

I never paid attention to DeWalt and COO on any of their stuff.
Few weeks back I asked my Mac guy if he had any electric sanders for a project in the house. He said he had a woodworking kit. (Not USA) Not wild about switching platforms I said I'll take a look. While looking at his other Dewalt stuff I notced all these different boxes with USA on them. I said WTF. How did I not notice this until now.?.
It's definitely a sickness I have so much to the point I switched over to DeWalt just because of that. While their lineup isn't all USA some of it is. At least they're trying and that means much to me!!!
So far I have....
1/2"impact,
Sander, jig saw, oscillating tool
Drill
Driver
This big *** leaf blower (looks like a canon)
7 foot extended work light
DCG418 grinder that's a monster

On order is a recip saw...

Approximately half of that stuff is USA ....
(YES I know they use some global materials but they're still made here employing Americans!!)

To be continued.....

Milwaukee's headquarters and much of their operations are still in Brookfield, WI. TTI themselves arent even Chinese actually, theyre based out of Hong Kong. Big difference.
Also, Id be very cautious of DeWalt and their, "made in the USA with global materials" bit. Its a marketing scheme and youd be surprised just how little of it is actually made in the USA. Den Of Tools has done some very interesting Youtube videos on this and while I do love Craftsman, its a bit shameful just how little of it is actually done in the USA.
At the end of the day its your money and all but you really need to do some research on the reality of DeWalt's claims before you go all-in on them.
Im having a hard time with the implied anti-asian angle of this as well.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Everyone likes something different but I can’t do Dewalt. Every tool from them that I’ve used, not just one or two, has been severely underpowered. Today I was taking a splash shield off and using my coworkers impact because it was close by and man that thing was so slow. I made sure that it was on the highest setting too. I’m sorry but I’m not team yellow. My brother in law is only because people kept asking him how he liked his Craftsman power tools and he couldn’t stand that so he switched over because everyone thought he had Craftsman power tools.

 

[garfunkle24]

As most of you know I'm pro American...My SO box is exclusively full of SK and SO, Knipex(german), Mac (USA),
In other words no Asian hand tools.

pro American or anti-Asian?

Why Knipex pliers and not Channellock/SO/Wilde?

 

[finn]

Milwaukee's headquarters and much of their operations are still in Brookfield, WI. TTI themselves arent even Chinese actually, theyre based out of Hong Kong. Big difference.
Also, Id be very cautious of DeWalt and their, "made in the USA with global materials" bit. Its a marketing scheme and youd be surprised just how little of it is actually made in the USA. Den Of Tools has done some very interesting Youtube videos on this and while I do love Craftsman, its a bit shameful just how little of it is actually done in the USA.
At the end of the day its your money and all but you really need to do some research on the reality of DeWalt's claims before you go all-in on them.
Im having a hard time with the implied anti-asian angle of this as well.

The Den of Tools guy is a well known Harbor Freight and Milwaukee shill.

I enjoy watching him, but don’t take him seriously.

Milwaukee’s shots are called out of Hong Kong. Last I checked, Great Britain pulled out of Hong Kong and it is now under Chinese control.

It’s strictly for the entertainment value.

 

[ItsNemo]

Back to the OP's post...the 60v grinder running a 6" flap disk is definitely a beast for a cordless grinder. Probably 2-3 times the material removal rate of their 20v brushless grinder and at least half way to their big 7" corded grinder.

 

[Bubba Fett]

Milwaukee's headquarters and much of their operations are still in Brookfield, WI. TTI themselves arent even Chinese actually, theyre based out of Hong Kong. Big difference.

Zero difference. Hong Kong is a city in China, and is controlled by China now.

 

[woody 73]

I know the op is all gung-ho on dewalt, but I will tell you my story and I am not gung-ho on dewalt.

Many years ago, I bought all dewalt cordless tools and those bastards changed their battery platforms, so now I am left with adding a heavy monster battery platform on top of this goes a new updated battery. Man, those old tools weigh a ton, no sir dewalt lost me for good.

Rant over...

 

[littlelebowski]

Milwaukee is just Ryobi in sheeps clothing under the red.

Not even close to my experience.