Wamsutta
Well-known member
Until I found this YouTube channel a week ago, I never heard of FLEX tools as a brand name. When did you guys hear of FLEX?
When did FLEX tools come about?
- Thread starter Wamsutta
- Start date
finn
Well-known member
Maybe two or so years ago.
Yeah sometime around there. Isn't it some big box stores house brand if I remember right? I know there was a thread about it here....supposedly lifetime warranty if you bought them when they came out.......We decided they might not be bad if the company is still around in 5 years to cover the lifetime warranty.
dnschmidt
Well-known member
It was introduced about three years ago by Lowes as their answer to TTI's Home Depot's Monopoly on Milwaukee. The parent company is Chervon which makes the Kobalt tools Lowes has been selling forever. They are designed to compete against Milwaukee and for certain tools they do. They were also the first to come out with pouch cell batteries right before DeWalt introduced the Powerstack. Their line isn't nearly as complete as Milwaukee's, DeWalt's, or Makita's which is their Achilles Heal.
neophyte
Well-known member
FLEX is actually a very old German tool brand.
The “FLEX” name hoes back to the original, or one of the original, products the company was known for manufacturing, a heavy duty “industrial” quality flex shaft grinder or grinder system, used back when powerful electrical motors were too heavy to be used in hand held power tools, so a larger motor powered the hand held tools thru a flex shaft system, similar to the Foredom flex shaft tools, but way larger.
Flex later claims to have invented the angle grinder, although there may be doubts about that, buy they were kniwn well enough for angle grinders that variations on the “Flex” name have become standard terms in some countries for grinding or angle grinders.
Later, FLEX manufactured specialty industrial hand tools, as well as some general hand tools, mainly for metalworking and masonry work.
I forget exactly when, but FLEX was purchased by Porter Cable, back before Porter Cable got sold to Black & Decker.
Back then, Porter Cable similarly to FLEX, manufactured specialty industrial quality power hand tools, but Porter Cable was a bit more focused on Woodworking and cabinetry, so the teo lines complimented each other.
Porter Cable sold the FLEX tools in the USA as “FLEX by Porter Cable”, as well as having Flex manufacture dome tools for Porter Cable, such as angle grinders, (although without the fancy electronic modules found in the similar Flex branded grinders).
Porter Cable also supplied Porter Cable tools under the Flex brand for the European market, such as routers and reciprocating saws.
FLEX was somewhat known for some of their soecialty tools, including polishers, routinely used in the automotive industry, as well as their angle grinders and specialty grinders and sanders, such as belt sanders fir use on tubes, etc.
Also, they had a line of wet grinders snd sanders for masonry work.
After Porter Cable got purchased by Black & Decker, B&D sold the Flex brand to a Chinese manufacturer, who I think was a manufacturer of cordless tools.
Unlike some Chinese manufacturers, the new Chinese owners seem to have kept the German manufacturing of some of the tools.
Cordless polishers were added, although I’m not sure whether the tools are German made, or Chinese made, or some combination.
I presume the “standard” cordless tools like drills and circular saws are Chinese made.
The German made tools had very high duty cycles before needing servicing, and It’s possible the Chinese manufacturer may have used dome of that knowledge.
The Flex tools sometimes do well in tests.
Anyway, Flex isn’t some “new” brand.
It’s not even an old brand name that has simply been slapped onto some new companies tools.
It was something of an obscure brand outside of industrial and specialty use though.
The “FLEX” name hoes back to the original, or one of the original, products the company was known for manufacturing, a heavy duty “industrial” quality flex shaft grinder or grinder system, used back when powerful electrical motors were too heavy to be used in hand held power tools, so a larger motor powered the hand held tools thru a flex shaft system, similar to the Foredom flex shaft tools, but way larger.
Flex later claims to have invented the angle grinder, although there may be doubts about that, buy they were kniwn well enough for angle grinders that variations on the “Flex” name have become standard terms in some countries for grinding or angle grinders.
Later, FLEX manufactured specialty industrial hand tools, as well as some general hand tools, mainly for metalworking and masonry work.
I forget exactly when, but FLEX was purchased by Porter Cable, back before Porter Cable got sold to Black & Decker.
Back then, Porter Cable similarly to FLEX, manufactured specialty industrial quality power hand tools, but Porter Cable was a bit more focused on Woodworking and cabinetry, so the teo lines complimented each other.
Porter Cable sold the FLEX tools in the USA as “FLEX by Porter Cable”, as well as having Flex manufacture dome tools for Porter Cable, such as angle grinders, (although without the fancy electronic modules found in the similar Flex branded grinders).
Porter Cable also supplied Porter Cable tools under the Flex brand for the European market, such as routers and reciprocating saws.
FLEX was somewhat known for some of their soecialty tools, including polishers, routinely used in the automotive industry, as well as their angle grinders and specialty grinders and sanders, such as belt sanders fir use on tubes, etc.
Also, they had a line of wet grinders snd sanders for masonry work.
After Porter Cable got purchased by Black & Decker, B&D sold the Flex brand to a Chinese manufacturer, who I think was a manufacturer of cordless tools.
Unlike some Chinese manufacturers, the new Chinese owners seem to have kept the German manufacturing of some of the tools.
Cordless polishers were added, although I’m not sure whether the tools are German made, or Chinese made, or some combination.
I presume the “standard” cordless tools like drills and circular saws are Chinese made.
The German made tools had very high duty cycles before needing servicing, and It’s possible the Chinese manufacturer may have used dome of that knowledge.
The Flex tools sometimes do well in tests.
Anyway, Flex isn’t some “new” brand.
It’s not even an old brand name that has simply been slapped onto some new companies tools.
It was something of an obscure brand outside of industrial and specialty use though.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
Here ya go @Wamsutta.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum...t-milwaukee-dewault-flex.477659/#post-8998657
BTW, I have used their impact driver and it felt like I was shaking a jar of rocks. Being a daily Makita user, maybe I was expecting too much.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum...t-milwaukee-dewault-flex.477659/#post-8998657
BTW, I have used their impact driver and it felt like I was shaking a jar of rocks. Being a daily Makita user, maybe I was expecting too much.
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vavet
Well-known member
i didn’t realize they were sold in Lowe’s, I’ve seen them in Walmarts around here. I also see that directtools.com sells them.
Old 80/90's FLEX sanders are top quality German made tools
Newer line is a competitor in the US market, not bad stuff really (def not German made anymore)
Oh and their "inline circular saw" is downright cool and innovative
Newer line is a competitor in the US market, not bad stuff really (def not German made anymore)
Oh and their "inline circular saw" is downright cool and innovative
Lorydr
Well-known member
A year ago I was looking for a replacement set of drill & impact driver, to replace the old rigid set. I saw Flex online and for what I was wanting, that set stacked up well on spec sheets compared to Milwaukee. It was significantly cheaper than the red brand, and came with a 3rd battery (online deal). Lowes didn't offer that. I had recently bought a Ford Flex so it was name thing as well.
I've had the kit for a year now and I really do like it at work. A month ago a battery was leaking, so I called Flex and had a new one that week for no charge.
I've had the kit for a year now and I really do like it at work. A month ago a battery was leaking, so I called Flex and had a new one that week for no charge.
The Flex tools sold here in Europe are red and oberall well regarded. The term flex is synonymous with an angle grinder, same as a thermos for a vacuum bottle or a sawzall for the reciprocating saw (or probably less known, but Wap for a water pressure washers, the 90's one I have is made in Switzerland but I think it was a Danish company - today it's known as Nilfisk...). But I have heard that since a few years ago most European Flex stuff is also made in China.
I heard the grey Flex tools for the US market are of an even more inferior quality. Since it is 110V instead of 220V, there may be more differences than just the color...
I think Suhner, Metabo and Bosch still sell some German made angle grinders (Suhner maybe made in Switzerland even).
I heard the grey Flex tools for the US market are of an even more inferior quality. Since it is 110V instead of 220V, there may be more differences than just the color...
I think Suhner, Metabo and Bosch still sell some German made angle grinders (Suhner maybe made in Switzerland even).
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neophyte
Well-known member
Suhner is usually German or Swiss depending on what type of tool (ie. Corded, cordless, pneumatic, etc.).
Some of the large Suhner flex shaft systems may be Italian.
Metabo might be German made, or nowadays, Chinese.
Metabo has long had some cordless items in their lineup that were made in China, and the Metabo HPT line is what the Hitachi Power Tool line is now called in the USA, and most of those tools had been made in China for at least three decades, and still are. (Larger, specialized Hitachi carpentry tools like miter saws, and larger power planers, and groovers might have still been made in Japan)
Bosch produces tools all over the place.
Lowes in the USA sometimes has German made Bosch tools such as angle grinders.
Bosch was still producing some tools in Switzerland, as well as a variety of blades their, and some other accessories.
Bosch tools that used yo be produced in the USA routinely had production moved to Mexico, like at least one router model.
Various cordless tools, and some measuring tools like the digital level and angle finder were made in Malaysia going back decades.
At one point Bosch was having angle grinders made in Russia, although that ended a while ago, at least for the US market, after sanctions during the first Crimea squabble.
Bosch also of course makes items in China.
Chervon, the parent company now of Flex, bought the Skil and Skilsaw brands from Bosch, and it seems likely that Chervon was making the Skil wormdrive saws, and maybe other tools for Bosch before that.
Since some Bosch tools are still nearly identical to Chervon Skilsaw models, and are made in China, it seems likely Chervon may be making tools for Bosch still.
Interestingly concerning Flex and “Sawzalls”;
Flex makes reciprocating saws, and these saws used to be rebranded by other German manufacturers to fill out their tool lineups, I think including Fein, possibly Metabo, and Ridgid.
These were not the same models that the US Porter Cable manufacturer added to the Flex line after purchasing the brand years ago. (Although some of the Porter Cable tools still existed in the Flex lineup after Black & Decker bought Porter Cable and Flex, and then sold Flex to Chervon.)
MacMcMacmac
Well-known member
Someone posted a picture of their new Flex polisher a few years ago and it was an exact copy of a 12v Mastercraft/AC Delco/Durofix impact driver I have.
neophyte
Well-known member
The small Flex cordless tools were always Chinese from what I recall.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Chervon made for Flex, before eventually buying Flex.