DeWalt Power Tools

[RobHowarth]

Has anybody got any information on DeWalt power tools. Suddenly, everywhere you look there they are. And, they look Mickey Mouse. However, it is my understanding that DeWalt and Black and Decker are owned by the same company and B and D tools are crap. has there been a change in quality control or just image.
Hang loose
Rob

[ubeaut]

What a great question. Even their DeWalt vehicles look Mickey Mouse. I think you will also find that Elu is also lumbered in there somewhere. I would like to know myself if the quality of the B&D side has gone up or that of the DeWalt and Elu has come down.

There have been lots of mergers in tools and finishes over the past few years. It would be interesting to find out who is owned by who and just what benefits have flowed on to the end users. If any!

Cheers - Neil http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

[Iain]

Mixed reports on these, I have a DeWalt scroll saw which I think is great but a friend of mine who manages a large hardware chain states that they where good until about two years ago and know they have adopted the B&D state of the art and messed the whole thing up. The Americans swear by them and I find the whole matter somewhat confusing. I spoke to a carpenter and he said he had a SC saw and it broke down a lot and was expensive to fix. These are just isolated examples and of course if some one is happy you don't hear from them.

[Shane Watson]

Yeah would be great to know these things, but I guess they try and keep it all quite....Mmmm

Anyway. A few years ago I had to update most of my power tools. I had had several B&D and had nothing but problems with them.

I at that stage had no idea DeWalt was infact B&D until told a couple of months after spending several thousand on DeWalt tools. If I had known that before I would have bought Makita. But in saying all that, I have to say I have had absolutely no trouble with DeWalt at all! In fact I have been very impressed. But thats not to say things have changed in the last couple of years http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/rolleyes.gif

One of the things that impressed me the most when buying DeWalt was that most came in a good solid carry case. Which I notice most other brands are also doing nowadays. But in the end, yes it was cause they look "Mickey Mouse" http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/biggrin.gif I reakon if ya tools look good in the workshop it helps sell your work to customers... Maybe not, but it can't hurt....

Cheers

Shane.......

Combine Love & Skill, & You Can Expect A Masterpiece!



[This message has been edited by Shane Watson (edited 03 August 2000).]

[RFNK]

OK ... B & D for a long time had handyman ranges and industrial ranges of tools. I always found the industrial stuff to be excellent. I think in those days, the De Walt tools were the American version of the B & D industrial lines. Now De Walt seem to make the mid-range to higher quality tools, just like Makita etc., and they also have some cheaper lines. My guess is that it's just like everything else; you get what you pay for and if you buy cheapo stuff,you won't be happy with it. We're all victims of marketing, me included, but I try to ignore brands and just look at specs.

[DonN]

I have been told B&D is now a French company.
DonN

[John Saxton]

In as much as I liked the quality applied to the earlier De Walt tools as was apparent in their radial arm saws and to this day I still have mine and it serves me well,I think
upon learning all those years ago that B&D had placed this outfit and that of Elu under their umbrella that I am amazed at how they can have the audacity to promote a garish coloured tool which attracts an up market price and expect thru advertising that we the users would sacrifice quality, then they can go suck eggs because I don't think that the quality is there particularly in the medium to upper price bracket that they are laying on us. I for one if going to lay out decent money on tooling these days would prefer to opt for Festo or some such quality from europe.The Yanks better lift their game if they want us to play!!
I have had me bitch you'll have a nice day now!
Cheers http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/mad.gif


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Johnno

[Rod]

I've had a Dewalt jig saw for a couple of years now it works well and seems to be solidly constructed. However looking at the current prices of Dewalt I would probably steer clear of them and go for a European brand. Of course that is if you can determine who is owned by whom these days.

[Shane Watson]

Yeah the european brands are great. I have two festo sanders and I just can't kill them. And believe me they get a damn bashing. They have well outlasted any other brand I have had.

BUT There is no local stockist! Any store that has stocked them says they don't sell enough to keep them, so they don't. I know I could source them over the net etc, but its too annoying to buy something without have a damn good look at the thing before laying down that hard earned money...

JMHO

Cheers

Shane............

Combine Love & Skill & You Can Expect A Masterpiece!

[Rod Smith]

Agree with most of the above. Dewalt is pretty good stuff, pretty close to makita, maybe better in some lines. I think they loose out on the prices though with hitachi(my pick) and makita hands down winners. Why pay more than you have to if your not getting more for the money?
Rod

[brettdel]

Have to agree with doorstop. The switch on my Metabo cordless drill went south the other day, had the bright idea to pull it apart and fix it myself - basically just a variable resistor - right! dream on!! finally got the @@#$$#$ apart and there are printed circuits, caps,springs and even the odd chinaman in there. Quote for a replacement was $110.....

I've had a AEG jigsaw for about 5 years and its the best thing I ever bought, use it for everthing. I think from memory they come at a premium price though. Also got a AEG 5" angle grinder that you cann't kill, both had a 3 year warranty.

Always wanted to buy one of those drills you see in every junk shop for about $40 to see just how long it would last - they've got a 12 month replacement on them - wonder how many you could go through in the 12 months???

[Iain]

Have to agree with Brettdel although I have not tried AEG. I just bought a FESTO rotex 150, I got enough change out of $600.00 to buy a couple of discs and a big mac.
I am over the initial grief now and I think it is great and it has a three year warranty.
I realise that it is expensive but how much do we waste on non essentials such as smokes, women and alcohol.
I have tried one of those $40.00 drills, they are great if you like precision machinery, tolerances of +- 1/2", the chucks wobble around after not much use, great for chucking at the neighbours cats when they pee on the vege patch.

[Rod]

"but how much do we waste on non essentials such as smokes, women and alcohol."

Non essentials, maybe not all three at once but come on!

[Iain]

Sorry Rod, I don't smoke, I enjoy a good red but I also have a heap of daughters who cost me a bloody fortune. I enjoy the odd indulgence.
PS. Don't want a spare daughter do you? http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/wink.gif

[ubeaut]

I have a Hitachi router and bloody big sander both have done thousands of hours work and both are noisy bloody things, but apart from a set of brushes each they have been unstoppable. The sander is often used upside down as a linisher and has been used to sharpen hundreds of carving tools. It has been seen to belch smoke on a number of occasions due to the hot sparks from the sharpening and still it continues on relentlessly.

I agree that Bosch seem to only make handyman rubbish nowadays and know from experience that their sanders are especially easy to kill. http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/frown.gif

On the other hand I have an old B&D metal body 10" circular saw that I brought 2nd hand at a jumble sale some 30 odd years ago. It has shims either side of the blade made from old beer can lids (before they were aluminium) to stop the wobble in the blade. It has been worked to a stand-still 3 times with smoke belching forth from the motor, thrown with considerable force against a brick wall, drop kicked across the shed (resulting in a broken toe) and still after all this the bloody thing will not lay down and die.

They don't make 'em like that any more.

Cheers - Neil http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

PS An old friend of mine had a 16" Ryobi metal body circular saw which he used to cut the tops of the posts they put the armco fencing on roads with. You had to be built like a brick ****house just to pick it up letalone use the thing. They definitely don't make 'em like that one any more. Or do they?? http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/confused.gif

[Iain]

Remember only too well the metal body B&D. I was working in a new house with one in the mid 60's, picked it up and pulled the trigger and felt every one of those 50 cycles up my arm. Checked the earthing on the tool, all OK. Got into the roof cavity and found a coil of copper wire that had not been completed, this was the earth. Love double insulated plastic bodies.

[Shane Watson]

Wow!
Its official!

This is one hot topic!!!

Shane!

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Combine Love & Skill & You Can Expect A Masterpiece!

[RETIRED]

Gooday.

Neil, I find it hard to believe that you would do your nana with a tool.

And yes you can still get those big mothers, we hired one to take the corners off those big posts. Called sleeper saws and yes they are heavy, damned heavy. http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

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Ian () Robertson
"We do good turns every day"

[John Saxton]

Can I put my 2 cents worth in I'm not really interested in GST? For my money and there's not much of that, I've seen the promo's on the Dewalt tools at the local hardware stores and in my veiw that is where they belong.
The home handyman may be satisfied with these tools because he may only use them on a rare occasion whereas I truly wonder if they would stand up to the rigours of a continual battering, if you will,or in a protracted production scenario!You only have to ask in a dedicated tool shop to test these against the better quality European or Japanese equivalent to know what the salespeople will respond to if he really knows his stuff.The people I deal with always ask to what purpose you are applying the tool to and will direct you according to your budget and will also let you test if you so wish it.
Cheers http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

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Johnno

[Iain]

Marketing! Marketing! DeWalt have a clever marketing strategy which some of you may not be aware of.
Take one yellow you beaut (sorry Neil) trendy 4WD with a yellow shirted and hatted DeWalt rep (preferably female, top heavy) and visit large building site. Speak to man in charge and drop off a quantity of similar tools and leave the site with the promise of returning a few days later to pick up same and ask opinions.
A week of beating the crap out of a tool is not going to destroy it but a month or two could be a different story.
Tradies impressed and may purchase the yellow peril.
All in the name of marketing.

[Hoffy]

I have had a Dewalt Biscuit Jointer for a while now. No problems with a moderate amount of work. I have a Makita 235mm circular saw that has done very little work. just stripped a gear in the gear box on a jam doing relitavely light work. New gear $30+ dollars. Gearbox now noisey. To cure this I need a new armature (this has the other half of the gear in the box) at a cost of $110. Would be better kicking it out the door an buying a more reliable brand. All you chaps missed the point of the bright yellow for Dewalt. Dosen't it make the tools easier to find in the workshop?

Happy woodworking

[RobHowarth]

Wow! What a response. So is Dewalt stuff any good or what?
This bulletin board is an absolutely brilliant resource. Thanks to those who put it together.

[Iain]

Well Rob, now what are you going to do?
A can of worms, you could always buy Ozito, real quality. As for yellow being easier to find, when it is all covered in sawdust and whatever it is just as well camoflaged as the rest of the stuff laying around.

[Kevan]

Lets face it:
1. Everyone has their personal favourite brand (mine happens to be Makita). Its the old Ford vs Holden mentality
2. Everyone has heard a story from a friend/relative/retailer/tradesman that Brand X is crap and you shouldn't even contemplate buying it. (depending on how the story goes Brand X = Makita or Hitachi or Bosch or Dewalt or Metabo or Ryobi etc)
3. The sweeping generalisations that abound about how crap Brand X is are based on anecdotal evidence (at best).
4. Its an emotional issue. One bad experience and we tend to blacklist the tool forever more.
5. If the truth be known any trade quality tool from Makita, Bosch (blue range), Hitachi, Metabo, Festo, Dewalt is going to be adequate for the average user. Its all about personal preference.

[Iain]

Kevan, agree with you to a point, but to put Festo with the other brands is really not fair. You mention the Holden Ford mentality, surely Festo, AEG and somne other premium brands are more in the BMW Mercedes mentality bracket. There is one hell of a price difference, like up to 50% more and I think it is worth the difference, but then I remember when I used B&D crap that melted the plastic bearings and the current Ozito that has a life expectancy similar to the decomposition time of the box in the compost bin. I realise that most people on this post are amateurs but they do use their tools more than the average handyman which is what I suspect you are refering to. El Cheapo tools are fine for the one weekend a year handyman but most of us take our tools fairly seriously and expect results accordingly. Back to the DeWalt issue, as I stated in an earlier post I have a friend who manages a large retail outlet and he states that there are now more DeWalt tools coming back that are faulty than there were two years ago and logic dictates that quality may have deteriorated in line with the old B&D philosophy.