# DeWalt Tool Survey



## XanadooLTD (Oct 6, 2007)

I don't have durability issues with my German Bosch and Hilti equipment.


----------



## Joining_heads (Mar 4, 2008)

XanadooLTD said:


> I don't have durability issues with my German Bosch and Hilti equipment.


The only problems I have with Bosch atm are their crappy red case latches that break every time.


----------



## tooldork (Jul 18, 2008)

I got the email too and filled out the form but haven't heard anything.....has anyone actually been picked to test products or are they just trying to get information?


----------



## Aiken Colon (Jul 14, 2008)

Home Depot is actually the main culprit in the DeWalt tool quality demise. 

A couple of years ago Home Depot beat up DeWalt on price and told them to more or less get their line out of their stores if they could not compete. For awhile DeWalt was not in Home Depot. 

Home Depot put in the Ryobi line and others that were manufactures making the stuff overseas. 

DeWalts bottom line was crushed and they were forced to move their productions overseas.

Its a giant catch 22. Americans love their incomes, but the American income is what causes manufactures to move overseas for productions in order to stay competitive.


JJ


----------



## jiffy (Oct 21, 2007)

XanadooLTD said:


> I don't have durability issues with my German Bosch and Hilti equipment.



I see just as many in the to be fixed pile as other tools....except DeWalt. There are more yellow than any other.


----------



## Bill (Mar 30, 2006)

I checked it out too. Thanks for the link. Even joined and maybe hope to get some free tools!


----------



## bobcaygeonjon (Aug 30, 2007)

*Made in US*

Just want to add, here in the UK we do pay a premium for American made tools (Marshaltown, Eastwing) and are happy to do so. As soon as we see the stars and stripes label - bingo, quality.

Another thing, My ex father in law (dont ask) uses an old push mower just to finish of the lawn after using the gas mower. That thing is 120 years old and works great.
All stamped up - MADE IN CANADA :thumbup:


----------



## dlcj (Oct 1, 2007)

bobcaygeonjon said:


> Just want to add, here in the UK we do pay a premium for American made tools (Marshaltown, Eastwing) and are happy to do so. As soon as we see the stars and stripes label - bingo, quality.
> 
> Another thing, My ex father in law (dont ask) uses an old push mower just to finish of the lawn after using the gas mower. That thing is 120 years old and works great.
> All stamped up - MADE IN CANADA :thumbup:


Its good to hear stuff like that from across the pond :thumbsup:


----------



## Aiken Colon (Jul 14, 2008)

bobcaygeonjon said:


> Just want to add, here in the UK we do pay a premium for American made tools (Marshaltown, Eastwing) and are happy to do so. As soon as we see the stars and stripes label - bingo, quality.
> 
> Another thing, My ex father in law (dont ask) uses an old push mower just to finish of the lawn after using the gas mower. That thing is 120 years old and works great.
> All stamped up - MADE IN CANADA :thumbup:


I am actually surprised more guys from the UK don't just buy from American companies. We have several UK customers that are more than willing to pay the $150 freight, because the product is 50% off due to the currency converstion. 

JJ


----------



## O.C.Inc. (Jan 21, 2008)

Speaking of crap tools...
I was in Depot the other day and need to get another Skilsaw as I'm hiring another man. I saw an employee with a pallet of Mag77s. I ask if they are going on sale and he said yes.... BUT they are a lower amperage motor.... for 40 bucks less... I did not find the amp rating, but I'll stick with the 15 amp version. 
Pat 

P.S. I'd pay more to have a made in USA flag on my tools! Not to mention the Union Made logo either!
P


----------



## dayusex (Jan 12, 2008)

as far as the skillsaws go only the new ones have 15 amp motors, every other one before recently had 13 amp. Plus the new ones are made in china, where the other ones are made in the USA!


----------



## woodworkbykirk (Sep 17, 2008)

my collection and tools used

milwaukee tilt lok saw- love it/own
milwaukee- 18v li-ion drill/ not too wild about, nowhere near enough torque
makita 10 amp recip- good saw, plunge cuts precise/own
makita laminate trimmer- good price, good handling / own
bosch table saw- love it own it
bosch 12" compound mitre- love it own it
bosch 12 volt impact driver- happy with it, 18 v would be better but came with table saw
dewalt 5 amp jig saw- bought it, not too happy with it
makita orbital sander- happy with it
dewalt orbital sander- prefer my makita
porter cable 18 gauge- didnt last long enough, wont sink in 3/4 mdf 
paslode 18 gauge- not the best ive used but bounce fires and sinks in mdf
ridgid 23 ga, headless pinner works well, not as expensive as other models which only shoot up to 1"

as for dewalt tools, ive used alot of their gear, it was always breaking down, scary to think their now using overseas manufacturing to drop prices. it seems that other manufacturers are slowly doing the same. However Bosch seems to be the only company going the extra step to improve quality and durability, milwaukee was known for this but seem to be going the other way with their newer tools


----------



## hiloguy (Sep 25, 2008)

*Yeah, I'd pay more for REAL professional quality.*

I think just about ANY professional would be happy to pay more for a professional quality tool, and I'll sign up as another who would pay more for an American made tool. Having said that, I really am amazed at the quality of all my DeWalt 18V tools, and I have nearly every one there is. I was skeptical at first because of the off-shore manufacturing, but I have zero complaints. I also have some of those tools guys talk about that are old-old-old. I have a Milwaukee 1/2" drill motor that has been through hell and back many times over. It's at least 50 years old and works like new. But here's the catch: My fairly new Bosch (made in Mexico, I believe) works as well, has some trick features missing on the old-timer, is electrically safer and is ergonomically superior in every way. At this point, the only real reasons I would pay more for US built tools have to do with patriotic issues. I'd love DeWalt to come up with a line of US built professional quality tools. Maybe if they did one or two as tests, we could all show them that we're behind them!


----------



## dayspring (Mar 4, 2006)

woodworkbykirk said:


> milwaukee was known for this but seem to be going the other way with their newer tools


 
They are now owned by the same company that makes Ryobi


----------



## dayspring (Mar 4, 2006)

I own a couple 'wally tools, they are no better than other brands for sure. They are just upbeat Black and Decker products, Black and Decker does own Dewalt and has since about 1960


----------



## woodworkbykirk (Sep 17, 2008)

i knew there was some connection to ryobi, i believe they make ridgid as well

as for dewalt owned by black and decker, i'm aware of this, along with porter cable, and delta. never liked dewalt. on one job we burnt out 3 recips, never used a dewalt nailer that didnt jamb up less than once an hour, i cant see what im cutting with their circ saws, and the mitre saws have alot of blade wobble ( the funny thing is at a wood working show the rep even said they do). their table saw is decent though but cant compete with the bosch


----------



## dayspring (Mar 4, 2006)

As far as jobsite table saws goes, nobody can beat Bosch, Bosch makes some good stuff:clap:


----------



## Colorado Fatboy (Mar 25, 2008)

dayspring said:


> As far as jobsite table saws goes, nobody can beat Bosch, Bosch makes some good stuff:clap:


Yes, they do. And most of it is made in China. Go figure.


----------



## TempestV (Feb 3, 2007)

dayspring said:


> As far as jobsite table saws goes, nobody can beat Bosch, Bosch makes some good stuff:clap:


they can be beat- look for the yellow table saw. that fence is amazing.


----------



## Joining_heads (Mar 4, 2008)

TempestV said:


> they can be beat- look for the yellow table saw. that fence is amazing.


Used the 744 and 745 alot at work. No, they dont beat the bosch.


----------



## Joining_heads (Mar 4, 2008)

Colorado Fatboy said:


> Yes, they do. And most of it is made in China. Go figure.


A lot of my bosch stuff is made in Switzerland or USA or Germany.


----------



## duburban (Apr 10, 2008)

Hey Guys, Just had to chime in about my recent bosch customer service experience. The forward reverse switch broke on my impact driver. I called them up and they sent the new part out to me free in 4 days from New Jersey to Hawaii. Told me how to change it on the phone and its done. A+ for bosch!


----------



## dayspring (Mar 4, 2006)

I thought this was a Dewalt survey, lol:clap: Go Bosch!


----------



## woodworkbykirk (Sep 17, 2008)

bosch table saw all the way, 

we had the dewalt on site for a job and the fence was misaligned, it took 2 carpenters 1 1/2 hours to realign the damn thing not to mention 1/4 tank of deisel in a ford f-250 super charged running around to different stores trying to find the right size nut driver to fix the damn thing

my bosch fence got knocked out of alignment by a guy on site dropping it, 5 minutes later back up and running


----------



## TempestV (Feb 3, 2007)

I've used quite a few dewalt table saws, and I've never seen one with a misaligned fence. I have seen a nearly brand new bosch with a bad fence though. I really had expected it to last more than 2 weeks before going off, but so much for wishful thinking.


----------



## Joining_heads (Mar 4, 2008)

TempestV said:


> I've used quite a few dewalt table saws, and I've never seen one with a misaligned fence. I have seen a nearly brand new bosch with a bad fence though. I really had expected it to last more than 2 weeks before going off, but so much for wishful thinking.


The Fence on the 745 misalignes very easily but it's a snap to recalibrate- we have two of them at work and it happens to both here and then. The only serious problem I've have with the fence on a 744 was several years ago when It jumped a tooth. 

Reguardless, after using my bosch I don't bother with the other saws.


----------



## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

I see ALOT of DeWalt stuff out there on job sights....to me, I just don't like alot of their stuff. Sometime I wonder if there is so much of it out there only b/c you can walk into Homedepot and walk out with one quick and easy and it is the "highest" line of tools they sell....

This one company I worked for had a slew of DeWalt Miters and I asked the owner why he liked them when I was shopping around for a miter. I was told "simply b/c the guys beat the crap out of them so he does not want to spend the money on higher end stuff only to have it broken". Don't get me wrong, I don't think they are junk, but I have yet to use one where I fell in love with it....


----------



## Bill in VaBeach (Jun 7, 2007)

Back to the original discussion. Replied to DeWalt invitation about 5 months ago, and since then only have received one survey (general in nature) emails marketing new tools, and invitations to a DeWalt tool demo, which was not close by. Be interested to hear if anyone has actually been offered an opportunity to test a tool.

My cut on who does manufacture a top quality tool, based on experience and comparison:

Nailers - Porter Cable

Belt sander - Porter Cable

Jig Saws - Bosch

Tile saws - Felker (Target) and MK

Band saw - Delta (14")

Table saw - Delta Unisaw

Compressors - DeWalt Emglo


----------



## jiffy (Oct 21, 2007)

Emglo was good before Dewalt bought them. They are now relegated to cheap. Similar to what has happened to Porter Cable products since under Black and Decker. I'm starting to see a trend.


----------



## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

Nailers - Paslode
Miter - Bosch
Cordless (general) - Makita
Jig Saw - Bosch
Trim Router - Bosch
Job Site Table Saw - Bosch

It pretty obvious I get partial to Bosch...altho if I like another tool better, I will buy it reguardsless of brand....
Altho I have never tried out a Festool....


----------



## fireguy (Oct 29, 2006)

I bought a DeWalt/Emglo compressor, tht is # 1. After 3 or 4 years it starts to leak. It is faster and easier to get another compressor , # 2instead of repairing that one. the junk chinaman compressor (not Dewalt)finally dies on a job. We get another DeWalt # 3, to keep the dry spirnkler system dry. It works constantly for 4 months before we can fix the leaks in the sprinkler pipe. In the meantime, # 3 quits working. # 3 goes to the repair shop in Portland. I have no paper work showing when it was bought. That afternoon it is done, no charge. They even put on a new tire, as the tire was flat. I asked about the compressor with a leaky regulator and was told if there was a charge,the maximum would be $200.00. Next trip to Portland, the compressor goes for repairs. While I was in the store, I noticed a flouresent light for $220.00. It runs off of 2 batteries and will charge 2 batteries if plugged in. We used the light in the attic repairing sprinkler pipe. Worked great, w/o blinding us with a halogen light. 

DeWalt is not the best, but does have the best tool selection.


----------



## seifconst (Oct 14, 2008)

Don't everyone bail out on the yellow stuff, how Matt Kennseth gonna stay on the track? Wonder if Bosch or Milwaukee sponsor any drivers?


----------



## samthedog (Mar 15, 2008)

Colorado Fatboy said:


> Yes, they do. And most of it is made in China. Go figure.


It depends where you live. Here in Norway many DeWalt tools are manufactured in Germany as are Bosch tools. I have noticed a trend in Bosch tools being manufactured in Malaysia though. I hope this does not become a permanent trend. I am a fan of Makita tools that are produced in Japan and also Hitachi drills that are produced there too as that tends to mean fine tolerances and A1 quality control. I am yet to see a tool produced in China or Taiwan that matches the durability of those produced in Germany, Japan, USA or the UK (I have some old Black and Decker tools that are still chugging away after years of abuse).

I use:
Nailers: Senco (and a Bostitch pin nailer that I love)
Cordless: A mix of Makita and Bosch
Miter saws: A mix of Makita and Bosch (a GCM10S Bosch and a Makita LSO714L) and a Bosch saw stand
Sanders: Makita and Bosch
Drills: A mix of Metabo and Hitachi
Routers: Bosch
Planers: Bosch
Multitool: Fein


----------



## jimmynailbanger (Nov 6, 2008)

De walt are getting cheap and nasty here in the uk,just bought a makita to replace mine,much better if you need to bang screws in all day.


----------



## samthedog (Mar 15, 2008)

jimmynailbanger said:


> De walt are getting cheap and nasty here in the uk,just bought a makita to replace mine,much better if you need to bang screws in all day.


I just hate the colour. I have a DeWalt recip. saw and it's not bad, mind you it's made in Germany and not Mexico like it's US varient. It's like they had Big Bird find the colour to represent their product line.


----------

