German vs China Brand Impacts Except We're All Getting Lied To 

Neither of these quite stood out enough to make our Amazon winners only circle: amzn.to/3rjhZ6P We may just be out of the loop, but it seems like Metabo is more "worldly" than we or anyone we've shared with this expected. What German made brand should we look into next? Torque who started TTC works in product development for Astro tools, who also makes impacts (air). Always consider multiple sources when looking at a tool!

The German Metabo needs the LiHD Battery packs on the LTX lineup to have peak performance! You are using the less powerful Li-Power one, suitable for the lower power LT-Series! Please like this comment so he sees it, this is actually very important for these tests as the HpT batteries are using the same cells are the LiHD cells, and his 5.2AH Metabo Batt is only using the less current series!

"Cat walking on a keyboard model number"... As the owner of two cats, I find this particularly funny for it's accuracy.

Definitely think you need to try some of the LiHD batteries instead of the Li-Power ones, significant difference between the two, and most of the time that's what metabo is packaging with their mid-high end kits in europe.

I have the ssw 18 ltx 400 bl and can confirm, that this bigger one is made in Nürtingen, Germany Most of the ltx line is made in Germany and if they are, they really are made in Germany the plastic housing, the aluminum, even the motor is wound in the same house

One key thing that gets lost with the Metabo Hpt product line is that it's rated IP56 weatherproof. Working outside in the rain without an issue or worry is great peace of mind

Here in Germany, we still get the German made tools. Outside Germany (especially EU) you will not get them however. Ltx line of tools is the highest grade of the Metabo german tools, and their internal build quality is seriously stunning! Each one of their planetary gears have an own set of needle bearing instead of just „sleeves“ (aka. metal on metal with some lube) like seen on every single other manufacturer I have taken apart yet! Their internals are mostly all customer serviceable due to having connectors everywhere -> no need to solder at all. They als offer the quickest kickback protection I have seen. I have had apart: Makita LXTs 18V ones, Ryobis 18V the expensive ones, Bosch Professional 18V ones… The previously checked machines were not the cheapest ones, not at all actually… If possible get your Hand on a „BS 18 ltx bl i“ stunning drill, best one I ever had! And bare tool for around 300€ incl. their „Metabox“ but without battery or charger. Worth every penny, they even fixed the common problem where the gear shifter would eventually break giving a terrible gear scrambling noise when trying to switch to the 2nd speed that is common with bosch professional and makita drills… By making them in Germany, they will never loose their german Professionals, as they are known in Germany since 1-2 Generations to build reliable tools. And as the first manufacturer with needle bearings on every gear in there, In can understand why… As an electrical engineer I even think about joining them to make sure the reliability of electronics in there will be on point in the future as well!

u the man ttc thanks for the testing it's hard for Meta-bros like me 2 find reliable info about alot of these tools, keep it up 👍

Metabo opened a factory in China a few years ago, and some newer and price-competitive tools are made there.. Like the 12V Powermaxx, some circular saws and the impact mentioned. But a lot of other tools are still made in Germany, like my newly purchased BS 18 BL LTX, KHE 2680 and my angle grinder. Nothing new or unknown there.. But perhaps not as widely known state-side.

I like HPT because of the flex volt and plug in option. Milwaukee needs to make a a/c adapter. It’s definitely handy with saws etc.

I have got the ssw 400 model impact wrench with the 5.5 ah batteries with 21700 cells. The tool and battery are actually made in Germany and it performs really well. It can loose bolt up to 900 nm so performance wise it really delivers. And it is still quite compact.

Would like to see drill tested for torque! I often use my drill to with a 3/8 adapter to run up trailer jacks and have noticed difference between some of the brands we have including letting the factory smoke out of a few.

I have pretty much exclusively Metabo tools, with the exception of some Milwaukee auto ratchets, and about half of them are made in China. I've got no complaints though, they're still tougher than most of the cars I work on. I've had the same batteries for about 5 years now and haven't had to replace any of them, and all of my impacts have been thrown real hard onto concrete out of frustration and came out of it with nothing more than a couple small scuffs. Metabo warranty replacement service is really smooth too. Think tool truck level of customer service.

Thanks for testing german/european tools! It's helps to put american tools into persprectice

I just bought a Metabo combo kit with a Hammer Drill and Impact wrench SSD 18 LTX 200 BL , Both units and the batteries in the combo kit were all made in Germany.

Well well... The tool you show at 7:59 "also sell for 240$plus" ist the next bigger model, the ssw 18 ltx 400 bl. It is rated for 400Nm (something lower in ft-lbs). The metabo tools usually operate a lot better with LIHD batteries which contain 21700 cells. These are the ones with the red rubber bumpers. Full power is available starting at 5,5Ah (at least many say that, in my experience fog this tool it doesn't matter whether you use a single row 4Ah battery or a two row 8Ah battery). But I'd be happy to stand corrected.

I can’t remember but have you tested the accuracy of Milwaukees one key system with entering in the torque you want?

I love my Metabo HPT mid torque The old 1/2" u tested has been out for a long time and they have been clearancing them out as low as $40 at Lowe's Still a good tool for a homeowner but if u want real top end power get that beastly Metabo HPT 36V mid torque , absolute beast!

Bosch also makes an impact directly in line with these, the GDS18V-221N. Right now it’s $169 at lowes and you get a 4.0ah battery and charger kit for free.

It is interesting. I have a Makita small impact (DTW 300) and it is made in United Kingdom for the European market while for the US the identical (except model number) is made in China. Makita also makes tools in Germany and Romania for the European market.

I have several Metabo tools and it is very hard to know what the country of origin will be before buying. I have a 400bl impact wrench that is made in Germany. Also it would be ideal if you can test their LiHD batteries, as I think you get the most output from their 5.5Ah LiHD model. Their batteries are part of a standardized platform that we mostly miss out on here in the US. They really keep away from any more than 2 rows of cells in the battery pack for cooling reasons. That ends up making the higher capacity batteries have a slower discharge rate.

I have 2 of the 400bl models and just checked. They are both made in Germany. My original one that i bought in 2012ish and that has been drowned in water and crushed by an abrams tank barrel finally started to die at the end of last year. I bought another one on sale at the end of last year with a new 5.2amp battery so I'll see how long it lasts. A decade out of rhe first one (including the original batteries that i bought in 2011 and are still going strong) gives me a lot of confidence

Just as a side note we do have Metabo in the states. Evey major city has more than a handful of vendors. They're usually at contractor/industrial supply houses and not so much at the DIY stores like home Depot/Lowe's. Not saying they're better or worse just that they can be bought.

Just an FYI, I have had Metabo (not HPT) that there were made in China (Some say PRC) going back to 2015. Also, for the most part, they make excellent tools, but there are a couple of lackluster performers. Like all brands, no one hits a homerun with every tool they make.

You can pretty easily tell which Metabo tools are made in germany by the pricing. If it's competitive to a China tool, it's not made in germany. This goes for pretty much all of their tools. Their right angle grinders for example have to different price regions. Greetings from germany.

I would love to see metabo hpt add a 3/8 impact to their line

I know it's not an impact wrench but my experience is I've spent a few thousand pounds ( Britain) on German metabo and honestly I've had all 4 tools break on me. They're definitely poorer quality than the metabo german stuff from the 90s. I had a drill, impact driver, planer and track compatible 18v saw break on me. Yet I bought dewalt and Milwaukee and they've blown metabo out the water in performance. I would never consider purchasing any German metabo stuff again. Which is sad as an apprentice back in the 2000s I used all old metabo stuff that were great. Thanks for sharing the video very insightful. Much love from the UK

I have the 400nm 1/2” model that’s made in Germany. The 200nm 1/4” driver I have is made in China though. You can tell the difference in quality but love both of them. Going on vacation for 2 weeks in June and won’t be using them if you’re interested in testing them. Can send a 4ah and 8ah battery.

That would be like buying a Ford because you wanted to support local industry and jobs, then discovering its made in Mexico.

Watching TTC this morning. Waiting on the Project Farm review. It's Sunday.

HItachi used to make motors for Metabo and some HIlti years ago.

There is a company called kress that was aquired by positrac.it says german maid but kinda suspect since positrac is china.also i would love to see you test one of those digital torque wrenches to see beans and accuracy.great job and i was stoked to see a freshi up early this morning 👍

I have an SSW 18 LTX 400 BL. Manufacture date 06/16. It's made in germany. Bought in Australia.

Would love to see some Masterforce by Chervon impacts tested. They get talked down by everyone but I use them every day and they keep up with our Milwaukee tools and get used and abused every day.

I don't quite get the obsession over the country of origin. If the brand (in this case Metabo) has their quality control down then what does it matter where they are manufacturing exactly except from an end user pricing point of view? If the tool works well and performs as advertised and it happens to be manufactured in china so what? Even if it has "Made in Germany" printed on it only a small if even percentage of parts are actually made in Germany. All plastics and electronics do come from the land of the rising sun anyway and are only final assembled in Germany maybe.

Metabo tools have been made in different countries for a long time. My 14.4V (that platform has been discontinued for years) drill-driver from 2017 is made in China. I'm still very happy with it though, it's a solid tool.

The power dial is super nice. Didn't expect that.

In Australia, the Metabo HPT was Hitachi, and now as you mentioned Hikoke (or however you spell it)

I still have an old Hitachi drill that's since been rebranded Metabo HPT, it even takes the same battery as Metabo HPT, I'm surprised it's still working it's been through a lot

I wonder how hard it would be to get the non-TTi Ryobi power tools like the 18V LI-ION CORDLESS IMPACT WRENCH XIW-3100 from Ryobi South Africa.

Another great video. Thank you

Most of my Metabo tools (impacts, drills, grinders) are made in Germany. Depends on the market. In the United Kingdom and Ireland HPT is not sold that i know of, mostly German made Metabo products. Higher price shown here was for a 400 LTX BL. 400NM, BL brushless which I use regularly and would not replace it with anything else. I cannot comprehend why Metabo would put their name on the HPT as it is no-where near the same product. The exceptions are, my Metabo batteries are assembled in Hungary and a sabre saw i have is made in china. The saw is still a well designed and engineered product and is different from its rivals. I first started using the 400 LTX BL around 2010. Nothing else in the UK came close to it at that time and the tool has remained unchanged to this day. They tend to be only sold by professional tool suppliers and not in DIY stores here. They are in real world use on my channel.

Would love to see some Einhell stuff, they present some good value to us in Europe and it would be good to see how they compare to the more famous brands

This is what i have been waiting for if i could subscribe 2 times i would thanks for this one you guys are legends

Could you test battery adapters? For instance the Milwaukee tool with the DeWalt battery and the dewalt tool with Milwaukee battery?

Definitely would like to see more cutaway vids

I'm in the UK i use Einhell mine say made in Germany,please look at them. Thanks Dave

i need a video about torque adapter accuracy. Do they work accuratly after year(s) of use and are there difference between more expensive and cheaps. thanks

Watching this I was thinking of the Kobalt "compact". 200ft lbs may not be a ton of power but it can get a surprising amount of work done on a vehicle. Not everything has to earth shattering torque to be useful. However I am guilty of wanting a bigger power number myself. Even if it isn't needed.

Any chance in seeing some of Northern Tool + Equipment's stuff? Klutch and Ironton? They're Air, not Electric, but would love to see how they compare.

Ever considered going over the torque settings on the one key milwaukee? Thanks

I have the 18V Metabo-HPT and I bought it because I was already using the Hitachi battery system. I was a little underwhelmed with it after using it the first time. I also own a IR 231 pneumatic gun that I ported after watching the TTC episode about the NASCAR gun that was ported. Porting makes a big difference in how the 231 gun performs for me. It is very noticeable - it feels like a different animal. The Metabo-HPT isn't an expensive tool (I bought tool body only) and with the new style 18V 3.0 Ah battery pack it is pretty compact. I was a bit bummed overall when I first got it because it was underwhelming compared to the performance of some of the older cordless Hitachi tools I have, but after using it I find it's sufficient for what I do, working on my own junk at home. If it was the only impact wrench I owned I would be unhappy with it, but it takes less effort than lubing up the elbows and turning wrenches by hand and is less of a hassle than dragging out the air hose every single time to use the air gun. It's a good in between and for that reason I'm happy with it considering what I spent and how portable it is. If I didn't have the pneumatic gun, I would have opted for the 36V Metabo HPT tool. Even at $199 for the tool, I would still have needed to purchase 36V batteries because I only have 18V versions. Anyway, thanks for doing what you do.

I'm deep in on Hitachi/Metabo. Solely because of the amazing deals I keep finding. I have drill, light, reciprocating saw, circular saw, jigsaw, small impact driver, small drill, 4 chargers (one of them being the faster one), 8 batteries, and impact that you tested. All the bright green. All purchased new for under $550 if I recall correctly. I also have their job site saw, however, that was purchased based on specs rather than price or already having Hitachi/Metabo tools. $250 used. I purchase based on value for money spent and the tool I want. I also have Dewalt and Milwaukee products that were gifts or the tool I wanted/needed. I do plan to get the Dewalt mid torque at some point. As long as a deal doesn't come down the line on a Metabo first.

I would be really interested in the Fein Models due my whole 18V system is Fein

I have the metabo hammer drill it’s made in Germany and I love it.

Are you going to be testing the new metabo hpt triple hammer bolt to see if they fixed the triple hammer

1:40 the DCF912? 👀

I’m new to the channel but I was wondering if you Could show use the beans for the Dewalt DCF840? I know there has been other channels who have tested them but it would be awesome to see.

You guys should test the German made HAZIT I would really like to see if there worth the price I love your channel I really trust your testing methods thanks from Colorado

I've got a three or four years year old BL400, as well as a drill and grinder, they all say 'Made in Germany'. I've just bought an SDS drill, and that says made in Germany also. I'm from the UK, do not sure if that makes a difference. As for the speed/torque control, I usually leave it on Max for 10 or 12mm bolts, 7 or 8 for self tapping or roofing screws, or screwing into wood, and around 3 or 4 if I'm doing something delicate. I'm not sure how linear, or precise it is, but it suits my needs very well. Having said that, I've just had a battery go down on me, it's 3 or 4 years old, so that is a bit disappointing..

May the force be with you young Jedi

A 12v series would be nice

Got metabo 2017 ltx 400 3.5 battery 12 wheel setting made in germany very pleased And a ssw 200 metabo 2009 batterys still good made in prc 3 settings And now m18 high torq as well In uk

can you build a super-capacitor battery and see how tools perform with such an "ideal" battery?

Out of curiosity…..Do you ever check your load bolt? How to you keep that a constant and not a variable? Do you check it for stretching? Do you use and kind of oil or anti seize on it?

The new Metabo HPT Triple Hammer Bolt is now available and looks to have some more beans available Also that HPT has been as low as $79 at Lowes

Nice work

Have you tested the MATCO 3/8 16v Stubby impact? I'm seeing videos of people pulling brake caliper bolts and it's smaller than the 3/8 Stubby Milwaukee M12.

Any chance that dial gets accidentally hit during impacting?

Hi Guy, what a Festool TID18?

The HPT is ip56 rated, meaning its mostly dust and water proof. A convenient perk. I feel like that should give it a slight bump in the rankings.

Why didnt U use the LiHD battery with the dark green Metabo?

Need a LiHD battery, substantial difference. My Uk tools are a mix of made in Germany /china but impacts and drills have most parts manufactured in house Germany and then assembled in china.

Now I am curious if we can get hold of the same model made in Germany vs China to test against each other. Would the German made ones just hold up a little better like Volkswagens or do they have a bit more power?

My perception of Metabo in Germany has changed from high end towards good mid tier brand with very competitive prices. They make a lot of tools that are recommended for starting out because they often make products priced just above the cheapish brands that are probably fully china sourced. E.g. ther saws are cheaper than Bosch and Makita but still good but lacking a few features. I don't think they try to compete on the high end and I don't expect them to be made in Germany. Most tools by German brands aren't german made anyways. The engineering and QC standards make a difference though. Hikoki, i.e. Metabo HPT tools over here, seems to target a higher end market from my perspective.

Hey guys, i just got the Metabo 18 LT 300 BL (dark green one), and was wondering if it had enough torque to remove the lug nuts off of my car’s wheels?

the LTX 400 Bl is almost always made in Germany. I've never seen that model made in China.

for the german metabo the 5,5 lihd battery has te most beans

Could you test how much torque it takes to break a crome socket with an impact if you don’t mind.

Can you test the BOSCH GDS18v-221 impact next please?

i bought metabo for the cordless grinders, and was dismayed to find the impact hit worse than an old dewalt nimh. It was then stolen. The little drill driver let the smoke out in 9 little months.

And Japanese buyers of Seiko usually buy Seikos make in Japan, unlike the rest of us. (Yes, I am fully aware plenty of Japanese-made Seikos are authentically sold in North America, mostly on higher-end models.) It's possible metabo "only" sells German-made tools in Europe.

Really hope TTC sees my comment this time, can you please test the effect of using the wrong size socket on a nut/bolt? For example, how much power do you loose using a socket that's 1mm too large, say a 34mm socket on a 33mm truck lug?

Usually only the top of the line products are made in Germany. The LTX400 is. However Metabo has its own production factory in China. Bosch is similar. Some top of the line versions are German, most of the others not. They have factory’s in multiple countries. One has to check for every product. Also the country of origin might change. See Festool CXS. Now made in they’re Czech factory.

Can you test the bosch gds 12v impact driver? It seems rather weak. Cant remove my car lugnuts.

both brands are owned by the same company. most of the metabo cordless range i have say made in china but all the corded tools i have are made in germany. also mafell cordless range are metabo tools rebranded

Did the light turn on without battery ( minute 1)

I have a Matabo HPT pin nailer that's made in China, but also lists Koki Holdings Japan, on the same label. Now I'm confused.

I thought the metabo HPT stood for metabo “Hitachi power tool” and was essentially the cheaper line of metabo tools. Didn’t they buy out hitachi? I like metabo, but never liked hitachis tools, all of the ones I owned didn’t last as long as even harbor freight lol.

Those "German" Metabos have a suspiciously similar design language to the decent Parkside value-line of tools that Lidl sells(which,of course are MiC).

I like the original hitachi tools. Although the designs of the newer metabo hpt seems a bit better

Most of the higher end models are still made in Germany. So an entry level 125mm grinder would be china but one with all options would be made in Germany. Problem with metabo is they do what many others do is to to bring out cheap products so satisfy the masses and some of them could even be rebranded. Its like many tool manufacturers, they have some outstanding products and many average products.

That's interesting, I have a combi dril Sb18ltx-q and that is made in Germany. I saw Ssw400txl and it was made in Germany too. I've decided to buy the Ssw800txl which wasn't available for testing or view before buying it. Finally when it was delivered to me, I was left speechless, it is made in China. Needless to say I wasn't happy. I genuinely thought I was buying a German product.

I bought same "german" Metabo as in your video it literally died on the first use while fastening M8 self-tapping screws.

Can you test AEG VS RIDGID

Thanks for testing the real Metabo! I just looked at the label of my 03/2021 SSW400 which I bought here in Germany. This one was apperently still made in Germany. Just a heads up: Hazet powertools are just relabeled Dewalt tools. Thanks for the awesome videos and greetings from Germany.

hey guys Just wanted to say that I do in fact have the 36 volt version of the metabo HPT, or hikoki as it's known here in australia. Happy to send it your way for testing purposes? I also have the SSW 18LTX 400BL if you'd like to get your hands on that as well? Reach out to me if you feel so inclined.

Comparison spreadsheet 8:35

Jesse: Spirit. Thank you. Thank you for providing us with power tools... uh... electronic clutches, Nuron big boy batteries an' no touch collet sytems, and... um... Torque Test Channel. Thank you. Leon: Amen! Dom: Very nice. Letty: He was praying to the torque gods.

Mind you they have the 18v batteries for that Metabo hot so you don't need that big boy battery they also have the smaller 36v battery