Who Makes What - Cordless Tools (Updated for 2020) 

Very nicely done Jeff !!! You are very good at explaining the details. Thanks again for your time and effort in helping out the whole Den !!! Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and videos Rodney

"Grizzly... no relation..." 🤣 Great info. Didn't expect to sit through the entire thing, yet lo and behold, I did.

1st vid ever that I COMPLETELY AGREE with you & excellent depth on the Walmart Hart brand & expansion.

I never tire of watching this video,thank you for enlightening us.God bless you and your family and be well my Brother.

Most comprehensive explanation of tool industry I've seen! Thank you for sharing your research. I really appreciate learning what the various companies' target market is... I thought Metabo was a new comer and Hitachi was a higher end tool lineup. I'm sure we all learned quite a bit from this video.

My friends works at TTI Corporation's Ryobi Headquarters here in Anderson, SC. It is 600,000 sqft of offices, manufacturing, testing, and more plus 1,200,000 sqft of distribution. They are going to build a chain hotel near site as well for conferences and people who come from all over the country (a lot from Home Depot stores) for training.

Nice video enlightening those who weren't aware of who makes what for whom. I was surprised to find this on my own back in 2009-2010 when an opportunity came up to acquire Home Depot air compressor & nail guns, etc returns from a local liquidation house buying semi-trucks full of customer returns on pallets. All the names they carried were there for the bidding in various conditions of use & repair needed, was a crash course on who supplies what repair/replacement parts! Learned how to fix compressors better then they left the assembly line, no leaks! Was good for 4-5 yrs before buying Home Depot returns became big business & too expensive for the small liquidation house near me, was good while it lasted! Good learning experience & I made some $ and good people got great deals on refurbished compressors & pneumatic nailers locally. Keep the informative & entertaining videos coming, much appreciated!

WOW !!!!! What a professional comprehensive video !! So much so that I’m now a SUB, looking forward to exploring your video library

When I look at Kobalt tools. A lot of them look like they were made by TTI , ( the Hackzall and portable vacuum are very similar to Milwaukee)

The one thing that made me go for Makita over the other brands was honestly the ergonomics. It's something that so few companies seem to care about, but a Makita nearly always feels better in the hand than a Dewalt or Milwaukee. Maybe because they're a Japanese company (I have slightly smaller hands) I don't know, but I always feel much more comfortable holding onto a Makita drill or saw.

I have One cordless tool, and it’s a brushless Bosch Freak II. It’s the best tool ever. The 1/2” Socket and 1/4” Hex is so genius, it overshadows any shortcomings in specs. I use it for everything.

I'm a commercial electrician and have used a porter Cable impact, drill, and sawzall for years because I already had them when I first started they've never failed me and I have never seen a Milwaukee, DeWalt ect. Equivalent tool out preform mine.

I like the makita brand, but recently started decided to move into Milwaukee instead. I like their commitment to the brand and, in addition to a great tool line, once you’re on the 18v platform you can convert all your outdoor power equipment to the platform.

I'm under 40 and I remember the blue Ryobi tools, in fact I remember when they switched them over to bright green!

I have a Hitachi Hammer drill and impact driver and they work wonderfully awesome. Wouldn't change them and I'm very happy with them.

Right as rain on Mac Tools. I purchased a Mac Tools 12v. electric cordless 3/8 ratchet and I can charge the batteries with my DeWalt 12-20v. charger. Also can operate the DeWalt radio with the Mac Tool battery.

This video says to me that the power tool market is getting extremely competitive and we are going to see all the value we can squeezed out of these companies for the dollar we pay. It’s getting pretty exciting for us tool guys!

you aught to do a video about all the different battery adapters that allow you to use one brands batteries with another brands tools.

Makita is my go to, I have an older brushed impact wrench. I use that thing for work as a tow truck operator. I use it to bang tires off that are stuck. Edit: forgot to mention that I barely have to break out the breaker bar or my 3 lbs crosspeen to take the tires off. I had a mail truck yesterday that I had too use the crosspeen for, but 9/10 times the only thing to come or are the impact wrench and the harbor freight impact sockets

I've ran the DeWalt 18 volt and 20 volt along with a few others but the Milwaukee M18 system has been the best set of power tools. Milwaukee M18 is all I have and some of them I've had for 7 years now and I haven't had to replace one yet.

Ryobi is big here in Australia as the commonest value brand. Makita is really well regarded and I use their 18volt tools. Both Milwaukee and DeWalt are very available here in big hardware stores and speciality tool shops. As an older retiree, I really like the small 12v Bosch tools for low weight and ability to work in confined spaces. I have a rattle gun that I bought from AliExpress that takes my genuine Makita 18v batteries for US$30. Time will tell if it holds up. Nice overview Mr Bear.

mac is also proto and Blackhawk hand tools, and yes there out there heavily used in industrial settings

Great review. Great insight into who does what and how. Gotta love the bear.

I started buying all Dewalt brand power tools because my dad always did. Always seemed too expensive but since I already had some I kept with them. Im glad I did since it is mostly an American company.

The Klien impacts and other electrical tools are made by Dewalt just like the Mac version. I have all the models of impacts Dewalt,Mac, and Klein and they are the same tool that takes the same Dewalt batteries.

Thank you internet tool furry, I needed a video like this.

I have a bunch of Makita tools. Love them, few big batteries and they run all day

I had a makita 4" grinder for 35 years before it bit the dust and I used it at least 1 x a week. First cordless drill I owned was makita used it for 20 years ,I just didn't want to buy any more batteries for it. I loved their 8" circular saw.

I like this friendly bear bloke. Haven't met one before! He's very well informed !!!

Hitachi Power Tools were sold to a holding company about 18 months ago, hence the rebranding. Hitachi already owned the Metabo which is now becoming the new US brand for their tools. They have also created the Hikoki brand, but my understanding is that it will be only used outside of the US. The holding company will likely rebrand the tools, spend heavily on marketing and sell the business in few years.

Great video Bear, love the stuff you do

Had a black & decker 20v max drill for about 3 years. Used the daylights out of it and just now the transmission went out on it. Saw that Hart had really good reviews and they had a combo pack of the 1/2 drill and impact driver for $94. Its been good so far!

I was a Milwaukee 18v guy until they changed their battery style. Was so pissed that I had to start all over when the tools I had were still good, so now I'm a Ryobi guy and am impressed so far. I won't say they as a good as Milwaukee but I think even as a contractor you'd be good to go with Ryobi. Regular batteries if your a diy guy, high out batteries if your a contractor. I have a couple M12 tools because they are handy for certain situations and I can buy knock off batteries on Amazon. Thanks for the information!

Thanks for another great video

I have that porter cable set and have put it through the paces. Drill and impact was the first two to die. Had them 6 years and used daily.

My dad used to have a makita tool, then somehow got rid of it, I have a makita JR3000V from around 1982-ish that I got free from the dumpster. New cord, new carbon brushes and new blades and it works great!

Jeff, kindly tell the Bear, that ALL of Grizzly stuff, even the large (table saws, drill presses, and such) are made by large factories overseas. Jet, Powermatic, and Oliver planers are made in the same factory that makes Grizzly planers. (I work in a store that sells J, P and O planers. My brother's Grizzly is IDENTICAL to the others.) I'm a mechanic there, and repair all of them. steve

We been on Makita for years at work, but they switched to Hilti and I can safely say you can notice the small differences specially in the ergonomics, they just fit the hand nicer and better overall. That said with Hilti not being keen on selling to consumer or small business, it is hardly worth pursuing it when the Makita or your choice will do the job 95% as well. Festool to me always been the same thing from the little use I had with them and talking to the people who really need their tools: Their boxes are amazing, no one makes a better system, the tools are alright, but way to damn expensive and well yeah I seen plenty of a Makita, Hilti and metabo being pulled from Festool boxes.

Thanks Bear for the update !

Great Video! Your research is impeccable. Thank You.

I wondered why my Hitachi drill and 1/4in driver looked a lot/exactly like the Metabo..

Can't go wrong with MAKITA. I still have a Makita corded hammer drill from 1989 that dims the lights just squeezing the trigger!

I used to buy B&D cordless drills, but then got frustrated that every time I needed a replacement battery either I couldn't get one or it was cheaper to buy a new drill. Researched Ryobi's battery compatibility before buying and now I am hooked into their 18v system.

I own the IR drill driver 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 impact cordless. Love them. I have abused the crap out of the drill. It just keeps going. For the longest time I only had that and a cheap one from McCoy's. The cheap one kinda still works...gave it to my youngest daughter so she had a tool when she goes out with daddy making crap in the shop.

24:06 Makita-- I just bought the 36v right angle drill and I couldnt be happier! I work as a new commercial building plumber and have been using the corded holehog. Not the old school break your arm holehog I remember as a young plumber but that long one. No more lugging around a cord! As far as a fantasy makita product I would love to see would be a microwave. Getting a hot plate at the jobsite is hard to come by and a portable microwave would be the bees knees although making pizza would be rad as well! Great video :)

Hey bear, I have an idea for a show.....How about you do a video on products that are made to work on various manufacturers batteries? I was watching that AVE channel and he did a video on a makita knockoff impact wrench. I bought one and it is pretty good for the price. I also just bought a knock off usb adapter for makita batteries. Maybe include the battery adapters to make their batteries fit other brands of tools.

I'm 37 years old and I remember my dads old Makita drill where the battery slipped into the handle and he still has that thing and it still works. So I'm building up my Makita set. I have Milwaukee, Mac, and Snapon as im a Geavy Equipment Tech

I made the switch to Kobalt from porter cable a few months back after some comments back and forth with you. You didn't lead me wrong bear. I have a decent selection of Kobalt now and am happy with them all. I also tried out Bauer and its not been bad either.

25:20 a cordless wheelbarrow with headlights. I’m all in.

My Makita drill driver is still going strong after a decade plus of abuse. Looking at getting the impact wrench so I can stick with the same batteries.

Bauer user here... and plumber/drain tech. I cut through concrete, cast iron, clay and pvc piping all with the Bauer 15 Amp grinder. With the right blade on it the thing is a monster

Good info. I recently invested in Bosch. I like their stuff a lot.

That Bauer line seems like the sweet spot for the avg homeowner and occasional project-in-the-garage type individual. The quality seems on par with Craftsman or Ryobi, but the price point is significantly better. Lots of options and you don’t have to stroll into a Lowe’s/HomeDepot to make a purchase. Lots of value there!

thanks for making these videos.. you know your tool stuff...

Great content here, absolutely was unaware of Fein’s lineup. All in all a must watch for any tool consumer. Thanks Red 🤘🏻

G'day, I saw a "Snap On" 5" cordless grinder a couple of years ago. You could tell it came from the same factory that made my Metabo 5" cordless grinder. I'm sure lots of the components were interchangeable. Tells me the Metabo unit must be good if "Snap on" want them.

Can you do one of these for air compressors

Great info. Keep it coming brotherman

Hi, this is the most informative and helpful video that really makes sense and it’s very in-depth about these cordless tool company’s with who owns what, excellently done, ty, Bob,

"Project farm" found out the makita cutting wheels are comparable to Diablo & its cheaper.

I think Stanley Black & Decker bought the Craftsman line to replace the Porter Cable line they ruined and that will probably happen to Craftsman after awhile.

Recently got into a Metabo 18/36v impact.... When I walked into Lowes for a need set of black and gold 20v batteries. This was on sale for 159 with two batt and fast charger. Cheaper than batteries for Deeeewalt.

When i left his employ my stepdad got me the 400 dollar Kobalt tool kit. That was years ago. I am still using the kit and adding onto it all the time. This kit is as good or better than his Milwaukees, those are his words (And mine. He has Milwaukee... Kobalt has the same warranty as them, too.) I wish Kobalt had the massive array of tools that Milwaukee does but it's an amazing tool set and I have no regrets as a professional.

I’ve been using craftsman tools, the cordless ones, for twenty five or thirty years now. It was shortly after they came out with the C 3 battery line. So I’ll probably never get rid of them but have to wonder in ten years if Stanley Black & Decker will offer the batteries for the older Sears Tools. If not then all my old cordless craftsman tools will be worthless once the batteries die, but that’s probably not a problem I will have to deal with in my life time. The first batteries I had from when I first started with the C 3 line just recently gave up the ghost and if any I buy in the next ten years along with the new ones I have last as long, I’ll be 83 to 93 years old and probably not care as I will not be doing as much home repairs and hobby woodworking as I do now. Besides I still have my corded tools so if I’m still puttering around the old shop I’ll just plug in and go to it.

I was waiting for more info on who makes harbor freight power tools. I’m always curious who makes them for them .

I love the earthquake cordless ratchet. Bought it after watching AvE's BOLTR on it and have been well pleased. They need additional tools that can use the battery in that line.

One of the best videos , thank you

When it comes to Ridgid vs Milwaukee for service, the difference is probably that Ridgid themselves handle the Customer Service and TTi just provides the tools. Just my guess though.

Like I said yesterday in the Live Stream, you are slowly turning me into a Makita kind of guy.

I run 3 Napa stores. I sell in the same stores drills branded Dewalt, Porter Cable, and Craftsman 20v. You can set them side by side and if they weren't different colors you would never know the difference. Also missed here is Apex tool group. Which makes the Gearwrench brand tools. They also make the majority of Craftsman hand tools. With the one special exception...the Craftsman gear wrench. They had a falling out back in the early days between Craftsman, Gearwrench, and Sears. Long story short, Craftsman ended up getting a different company specifically for their gear wrenches. Apex also has a ton of tool brands under it. Jacob's Chuck, Crescent, Wiss, Armstrong, Gearwrench...etc.

Thank you for all the information! Wow! Just great

Smarter than the average Bear! Buenos trabajos señor!

I've been with Makita for 15 years now, countless tools and batteries. The batteries last 4 years or so of hard daily use.

Just invested in Makita. I’ve been using Ryobi since the start, Ridgid for 3 years, and I just started on M12, but I wanted to start on my true pro line and decided that Makita was gonna be the best brand I could jump into. I’m excited to see where it goes. Really want the coffee maker

I'm a retired Plumber/Heating/Electrician/Remodeling and Building Contractor. I didn't know what to do with myself so I started to do small handyman jobs. I've bought some 20V Craftsman saws and drills from Lowes. They work great. I still like my big boy corded tools better though.

I still have my Black and Decker rip saw that I bought 20 years ago. Haven't bought any of their stuff in 15 years though.

You had me dying when you started talking about festool lmao 😂

Great video, Beary informative.

Excellent information I always wanted to know this info.

I have switched to Makita corded tools and have not looked back.

Rigid pissed me off and lost me for two reasons. My first cordless hammer drill was Rigid 18V and the chuck would just start wobbling. I took good care of it and it wobbled. I took it in to the service center and they replaced the chuck for it to happen again. The second instance was buying a used miter saw with some broken and missing pieces although it still worked. Me and the guy I bought it from figured because Rigid has a lifetime warranty, I could go get replacements no issue and he gave me a good price on it. WRONG! They get out of their lifetime warranty by discontinuing things left and right. Then they stop making parts and oops, no longer available, can't get it fixed buy a new one! After they told me the parts were unavailable, I asked if parts off newer ones would work, nope, no substitutes. I took a good look at parts for newer ones and I literally could not tell the difference. I took a chance and bought the parts to see if they would work. They were an exact fit, no issues. They lied to my face and told me those parts would not work and they fit perfect. Never again.

I have used rigid since 2011...Commercial HVAC HERE, they have always got the job done, and have not had any breakdowns.💯

I work for a company that uses preset torque hand drivers and Ingersoll Rand is pretty much all we use for our preset torque hand drivers. In my personal life going from the information you provided me, I decided to go with the Ridgid brand since I couldn't afford the power tools that has the city I live and grew up in as its namesake. Although, the Home Depot I purchased my tools at is just down the road from the Milwaukee Tools headquarters.

You will get a laugh on my tool chest. In the late 80’s early 90’s I bought the biggest box Snap-On box. So my Snap On guy gets the box for “show and tell” so I order the box, and then called my wife after I bought it and she was busy and the owner ask if she could take a message ( I’m thinking suuuurrrreeee just let her know I bought the tool box) Lmbo not a minute later I get page over the PA Thom line 1 your wife is on the phone. And you all know how that went over. I was in the dog house 😂😂😂😂. Take Care.

Remember when porter cable drills spun the truest and seemed so well balanced that they flowed with your hand

I bought a Bauer drill from HF, and I'm pretty impressed. It's not as good as my makitas, but it's great for around the house. I got it on clearance because of open box. I then bought a blower and a huge battery. I finally like a tool from HF

I had no idea this subject would be so interesting. I saw the bear and was like, "Oh gawd wtf?" then... I watched the entire video. Very entertaining and informing.

My dad has some old black and decker gear from the 70s-80s. Made in the UK, its really good quality stuff, even today. Now its all made in China and terrible.

mac tool do sell dewalt on there trucks

AEG (Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft ) was originally a German company. The tool section of the company was sold to TTI (Techtronic Industries) in 2009 as you pointed out. Here on Europe they are on everything from washing machines to locomotives. We have Ridgid over here too, but it's mostly their plumbing tools. Great review by the way 😁👍

Wish I would’ve known this info a couple years back, when I need to upgrade from my DIY ryobi stuff. Had I known Makita was independent I would definitely chosen them over Milwaukee. I love my Milwaukee stuff, but I like supporting the “little guy”

I feel there are just too many players fighting for a small piece of the action. All of them are out to get you sold on their line... and then in 10 years you find that there is no battery support, and no adapters. We are forced to either DIY or pay a battery chain to re-cell the packs for perfectly good tools that have become useless as the companies moved on. Another problem is tools with one weak link that wears out and is not serviceable. I grew up with power tools that you could re-brush, and re bearing. Now some garbage part in a gear train turns to dust and the whole tool becomes trash.

Hhyper Tough and Chicago? those are my two favorite all time tool brands and they are not listed here?

Vcg construction put a video out with the new skil stuff being demoed and they look really good for mid level tools and the wormdrive is crazy cool but I'll keep my corded 77 always

I really like Milwaukee. Their 3/8 cordless ratchet is awesome.

A cordless microwave would be AWESOME!!!

Mikita needs to make a cordless microwave

Nice job Bear!

And know I'm not hating on Milwaukee I have the 2853 impact driver which with a brand new 6.0 battery still cuts out when driving several 1/2 inch lags that are 6 inch with no pilot hole in pressure treated 4 x 6 and my 2804 drill with 6.0 battery also it works great except for the damn chuck will randomly lock up so tight I have to put in vise to get bit out I'm just happy I still have my perfect old reliable dewalt DCD996 which has been beaten to a bloody pulp and still works flawlessly

Grizzly is in Springfield Missouri