Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Pub Talk). This thread is read-only.
As 2013 starts winding to a close, I wanted to take a moment and see what everyone sees happening in the tool kingdom in 2014. We’ve done this in the past with mixed results.
Here are some of mine.
1. Milwaukee will expand their hand tool line. I believe we’ll continue to see Plumbing, Electrical, HVAC, and more trade oriented items, but no mechanics tools like we see from Dewalt. Fish tapes, auto strippers, maybe even pipe wrenches.
2. Makita will finally make a serious 12V push. I predicted this last year, but no dice. Maybe I was just ahead of the game. Or maybe Makita just sucks anymore 😆
3. Milwaukee will release the Fuel combo kits and they will include a storage system. A storage system will also hit the market independently.
And with a little luck we’ll finally get an M12 rivet gun 😉
1. Milwaukee will release a new flagship drill, guaranteed, there current fuel is over 2 years old.
2. Milwaukee will release a storage system.
3. We will see some more trade oriented M12 tools, since Milwaukee owns the 12v market, possibly a M12 trim saw or a pop rivet gun for conductor.
4. DeWalt is going to make a push with there new flagship drill, saying its the best on the market, unfortunately, dewalt is so damn slow at releasing things, there brushless premium drill came 2 years after Milwaukees, thats a problem right there.
5. I also believe DeWalt is going to make a change with the 12v line, either get rid of it or make a big push and release alot of tools for it.
6. Makita….i have no hope for them here in the USA, they have the most 18v tools but we dont get most of those tools here in the USA.
Tool predictions
Milwaukee….
M18 fuel rotary hammer 1″
M18 fuel compact Rotary hammer 5/8-3/4″
M18 fuel multi tool
M12 fuel multi tool
M18 fuel wet dry vac with power cord
M12 fuel hackzall
M18 fuel jigsaw
M12 fuel jigsaw
All other brands will scramble to R&D brushless products to complete with new fuel tools introduced in 2013 like circular saw, sawzall, grinder, heavy duty impact wrenches and m12 fuel line. After R&D they will most likely release tools in 2015 or as early as late 2014. Dewalt will add a few 8v tools.
I doubt they will come out in 2014 but Milwaukee seriously needs to come out with 18v nailers. Also would be nice if they came out with large and very powerful m12 fuel drills. Something along the lines of the size of a very compact 18v with around 500+ lbs torque and a side handle.
1) I think Festool is going to make a big push into the cordless market, eg cordless sanders, track saw, routers, maybe even a domino.
2) We will see Milwaukee and DeWalt really pushing their made in the USA lines more than ever, and hopefully expanding on them.
3) We may see advancements in battery tech such as solid sulfur-lithium or nanoporous li-ion.
4) Dewalt will put out a tool that is better than Milwaukee. Chase and Conductor will say “Well sure they had x years of catch up! Milwaukees new one is going to be better “
5) Milwaukee will put out a tool that beats the Dewalt tool from #4. Chase and Conductor will say “Haha told you so!”
6) Craftsman will continue their gimmicky “innovation” and release a full line-up of hand and power tools for lefties.
7) Milwaukee will announce the m12 riveter to come out in August. Then scrap the release due to lack of interest. 😮
RedSionnach wrote:
1) I think Festool is going to make a big push into the cordless market, eg cordless sanders, track saw, routers, maybe even a domino.
2) We will see Milwaukee and DeWalt really pushing their made in the USA lines more than ever, and hopefully expanding on them.
3) We may see advancements in battery tech such as solid sulfur-lithium or nanoporous li-ion.
4) Dewalt will put out a tool that is better than Milwaukee. Chase and Conductor will say “Well sure they had x years of catch up! Milwaukees new one is going to be better “
5) Milwaukee will put out a tool that beats the Dewalt tool from #4. Chase and Conductor will say “Haha told you so!”
6) Craftsman will continue their gimmicky “innovation” and release a full line-up of hand and power tools for lefties.
7) Milwaukee will announce the m12 riveter to come out in August. Then scrap the release due to lack of interest. 😮
Can I see the commericials now, LOL
Javier wrote:
Tool predictions
Milwaukee….
M18 fuel rotary hammer 1″
M18 fuel compact Rotary hammer 5/8-3/4″
M18 fuel multi tool
M12 fuel multi tool
M18 fuel wet dry vac with power cord
M12 fuel hackzall
M18 fuel jigsaw
M12 fuel jigsaw
All other brands will scramble to R&D brushless products to complete with new fuel tools introduced in 2013 like circular saw, sawzall, grinder, heavy duty impact wrenches and m12 fuel line. After R&D they will most likely release tools in 2015 or as early as late 2014. Dewalt will add a few 8v tools.
I doubt they will come out in 2014 but Milwaukee seriously needs to come out with 18v nailers. Also would be nice if they came out with large and very powerful m12 fuel drills. Something along the lines of the size of a very compact 18v with around 500+ lbs torque and a side handle.
I think we may see a Fuel branded radio haha! It needs an update!
RedSionnach wrote:
1) I think Festool is going to make a big push into the cordless market, eg cordless sanders, track saw, routers, maybe even a domino.
2) We will see Milwaukee and DeWalt really pushing their made in the USA lines more than ever, and hopefully expanding on them.
3) We may see advancements in battery tech such as solid sulfur-lithium or nanoporous li-ion.
4) Dewalt will put out a tool that is better than Milwaukee. Chase and Conductor will say “Well sure they had x years of catch up! Milwaukees new one is going to be better “
5) Milwaukee will put out a tool that beats the Dewalt tool from #4. Chase and Conductor will say “Haha told you so!”
6) Craftsman will continue their gimmicky “innovation” and release a full line-up of hand and power tools for lefties.
7) Milwaukee will announce the m12 riveter to come out in August. Then scrap the release due to lack of interest. 😮
Lol! DeWalt is in a bind right now because they were sitting back relaxing, then Milwaukee comes to the show and DeWalt didnt know what to do, now they are scrambling, big time!
ChaseRogers wrote:
I think we may see a Fuel branded radio haha! It needs an update!
Yeah a radio update would be nice. I was waiting but got tired and bought one this summer. Which radio are you hoping they update?
ChaseRogers wrote:
Lol! DeWalt is in a bind right now because they were sitting back relaxing, then Milwaukee comes to the show and DeWalt didnt know what to do, now they are scrambling, big time!
Companies that scramble put out junk because it goes out to fast, Dewalt doesn’t build junk… Dewalt may be a little behind in brushless products but I don’t think their scrambling…
07Sierra wrote:
Companies that scramble put out junk because it goes out to fast, Dewalt doesn’t build junk… Dewalt may be a little behind in brushless products but I don’t think their scrambling…
They released alot at there media event last month
Javier wrote:
Yeah a radio update would be nice. I was waiting but got tired and bought one this summer. Which radio are you hoping they update?
Im hoping a new M18, it seems like everyone else has updated theres except Milwaukee. The m12 radio isnt to old, if i were to buy a jobsite radio i would go with the bigger one imo.
ChaseRogers wrote:
They released alot at there media event last month
That doesn’t mean anything, It takes MONTHS even years of development to put out tools that work, it’s not done overnight… Most of this was planned long ago probably not long after Milwaukee started releasing their own brushless tools
Dewalt is scrambling to a point. It’s pretty universally accepted that nobody expected the TTI purchase to bode well for Milwaukee, but they really stepped up to the plate and gobbled up a lot bigger market share than they had 5 years ago. Much of that market share came at the expense of Dewalt, so stepping up their efforts to curb the loss of market share is what any competitor should be doing. Do you call it scrambling? I guess it’s all a matter of terminology, but the basis of Chase’s point is valid.
Dewalt made a huge error when the didn’t make an adapter to use slidepacks on the old 18v tools. It gave people that were bought into the Dewalt 18v system the tiny excuse to move to another company now that things were no longer backwards compatible with the years of tools a person might have purchased. Maybe I think it’s a bigger deal that it really was but to make that kind of decision now with so many strong power tool brands at the moment seems like a risk I would rather not take. Dewalt has the 20v line filled out for the most part now but they lacked a bunch of tools at the start of the line. You cant except them to have everything ready but they were missing some basic tools in the first year or so of the 20v line.
Dewalts first error was the 18v Lithium Ion………………I mean people are confused that batteries come in different voltages, let alone battery style.
Conductor562 wrote:
Dewalt is scrambling to a point. It’s pretty universally accepted that nobody expected the TTI purchase to bode well for Milwaukee, but they really stepped up to the plate and gobbled up a lot bigger market share than they had 5 years ago. Much of that market share came at the expense of Dewalt, so stepping up their efforts to curb the loss of market share is what any competitor should be doing. Do you call it scrambling? I guess it’s all a matter of terminology, but the basis of Chase’s point is valid.
Dewalt was like any company and expanding their lineup, Milwaukee I think a few years ago was scrambling more then Dewalt was/is now because Dewalt was by far the biggest and most popular brand and TTI knew that and poured I’d say more then a Billion into Milwaukee to make it competitive again and invested deep into brushless to try and get ahead of the game because their previous 18v offerings and battery tech was pretty well a joke with multiple battery failures and poor quality tools
Dewalt is not going crazy with tool releases,they releasing tools in a timely fashion (slow to some) but they usually get great reviews because it released when it was finished and maybe not faster then other brands that will release a poor tool 6 months to fast. They are behind Milwaukee right now but Milwaukee, they had to do something drastic and pour money into the brand, because well they sucked at the time….It worked out well for them but I see no scrambling in my eyes from Dewalt…Just business as usual
Joe M wrote:
Dewalts first error was the 18v Lithium Ion………………I mean people are confused that batteries come in different voltages, let alone battery style.
It was a good option for the people that had a clue, Better battery, better runtime plus all the other advantages…
DR99 wrote:
Dewalt made a huge error when the didn’t make an adapter to use slidepacks on the old 18v tools. It gave people that were bought into the Dewalt 18v system the tiny excuse to move to another company now that things were no longer backwards compatible with the years of tools a person might have purchased. Maybe I think it’s a bigger deal that it really was but to make that kind of decision now with so many strong power tool brands at the moment seems like a risk I would rather not take. Dewalt has the 20v line filled out for the most part now but they lacked a bunch of tools at the start of the line. You cant except them to have everything ready but they were missing some basic tools in the first year or so of the 20v line.
The adapter would of been to expensive and a little to complicated with the 20v being totally different then 18v tools, would of had to redo the whole tool works
From this thread I can gather that Dewalt is the embodiment of flawless perfection 😆
Dewalt ran the market for a solid decade. Their tools were never head and shoulders above everyone else’s and they were never “superior quality”. They were good tools with great marketing and a support network other manufacturers couldn’t match. As far as build quality goes, there were always better quality options out there. Marketing and availability sells power tools, if it were about quality we’d all be using Hilti and Festool.
Being brand loyal is admirable and I can relate. I find something I like and I stick with it. I’ve been crazy about Proto tools since I was younger than Chase. I like the designs, the history, and I feel they offer a very good quality to price ratio. I’ve carried the same German Eye pocket knife for 10 years. It’s in my pocket everyday without exception. I carry a Zippo lighter I bought in 1998.
The moral of this story is that I know all about brand loyalty, but you can do it to a fault. Dewalt and Milwaukee are pretty equal in terms of quality and any difference is typically a matter of design or features. There’s no denying that Dewalt was caught off guard by the moves TTI made, everyone was.
Additionally, the issue with the V series tools was never about the quality of the tools. They were solid. It was strictly a battery issue. They rushed the technology to market and they paid for it. It cost them market share and took several years to recover. Dewalt went all in on their first go at lithium, lost a patent infringement suit, and got caught with their pants down. Milwaukee came to market with a new line-up and did a fantastic job of capitalizing on the opportunity. We’re currently seeing Milwaukee’s time in the sun.
Also, Dewalt was just a name B&D pulled out of their portfolio. They bought Dewalt in 1959 to corner the market on radial arm saws. When RAS’s were phased out by miters, they sold the rights to the technology to some managers who continued to produce them as the Original Saw Company. In 92 they pulled the name out of the deadwood and re-branded the B&D Industrial line. 2 years later they bought A German company called Elu and used the battery tech they got from Elu to answer the cordless line Makita was already selling. They rode the Elu stem pack design until the market no longer permitted them to be competitive with it, stole some technology and got their ass sued.
Stanley B&D is far from a flawless company.
Conductor562 wrote:
From this thread I can gather that Dewalt is the embodiment of flawless perfection 😆
Dewalt ran the market for a solid decade. Their tools were never head and shoulders above everyone else’s and they were never “superior quality”. They were good tools with great marketing and a support network other manufacturers couldn’t match. As far as build quality goes, there were always better quality options out there. Marketing and availability sells power tools, if it were about quality we’d all be using Hilti and Festool.
Being brand loyal is admirable and I can relate. I find something I like and I stick with it. I’ve been crazy about Proto tools since I was younger than Chase. I like the designs, the history, and I feel they offer a very good quality to price ratio. I’ve carried the same German Eye pocket knife for 10 years. It’s in my pocket everyday without exception. I carry a Zippo lighter I bought in 1998.
The moral of this story is that I know all about brand loyalty, but you can do it to a fault. Dewalt and Milwaukee are pretty equal in terms of quality and any difference is typically a matter of design or features. There’s no denying that Dewalt was caught off guard by the moves TTI made, everyone was.
Additionally, the issue with the V series tools was never about the quality of the tools. They were solid. It was strictly a battery issue. They rushed the technology to market and they paid for it. It cost them market share and took several years to recover. Dewalt went all in on their first go at lithium, lost a patent infringement suit, and got caught with their pants down. Milwaukee came to market with a new line-up and did a fantastic job of capitalizing on the opportunity. We’re currently seeing Milwaukee’s time in the sun.
Dewalt is far from perfection but by the way some people talk here is that Milwaukee was built and created by Jesus himself lol which is FAR from the case… this really should be a Milwaukee only forum sometimes from the way some talk so someone has to keep everyone here in check
Dewalt builds good tools and we all know it for a fact… My father in law has been using the same Dewalt 12″ miter saw since I believe 1997 when he built his brother’s house and it works perfect still to this day and I don’t even want to imagine how much it’s been used and abused since
Milwaukee’s tools were a poorer quality when they first released the first 18v battery line as well… heard a many horror stories from many people… It was a sad time at Milwaukee
TTI needed to spend a huge amount of money and HAD to do something because things were in the dumps… Without TTI’s huge investment, Milwaukee might not even exist, if they did it be a shell of what it is now
B&D is far from perfect, and same goes for TTI and it’s brands…
My dicks bigger than yours! No way my dicks bigger than yours!
RedSionnach wrote:
My dicks bigger than yours! No way my dicks bigger than yours!
It could be…..or maybe not. I’m satisfied not knowing the answer, how about you?
Lol. Dick measuring contest on forums amuse me. The whole my brand is better than your brand shit cracks me up.
I like Milwaukee tools and have used both brands I don’t think I sell them as the tools Jesus used while building the Ark of the Covenant. Remember he was a carpenter and would pick the tool with the best price/performance ratio. Plus red tools go with the red wine they drank back then just saying.
Was the dewalt radar scanner rushed?
Javier wrote:
Was the dewalt radar scanner rushed?
Lol have they even released that yet? They have been bragging about it for a year now?
I haven’t heard too many good reviews about it.
ChaseRogers wrote:
Lol have they even released that yet? They have been bragging about it for a year now?
They released them. Check out the reviews on Amazon.
Those are some damn good reviews right there!! barely beat out the Black & decker autowrench, and how long did it take them to sit and perfect this tool?? Damnit dewalt,Now i have to think of a good excuse why your radar scanner was a pos…….
The people are going wild over the dewalt scanner
ChaseRogers wrote:
Those are some damn good reviews right there!! barely beat out the Black & decker autowrench, and how long did it take them to sit and perfect this tool?? Damnit dewalt,Now i have to think of a good excuse why your radar scanner was a pos…….
I don’t think any of them are really that good the dewalt, milwaukee or the bosch
Javier wrote:
The people are going wild over the dewalt scanner
Lol i thought that thing was suppose to be spectacular, well thats what dewalt said…
I think that they are all hit or miss
The Milwaukee leaves a little to be desired, but it’s not THAT bad.
Nice topic and some good predictions for 2014. Regarding the Dewalt scanner, we just tested ours and will be releasing that soon. Put it this way, it’s a great party favor. I love the idea of it showing a picture of what is behind the wall and looks awesome. However the reliability is sub-par. Sometimes it works dead one, but a lot of times it fails. I understand they are competing against the Bosch and Milwaukee for a lower price point, but to me it doesn’t make sense if it’s not accurate. I can accept a scanner to be wrong sometimes (maybe just because i am use to seeing them fail), but not as much as the Dewalt does.
Eric J wrote:
Nice topic and some good predictions for 2014. Regarding the Dewalt scanner, we just tested ours and will be releasing that soon. Put it this way, it’s a great party favor. I love the idea of it showing a picture of what is behind the wall and looks awesome. However the reliability is sub-par. Sometimes it works dead one, but a lot of times it fails. I understand they are competing against the Bosch and Milwaukee for a lower price point, but to me it doesn’t make sense if it’s not accurate. I can accept a scanner to be wrong sometimes (maybe just because i am use to seeing them fail), but not as much as the Dewalt does.
Which on a site, i am no professional, but i expect my tools to perform at 100% of what i expect it to do, if that scanner misses something, there could be some big problems down the road with that structure.
Lol “party favor” that’s good stuff.
Another tool prediction, maybe Hitachi and Milwaukee might announce 5.0ah battery packs to come out for 2015. Maybe even 2.5-3.0ah compact packs.
5.0-6.0 ah packs would be pretty insane I think they might have to move to an active cooling system though to get the charge times down to something reasonable your looking at almost 2 hours for a charge.
I was hoping the Dewalt scanner worked because I really liked the idea of it. I think they needed more time to develop the software and refine it or it’s just not possible to do at the price point they went for.
Hitachi already has 5.0 packs in Europe. They take 75 min to fully charge
ChaseRogers wrote:
Which on a site, i am no professional, but i expect my tools to perform at 100% of what i expect it to do, if that scanner misses something, there could be some big problems down the road with that structure.
Which is exactly why pro’s won’t use them until they can be relied upon.
DR99 wrote:
5.0-6.0 ah packs would be pretty insane I think they might have to move to an active cooling system though to get the charge times down to something reasonable your looking at almost 2 hours for a charge.
Wouldn’t mind that or even if they made a newer more expensive quick charger for the even higher capacity batteries.
NicholasShetley wrote:
Hitachi already has 5.0 packs in Europe. They take 75 min to fully charge
Wow I didn’t know that. Props to Hitachi. 75 minutes is actually very good, that’s the same time as 4.0 packs
I think that they would need a fairly big fan to keep the battery cool while charging or something different altogether.
Bosch is already playing with cooling technology.
Let’s not forget Metabo’s 5.2 ah packs.
Metabo runs some active cooling on their chargers same with Makita and Bosch. I’m not sure if anyone else is doing it at the moment, and the new Dewalt XR packs have aluminum heat sinks on them now. So heat is starting to become an issue with these higher capacity packs. If I had the cash I would have some Metabo tools they are more for general construction where festool is more for trim carpenters and wood workers for the most part.
That’s why they need new battery tech like this,
Even if that only scales 1/4 of the way that will still be a huge advancement.