Thread: Made in U.K vs made in China

There's Chinese and there's Chinese. I've had bulk store Chinese stuff that's utter garbage, and then I have a bunch of  stuff that is brilliant. Typing this on a nearly 12 YO iMac. I bought myself a Christmas present. It is a toolchest from Milwaukee, complete with a bunch of tools, both hand and powered. Some of the hand tools are made in Germany, while most are from China. The quality is very high and completely identical. It comes down to QC demands from the buyer. Milwaukee's QC demands are high.

Mike on Britrest discusses this often, as he buys LR bits all the time.

Originally Posted by Tins

There's Chinese and there's Chinese. I've had bulk store Chinese stuff that's utter garbage, and then I have a bunch of  stuff that is brilliant. Typing this on a nearly 12 YO iMac. I bought myself a Christmas present. It is a toolchest from Milwaukee, complete with a bunch of tools, both hand and powered. Some of the hand tools are made in Germany, while most are from China. The quality is very high and completely identical. It comes down to QC demands from the buyer. Milwaukee's QC demands are high.

Mike on Britrest discusses this often, as he buys LR bits all the time.

I have had German made AEG corded tools which were great, had a German made AEG battery drill where everything failed........batteries, charger and drill motor.

Milwaukee and AEG are both under the TTI group now, who lead the world in brushless motor tech.

I have all AEG 18 v brushless stuff and it gets a flogging and nothing has failed, made in China. 3 years warranty on batteries and 6 years on skins.

DL

Originally Posted by 350RRC;[URL="tel:3126974"

3126974[/URL]]I have had German made AEG corded tools which were great, had a German made AEG battery drill where everything failed........batteries, charger and drill motor.

Milwaukee and AEG are both under the TTI group now, who lead the world in brushless motor tech.

I have all AEG 18 v brushless stuff and it gets a flogging and nothing has failed, made in China. 3 years warranty on batteries and 6 years on skins.

DL

I have a shedload of MW stuff. First thing I bought was an M18 Fuel 3/4 drive rattler. I got it because no other power on earth would undo the crank pulley bolt on my TDi. Cost a bleeding fortune but it’s possibly the best tool I own. Well, apart from the other MW stuff. But that tool has a Disco wheel off in seconds. I rolled a tyre off a rim on the D1 in a bad angled situation had it on the high lift. No way I want to swing on a breaker bar then. As Karl Malden used to say, “don’t leave home without it”. I know other brands exist, but that tool has me invested in the ecosystem. I can’t see that I’ll ever regret it. They innovate constantly but remain backwards compatible. Awesome stuff.

Point is, China can make great gear. Some even go viral.

Originally Posted by 350RRC

I have had German made AEG corded tools which were great, had a German made AEG battery drill where everything failed........batteries, charger and drill motor.

Milwaukee and AEG are both under the TTI group now, who lead the world in brushless motor tech.

I have all AEG 18 v brushless stuff and it gets a flogging and nothing has failed, made in China. 3 years warranty on batteries and 6 years on skins.

DL

We found the same with a fleet of cordless drills from Maktech. The shop told us that they wouldn’t last, they’re Chinese made plastic budget Makita, but they lasted… Same with their abrasive cutoff saw which is still going!

Originally Posted by Slunnie

We found the same with a fleet of cordless drills from Maktech. The shop told us that they wouldn’t last, they’re Chinese made plastic budget Makita, but they lasted… Same with their abrasive cutoff saw which is still going!

For a time there recently, unless you could find Japanese, ALL Makita was budget. These days though, like Nikon with its incredible Z9*, Mak seems to be getting back on track. They were once my go to. They won't get me back due to the aforesaid ecosystem issue though.

*Nikon were the King of Japanese cameras but dropped the ball. The Z9 shows they have picked it back up and are going to hold onto it.

Originally Posted by Tins

For a time there recently, unless you could find Japanese, ALL Makita was budget. These days though, like Nikon with its incredible Z9*, Mak seems to be getting back on track. They were once my go to. They won't get me back due to the aforesaid ecosystem issue though.

*Nikon were the King of Japanese cameras but dropped the ball. The Z9 shows they have picked it back up and are going to hold onto it.

Yeah, we have gone back to Makita cordless drills and the irony is that they’re the ones that have triggers fall off, and blow gearboxes.

Originally Posted by Slunnie

Yeah, we have gone back to Makita cordless drills and the irony is that they’re the ones that have triggers fall off, and blow gearboxes.

Amazing how 'brands' devalue themselves, isn't it? Best example I can think of is Mercedes Benz. They build what is arguably the best car in the world, the S Class. That car has led the world for decades. But then, those pesky Japanese copy it with the first Lexus. BMW made the best Sport Saloon. Lexus ( again ) give us the is200. Thing is, neither Japanese car was as good as the car they copied. And the S Class is still probably the best car in the world. But the gap has narrowed, and they very nearly were.
Thing is though, MB and BMW thought that in order to beat them they needed to join them, and started to give us such things as the A Class and the 1 Series. The Japanese, Koreans and now the Chinese can beat these with their eyes closed. So, in order to remain competitive, the "prestige brands" make themselves decidedly UNcompetitive. Devalue the brand with predictable results. In the sub $60K markets Kia and Hyundai make far better, and also better equipped, offerings than MB and BMW. Once people aspired to a Beemer or a Benz. Now they don't need to. and it's the fault of the companies who got scared.

Makita, and Nikon possibly, got scared. There's an old saying: "Stick to your knitting'. Makita and Nikon may just do that.

Where MB and BMW had problems was 2 fold.

They were in financial difficulty in the late nineties and as a result cut corners to get new product into the market

Then in the way of all businesses they have to keep expanding. To do this they had to move into other sectors of the market. These new customers had the halo expectations the brands had created around themselves with marketing which they had never lived up to. Existing customers new the truth the new ones were disappointed