Tool Predictions - 2014

[Conductor562]

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

[firefighter4187]

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.

[Javier]

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.

[RedSionnach]

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. :-o

[Joe M]

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. :-o

 

Can I see the commericials now, LOL

[firefighter4187]

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!

[firefighter4187]

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. :-o

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!

[Javier]

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?

[07Sierra]

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... 

[firefighter4187]

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

[firefighter4187]

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.

[07Sierra]

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 

[Conductor562]

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. 

[DR99]

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.

[Joe M]

Dewalts first error was the 18v Lithium Ion..................I mean people are confused that batteries come in different voltages, let alone battery style.

[07Sierra]

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 

[07Sierra]

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...

[07Sierra]

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

[Conductor562]

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.

[Conductor562]

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.

[07Sierra]

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... 

[RedSionnach]

My dicks bigger than yours! No way my dicks bigger than yours!

[Conductor562]

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?

[RedSionnach]

Lol. Dick measuring contest on forums amuse me. The whole my brand is better than your brand shit cracks me up.

[DR99]

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.