Big box stores: Inferior tools?

[Soundguy]

if you are actually gonna do that as a group. to cut costs.. find someone who has actually just bought one of these models that are seemingly duped.. that way you only have to buy one more... then cut open and count the rings...

 

[k0ua]

Ours is not the only forum to tackle this.. but they are all hear say until someone buys those 2 Dewalt drills and takes them apart, and takes pictures of all the guts. Just to be clear, I don't think anyone is arguing that the big box stores have some tools that look like higher quality tools, and may have a nearly identical Model number, but may be or most likely are a lower quality at a lower price point. The only thing in dispute is that there are tools with identical model numbers but are of inferior quality delivered to the Home Depot, and can be identified by their serial numbers by those that know how to decode them.. Again I am in the I don't know camp now. I pooh poohed this idea at first, but I am willing to be shown that this is true now. So many of you with professional credentials have come down on the lower class tools at Home Depot side, I am willing to listen, and be shown. As a vote for who we could trust department. I would vote for Bird as he is an old timer here and I would deem more trustworthy than some of you (or me for that matter)

James K0UA from the "show me state"

Is there any truth to Home Depot / Lowes power tools being cheaply made equivilants of the real thing? - Yahoo! Answers

Does Home Depot sell inferior power tools? - Straight Dope Message Board

Are tools sold at Home Depot of a lesser quality than those bought at a reputable tool supply shop

https://advice.thisoldhouse.com/showthread.php?t=3087

Home Depot quality? | Fine Homebuilding | Breaktime

 

[Carl Bert]

LD1, yes my thoughts exactly. However some have put forth good arguments that this may be happening. When some of the professionals on here state for a fact they have torn apart the items and they are different, I have to take notice. I am certainly not a plumbing professional (yes the thread went off into plumbing and I believe it started with tools!) so I feel the need to listen to those that are. BUT I would still like someone to take the time and money to get two identical model number Kohler faucets, one from a plumbing supply, and one from Home Depot, and two Dewalt drills one from a local industrial supply, and one from Home Depot, making sure the model numbers were exactly the same, and tear them down and with photo's please show us the differences. I just don't know, and gut feelings and logic are not going to prove anything at this point when we have so many good people on each side of this issue. What say, someone?

James K0UA

I'm all for it. With the faucet, don't only inspect the differences, but also weigh the faucet itself. The metal that is used, is supposed to be thinner. As for the power tools, you should get a Milwaukee. As said before, Ryobi probably doesn't do it, because they only make cheap tools, and pretty much sell for the same price no matter where you buy them. Dewalt, no one had any definite facts about, so your best bet, if you want to find out the truth, would be a Milwaukee cordless drill. I may just do it myself on Monday, if I can get gas. Long lines at the stations since Sandy

 

[k0ua]

I'm all for it. With the faucet, don't only inspect the differences, but also weigh the faucet itself. The metal that is used, is supposed to be thinner. As for the power tools, you should get a Milwaukee. As said before, Ryobi probably doesn't do it, because they only make cheap tools, and pretty much sell for the same price no matter where you buy them. Dewalt, no one had any definite facts about, so your best bet, if you want to find out the truth, would be a Milwaukee cordless drill. I may just do it myself on Monday, if I can get gas. Long lines at the stations since Sandy

OK Milwaukee then, that would be good.. I have used some very tough Milwaukee drills in my old cable pulling days. Now that said, I believe that they are all made in China now, and I don't know if the quality is as good of the old days or not. But the point is, a Milwaukee that is model number abc123 at an industrial supply and model number abc123 at Home Depot are they the same or not?

James K0UA

 

[Carl Bert]

OK Milwaukee then, that would be good.. I have used some very tough Milwaukee drills in my old cable pulling days. Now that said, I believe that they are all made in China now, and I don't know if the quality is as good of the old days or not. But the point is, a Milwaukee that is model number abc123 at an industrial supply and model number abc123 at Home Depot are they the same or not?

James K0UA

Once again, if you read back in the thread, Its been said some manufacturers use the model number and some use the serial number to distinguish between the tools. If its the model number, it will be the same number with an additional letter or two at the end, but it will be the identical looking tool. I know some will say, different model number, different tool, but how many people look at and compare model numbers of a milwaukee cordless drill for example. This has been the point I have been trying to make from the beginning. No one is trying to say that HD and Lowes are doing something illegal, although it should be. They are just taking a tool, that lets say usually sells to the distributer for $100 and they tell the manufacturer to make it for $70. So the manufacturer takes the tool and uses cheaper parts to meet the price. Now its up to the manufacturer whether he uses the model number or serial number to tell which is which. I always thought it was the model number, but as some professionals have said, it also could be the serial number.

 

[jymbee]

Count me in. I think it would be an interesting experiment.

It seems if two items were selected for the test and there turned out to be a "smoking gun" so to speak, that would be quite revealing. However if no differences were found, that would just mean that those particular items from those particular vendors were identical-- and not conclusive proof that the issue of different quality parts does exist for other combiinations of vendors & models.

But hey, that's what conspiracy theories are all about in the first place!

alright, lets all pool some money together and nominate a member to do just this. I have paypal and will put up some money to satisfy my curiosity. I say we go for home depot, and maybe grainger or fastenal.

 

[jymbee]

I pooh poohed this idea at first, but I am willing to be shown that this is true now. So many of you with professional credentials have come down on the lower class tools at Home Depot side, I am willing to listen, and be shown.

I too was a pooh-pooer initially based on the early input here. Then I slid into the "maybe" camp, then back to poo-pooh, then back to "maybe", then "now that makes sense"! Getting a bit dizzy...

 

[LD1]

I say we go by model number. Becasue EVERY SN is different and unique. (or at least it should be)

I am like koua in that I am not so hard headed to be proven wrong. Show me, and I will believe. BUT....showing be a model abc123 compared to abc123a isnt gonna cut the mustard with me. the PN's HAVE to be the SAME. Not close, or not with extra #'s or letters, but IDENTICAL.

I too would like to second the nomination for BIRD. Didnt he used to repair air tools??

 

[Carl Bert]

I say we go by model number. Becasue EVERY SN is different and unique. (or at least it should be)

I am like koua in that I am not so hard headed to be proven wrong. Show me, and I will believe. BUT....showing be a model abc123 compared to abc123a isnt gonna cut the mustard with me. the PN's HAVE to be the SAME. Not close, or not with extra #'s or letters, but IDENTICAL.

I too would like to second the nomination for BIRD. Didnt he used to repair air tools??

To start off, serial numbers can be used to identify two different model tools. Serial numbers can have groups, such as all serial numbers that start with "A" and all serial numbers that start with "B", would be a way of distinguishing between two tools that are identical, but one with cheaper parts. You are not going to find the exact model # and serial (lets call it group codes) on two different tools. If the numbers are exact, the tools are exact. First reason would be that it would be fraud to do so, and the second and more obvious would be, that there would be no way to identify the tool for future parts

From the beginning of this post I have been stating that the model numbers are not identical. HD products for example will use the same model number and add a letter or two, lets say Milwaukee 18V cordless drill Model #1032, and for home depot products it might be, Milwaukee 18V cordless drill Model #1032HD. If you had the two tools in you hand, they would look identical, but have different parts, such as maybe metal gears opposed to plastic.

If you're going to do the test not knowing this, you may just wind up comparing the same two tools. The best way to know that you are getting one of the good quality tools and one of the poorer quality ones, would be to buy one from Grainger and one from HD. We all know that Grainger sells the very best and charges for it.

 

[LD1]

To start off, serial numbers can be used to identify two different model tools. Serial numbers can have groups, such as all serial numbers that start with "A" and all serial numbers that start with "B", would be a way of distinguishing between two tools that are identical, but one with cheaper parts. You are not going to find the exact model # and serial (lets call it group codes) on two different tools. If the numbers are exact, the tools are exact. First reason would be that it would be fraud to do so, and the second and more obvious would be, that there would be no way to identify the tool for future parts

From the beginning of this post I have been stating that the model numbers are not identical. HD products for example will use the same model number and add a letter or two, lets say Milwaukee 18V cordless drill Model #1032, and for home depot products it might be, Milwaukee 18V cordless drill Model #1032HD. If you had the two tools in you hand, they would look identical, but have different parts, such as maybe metal gears opposed to plastic.

If you're going to do the test not knowing this, you may just wind up comparing the same two tools. The best way to know that you are getting one of the good quality tools and one of the poorer quality ones, would be to buy one from Grainger and one from HD. We all know that Grainger sells the very best and charges for it.

So it seems that we are on the same page??? in that IF the model number is IDENTICAL, the toos are identical??? Cause thats what I have been saying, BUT some say that tools can have the EXACT same model #, but be different and only way to know is the SN. THOSE are the tools that I (and I think k0ua) would like to see compaired. And NOT something with a similar but slightly different Model #