On Jan 27, 4:44*am, "
wrote:

I remember a couple of commercial vendors/suppliers here started to
carry the Metabo line. *None of us knew anything about them, their
support system, their parts inventory availability... nothing. *The
Metabo spokesperson I met had the attittude "we're a company of German
engineers so our product has to be good" so he had trouble with us
nuts and bolts guys.

I think that was one of their big problems in the early stages and
perhaps even today. It seemed like, through training, Metabo
corporate, got that snobbery into their US reps. Saddly, Metabo is and
was, much like Festool. They inovated many of the things we see in
todays tools. They built tools that would rarely need to come in for
service. They were the inovators of electronics in tools. We have used
their electronic grinders for years, there is no comparison. One of
the reps told me some funny stuff about the electronics when they
first came out. An electronic tool idles consuming only about 90 volts/
low amps, as load is applied to the tool it applies whatever of the
remaining power needed to maintain a constant operating speed. This is
whether its a drill, grinder, belt sander, whatever. Of course many of
todays tools have this now, routers, DW's belt sander, etc.. They
confuse a lot of people to hear a tool spin up, then spin back down
slightly to idle. Well when Metabo would give a shop a few grinders
for a trial the guys on the floor would think the grinder was not
removing any material because subconsciously they always gauged the
work being done buy the bogging down of the grinder. These were guys
that had been grinding for decades. It would wreak havoc on their work
having a grinder that never bogged down. A tool that was doing the
work for them instea of the other way around. In some cases guys would
exhaust themselves pushing harder and harder all day long trying to
get the tool to bog. Shops would say they were going through wheels
more, come to find out guys were tossing them thinking they werent
cutting. Again, though the tool was actually better, it would get sent
back or put in the crib. Metabo however couldnt get the knowldge out
there and applied. Its that old habbits thing.


I don't want a tool down for 90 days while they send it from
some far off place to the only authorized dealer in town that can
order parts. *If it is a tool I depend on, that part is out of the
question.

Yeah, at least for us, that was never an issue. Even when Metabo first
came on line in the US their tools and parts were shipped in on
tractor trailers and UPS trucks just like every other tool MFR. The
tools and parts were always available through distribution. The funny
part was, the distributor I did the side work for did A LOT of tool
repair. Some in house and much of it was shipped to authorized service
centers in state or perhaps a state away. The piles of tools shipped
out every couple weeks was big to say the least. But there was rarely
if ever a Metabo in the pile. Back then however, Metabo was not a big
part of the market so grinders, and drills, were perhaps the norm. Now
they have a lot more tools out and things may have changed.

and put on 20' power cords on instead of the
factory 8'. *

That was a Metabo standard that no other tool mfr to this day has
capitalized on. We too have done that for years. Metabo's standard
cord was 15' I believe.

But it has seen its last
rebuild. *

Thats one that should go on the top shelf of your shop with a glass
box around it. Hehe.


Well said. *If they made a tool that I HAD to have to work on a job, I
wouldn't think twice about it. *

Thats the way we are looking at Festool. Like I said, it'll happen.

I really like the idea of buying a tool you know is going to be a
quality tool that is worth the investment. *That's why I bought my
Milwaukees 30+ *years ago when I could have bought two of any other
"professional" saws for that price. *I knew it would last, and I knew
I could get parts for it.

Ufortunately that was, and is not (in my opinion) the norm. When I was
introduced to Metabo tools was when Makita was making its big push
into the US. They gave birth to the $45.00 skill saw that you took on
a roof to cut in a ridge vent and then threw it away because you
burned it up. A trigger for that saw (and you may as well throw in a
strain relief and cord while you were in there) cost more than 1/2 the
purchase price of the saw. Makita and the like started the low cost
low quality tool revolution with regard to tradesman, I am not talking
the homeowner market (skil, B&D, etc). Sawzall's with plastic parts in
the nose, and so on. Shortly thereafter B&D bought DeWalt and made
some horribly bad tools in the early days of DeWalt's consumer line.
Many of those early DeWalt tools were so sh*tty that today I am still
reluctant to buy DeWalt though we own several.

Right around this time was when the general mindset on quality was
being taken over by the big box mentality. A move away from local
suppliers, knowledgable suppliers, local distribution, and away from
quality. That was about 20 years ago and things havent even begun to
change though I too think people are finally seeing the light that
they have been dooped by the low quality that is todays normal
quality.


I hope Festool is here to stay, and that some of the other companies
making tools will take note of their success. *It couldn't do anything
but good for all of us.

Here here!