Hitachi Power Tools became Metabo HPT, and now so is Metabo. It’s official, Metabo has been renamed to Metabo HPT in North America.
Metabo is now Metabo HPT.
We knew this was coming – see Metabo is Becoming Metabo HPT.
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The company says that this transition “marks the next step in the company’s global strategy to unite its power tool brands under a single, stronger identity.”
The head of Metabo HPT’s North American business unit also said “this is about aligning our North American brands to make it easier for customers to identify and trust the tools that work as hard as they do.”
They say that Metabo batteries will “continue to be supported and available for the foreseeable future,” and that “new cordless tools introduced under the Metabo HPT name will operate on the Multivolt system.”
So much for the Cordless Alliance System (CAS).
Customers wouldn’t have any problems identifying the two brands from each other if Hitachi Power Tools became Hikoki, which it’s known by outside the USA. Or even HPT.
There would be no confusing Metabo and HPT. But Metabo HPT?
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So now they’re doubling down and the Metabo 18V cordless power tool system is being discontinued – but only in North America. Because… to avoid confusion?
I guess Metabo HPT pulled ahead and Metabo hasn’t been gaining popularity, and so goodbye it goes.
They’ll make Metabo batteries available for existing customers, but I guess that’s the end of the road for Metabo 18V.
Both brands, Metabo and Metabo HPT, have been owned by KKR, a private equity firm for over 8 years now. The acquisition was made around 2 years after Hitachi acquired the Metabo brand.
I can’t help but wonder if this is all maneuvering by KKR to sell the company. KKR was one of the investors that sucked the life out of Toys R Us. Coincidentally, Toys R US filed for bankruptcy protection in 2017, the same year KKR acquired Metabo and Hitachi Power Tools.
Looking around online, I found news reports that KKR did try to sell Koki Holdings, the group that consists of Metabo and Metabo HPT, a few years ago, but nothing moved forward.
Bain Capital, which was another one of the investment companies that owned Toys R Us, reportedly failed in their attempts to sell Apex Tool Group, which consists of Gearwrench, Crescent, and others. According to recent communications to vendors, Apex Tool Group was essentially surrendered to their debtors in a deal that sounded a lot like asset forfeiture.
Now we have Metabo gone and their few corded tools rebranded as Metabo HPT.
The USA and North America has essentially been cut out of Metabo’s 18V cordless power tool platform the broader CAS ecosystem that never really took off here either.
Why is this good for consumers? Oh, that’s right, to make it “easier for customers to identify and trust the tools.”
None of this makes much sense to me anymore, and when that happens, “corporate maneuvering” is usually the underlying strategy.
Don’t worry, this is good for us. Somehow. Right? RIGHT?!
I like the folks over at Metabo/Metabo HPT.
But I can’t shake the feeling that Emperor Palpatine is moving pieces around behind the scenes to maximize not necessarily profits, but value.
According to online reports, KKR’s attempts to sell Koki Holdings fell through because potential buyers “couldn’t match KKR’s value expectations.”
That’s what happened to Bain Capital with Apex Tool Group too.
Also, remember what Bain did with ATG? They closed Armstrong Tools and Allen and then consolidated everything else into just a few brand names.
I like Metabo HPT as a brand, and Metabo too, and am worried about the direction things are headed.
Here’s the big question. Are things any different for the brands since they were acquired by KKT over 8 years ago? Did they gain market share in the USA? Elsewhere?
What else is in store for the brand, after Metabo fades away and all that is left is Metabo HPT?
And yet I also wonder – maybe this could be a good move for the brand. Brands? What if Dewalt absorbed Porter Cable years ago, rather than letting the brand wither away from neglect?
Am I being too critical, with unjustified concern?
I’m unconvinced that this is a simple rebranding. What’s happening is Metabo is being sunset in the USA. Goodbye Metabo 18V and goodbye CAS. But at least some Metabo corded power tools will be available under Metabo HPT branding and a brighter shade of green.
Is this good for the brand(s), and is it good for North American tool users? Or is it good for KKR, the private equity firm that owns Metabo and Metabo HPT?
On that note, the brand had few discounts and promos for the holiday season, with the two biggest deals being a basic miter saw for $99 and a cordless brad nailer kit at the same price. It’s going to take a lot more than that to grow the Metabo HPT MultiVolt cordless power tool system.
With any luck, maybe Metabo HPT will take the place of Flex at Lowe’s. I say this because Flex’s 24V cordless power tool line seems to be exiting Lowe’s stores, leaving a hole.
Recent private conversations have me almost convinced that Bosch has been doing things to court Lowe’s, which wouldn’t work out well for Metabo HPT.
These are very interesting times.
What bothers me bit is the answer to this question: does anyone care that Metabo is disappearing in the USA? At least some corded tools will be added to Metabo HPT’s lineup. Is anyone upset that the Metabo cordless power tool systems going away?
I doubt it, given the relatively low popularity. Isn’t that the problem, that the brand hasn’t done much to boost their popularity over the past few years? Nah, consolidation and simplification is probably the right answer, as the private equity-owned company seems to believe.
fred
Last year Acme and others had some compelling (for Santa fred anyway) deals on Metabo HP tools and kits. They got a batch of my gift giving dollars. This year they were totally absent from my buying – not having seen any deals – let alone compelling ones. Last year – I bought some Metabo batteries to supplement prior year gifts of Mafell tools. I saw no sales on them this year either. So maybe KKR’s discounting in 2024 didn’t pay off – then they couldn’t sell off the companies (at their inflated asking price) – so now it’s time to either reorganize things to get ready for a fire sale – or maybe figure out a way to load up one or both companies with debt then bail out of the tool business after the bankruptcy.
Not surprising to me – Milwaukee (and to a lesser extent Makita and Bosch) got my 2025 power tool gift buying dollars.
Coletrain
My goodness your recent posts have been downers, now i worry. Was never on flex but sad to see them leave. My local Lowes already has the flex case full of DeWalt tools. It looks like they’re dumping Skil too and that sucks since I love the 12v line. The only benefit i would gain is if HPT took over for flex but aster this will that happen? I’m guessing with the Bosch push from Lowes the ladder will likely happen. Lowes seems to bail altogether on brands rather quickly it feels like to me, rather than push marketing harder. Good stuff too if you ask me. Guess i am the only one that likes affordable 12v systems.
Stuart
The brand/retail side of the tool industry is complex. There’s a lot that I can’t ask, and so it’s good to think things through. And if it’s worth the time to think about, it’s the worth the time for a virtual roundtable discussion.
Corporate announcement: Metabo is now Metabo HPT.
What it really means: Goodbye Metabo 18V, goodbye any chance of Cordless Alliance System adoption in the USA.
Lowe’s and Hitachi announced an exclusive partnership 10 years ago – https://toolguyd.com/hitachi-lowes-partnership-2015/ . Today, are HPT or Lowe’s maximizing their ongoing relationship?
The reality is that we’re now in a 2-brand ecosystem with respect to cordless – Dewalt, Milwaukee, and everything else.
When is the last time Makita launched a new 12V tool? Dewalt? Skil?
Lowe’s seems to expect tool brands to bring customers to the store and website. If not, they’re certainly not going to put money or energy into it. That’s not bad, it’s how things just seem to be. Brands needs to act accordingly, but they don’t.
Marc
The little boys get absorbed or pushed out by the big boys. The way of the world. It is basically a Milwaukee, DeWalt, Ryobi world (maybe Makita and Bosch hanging in there). Buying anything else is a serious risk. IF you buy cheaper, you run the risk of the company going out of business or at best, hanging in there with little in the way of new tools and support.
Sinclaire
It’s too bad because Metabo HPT has a lot of tools that are as good and sometimes better than the DeWalt/Milwaukee equivalent. It’s a great brand but you’re right, there’s not a lot of room in the US market for companies other than the red and yellow and KKR’s terrible branding decisions certainly haven’t helped.
HmmmDusty
You have to put an asterisk next to that since that’s the situation in US. The rest of the world is very different picture, and Milwaukee and DeWalt are nowhere near as big a player as they are domestically.
In Japan and most of the Pacific Asia, Makita is top brand and Milwaukee and DeWalt are barely present. In Europe it’s a mix of Makita, Bosch, DeWalt and other brands. Ryobi as it exists in US is a virtual nonentity elsewhere.
Sinclaire
Hikoki seems to have a solid presence in Asia as well which makes sense
HmmmDusty
Based on videos I have seen of people wondering through Japanese used tool stores, Hitachi/Hikoki appears to be the second most sold brand of cordless tools there after Makita. Not sure about greater Asia area though.
KokoTheTalkingApe
Private equity firms. They make everything better! :-/
TomD
Almost everything I’ve seen is them attempting to resurrect a moribund company and simply prolonging the inevitable.
IronWood
Moribund or not they just extract the maximum value, and then either sell off or write off to make their financials look right. Rinse and repeat.
Scotty.
It’s not called “vulture capitalism “ for nothing…
CMF
Where’s Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman) when you need her.
Sinclaire
Not keeping the Hikoki name consistent worldwide remains one of the dumber branding decisions I can remember and unfortunately they can’t unring that bell. People respected Hitachi and the Hikoki name alludes to the company’s Japanese roots which is a good thing IMO.
I know they’re much bigger worldwide but I hope they’re able remain at least somewhat competitive in the US. They make great stuff at really competitive prices and the Multivolt system is a great idea that they’ve executed well.
Christopher Bigos
I wonder what will happen with some of the Metabo pro tools used in the metal fabrication industry., Their made in Germany grinders are excellent quality. Then they have tools like bevelers for preparing steel for welding. They have specialized tools for sanding pipe and they have a nice surface prep burnishing tool. These are available in cordless or corded. Their drills offer some nice features like the pulse start to keep a drill bit from skipping. They are one of the few companies with a torque multiplication head for their drills. And they have specialized tapping drills. It will be sad to see them go. I like having a cordless drill made in Germany.
Aram
This really seems like the kind of “decision” that got made as a consequence of internal corporate political battles rather than any Grand Rebranding Plan.
Rog
Absolutely reeks of such
Oarman
I have a bunch of MHPT stuff and like it. There are many tools that stand out and are great.
The rest of the line has a lot of filler and some items appear to be OEM rebrands. A lot of the tools (including the track saw) were already the same as Metabo, just with different battery hookups for the cordless tools. It really doesn’t make sense to offer double SKUs just to compete with yourself.
It’d be nice if this freed up some R&D for more product development. MHPT’s website is also pretty amateurish, low info and often missing what seems to be active SKUs (admittedly frequent issues across the tool brands.)
Bosch definitely has a broader portfolio (in power tools and beyond) but still nothing like Milwaukee has at Home Depot, and nothing else Lowes has does either.
IronWood
This whole Metabo/HPT branding strategy was beyond stupid. It’s just confusing for no reason. I have several Hitachi/Metabo HPT air nailers that have been great and my Metabo grinders are very good. But now, who knows if I’m looking at a legacy Metabo Germany tool or or legacy Hitachi Japan tool? They’ll all have the same name and the same green. I don’t want an inferior Hitachi angle grinder, I want the Metabo one I have now. Or, more likely, I’ll skip the confusion and switch brands. Two good brands just making asinine marketing decisions.
Harrison
Agreed, this whole thing was such an unforced own-goal, it’s unbelievable.
Joe E.
Who?
Mike
“Here’s the big question. Are things any different for the brands since they were acquired by KKT over 8 years ago? Did they gain market share in the USA? Elsewhere?”
I think it’s still KKR even if we don’t like big greedy companies.
But honestly, I heard it when it was a rumor a year ago and wasn’t excited as I wanted Metabo to offer their CAS tools in NA again.
At the very least offer the MetaBox as they are superior to Systainers and can work with Sys Classic and with an adapter with TSTAK, Sys T-Loc, and L-BOXX.
And most importantly, batteries. Mafell is becoming a bit popular amongst high end users and Lamello exists too. My Mafell rep said he’s more than happy to sell Metabo batteries and Bare tools in Mafell if that means more people start running that platform. Brands new to the system like are basically dead without support from Metabo (You do have Mafell but the biggest battery they have in NA is the 5.5Ah and not to mention more expensive). The only hope is that they make that adapter a reality.
https://patentscope2.wipo.int/search/ja/detail.jsf?docId=WO2025169829&_cid=JP2-MEHM6I-22687-1
The Metabo reps were pretty upset when the news were final, one of them is a big Metabo fan and wanted the CAS to become popular. I guess the big bosses are trying to sink the ship that has being sailing towards a bright future and just getting rid of it.
Mike
Bosch and Metabo HPT were both sold at Lowe’s in Canada before the left. I’d say HPT is more likely to get their spot as they offer more pneumatic tools which are an easier sale. They are also much cheaper than Bosch which means even the average guy will get them at a decent price.
Flex is not doing great at tool stores in Canada either, except for IHL. Ego is the opposite, it’s growing bigger. Especially during snow season, it’s selling like crazy and is much cheaper than the big brands. The new Milwaukee single stage costs more than the 2-Stage with 2 10Ah batteries.
ColeTrain
Americans of the damn problem. The “it’s DeWalt or Milwaukee” comments that leave us in this situation. Pretty sure Makita makes over 500 tools, one of which is a microwave. Popularity in this country drives more sales than anything else which is stupid. When the corporate world gets involved and changes things we come on sites like this to complain because as Americans we don’t like to be uncomfortable and again if that’s your thing, by Makita, I think they’re still owned by Makita. I get it, I don’t like what Lowe’s is doing just to try to keep up with home Depot but that is the job of their corporate offices and whatever tool company that’s going to fill the flex and skil tool bays soon to be open. I understand a preference for a brand but an allegiance for it to me as lunacy. Out of morbid curiosity I wonder if Bosch is macho Man ad campaign is going to be successful in the American market. It didn’t work on me but giving me a free miter saw if I buy a battery certainly did. Stuart, I’m on seven different tool platforms and the skil 12v stuff is a gem, everything I have is either good or excellent especially for that price. You asked when was the last time they put out a tool? I could count at least five releases before rigid has put out one but they’re still on the shelf at home Depot. I’d love to see more HPT there but feels like Lowe’s is going to expand the Bosch space and do something stupid like add the kreg line, which will see the same death as flex, skill, green works, worxs… Maybe, maybe not
Hans
I didn’t want to get into festool batteries so recently spent $800 on metabo’s HKC saw knockoff and a pair of CAS batteries, Whoops! I did have a hard time stomaching how the batteries—advertised as working across 40 brands—did not work on my co-workers MetaboHPT nailers.
Seems like in the world of power tools these days you should weigh heavily the market share of brands when choosing what to buy. It’s your best or only bet for longstanding product support.
fred
I too had bought Metabo batteries as extras for family members that I had given Mafell cordless tools. They looked to be nearly identical to Mafell batteries but offered at a significantly lower price. I guess that’ll be a no-go in the future.
Jonathan OAF
Menards, mostly in Midwest has a strong presence of Metabo HPT. HD and Lowe’s nat’l presence puts them at 152B and 87B respectively while Menards is 3rd at 14B in annual sales.
Jager
I ran the metabo 18v line for a while. They were the first to run 21700 battery cells (like a good 5-10 years before Milwaukee and DeWalt). Incredible tools. The new Milwaukee and DeWalt cordless grinders are just now matching the metabo I ran in 2014 and still miss some features like the rotating battery. They just didn’t have enough options in the lineup for non metalworking tools so I switched brands when they were stolen. I don’t feel too strongly either way about them being discontinued.
The one thing I worry more about are their corded tools. They make top notch metalworking tools that are readily available in the US at most welding suppliers. Tons of people run their grinders. Hitachi grinders were always bargain bin status. Something you would get for $30 and burn up. I don’t know how they’ll differentiate between the industrial formerly Metabo grinders and cheap formerly Hitachi ones now, unless it’s just a case of not buying the ones from Lowe’s. However, knowing Lowe’s incoherent stocking strategies, it’s likely Lowe’s does one of their strange moves and adds the industrial ones to their stores just to muddy the waters.
Something tells me the private equity firm neither knows nor cares about the difference.
Jonathan Matheson
I live in Canada, Metabo’s HPT line is carried at Kent which a large competitor here to Home Depot but its currently only their 18v line. I recently sold my Dewalt nailers and bought the Metabo HPT versions (at Kent and Canadian Tire) after watching some tear downs and doing some research. I find them to be far superior so far. Was tired of the flywheel system from Dewalt.
Adam Van
I’ve found Kent is missing a lot of the whole lineup, though they keep some of the pnuematic nailers and generally have one of the mitre saws on display.
Rona used to have a good selection of the cordless stuff but it seems like at least locally there is nothing in store any more, and it was always priced higher than other retailers, and often the earlier generation stuff.
Canadian tire often has stuff online but not in store either.
I’ve had good luck with Atlas Machinery, they seem to have a perpetual deal with a free multivolt battery and charger with many tools, and have some of the tools other don’t ever seem to, like the planer and the new tabless battery.
I do wish we could get the full hikoki lineup of stuff, they have things like outoor power equipment that I went with dewalt and stihl instead.
Been shipping parts over from Japan for my suzuki mini truck, and it’s been easier than expected to ship even big stuff like tires, but part of the appeal with metabo hpt is the lifetime warranty; I’ve only used it once for a battery that died earlier than expected, but it went quickly without hassle such that I felt good buying more of them.
Jonathan Matheson
Kent in Halifax has a fair amount of the 18v in stock.
Canadian Tire I purchased both their new gen framing nailer and roofing nailer in store however I’m quite
Sure they are new to CT and just starting to stock them.
Agreed, Atlas is great company to buy from. I got an excellent deal with free battery on the brad nailer.
Jonathan Matheson
I should add Rona is hit or miss in Nova Scotia. It’s either there or not sadly. Not a fan of that store here personally as a general contractor.
Rick
Slightly off topic, but since you mentioned Lowe’s dumping Flex in the near future, can we anticipate an in-store fire sale on all Flex products before the end of the year?
Also:
“owned my KKR” =>”owned by KKR”
“good the brand(s)” => “good for the brand(s)”
AP
They’ve had a bunch of sales already and there’s one going on now. I recently bought a 2Ah starter kit with a 160W fast charger which allowed you to choose a “free” gift. I chose the rear handle circular saw which is an absolute beast!
Stuart
Thanks! *fixed*
From what I’ve seen online, Lowe’s has already been clearing Flex tools out of stores at significantly discounted prices.
GREG
It’s been great to hit a “I need to start with a new battery system” time.
I picked up at least one of all the tools I wanted at less than cost prices.
Flex quality is solid and tge batteries (now) are exemplary and last as advertised.
Stuart
I disagree. Need a tool for a task? Sure, get Flex. Want to buy into a system? I doubt we’re going to see much expansion, and the loss of Lowe’s volumes are going to hurt pricing, not to mention visibility. I would not buy Flex as a system right now. They’ve launched very few tools in the past 2 years, how much advancement or keeping-pace do you think they’re going to do now?
MM
I’m very curious to see what will happen with Flex in the future. They haven’t had any massive new releases but they have been steadily cranking out new tools. Lowe’s clearing out Flex tools is clearly not good in some ways. However, there may be a silver lining. Lowe’s clearance sale created a bunch of new Flex customers–myself included. Many of us new customers will be looking for more batteries and additional tools now that we’re on the platform. Losing the retail space was not a good thing, but Flex just got their feet in the door with a lot of new customers.
Now I do agree that it’s probably not wise to pick Flex for someone looking to buy into their first mainstream system. But for a specific task or to supplement one of the bigger systems? I would not hesitate to buy Flex. I am super happy with the 5 tools I bought during the recent sales.
Hector
This just blows. Have a handful of 18v Metabo tools – vacuum, circ saw that works w/ crosscut rails, several drills. The drill BS 18 LTX BL Quick is excellent, w/ variable electronic torque, high speeds, made in Germany. The Metabo stuff made in Germany is just a solid step up from any HPT tool that I own. The vac is great because it has a filter AND uses bags, and it is in a metabox form factor. The circ saw /w the crosscut rails is great, because it is like the Mafell, but at 1/2 the cost and close on the build quality.
Guess I’ll be buying the batteries from the EU in the future.
Robert
Hector, Beaver Tools still carries Metabo CAS batteries. At least it looks like right now.
https://beavertools.com/625369000-metabo-18v-8-0-ah-lihd-battery-pack.html
Not sure if these are great prices, or getting them from an EU website would be better.
ElectroAtletico
I like my hand tools German. But not my power tools. Adios Metabo!
Doug N
I think I first learned about German Metabo from a Toolguyd post here eleven years ago (https://toolguyd.com/metabo-18v-brushless-drill-hammer-drill-2014/). I bought that drill and since bought the ltx-3 three-speed drill which superseded it, and others. Most of their German-made tools are fantastic. The quality matches Festool at half the price. What a shame they never caught on in North America. The CAS platforms still seem somewhat niche in Europe also.
Alex Peel
Universal tool batteries will only happen if there is government legislation, like what happened in Europe with the USB C charger requirement. This forced Apple to move away from proprietary charging tech. There is no incentive for a tool brand to voluntarily adopt a universal standard because proprietary batteries locks people into the brand. I could more easily see something like this happening in Europe, which is much more pro consumer than the US. However if it did happen there it might force US companies to follow suit or completely lose the market.
Jronman
I’d rather the government stay out of it. I don’t want some entity with lots of regulatory power who knows nothing about tools telling me how my tools should be. I would rather see things naturally move in the direction of a single battery platform because it would still leave things open for innovation. Brands could include their own feature set in the battery but retain the same slide interface. I think AmpShare would take off better than CAS in North America.
fm2176
I’m not an industry insider, a professional, or even a regular user of tools, but this doesn’t surprise me. Writing from the viewpoint of an American, SBD and TTI have a near-stranglehold on cordless tool platforms. SBD has their flagship DeWalt, probably the most popular brand overall since the 18v days, as well as Craftsman, which has brand recognition and a reputation for quality (deserved or not) that dates back nearly 100 years. While they neglect other platforms like Porter Cable and Black + Decker, they still minimally support them, and I’m sure B+D does some solid sales in the entry homeowner category. TTI, meanwhile, has Milwaukee–arguably as popular as DeWalt–and Ryobi, without doubt the most popular “budget” brand over the past nearly 30 years (One+ has been around since 1996). I’d argue that Ridgid has a solid place in the TTI lineup as well, due to the LSA which is simply not offered by any other tool company I know of. I’ve had good experiences with it so far, having replaced a battery and probably something else I’ve forgotten about.
Other brands here in NA, notably Bosch, Makita, Flex, Hitachi, and Metabo, lack the availability of SBD and TTI brands. My personal experience with Metabo wasn’t hands-on, but it was tempting to make the investment. In 2016, Lowe’s was clearing out what they had: a grinder, drill/impact kit, miter saw, and one or two other tools. The prices were good, but fortunately I restrained myself. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Metabo, but had I invested, I’d have been stuck with whatever tools and batteries Lowe’s had in stock and been forced to order anything else I wanted/needed online, most likely at full retail. No “Special Buys”, no “Buy This, Get That”, no further clearance sales, nothing. A few years later, I did add Hitachi, and later still MetaboHPT, tools to my lineup. The prices were right, and it seemed like the Dark Green brand was sticking around at Lowe’s.
Here in the US, many of us buy our tools at big box home improvement centers. Lowe’s and The Home Depot are the biggest two, while Menard’s seems to be popular in the Midwest (I’ve never so much as seen one, we do have a regional store in Louisiana called Stine Home + Yard that sells DeWalt, Milwaukee, Makita, Cfraftsman, and Skil). I’d venture to say that any power tool brand that doesn’t have a dominant presence in one of those stores (so, basically anyone besides SBD and TTI) is going to have a hard time gaining market share. The Home Depot is basically TTI territory, with Makita getting a tiny amount of floor and aisle space and maybe an endcap. Lowe’s is nearly entirely Yellow (DeWalt) and Red (Craftsman), with Bosch usually getting a prominent endcap (for rotary and demo hammers) and sharing an aisle with MetaboHPT and Flex. Skil and B+D are lucky if they get a few square feet of display area.
Anyway, enough rambling. I think most of us are in agreement that a universal battery platform like CAS would be great. Metabo getting jettisoned in the US in favor of MetaboHPT is a bad sign, but I’ve got to admit that the MultiVolt tools are fantastic. I have a few of the tools as well as the AC adapter. Due to disorganization and the sheer number of tools I have, I don’t grab them as often as I’d like, but I prefer them over many of the other brands. I’d say the circular saw and Triple hammer impact driver are probably my favorite.
Alexk
The person I work with has mostly Dewalt, and some Metabo. The impact driver, circular and reciprocating saws are fantastic….. but so is almost every tool from major companies. I do wish I splurged on the Metabo 18ga nailer for $89. Not super thrilled with my Ryobi brushed one, mostly because it’s bulky, but for the times I use it, I can’t justify getting a new one.
I did splurge on the Surge, even though I have two m12 fuel impact drivers, but it’s my Birthday present to myself. I waited until today to pick it up, ‘cause today is my birthday. I’ll have to play the Beatles song, “When I’m 64”. And one of the things I’m thankful for today, is being part of the Toolguyd family.
fm2176
Happy Birthday!
I don’t have the Surge but have the Ridgid Stealth. It’s a nice driver.
Alexk
Thank you!
Andrew
I just don’t get the strategy here. I understand that Metabo has a good reputation among industry folks, but to your average big box customer it sounds like an Amazon seller. Meanwhile, Hitachi has a middling to poor rep on the jobsite, but it has history as a brand which might be enough for Joe DIYer (certainly got me to buy a Hitachi miter saw I’ve been very happy with these last 15 years). Muddying the waters so no one knows if they can get what they’re looking for seems like they’re trying to destroy the business on purpose for some reason?
Jronman
Menards is the only big box I know of that consistently has a spot for Metabo HPT (and Bosch to be fair). At the same time those are the only cordless professional power tool brands sold at Menards. Allegedly Home Depot sells Bosch or did at one time. I
Haven’t seen an in store display of Bosch at HD. I think I have seen a Bosch display at Lowes but It has probably been 10 years since I was in a Lowes. At the end of the day more people in North America own HPT batteries than CAS batteries (at least in my local area). Keeping Multivolt over CAS was sadly the right move for the North American market. I would have liked to have seen Multivolt tech be brought over to CAS then kill the HPT battery lines but that would have been a big ask.
FarmHand
Why not just be hitachi power tools instead of HPT? I don’t know what a metabo is and adding HPT to it which stands for what I just said makes no sense. I love the idea of hitachi tools and own a cordless hitachi drill. It’s lasted for a decade plus. I would retire it for my Dewalts but it refuses to quit! Metabo doesn’t excite me. Never liked that name. Same with Flex If we’re talking about weird names. Flex sounds like some cheap no name brand. This just shows how hard it is to break into the US market. You have to bring somewhat dewalt and Milwaukee aren’t. Those two are the top dogs. Ryobi being third. Rigid tied for 3rd I would say. Lots of innovation with rigid and I have been impressed with their tools and their lifetime warranty as long as you register it. Let’s not forget harbor freight and all their knockoff tools. Lots of people and professionals even are using harbor freight everything to save some bucks. Especially since companies like dewalt abandoned their commitment to being made in the USA. Why buy them if it’s made in China when you can save money and buy from HF and get the same quality and same made in China product.
David
“Why buy them if it’s made in China when you can save money and buy from HF and get the same quality and same made in China product.”
We need to remember that all Chinese-made products are not of the same quality simply because they are made in China.
The Chinese manufacturers are just as capable of making extremely high-quality products as most other mass producers but are constrained by the requirements of their customers.
Harbor Freight occupies a different (typically lower cost) market position than Hitachi/Metabo and therefore purchases/specs tools at a lower cost. This inevitably means corners are cut. Metabo can just as easily spec a higher quality tool from the same Chinese factories; they just have to be willing to pay more.
The Chinese factories make products to the level of quality their customers want. It’s not always just the same tool with a different label for everyone. I think we all should realize this by now since we all have very high-quality, big-name products that were made in China.
This “prejudice” mirrors the same thinking from many years ago when Japanese-made products were initially considered universally lower quality. Like the Japanese, the Chinese too will eventually move beyond that stigma. Not yet, apparently.
Tatensolo
Hitachi Koki, a subsidiary of Hitachi founded in 1948, first bought Germany’s Metabo in 2016. Hitachi sold Hitachi Koki to KKR in 2017 and the entity renamed to just Koki as it lost the license to the Hitachi name. Makes sense to consolidate brand into Metabo HPT for all tools in the US, (with HPT a reference to the Hitachi name) including those originally made by the German Metabo (steelwork) and those originally made by the Japanese Hitachi (woodwork). Display area at retailers like Lowe’s is extremely competitive, having just one brand to display and promote is the right approach, and the most cost effective, after all the Koki US business is not very big. Metabo HTP is the undisputed leader in pneumatic nail guns and will try to leverage that high quality reputation in the pro segment to grow in corded/cordless tools, which will be a big challenge given entrenched leaders. I don’t think KKR selling or not will make much of a difference.