I have been spending more time working with a couple of FLEX Tools samples, and there’s one aspect that keeps shining through each of them – the sheer blistering power.
There are many other great things about their new cordless power tools, but their speed, power, and performance have been impressing and surprising me.
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Flex is a ToolGuyd sponsor, and I’ve been trying to be extra careful in how I test them. I have been hoping to find some compromises to share – anything to keep me from doing nothing but gush about the tools, but they’re just not there.
There have been a lot of reader questions and concerns about the Flex brand. Where did they come from? Why should we trust them? Is it a gamble to buy into their new 24V Max brushless cordless power tool platform?
Flex is clearly aiming for the premium and professional tool market, promising to “conquer the jobsite” and “power the trades.”
These are strong claims for a “new” brand. But here’s the thing that a lot of people don’t know. While Flex has launched a new line of 24V Max cordless power tools, they’re not a new brand, and neither are the teams designing and building these tools.
The same company that owns Flex also owns EGO, Skil, and Skilsaw tool brands, and they have also been making cordless power tools for other tool companies and retailers’ house brands.
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I have been finding it difficult to answer questions about the Flex brand, as I’ve had years of experience with the many tools and innovations that led up to their new cordless platform.
Personally, I have full faith in Flex. They are experienced in launching new game-changing cordless platforms, as they did with EGO’s cordless outdoor power tools and then again recently with Skil’s 12V and 20V Max cordless systems.
Flex is now doing something similar. They’re not designing tools and then shopping around for end users, they’re designing their tools specifically with pro and demanding users in mind. They know what users are looking for in cordless power tools, and that’s what they’re striving to deliver.
Flex’s engineers and product managers are passionate and extremely adept at what they do.
A reader recently asked for my opinion, as they’re thinking about buying into the Flex cordless system before the end of the year to take advantage of the Founder’s warranty extension promotion:
Purchase by December 31, 2021 and register within 30 days to gain exclusive access to the FLEX Founders Limited Lifetime Warranty on all FLEX 24V tools, batteries and chargers.
I think this is a great idea. In the absence of my years of interactions and many experiences with their other tool designs, the Founder’s warranty extension would probably put me at ease about trusting a new-to-me brand.
There is a lot behind Flex’s new cordless power tools – years of cordless advancements, market research, and countless times their parent company has pushed the limits of brushless motor and Li-ion battery tech.
Even with Flex being a new brand that’s putting out bold claims, the teams behind the tools have proven themselves over time to have the know-how, ambition, and commitment to back it all up.
Long-time readers might know me to be easily excited and overly optimistic when it comes to new tools and developments, which is why I’ve been putting in a lot of time with some of Flex’s core tools, just to be sure. I continue to be pleased and impressed, and everything I have experienced thus far has met or exceeded my expectations.
So far, Flex’s tools have been performing extremely well, meeting and even at times exceeding my high expectations. I have been working with Flex’s core tools and am nearly ready for more. Which Flex tools do you want to see reviewed here? What do you want to know?
And, there’s something you should know – more Flex tools are on the way.
You can see all of Flex’s current cordless power tool options at Lowe’s, and there are plenty of new user reviews in case you want to check those out as well.
(I have also been giving some thought to putting together a giveaway. There are already so many different tools to choose from – I’m open and eager to feedback and suggestions as to potential prize ideas.)
Nathan
question then. are the flex tools using 24V nominal or 24V peak. let’s say it’s nominal – so 2 row battery pack for flex 24 has more general power than it’s 18V counterpart. so yes their drills should run harder, impact hit hard etc.
Stuart
I believe 24V Max – they have 2 rows of 6 cells. The battery is physically sized for 12 cells in 2 rows, and that’s what exploded view marketing images show.
They use phase -change materials for cooling and heat dissipation, which is said to allow for better cooling and longer runtime. They use similar tech in other battery packs as well.
24V Max tools generally DO have max performance profiles, but that’s not always the case. There are other brands who have higher-voltage power tool options that perform worse than 18V-class tools.
More cells and higher voltage give the *potential* for higher performance. It seems that Flex does make the most of it, but it’s not going to be true for all brands or cordless platforms.
Jammer
I’d like to know if the turbo mode on the drill has come in handy and if it performs as expected.
One thing I’ve noticed is that when drilling pocket holes with my Kreg pocket hole jig, my 3100rpm impact driver performs with blazing speed and doesn’t require me to back out the drill bit to clear chips, whereas my 1800rpm drill takes more than twice as long to drill the same pocket hole because I have to clear chips 2-3 times.
Have you tried this with the Flex drill? Does the speed slow significantly under small loads?
How precise is the drill chuck? Any wobble?
Tony
I was wondering has anyone heard of a framing nailer in the works
JD
I’m curious if Flex has any plans for 12V line or compact tool line. I like Chervon tools alot, but the 24V platform is too big for most of my needs.
Stuart
Ooh, good question. Their focus is on 24V right now, but anything is possible.
MichaelT
When you say “ooh, good question” I walk away thinking, “hmm, that dude’s got inside information he can’t share”. Should I adjust my thought process, or just quit stating the obvious?
philip s john
A tool line is only as good as their dedication. Since most stick to one brand for utilizing batteries and save with bare tools… 200 plus tool like red and yellow and years of Innovation is the dedication I like and stick with.
Kai
Looks like their website is already showing listings for 12v and 18v batteries alongside their 24v stuff?
Perry
They already produce the skil 12v line which has done very well in reviews. I’ve used a few of their tools now and I’m impressed, I just wish the form factor on the drills was a little smaller
A-A-Ron
Agreed. Skil’s 12v line is technically good in terms of performance and generally affordable (Amazon had crazy good deals a year ago), but they’re much closer to 18v tools size-wise. The drill/driver is roughly the same length as Milwaukee’s Gen 3 Fuel.
it’s_jake
but dang is it cheap. i got one for my wife for our anniversary so there can be an “upstairs” drill and yeah, it’s the same size as my makita bl in the dimensions that count, but it is lighter, really inexpensive, and performs well so far
Gordon
If I was buying into a tool system today, I think Flex would be towards the top of my list. I think the 24v is a nice bump over 18v tools but not as big of a compromise as 40v. And with batteries ranging from 2.0ah to 12.0ah, you really have your choice in the weight vs runtime balance.
I was a little surprised to see some specialty tools already. I saw a mud mixer, drywall cutout router, autofeed screw driver, high torque impact, cordless shopvac and a barrel grip jigsaw. Some tools are almost cheap enough to make me want to switch.
I’m very curious to see if they enter the larger tool market with Table and Miter saws. I would love, love, love, to see a 120v adapter at that point too. That’s a huge selling point for the Metabo HPT MV tools.
In a similar vein, I think Hitachi/Metabo HPT/Hikoki tools are very underrated, and underpromoted in the US.
Jim Felt
My only observation is they’ve got a steep hill to climb vis-à-vis their chosen big box “partner”.
Lowe’s, at least in my two state market area, is for housewives and the occasional dire need tool purchaser. Too inconsistent for anyone more shall I say advanced or professional.
But of course they had to start somewhere. Only time will tell.
Kunkel
HD would have been a pretty hard sell… TTI has them pretty locked in with Red Orange and Green. Then Dewalt and Makita both on the shelves as well.
Lowe’s of course is also pretty crowded with Craftsman and Kobalt, plus SB&D products and Bosch… And is a bit of a disaster too. But at least has the space to promote a high end exclusive house brand at the high end.
Jim Felt
All true. Especially the “disaster” part. But on occasion I’ve found some interesting less well distributed brands there and just the other day a $9 “close out rack” Bosch 18V quick charger.
Ya just just know…
Gordon
My store barely has Bosch and Kobalt on end caps. Flex now has it’s own aisle.
MM
I don’t have any reason to doubt the quality or the performance of flex tools. I’ve only used one of their drills a handful of times but it was clearly a quality tool, had plenty of power. I think they have a surprisingly broad lineup for a brand which is as little known as it is. And I also think they have some great new ideas too: Have you seen their “inline” 6 1/2″ circ saw?
But I think they have a long way to go if they really are serious about taking over the professional market. They have most of their big bases covered but there are still holes there: miter saws, nailers, routers, sanders, lighting, bandsaws. And they really have nothing when it comes to the specialized trade tools like drain machines, PEX expanders, and tubing crimpers for plumbers, ratchets and compact impact wrenches for mechanics, specialty grinders for fabricators and pipefitters, crimpers and threaded rod cutters for electricians, and so on. I’m not knocking their products or their quality, it’s just I feel their product lineup doesn’t currently back up their claims of being the go-to brand for pros. Makita, Milwaukee, and Dewalt absolutely trounce them in that department. And other pro-oriented brands like Metabo (not HPT) and Hilti may not have as full a selection as those companies do but they do offer more than Flex.
Jim Felt
What Hilti represents to me at least is “service” that basically trounces all the others mentioned. Also great if specialized tools and fixtures most civilians will never know of.
Jim Felt
“Civilians” in the non working pro sense. AKA more casual users.
Rob
I would have to imagine that, looking at the big picture, at least 90% of professional trades-people do not use 90% of the tools/consumables offered by Hilti. That’s somewhat of an exaggeration but Hilti definitely caters to one sector.
Chris S
I looked up the inline saw. I think it’s an interesting design, but it is also belt driven. I can’t find a picture or breakdown of what kind of belt they’re using, but I don’t like the idea of introducing wear parts in something like that. Why not use some sort of gear/shaft setup similar to a worm drive and make the tool more resilient and keep user maintenance to a minimum.
MM
Belt is much cheaper than gears, and it’s very quiet. I generally don’t like belts in my stationary machinery if it’s possible to at all avoid them–all my drill presses are gear drive, for example. But I haven’t had much trouble with them as far as handheld power tools go. I’m honestly impressed with how well the tiny little belt in my 20V max handheld planer is holding up.
I looked at the parts breakdown on Flex’s website and you can’t tell much, but it appears to be a multi-rib V-belt, sort of like the serpentine belt used on most cars these days. It didn’t look like a cogged belt but it was difficult to tell from the picture.
fred
My Porter Cable “locomotive” belt sander from the early 1970’s is chain driven and still going strong. It has been cleaned and re-lubricated – but has not needed parts replacement. I’m not sure that a belt would have lasted nearly as long.
MM
Surely not, with that kind of time. Any sort of rubber or poly would have deteriorated long before then.
Bill W
Fred, I have the same sander from the early 80s, and other than changing the oil I do think I’ve replaced the power cord once.
fred
Bill
They made several models over quite a few years. I have several PC sanders beside this (#503) one- and while I’ve replace brushes – with just a bit of TLC (blowing out dust etc.) most have held up for decades.
I did have an issue with their pad sander (#330) – but it was repaired under warranty. Even though it was pretty old at the time – I was told the part that failed should not have done so.
PC also had a number of sander firsts. My 7336 ROS – based on a angle grinder design was said to be the first ROS. My #121 portable oscillating spindle sander had no competition when it was introduced. My 505 half sheet pad sander was an industry standard workhorse. The 360 3×24 baelt sander was also very popular. PC was also the first to introduce a floating head rotating disk drywall sander – today much copied.
But I did buy some of what I’d call PC’s misses. Their #444 Profile Sander was a bit more toy than tool – and their compact belt sander (371K) has gatherered more dust in my shop than it has made.
Serendipity
My father had a craftsman miter saw that was belt driven. Never had a problem cutting but it screwed so loud it hurt you ears.
DRT42
Fred
Ha. I love my PC 371 “mouse”. If you ever decide to clean house and throw yours away, please send it to me postage-due and I will give it a good home.
Or maybe we can trade for something. What “useless” tool do you want that I might own? LOL. This could be a whole new forum on Toolguyd – “Useless Tool Swap”.
Josh
Where are the tools made and where is the parent company from?
Stuart
Chervon is HQed in China and has various subsidiaries, including in the USA.
Charles_A
I’m tempted by some of these drill kits, if only because they still come with hard cases.
So sick and tired of the ‘soft cases’ (cheap cloth bags) that have come into being.
Stuart
A lot of brands still offer hard tool boxes with their drill kits.
Aaron S
I just threw away a pallet of stupid hard cases that tools ship with… at least the bags don’t take up much space when I store them after I take the tools out. big proprietary cases that don’t match up or stack waste a ton of space in the truck or shop
Chris S
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTGrYkF3khw
I don’t see recommending this to anyone I know in a trade. Slightly more power than a class leading massive brand, but at the cost of oversized batteries (like Ridgid’s problem), overheating/temp control issues (funnily enough, also like Ridgid), all core tools can only be bought as kits (expensive if you want to piece meal your kit), and subjectively some would say “to much power for 1/4” Hex.
Also not enough tools in the lineup to be considered PRO in my opinion (as others have already stated).
Maybe for the Pro-sumer market or small general contractors that don’t need a miter saw and more specialty stuff that a Hitachi/Metabo HPT setup already works well for, or someone that still works primarily with corded tools and 24V is finally good enough for them because “18V just can’t cut the mustard”. 😛
Bill W
While this may sound superficial, these tools almost disappear on a page. When I clicked on your link to Lowe’s, it was reminiscent of an old black and white Sears catalog, save for the green stripes. Just look at the two images included with this article, to see how the Flex tools are indistinguishable from the dark background. This must be a nightmare for their marketing department.
There is a reason why most of the bing brands use a bright, primary color. Not only do their tools jump out on the page and in the store, but most of us could probably tell which brand of cordless saw or drill is being used at the far end of a job site.
However, there are some advantages to the muted grey and black used by Flex. In use, their tools are much less likely to show the dirt, grime and scuff marks of a hard day. And maybe blending into the background is not such a bad thing when you also want to deter theft on a job site.
IronWood
Interesting observation, I can’t unsee it now! I checked the Flex company website and there it is: a guy in a black shirt holding a black drill in front of a black background. I guess all the bright colors were taken?
Stuart
I also saw them as greyscale at first. I don’t have any issue with the tools in real life, but yeah, they don’t pop very well on a white background.
That’s something that can always change in time, but what color isn’t already taken?
IronWood
Fuschia. I think that’s the only one left.
A-A-Ron
Brown or tan would be a good enough choice. I think a black/brown with white lettering would look quite professional.
Aaron S
Maybe they should put a different background color on their product photos… yeah, there are some sites that gray out products that are out of stock and this definitely gives that vibe!
Rob
I can say that one disadvantage to having a black/grey drill is that I’m liable to get shot. 🤪
John G
Sold your soul huh?
Dirck Van Lieu
You clearly don’t know Stuart.
Stuart
Thank you Dirck!
I suppose this is why so many people don’t disclose sponsorships when they should.
Serendipity
How dare you pay for your website, you should be ashamed and only allowed to use alibaba tools from now on.
Aaron S
I bet he even mooched some of it to pay his mortgage and feed his family too!
IronWood
The only Flex experience I have is with older angle grinders, which were excellent on par with the German Metabos (my favorite). So I know that Flex brings a history of quality to the table, and these new tools are likely quite good. BUT, available only at Lowes? Nope. Don’t think so. We have about 5 Home Depots for every Lowes around here, plus plenty of independent lumber yards/supply houses, and the internet. While HD is far from perfect I’ve had nothing but bad experiences at Lowes. If I’m going to abandon DeWalt and Milwaukee and buy into a heavy duty, high quality, pro level cordless system with limited distribution it will be Hilti. Otherwise I sure like having 100 different options for getting the best price on some new DeWalt or M12 batteries, etc.
Going to be an uphill climb for Flex to build a premium cordless system and brand with only Lowes as a partner. Maybe this is just their launch and they’ll be targeting other distribution in the future? I guess good luck to them.
Rob
Bruh, this Lowes lineup has nothing to do with the German Flex aside from the fact that their parent company is slapping the Flex name on it.
IronWood
Oh, of course. Well then double pass.
Plain grainy
I’ve been watching the prices on the Rigid cordless belt sander. Does Flex make a cordless belt sander? I didn’t notice any in the Lowe’s ad.
MFC
Going to be a troll for a minute:
I would like you to test their bandsaw, miter saw, tablesaw, framing nailer, hole saw, brad nailer, chainsaw, concrete saw, SDS-max rotary hammer, track saw, etc.
Oh wait, they don’t have those yet! Guess we’ll have to wait 5+ years to get those tools and of course guess at which tools they might come out with each year as things go on.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if a tool company told you ahead of time which tools it was working on releasing? Pipe dream…
ToolGuyDan
Is this the same FLEX that brought us the VCE33AC vacuum/dust collector? Or completely unrelated?
Kilroy
Looks like it is the same company, as that’s still offered on their website, along with the newer cordless tools.
Rob
Coincidentally, it’s a Nilfisk vac that Flex slaps their name on (which is fine, everybody rebrands
nilfisk and Starmix vacs, they’re good stuff) while the Lowes line are Chervon tools that they slapped the Flex name on. If Flex stopped making their drywall sander and couple of polishers; would they actually make anything anymore? Before anyone says grinders…remember I’m in 120v-ville.
Rob
I’m making this confusing,
Same brand, sort of. Chervon owns Flex and can do whatever they want with the name. I guarantee you Flex HQ in Germany has nothing to do with the cordless lineup.
Serendipity
I would love to try them, but they don’t offer anything I don’t already have. I was going to buy the osc kit but it was never in stock. I ended up getting a Makita off cl for cheap.
A-A-Ron
Seems like a compelling lineup but I don’t think a single tool has sold in the 2 Lowe’s stores I most frequent. The fact that Lowe’s has stupid zip ties around the handles of all the displays make it impossible to check out their ergonomics. I honestly feel the worst for Kobalt in this situation as their 24v line has really found its footing at last and especially with the XTR line. Not even a year later after XTR the same manufacturer comes out with a same-voltage lineup sold at the same store to boot.
Speaking of Kobalt’s XTR, they have a darn good price on their 5-tool rollout kit ($349): https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-XTR-5-Tool-24-Volt-Max-Brushless-Power-Tool-Combo-Kit-with-Hard-Case-Charger-Included-and-2-Batteries-Included/1002274180
There’s also a good price on Metabo HPT’s 5-tool kit of similar tools: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Metabo-HPT-was-Hitachi-Power-Tools-5-Tool-Cordless-Combo-Kit/5001958863
Any suggestion on which kit you’d go with, Stuart? Including Flex, I’m on the fence with all 3 platforms.
Oh, and on a final note, what’s the exact policy on the batteries with the Flex Founders warranty? Does it mean free batteries for life ala Ridgid?
Rob
I don’t think a single tool of any brand sells at the Lowes locations near me.
Kilroy
My only experience with Flex is with their dust extractor / HEPA vacuum. I absolutely love that thing, and if my shop burned down tomorrow that item (or something similar) would be the first thing I’d buy again.
Hooked up to a 5″ RO sander, the Flex dust extractor pulls in the dust very well, to the point that the particulate counts of dust in the air (yes, I have a Dylos particulate meter, mostly to guilt myself into wearing a dust mask) don’t change at all compared to ambient levels before I started sabding. In contrast, hand sanding at the same grit but without the vacuum will give a 10x increase in the particulate counts.
Big, big fan of that device. I really need to rig up some scoops and rectangular funnels so that I can use it more effectively when I am on the scroll saw or hand sanding.
fred
The last time I looked – Flex dust extractors were made in Hungary – not China. So I guess that Chervon operates a facility in Hungary too.
BTW we owned some Flex branded tools -that were from Flex Elektorwerkezeuge GmBH – a company that was acquired by Chervon in 2013. I think that sometime before that Flex and Porter Cable (then owned by Pentair) were in partnership – but that B&D divested itself of Flex – when they acquired PC.
Rob
It’s a Nilfisk vac painted red for Flex. Nilfisk makes good stuff. Don’t waste much time relating red Flex (polishers, grinders, stone tools, rebranded sanders) to black Flex. Black Flex is more or less a second line of Kobalt power tools with a borrowed name. No relationship other than the manufacturer of black Flex owns red Flex. Over in Europe, Flex has a whole lineup of non-compatible red cordless tools they don’t make themselves either.
Brian
#1 I’d love to see a comparison of their SDS plus hammer drill.
#2 I see on their product listings on Lowes.com that they have “FLEX FOUNDERS LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY – Register your new FLEX tool, battery or charger within 30 days of purchase through December 31, 2021 to receive a limited lifetime warranty on your new FLEX product” does this only pertain to home users or does this include Pro’s?
Lee B
I believe without a doubt that FLEX tools will be the “go-to tool” once more people start using and seeing it around. I have been showing my customers at the store I work in the Flex line and have the tools charged, and ready for customers to get the feel of the power these tools really have. It’s taken a little time but just in the past few months my die-hard DeWalt customers – are starting to take a good look and have been purchasing the Flex tools. Then they come back telling me that they could not believe the power these tools really have.
They are now starting to invest in the Flex line and passing their DW tools down to their workers
They are quite amazing!
928'er
So, Lowes is now selling Kobalt and Flex, – two competing (complementing) tool bands made by the same manufacturer – Chervon..?
Stuart
And Skil.
Big Richard
And EGO. Though FLEX doesn’t have any OPE at the moment.