Would like opinions

[Kendall Landry]

Which manufacturers are known for their individual tools? Such as this company is known for their good tablesaws and that company is known for their good bandsaws and so on. It apears to me that some or most woodworkers have tools from different manufacturers. Thanks for your opinions.

[Jude Kingery]

Hi Kendall, you're right, we like different manufacturers for different machines/tools. Bandsaw: Laguna. Lathe: VB36. The other various saws, drills, etc. are either Craftsman or Delta. Hope that's helpful! Jude

[Raymond Fries]

I have purchased DeWalt for many of my hand power tools.

I think any of the market leaders would be a good choice.

Porter Cable
Bosch
Milwaukee
Hitachi
Bla Bla Bla

[Chuck Lenz]

Milwaukie is famous for their Sawzalls, Bosch is famous for their jigsaws, Skil is famous for their worm drive circular saws, Hitachi makes some good miter saws, Makita was known for their drills, Duofast is known for their fastner guns. Ryobi use to be known for their thickness planers, Porter-Cable is known for their routers, DeWalt I'm not sure what their shinning star is but I have alot of their stuff and have been happy with it. Delta was famous for their Unisaws, I'm not sure how it ranks now that some are no longer made in the USA. Beisemeyer is well known for their tablesaw fences, Liegh is famous for their dovetail jigs. Kreg is famous for their pocket hole jigs, Alto is famous for their vacuums, they use to be called WAP's but droped the name for rumoured obvious reasons. JDS is known for their air filtration machines. Oneida is famous for their cyclone dust collectors. Woodpeckers is known for their router plate inserts and router lifts and they are Incra’s exclusive demonstrators of anything Incra at all U.S. woodworking shows. Freud is known for their saw blades and router bits.

[Don Bullock]

Chuck has a good list going there. It is by no means comprehensive. Some of us have different companies represented in our shops based on the price as well as the quality. There are some who's shops are all one color. They may feel the need to be loyal to one brand and others don't. It's more a matter of personal preference and opportunity. What one prefers in their tools and the opportunity for one to purchase tools at the price point that they are comfortable with are often more important. Often sales, "good deals," used machines that become available etc. guide tool purchases. Besides, these days it's really difficult to tell who actually makes most of the new machines being sold.

A good example of that is the jointer I just bought from Grizzly. It looks exactly like many other jointers on the market today and is most likely made by the same factory that many of the others like it are made in. The difference for me isn't in who made the tool. It has more to do with features and "quality" for the money. Customer service often enters into the decision as well. Id did for me when I decided on the Grizzly.

One minor clarification however to Chuck's post: Woodpecker no londer has the contract to demonstrate Incra at woodworking shows. They dropped the contract and Incra is now showing their own tools. Incra hired the employees from Woodpecker who demonstrated the tools for many years at the shows.

[Michael Schwartz]

Hilti is known really well in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia

Bosch is renound for many of their products

The Ryobi tools carried by Home Depot are the least gimmicky of the DIY tools, and most of them will get the job done.

Millwaukee is known for making some of the toughest tools, and they make the only true "Sawzall" everything else is a technically a reciprocating saw.


Eurekazone makes the best router/saw guide system out there, and no I am not quoting burt, or getting free tools or money from Dino.

To be fair Fesstool makes great tools, They make a good guide system, great routers, the best sanders, and the best dust collection for portable tools. They are known for producing woodworking tools of great accuracy, now I feel some of that is hype, but they do make a fine product.

Lie Neilson makes some of the finest hand-planes ever made.

Makita is known for lighter weight cordless power-tools

The list goes on and on......

[Chuck Lenz]

Thanks for the info Don. Woodpeckers needs to update their website.

[Don Bullock]

Thanks for the info Don. Woodpeckers needs to update their website.

I didn't know until I bought some things from Incra at the woodworking show in Pomona, California.

[Alex Elias]

Millwaukee is known for making some of the toughest tools, and they make the only true "Sawzall" everything else is a technically a reciprocating saw.


You got me intrigued now. What is the difference between a sawzall and a reciprocating saw?
Thanks

[Noah Vig]

I believe the term Sawzall was only "coined" by Milwaukee Tools to refer to their reciprocating saws. No difference other than name that I know of.

[Phil Pritchard]

Alto is famous for their vacuums, they use to be called WAP's but droped the name for rumoured obvious reasons.
I thought that Alto was formed by the merger of two well known (at least in Europe) names - KEW and WAP. Since then they've merged again and are now called Nilfisk ALTO

[Randal Stevenson]

DeWalt I'm not sure what their shinning star is but I have alot of their stuff and have been happy with it.

DeWalt was famous for their Radial arm saws. Now made by the Original Saw company (much closer to the originals than what they started cheapening after the B&D buyout.)