[OP]
Member
I won't get into details but I need to re-outfit my shop with all new stationary power equipment (table saw, band saw, drill press, lathe etc.). From what I have learned in my search it seems that most equipment is now manufactured in either China or Taiwain. If this is true, then generally speaking, is the quality considered any better from one or the other? Do they have different quality standards etc?
Thoughts?
Contributor
I'm going to chime in and give MY OPINION ONLY.
Not a lot is manufactured in North America, from design to shop to distribution. "American" may mean North American or just designed here, manufactured there, distributed everywhere.
What I've always looked at, is "Who's name is on the product?".
My Milwaukee tools are manufactured in China, but they're still (in my mind) a great product. Same as Makita.
I look at consumer ratings, length of company life and all those semi-intangibles.
Sometimes I'm wrong, but that's my decision making process.
I'm not American, so I don't have the jingoistic "Buy American" mentality. I buy the best in my budget range, irrespective of country of manufacture.
Young enough to remember doing it;
Old enough to wish I could do it again.
Contributor
Quality is ultimately determined by the company that contracts the manufacturing as THEY control the specs and the QC standards. Both countries are capable of making excellent products. Just like any country is capable of making poor ones.
~mike
happy in my mud hut
Member
I think the general consensus is Taiwan is a little better than China. But you can't judge a product purely off the manufacture location, because as mentioned it's more dependent on the specs required from the buyer. There's excellent and poor manufacturers in both countries no doubt.
Contributor
Stationary machines are still manufactured in Europe. However, they’re more expensive than machines built in Asia.
Contributor
Some machines are made in Asia, and many re sellers just slap their name tag on it.
this is why you see so many machines from many makers, that look identical, often they are.
But the higher end machines, tend to vary slightly based on the manufacturers specifications to the Asian builder.
AGreed that Taiwan is preferred over China for most ww tools.
Of course the Euro brands are mostly pro or higher end hobbiest.
I have owned some euro, some Taiwan. I tend to look for the features on the machine, and see how value those features are for my work and compare features vs. price and company dependability.
I have had great luck with Grizz, Powermatic, and even Jet. But I tend to buy their top of the line machines...
Follow reviews, ww are not shy, and when they have problems and frustrations, it ends up the internet...
Does General still manufacturer in Canada, or do they import now? If so, I guess no more N America ww tool manufacturing plants? I never owned any General tools, but their reputation is excellent from reviews I have read through the years...
Contributor
Hi Will, General ceased production in Canada many years ago, followed by General International who sold machines made overseas.
As always, you get what you pay for, and what the engineering people specified, you can get very good imported machinery if you're willing to pay for it.
There is of course all the European machinery as well to choose from.............Rod.
Member
I’d stick with Taiwan if those are the choices. They’ve upped their manufacturing game quite a bit over the years.
Contributor
Political issues aside, I'd go with Taiwan. If you factor in politics, its clearly Taiwan.
Originally Posted by Maurice Arney
Contributor
Grizzly on the spec sheet lists country of origin and length of warranty. They make to a lot of different price points. Shop Fox is owned/sold by Grizzly and sold by other distributors.
The Grizzly and Shop Fox tools I have meet the quality that I feel was advertised when I bought them.
SawStop has high quality for made in China and I got good customer service when I had an issue with my ICS. Very happy with my 5hp, 36" fence, mobile base ICS
Never seen a Martin however everyone says the quality is very high, course you pay a high price for it.
Quality will always cost more, yet more money doesn't always buy better quality no matter who the manufacture/seller is. Look each tools reviews over closely.
Felder, Hammer can be more competitive on some items than most people think. Really need to look at each tool and then decide if you want all one brand or if it makes a difference.
Jet burned me on quality on a Contractors saw years ago and I have bought from them since BUT I inspect the tool I am buying before paying for it or no deal.
Dealer makes a very big difference as all tools made will have a percentage made with problems, then it boils down to how the dealer handles the problem.
Good luck
Ron
edit to add: checked SawStop and it was made in Taiwan
Last edited by Ron Selzer; 01-27-2021 at 5:43 PM.
Contributor
My PERSONAL opinion is that the Taiwanese pay closer attention to their work. If it's a top tier brand they most likely have good quality control and catch the not so great stuff before it heads out the door. The other problem is if you make 5 tablesaws a year it's easy to check each one. If you make 50,000 then you are only checking a small sample and have to count on those making the saw to do it right. Finally while tools may look the same they often are not. Bearings may be the same size but unless you can read the name of the company that made it you don't know the quality. The same goes for motors. For example Powermatic tools often have their name on the motor on their Asian made stuff. Where in the good old days they most likely have a motor with the Baldor name on it. So it's anyone's guess who made the motor or even what country. So that made in Taiwan tool could have lots of Chinese parts in it. Your best bet is to narrow down a tool and just ask about it specifically.
Contributor
Thats odd, my SawStop is made in Taiwan???
Contributor
OK now I will have to check on mine, won't be the first time I have been wrong.
Still happy with the quality no matter where it was made
Ron
edit to add: checked and it was made in Taiwan
Last edited by Ron Selzer; 01-27-2021 at 5:42 PM.
Contributor
You had me worried for a second: I have a firm no China policy in my shop (when at all possible, and these days it is getting more and more difficult).
[OP]
Member
Thanks for the input everyone. My priorities are quality and customer service. I do have a budget however, so trying to avoid the higher priced brands like sawstop or festool. Just looking for good tools at a reasonable price.
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