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Post by aas on Jun 6, 2018 14:31:19 GMT -5
Multitool MT18 - sticking switch, almost impossible to turn on and off, needs a pull down with both thumbs.
Grinder 125mm (forgotten the model) - switch turns off on it's own, repeatedly; swivel battery base is so loose it vibrates and has had to be taped up
Circular saw KS18LTX57 - 5m cut of 27mm timber and it's getting hot, 10m it's smelling, 15m it's smoking and won't turn, needs to be left for an hour to start cutting again; slop in the gearbox shaft so the blade moves in and out, standard blade is pathetic.
Mitre saw KS18LTX216 - batteries almost impossible to get on and off now, need to push in the battery release button to be able to slide a battery in. Not a lot of use, in as new condition.
Mini sabre saw 10,8v - batteries fall out with the vibration unless some rubber is forced into the battery catch to stiffen it up. (vertical cuts with batteries facing down).
Powermaxx SB - used maybe 10 times, as new, smells of burning and loses power when tightening a smallish screw.
10,8v lamp and torch - won't stand up on their own without the large 4,2 or 5,2 ah batteries, which are ridiculously expensive.
LED projector and tripod - very big frame, not a clear smooth light, tripod fiddly.
A10M (OK it's Mafell, but Metabo based) switch replaced as it stopped working.
LiHD batteries - 3,1ah and 5,5ah seem to drain very fast - less than 2 years old - charge very slowly.
The good stuff...
Drill - BS18LTX Quick Impulse - very nice drill
Impact wrench - SSD400 - compact and powerful
BS Powermaxx - basic drill with no problems, but nothing special
Tried contacting Metabo about the shaft slop on the '57 - no reply... several of these tools need warranty work. In the meantime, I will have to buy replacement tools to use...
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Post by rizzoa13 on Jun 6, 2018 17:10:01 GMT -5
That really sucks man sorry to hear. I’ve got tons of Metabo gear with no issues aside from literally catching 2 drills on fire (that was so my fault).
Make a big fuss they should warranty their stuff. I had a good experience getting a brand new drill sent out.
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Post by chippiegary on Jun 6, 2018 17:11:09 GMT -5
Interesting aas but not good for you my friend with the exception of lihd batteries I don’t own any metabo bought the above mentioned circ saw unseen and sent it back thought it looked very Diy looking .ive been tempted with lots of there current offerings the cordless mitre saw, vac and latest impact, body only machines seem very affordable too . Something always stops me though I’ve always thought build quality is lacking , guess I’ll hold off some more I feel for you buddy you are certainly having a bad run of things .
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Post by holmz on Jun 6, 2018 18:14:52 GMT -5
I dropped off the "SLA 14.4-18V LED" (led light) yesterday for warranty work. (with a dodgy switch and loose balls rattling around the inside that fit in swivel head detents.)
Purchased March 12, 2018.
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Post by kraftt on Jun 6, 2018 23:34:32 GMT -5
Who's doing their assembly ?
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Post by aas on Jun 6, 2018 23:53:54 GMT -5
The KS18LTX57 is gutless too, has no torque pushing through mildly damp timber. It is better with the thicker 2,0mm Bosch blade, but have to chop through for example a 1m run of deck boards (for removal) the saw stops maybe 7 or 8 times. Not abusing or pushing like crazy.
I think this stuff must be being assembled in China.
I've got tools I need - 18v planer for example. I had been looking at the Metabo. But so many issues, small and not so small, best getting the Makita.
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Post by huntsgemein on Jun 7, 2018 6:55:13 GMT -5
All tools should be clearly labelled with their own country of origin (manufacture). Nevertheless, this is usually interpreted as "substantially from".
A cordless drill may be labelled "made in West Germany" whilst having Saudi petrochemical plastic construction, with batteries "made in Poland" with cells from east asia, containing rare earths from the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan or the Chilean altiplano. As for the screws, bearings, carbon brushes (if fitted) etc well, who knows?
Nevertheless, I've consistently found products labelled with EU origin to be measureably (but not invariably) more reliable. German Golfs & Polos are better than South African ones. Bosch Swiss tools are better than their Malay equivalents. Metabo's German tools are generally better than their asian equivalents. Elu's Perles (Swiss) manufactured tools are clearly superior to their eastern european, asian & american (& even Italian, British & even German) yellow coloured equivalents. Perles' own Swiss tools are superior to their Slovenian made versions. Festo's German tools were significantly better built than their post millenial product that I suspect has higher proportions of cheap asian & eastern european componentry. My Cologne-made econetic Fiesta is a far superior product to those from the Thai Ford plant.
In a similar vein, I've found my old Oz-made Sidchrome socketry & spanners to be more crudely (i.e. handmade) constructed but nevertheless stronger than the asian crap they're trying to flog these days. Does the company still offer a 100 year guarantee on all this foreign garbage?
Most of the OP's faulty gear seems to have asian origin. Significantly, at least 2 of the tools he seems happy with, (18v LTX drill & SSW 400 wrench) are of German origin.
Personally, the only issue I've had with Metabo has been a dodgy 5.2 AH 10.8v battery, which hasn't held a decent charge since new. OK, some of their product could perhaps be better: Bosch makes a better cordless grinder, & all the Bosch SDS & Max (all German) range run rings around everybody else's too. But Bosch, Festo/ol, Hilti, Mafell etc. generally cost more too. Nobody yet makes better professional level corded drills & grinders (likewise German) to Metabo, however. As an overall range, I think Metabo takes some beating, especially on the price/performance ratio.
Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles?
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Post by holmz on Jun 8, 2018 18:15:11 GMT -5
Well the EU moniker and the China "made in" labels looks similar...
I am not sure that where it is manufactured makes too big a difference?
I am quite sure that the design and materials have relevance. Weaker plastics, and bad design cannot be fixed with just a highly skilled assemble line.
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Post by aas on Jun 9, 2018 1:38:10 GMT -5
Well the EU moniker and the China "made in" labels looks similar... I am not sure that where it is manufactured makes too big a difference? I am quite sure that the design and materials have relevance. Weaker plastics, and bad design cannot be fixed with just a highly skilled assemble line. I agree with you, the KS18LTX57 has slop in the gearbox, took a lot of work to get in to 'nearly' line up on the rails, and a motor that doesn't have enough torque for cutting at 57mm of depth (except in very dry and very soft wood!) - this is bad design, bad spec - and I can't even say 'but it was cheap' - because it's in the same price bracket as an equivalent Makita - which in 25 years of using Makita, I've only had one break, only had a couple with bad design issues. You can't give an assembly line a pigs ear and hope to get a silk purse the other end.
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Post by yetihunter on Jun 16, 2018 22:33:29 GMT -5
I tried to tell everybody here that Metabo is mostly junk, but nobody wanted to listen. : ( My old grinder is still quite good, but their new models look dangerously close to their ancilliary offerings... TBH, even though I didn't think highly of the Metabo stuff I owned, it sure was heavy duty. Compare the STEB/STE 135 I had to their current jigsaw. Just photos, alone, explain a world of difference. It's a shame, I was getting excited about their new direction, but looks like that direction turned out to be downhill.
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Post by aas on Jun 17, 2018 5:42:42 GMT -5
Mostly junk?.. not sure. Drills and impacts seem very good. They are being let down by silly (but important!) things, switches etc.
I was pleased with the KS18LTX57 - until I really needed to push it.
SSD18LTX200BL seems very nice, better than my 2014 18v Makita impact.
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Post by yetihunter on Jun 17, 2018 22:52:00 GMT -5
In the past, they had a core products that were good to great, coupled with a larger amount of either rebranded or outsourced products that were good to terrible. Now they have control over just about every power tool with their name on it (no matter if made in Germany, China or South Korea), which has levelled everything out, but I think (and just my opinion) their new stuff is rather rough around the edges. Your experience is interesting, though, because I'm used to the stuff they have control over having an almost infinite lifespan. Under the hood, it's heavy duty stuff. It's more of the lack of creature comforts that I associate with them. And the noise, and wobbly fans whacking against the housings. I think of the brand as clunky and not failure prone.
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kozn
New Member
Posts: 35
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Post by kozn on Jun 19, 2018 15:32:12 GMT -5
Looks like you're mostly talking about their cordless line-up, and I hate to say it but I don't believe battery powered tools are made to last. The battery technology is changing so fast that maybe it doesn't really pay to invest in them? I've had my problems with barrel grip 18V jigsaw but now that it's repaired under warranty I really like it, I find it's very powerful. True it vibrates a lot and you have to work the machine but compared to all the others I have worked with it really stands out. I never had the luck of working with P1CC but does anything come close to that saw? I have the brushed 18V grinder and have no problems with the swivel battery base, but I never had the need to swivel it. I have worked the grinder pretty hard in metal and wood not so much in concrete or stone just the occasional cut here and there. It's still one of the better cordless grinders I have used even though it is brushed. The SB 18 LTX Quick Impulse has never let me down even when drilling fresh cut or wet wood. Except for the play with the chuck and bit attachment I am very happy with it. Warming it up by drilling some holes gets rid of most of the play and you can drill decent holes with it. The SSW 200 is nice although I can't really compare it with something else. So except for the jigsaw and the play in the quick system of the drills I can't really complain. But it is frustrating having to return a tool and wait up to 2 weeks to get it back, cause it only breaks down in the middle of a job. Also repair by metabo outside the warranty doesn't come cheap + you have to pay transport costs even if you bring it in at an authorized dealer. Tried contacting Metabo about the shaft slop on the '57 - no reply... several of these tools need warranty work. In the meantime, I will have to buy replacement tools to use...
Yes, I also find that Metabo is a bit lacking in communicating with customers and their CS IDK. My jigsaw had to be returned 2 times before it got repaired. Now I found that the switch for blowing the dust away is too loose as it just switches over while sawing. Not a big thing but I wanted it repaired under warranty. Answer of metabo, switch is not in stock, returned my saw. My friends 18V bow-handle jigsaw never got repaired as it should be. Maybe some dealers do the repair on their own IDK? But are they any worse than any other manufacturer? I know of a festool mitersaw that got returned from the factory to find out that they forgot to reconnect the power cord!!!!! Don't they even test the tools after repair?
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Post by oncomeme on Jul 12, 2018 0:10:47 GMT -5
I have a few of their corded tools intended for metal and concrete work (burnisher, massive rotary hammer, one die grinder and two angle grinders) and have found them all to be extremely robust. I would never consider them for anything trim carpentry related and their support network ain't great in the US by any means, but I have never regretted any of my Metabo purchases to date. With a handful of exceptions, if I want cordless I tend to buy whatever's cheapest so I don't cry when it dies.
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Post by yetihunter on Jul 12, 2018 19:48:28 GMT -5
Don't they even test the tools after repair? They have literally sent me back a tool that was more broken than what I returned it to them for. :0 I know which ones they test when they send them back, though. Because they don't clean them after testing.... :0
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