|
Post by matchesder on Feb 14, 2021 4:23:44 GMT -5
I'm trying Metabo's 18v version. Made in Germany. Seems like a pretty good alternative. ... I've used the Metabo KHA 18 LTX BL 24 with a 3.1 Ah LiHd Batt. and a (very old) Hilti TE5 for comparison. I did not time drilling holes or so. They are about on par but Metabo has much less vibration. I think it's a miss the ISA must be connected from the bottom. So one has to remove the drill bit in order to do so. But i's nice they added a cover for the electric contacts. I'd like to try the BH 18 LTX BL 16.
|
|
|
Post by aas on Feb 14, 2021 8:36:14 GMT -5
Shame Fein don't do a high handle/vertical motor SDS with extraction attachment... I need one and don't know what go with. I have the Makita but it's not very torquey, keeps binding and slowing; the Hilti TE6 A22 is very nice but very expensive; other option is the Bosch GBH 18-26... if Fein did one I'd get it in a heartbeat - top quality tools. The Fein hammer drill is, as far as i know, from Keyang. www.keyangtools.com/product/hd18bl-cordless-combination-hammer-battery-18v-5-0ah/That does not mean it' bad, I've never handled one and heard very little about it. Interesting... thanks. Ended up getting the Bosch - seems good for now.
|
|
|
Post by kraftt on Feb 14, 2021 12:16:24 GMT -5
hmm...
|
|
|
Post by aas on Feb 14, 2021 15:10:52 GMT -5
I'm not sure if the 'hmm' means they are the same or they're not the same?
|
|
|
Post by kraftt on Feb 14, 2021 15:42:11 GMT -5
Didn’t see manchesder’s post before until you quoted it, after a brief search I’m wondering if Fein likes Keyang’s percussion mechanics but use their own motor or if it actually is mostly Keyang with only a few rebrand spec changes? If it’s mostly Keyang and Fein thinks that much of this tool I’d be curious to know more about Keyang.
|
|
|
Post by kraftt on Feb 14, 2021 21:53:18 GMT -5
Just adding this, no diff than fest/starmix dust catcher. Saw the Fein dust catcher while searching their hammer drill, immediately wanted one, went to price it and the Karcher image popped up for half the price.
|
|
|
Post by kraftt on Feb 15, 2021 23:18:41 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by alvychippy on Feb 16, 2021 20:56:17 GMT -5
Love that bloke, his reviews turned him in to "my spiritual animal"
|
|
|
Post by kraftt on Feb 22, 2021 13:59:40 GMT -5
Fein says percussive head is by Keyang (possibly some in house case molding as well) / Motor (& most likely electronics) by Fein. Keyang themselves probably hired out the engineering for the head and whatever group or person that was might be known to Fein already. ( some more photos )
|
|
|
Post by aas on Feb 22, 2021 14:13:42 GMT -5
Shame they couldn't put the handle behind the drill bit - tired of badly designed tools!
|
|
|
Post by kraftt on Feb 22, 2021 22:14:20 GMT -5
Huh, now that you mention it, I’ve not seen that extra threaded hole for a handle on new stuff in a while. Maybe the absence of metal casings? I’ve got some vintage Milwaukee corded hammer drills around here somewhere and I remember that besides the ‘cinch to chuck’ handle the big ones always had an optional ½” threaded handle hole back near the trigger grip and the smaller ones had an optional ⅜” threaded hole mid body in the motor casing.
|
|
|
Post by yetihunter on Jun 15, 2021 20:22:08 GMT -5
This thread has been chugging along while my Fein Supercut and Angle grinder with Festool batteries on them have been kicking ass. I grabbed whatever XGT stuff seemed interesting (not much) and that included the 36/40v 5" angle grinder. It can keep up with a 13 amp Makita grinder. It can't keep up with a 13 amp Metabo grinder. Are we talking about bohrhammers now? I liked the cordless bosch I had the most. The Metabo was just about equal in performance but I didn't like how over zealous the wrist protection electronics were. I'm running only Makita's right now. The 3 joules x2 and the itty bitty tiny one. The itty bitty one is what it is. The x2 is way more powerful thant the Bosch and Metabo I was using, but I like it less because the handle is whack and the length is whack. I tried the Festool one for about a day and sent it packing. It had the worst vibration of the bunch, by a longshot.
|
|
|
Post by lincoln on Dec 16, 2021 18:59:33 GMT -5
Have it on good authority that Fein are pulling out of Australia and Asia/Oceania. Will concentrate on Europe. Not sure about the USA. Pissed about this, as I have x 5 cordless tools - hopefully they will still support existing customers.
|
|
|
Post by aas on Dec 17, 2021 4:11:02 GMT -5
Have it on good authority that Fein are pulling out of Australia and Asia/Oceania. Will concentrate on Europe. Not sure about the USA. Pissed about this, as I have x 5 cordless tools - hopefully they will still support existing customers. I think a lot will change over the next few years with tool companies. In the current economic climate which isn't set to change fast, I fail to see how smaller companies like Fein and Mafell can continue without being swallowed up...
Bosch has announced some sort of link up with Fein - neither of them are being clear about it - it puts me off buying anymore Fein, and even considering selling all the Fein I have before everyone else realises Fein will be going the way of the Dodo... I wonder if long term Fein will be swallowed by Bosch - if it is just a link up and the Fein multitool willbe re-branded as Bosch at some point - then still no point keeping the Fein battery platform, the Bosch batteries are good, the Fein batteries are huge.
Just need to look at the products Festool is pulling (CMS, Vac-sys, amongst others...) and while there are regulatory reasons behind some products being pulled (CMS - thank you Europe for sticking your nose into pointless safety rules), there are also volume concerns, i.e. if an item does not sell enough, not worth producing / keeping in stock (RAS), and then excellent niche products that for now there is no reason they are being pulled, maybe lack of volume (Vac-sys)...
If the news about Fein in Australia is not mainstream, I'd sell off quick and buy replacements that will be supported.
I tried contacting Fein to find out more about the Bosch link up - no reply...
|
|
simon
Junior Member
Posts: 83
|
Post by simon on Dec 18, 2021 17:02:06 GMT -5
"the Bosch batteries are good, the Fein batteries are huge." Bosch ProCore 5.5ah - 1 kg, Bosch ProCore 4ah - 610g. Fein 5.2ah -750g, Fein 3ah - 450g.
That'll definitely suck, if you're left high and dry by Fein. And it would be a great shame for companies like Fein and Mafell to be swallowed up by the likes of Bosch or heaven forfend an American behemoth tool company. Maybe it is an inevitability that these smaller companies will get absorbed, but I think that would be a shame and reckon with some canny marketing and PR the inevitability could be avoided. I confess I'm not up with the intricacies of the world market for power tools, so perhaps am being naive about the real economics, but it strikes me if you can work out how to crack the U.S. then you've got a much better chance of survival/success on the world stage - the music industry comes to mind as a parallel for this.
Two other German tool companies - Festool and Flex (Festool over some time, and Flex (apart from their automotive polishers) much more recently) demonstrate differing marketing strategies to gain ground in this key market. For Festool it seems to have worked, they have created a brand which is largely associated with quality, with a system based approach, appealing to a significant niche market in the U.S. The F.O.G (note the use of 'owners') acts as an (in the main) ongoing giant advertising pitch for their tool products - the sometimes vociferous green kool-aid naysayers largely only serve to prop up the reputation. For Flex so far I'm not sure their strategy has worked (it looks to me they're banking on being able to beat the Americans at their own game i.e. outpower them),let's see where they are in a couple of years: my take is they're on a hiding to nothing, particularly with the introduction of Makita's 40V lineup.
Fein and Mafell will sink or swim predicated on their ability to carry on innovating, forming productive alliances, and marketing their unique qualities to the U.S. market. They've both worked at the first two, but the third is yet to happen in any significant way. Perhaps if they listened to the sort of people I come across here, they'd be better placed to gain a foothold/presence in that crucial market.
|
|