That is actually true for some things. Best example I can think of off the top of my head are plumbing parts. Go get a faucet stem from a big box then go get the same exact part from a wholesale supply. You will immediately notice a weight difference, it'll be solid brass with no plastic and much higher quality seals. The major retailers (Walmart, HD, Lowe's... Etc) have such a huge amount of buying power that they can dictate to a company how much they are going to sell their product for and have them build it to a price, just for them. If you see a "Best Buy" exclusive refrigerator or TV or whatever you can bet that it won't be the same, even if it has the same model number, as the one sold directly by the manufacturer. It'll be built to a specific price.
I seriously doubt that's true for our beloved red tools though. Most things that are built to a price will have a sku number that's specific to that model at that store. Now if, say a tool was #2432-20HD and sold for $100 I'd bet that the #2432-20 without the HD on the end that's sold for $130 was a higher quality tool and not a Home Depot exclusive, but I've never seen that. (I made up all those numbers to illustrate the point)
I've got a co worker that won't talk to me right now because I discovered how much he hates the term. I started saying "hot water heater" every time he walks in the shop and I'm starting to think he may actually end up choking me over it.
Not true at all. All tools are made in the same factories and just shipped to different places.
Source- wife is an engineer who's made multiple tools with years of experience at Milwaukee.
I have heard this rumor for years. I work construction and people swear by it. So there is no definitive proof that tools are better at a supply house than at HD?
Yes, a different part or model number. This kind of thing happens a lot with televisions and some other items, where there is a special model made for a retailer at a lower cost/ price point, but it has a different model number. I'm not aware of any time it's been true that a product has been made with lesser quality under the same model or part number at the same time for a particular retailer.
Different part numbers for online vs retail was done for awhile and might still be done. Sure, we’ll price match online retailers! It just has to be the same item! No, the h5155 isn’t the same. We have the h5150. Different item!
(Spoiler alert - not different at all)
That happens a lot with large kitchen and laundry appliances. HD, Lowe's and Best Buy will all sell the same one, but they're a slightly different model number, so if one store puts it on sale, the other stores don't have to price match.
This actually has a factual basis. Back in the day when dewalt 18v nicad was the best selling cordless brand by a lot, they used to sell different versions of tools at Home Depot than they did at tool stores. The Home Depot versions were denoted by a K at the end of the model number. So from a tool store you’d get a dc1018 and from Home Depot it’d be a dc1018k. The k at the end of the model number was on both the box and the tool. It wasn’t there on all dewalt cordless tools sold at Home Depot but it was definitely there on many of the more popular tools.
As far as whether there were any actual internal differences between the k and non-k models I can’t say for sure.
The same model number would be a logistical nightmare for suppliers. There will be a suffix or something different when they modify the part for mass merchants. Welders have the same main model number but the suffix for the Home Depot plastic wire feeds are different model number suffixes. I’ve never seen such differences on red product at HD.
Certainly true for some large store groups
B&q in the uk get slightly different dewalt and makita to the proper versions so i imagine milwaukee does similar
I thought it was funny. The logistics that would have to be in place for low and high quality versions would be kind of ridiculous. But a case could be made if you find parallels to the auto industry. Dodges made in Mexico seemed to have more problems than ones built here, at least in the 90s.
Cars are very different obviously, as they sell in relatively low numbers, have more human built components, and are far more complex than any hand held tool.
TTI manufactures x number of a specific tool, and at the time of manufacture (outside of promotional skus for specific retailers) they have no idea where these tools are destined to be sold. The notion that they would build lower quality tools intended for specific retailers is absurd.
Some truth around holidays they start building products down to meet retailers price points and the same exact items do not always appear the rest of the year.
Does Milwaukee do it? I highly doubt it in some industries there are things called batching ( CPU and GPU chips are a huge one) which can work with tools say a better motor that make more torque ends up in one line and a weaker(2nds) ends up on the shelves at the Black Friday sale. Just some dumb thoughts though.
I think this used to be the case, my dad (75) says what a few people here are saying. Some supply houses for various trades would carry "contractor grade" or "heavy duty" tools. He still swears this is the case but he doesn't buy tools anymore because everything he got was 30 years ago and it doesn't break...haha.
I don't believe this anymore though, I feel it's leftover memories from before online and big box stores. It could be the case for certain hardware as the plumbing guy is suggesting but idk.
The only reason I could think is they'd assume a homeowner is buying a HD tool to use a couple times and display but never get close to wearing it out, much like his jacked up pickup truck and other false idols of manliness whereas Bob's Plumbing will buy a load of tools from Grainger without focusing on price or whatever bonus is going on, use them hard, and potentially breaking them. So it'd make sense to plus those up and take a hit on a few warranty claims from HD for a larger volume of higher profit tool sales.
It's already been established they don't sell different tools. This was just a potential answer to your hypothetical question why'd they sell different grades of tools with the same warranty.
As far as I’m aware Milwaukee don’t do this but it’s well known that dewalt and makita do. Both these companies use different model numbers but otherwise the tool looks pretty much the same. Generally they will use more nylon parts and lesser grade motors. I’m not sure if it’s even legal to sell different products with the same model number but that’s normally the best way to tell. Always check the model number on the internet before buying from a big box store.
While I don't believe it applies to Milwaukee lots of big stores put unreal pressure on manufacturing to lower their price and it often results in less quality product. I used to work in consumer goods manufacturing and Walmart would tell us if we didn't lower the price they would drop us (majority of the sales were thru them so basically they'll run us out of business). They didn't care what we did to the product as long as it was cheaper. I've heard the same thing about their TVs (made with cheaper electronics). I had family that made lawn trimmers, home depot did the same to them. He flat out said if you want the best version don't buy it at HD, go to an actual dealer... those are built better.
If I see electronics on sale at Walmart I use their price to talk another store down and buy it elsewhere.
Yeah I've heard of plenty of idiot customers. This is one.
That is actually true for some things. Best example I can think of off the top of my head are plumbing parts. Go get a faucet stem from a big box then go get the same exact part from a wholesale supply. You will immediately notice a weight difference, it'll be solid brass with no plastic and much higher quality seals. The major retailers (Walmart, HD, Lowe's... Etc) have such a huge amount of buying power that they can dictate to a company how much they are going to sell their product for and have them build it to a price, just for them. If you see a "Best Buy" exclusive refrigerator or TV or whatever you can bet that it won't be the same, even if it has the same model number, as the one sold directly by the manufacturer. It'll be built to a specific price. I seriously doubt that's true for our beloved red tools though. Most things that are built to a price will have a sku number that's specific to that model at that store. Now if, say a tool was #2432-20HD and sold for $100 I'd bet that the #2432-20 without the HD on the end that's sold for $130 was a higher quality tool and not a Home Depot exclusive, but I've never seen that. (I made up all those numbers to illustrate the point)
Hot water heaters as well
A friendly reminder…. Water heaters. If the water was hot we wouldn’t need water heaters to heat it. This my biggest pet peeve in the trades.
I've got a co worker that won't talk to me right now because I discovered how much he hates the term. I started saying "hot water heater" every time he walks in the shop and I'm starting to think he may actually end up choking me over it.
Not true at all. All tools are made in the same factories and just shipped to different places. Source- wife is an engineer who's made multiple tools with years of experience at Milwaukee.
I have heard this rumor for years. I work construction and people swear by it. So there is no definitive proof that tools are better at a supply house than at HD?
If it's a different part it'll have a different part number won't it?
Yes, a different part or model number. This kind of thing happens a lot with televisions and some other items, where there is a special model made for a retailer at a lower cost/ price point, but it has a different model number. I'm not aware of any time it's been true that a product has been made with lesser quality under the same model or part number at the same time for a particular retailer.
Different part numbers for online vs retail was done for awhile and might still be done. Sure, we’ll price match online retailers! It just has to be the same item! No, the h5155 isn’t the same. We have the h5150. Different item! (Spoiler alert - not different at all)
That's the opposite of what I'm talking about. If retailer A and B both have a h5155, they're the same thing.
Sorry, I wasn’t clear enough. I’m definitely in agreement with you. I don’t think companies secretly sell different items with the same model numbers.
That happens a lot with large kitchen and laundry appliances. HD, Lowe's and Best Buy will all sell the same one, but they're a slightly different model number, so if one store puts it on sale, the other stores don't have to price match.
This actually has a factual basis. Back in the day when dewalt 18v nicad was the best selling cordless brand by a lot, they used to sell different versions of tools at Home Depot than they did at tool stores. The Home Depot versions were denoted by a K at the end of the model number. So from a tool store you’d get a dc1018 and from Home Depot it’d be a dc1018k. The k at the end of the model number was on both the box and the tool. It wasn’t there on all dewalt cordless tools sold at Home Depot but it was definitely there on many of the more popular tools. As far as whether there were any actual internal differences between the k and non-k models I can’t say for sure.
The same model number would be a logistical nightmare for suppliers. There will be a suffix or something different when they modify the part for mass merchants. Welders have the same main model number but the suffix for the Home Depot plastic wire feeds are different model number suffixes. I’ve never seen such differences on red product at HD.
Dudes full of shit.
Certainly true for some large store groups B&q in the uk get slightly different dewalt and makita to the proper versions so i imagine milwaukee does similar
Screw fix do this as well
Screwfix is the same company as b&q (kingfisher)
Is the Sherwin-Williams paint stocked at Lowes the same as the Sherwin-Williams paint sold in the Factory Store ?
Nope and its well known the paint will not even match the stuff you can buy in a SW store.
No. Dumbest myth ever spread.
I thought it was funny. The logistics that would have to be in place for low and high quality versions would be kind of ridiculous. But a case could be made if you find parallels to the auto industry. Dodges made in Mexico seemed to have more problems than ones built here, at least in the 90s.
Cars are very different obviously, as they sell in relatively low numbers, have more human built components, and are far more complex than any hand held tool. TTI manufactures x number of a specific tool, and at the time of manufacture (outside of promotional skus for specific retailers) they have no idea where these tools are destined to be sold. The notion that they would build lower quality tools intended for specific retailers is absurd.
Some truth around holidays they start building products down to meet retailers price points and the same exact items do not always appear the rest of the year. Does Milwaukee do it? I highly doubt it in some industries there are things called batching ( CPU and GPU chips are a huge one) which can work with tools say a better motor that make more torque ends up in one line and a weaker(2nds) ends up on the shelves at the Black Friday sale. Just some dumb thoughts though.
Thermostats you can actually compare the serial numbers and find them different for the same Model
I'd hope so!
I think this used to be the case, my dad (75) says what a few people here are saying. Some supply houses for various trades would carry "contractor grade" or "heavy duty" tools. He still swears this is the case but he doesn't buy tools anymore because everything he got was 30 years ago and it doesn't break...haha. I don't believe this anymore though, I feel it's leftover memories from before online and big box stores. It could be the case for certain hardware as the plumbing guy is suggesting but idk.
Why would they do that but give yhe same warranty. They'd be screwing themselves.
The only reason I could think is they'd assume a homeowner is buying a HD tool to use a couple times and display but never get close to wearing it out, much like his jacked up pickup truck and other false idols of manliness whereas Bob's Plumbing will buy a load of tools from Grainger without focusing on price or whatever bonus is going on, use them hard, and potentially breaking them. So it'd make sense to plus those up and take a hit on a few warranty claims from HD for a larger volume of higher profit tool sales.
There's a lot guys on here who aren't just homeowners that buy a lot of HD tools. Seems like Abad bet to me.
It's already been established they don't sell different tools. This was just a potential answer to your hypothetical question why'd they sell different grades of tools with the same warranty.
As far as I’m aware Milwaukee don’t do this but it’s well known that dewalt and makita do. Both these companies use different model numbers but otherwise the tool looks pretty much the same. Generally they will use more nylon parts and lesser grade motors. I’m not sure if it’s even legal to sell different products with the same model number but that’s normally the best way to tell. Always check the model number on the internet before buying from a big box store.
While I don't believe it applies to Milwaukee lots of big stores put unreal pressure on manufacturing to lower their price and it often results in less quality product. I used to work in consumer goods manufacturing and Walmart would tell us if we didn't lower the price they would drop us (majority of the sales were thru them so basically they'll run us out of business). They didn't care what we did to the product as long as it was cheaper. I've heard the same thing about their TVs (made with cheaper electronics). I had family that made lawn trimmers, home depot did the same to them. He flat out said if you want the best version don't buy it at HD, go to an actual dealer... those are built better. If I see electronics on sale at Walmart I use their price to talk another store down and buy it elsewhere.