- Jun 6, 2004
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- Owner and builder Clementbass
Very pleased with the "new" router. Looks barely used. Any way of telling the year on these?
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Router Recommendations
- Thread starter tjclem
- Start date
Very pleased with the "new" router. Looks barely used. Any way of telling the year on these?
I think there is a way to trace the manufacturing date through serial numbers. I haven't dig into it. But that's a relatively new 691, less than 10 years old. They made some improvements and changes to the upper motor cap.
Dewalt always struck me as over-priced home-handyman type tools. On the job sites around here, Milwaukee is king.Don't worry, you didn't trigger Dewalt hatred. I'm an equal opportunity tool purchaser, so I simply like for buyers to know what they are spending thei money on.
I own other Dewalt tools, too. I have a rule of not owning anything I can't move by myself, so I also have a DW745 10" portable table saw. After a two years of moderate use the blade adjustment is REALLY dicey, and feels like it's just on the brink of total failure.
Anyone seeing a pattern here?
Any of the corded and cordless tools that homeowners and job site contractors can buy at a big box store, are on par with each other. The brand vs brand mentality with that stuff is more about psychology than an actual big difference in quality and performance.
These companies aren't what they were 50+ years ago. They've all been bought up by big development companies. TTI is a big development company based in Hong Kong. They develop brushless motors, Li-ion batteries, etc, etc. They own the Milwaukee name, as well as dirt devil and Ryobi. Any Milwaukee or Ryobi tool made since 1985, that you see being used by a contractor or homeowner, was designed, developed and marketed by TTI.
It's not Milwaukee anymore. It's all the same home handy man level stuff. Every few years, they may make small improvements to motor and or battery tech,...then they all steal it from each other. But most of the frequent changes and "improvements" you see are cosmetic. Marketing is 100% about psychology.
I started buying the Ryobi cordless stuff 20 yrs ago. It was affordable and I liked the idea of one battery design that fit all their stuff. I started bringing it to work to do projects and I was heckled by all the Makita, Milwaukee and DeWalt guys.
There's different crews at each building and they let them pick their own tools.
They've all been through, DeWalt, Makita, Ridgid, and Bosch.
Accept for 2 cordless Ridgid drills at one building, all those tools have come and gone. I still have every Ryobi cordless tool I've owned and beat the crap out of. I've used them at home and then hauled them to work every day for a decade. Then they gave me my own little department and went and bought a small collection of Ryobi stuff to keep at work.
After watching me use the same Ryobi stuff for a decade and going through umpteen different brands (all claimed to be the "best" by the guys using them), the crew in the building I work out of finally switched to Ryobi for all their cordless stuff. Out of all those tools, one impact drill had to be replaced,....because the maint guy dropped it from the top of a 12' step ladder, onto a concrete floor.
My point? Not that Ryobi is the best. My point is that all these newer cordless tools are owned and developed by a small handful of companies now and the brand loyalty and illusion of leaps and bounds of quality differences is mostly marketing.
I haven't bothered with another brand, because I really like that Ryobi doesn't change their battery design and one battery fits all their stuff,new and old. But I would Imagine the Milwaukee stuff would be just as reliable, since the tech inside is developed and designed by the same people. But knowing that, I certainly wouldn't pay more for it because it's red or the name.
These companies aren't what they were 50+ years ago. They've all been bought up by big development companies. TTI is a big development company based in Hong Kong. They develop brushless motors, Li-ion batteries, etc, etc. They own the Milwaukee name, as well as dirt devil and Ryobi. Any Milwaukee or Ryobi tool made since 1985, that you see being used by a contractor or homeowner, was designed, developed and marketed by TTI.
It's not Milwaukee anymore. It's all the same home handy man level stuff. Every few years, they may make small improvements to motor and or battery tech,...then they all steal it from each other. But most of the frequent changes and "improvements" you see are cosmetic. Marketing is 100% about psychology.
I started buying the Ryobi cordless stuff 20 yrs ago. It was affordable and I liked the idea of one battery design that fit all their stuff. I started bringing it to work to do projects and I was heckled by all the Makita, Milwaukee and DeWalt guys.
There's different crews at each building and they let them pick their own tools.
They've all been through, DeWalt, Makita, Ridgid, and Bosch.
Accept for 2 cordless Ridgid drills at one building, all those tools have come and gone. I still have every Ryobi cordless tool I've owned and beat the crap out of. I've used them at home and then hauled them to work every day for a decade. Then they gave me my own little department and went and bought a small collection of Ryobi stuff to keep at work.
After watching me use the same Ryobi stuff for a decade and going through umpteen different brands (all claimed to be the "best" by the guys using them), the crew in the building I work out of finally switched to Ryobi for all their cordless stuff. Out of all those tools, one impact drill had to be replaced,....because the maint guy dropped it from the top of a 12' step ladder, onto a concrete floor.
My point? Not that Ryobi is the best. My point is that all these newer cordless tools are owned and developed by a small handful of companies now and the brand loyalty and illusion of leaps and bounds of quality differences is mostly marketing.
I haven't bothered with another brand, because I really like that Ryobi doesn't change their battery design and one battery fits all their stuff,new and old. But I would Imagine the Milwaukee stuff would be just as reliable, since the tech inside is developed and designed by the same people. But knowing that, I certainly wouldn't pay more for it because it's red or the name.
Yeah, I have a Milwaukee hammer drill - the switch has gone bad twice. It's (blatantly) a "with red plastic" copy of a "with blue plastic" Bosch drill. Probably made in the same plant. Likely when they change plastic colors there are a few purple ones that go to harbor freight.
It's all hard to keep track of anymore.
So many parent companies, consolidation, licensing, buying/selling of names and brands, companies buying brands and completely redeveloping the product, but keeping the name.
Definitely not like it was 100 or even 50 yrs ago.
This video is just a quick overview and doesn't even get into detail,.....and it still gives me a headache.
So many parent companies, consolidation, licensing, buying/selling of names and brands, companies buying brands and completely redeveloping the product, but keeping the name.
Definitely not like it was 100 or even 50 yrs ago.
This video is just a quick overview and doesn't even get into detail,.....and it still gives me a headache.
One thing I really like about DeWalt's cordless stuff is the new (in the last 5 years... ) 20v batteries are backwards compatible with 18v tools with a simple adapter. Other brands either aren't compatible at all or were very late with an adapter. That's been a big deal for me, as I have a bunch of 18v tools with plenty of life in them that can use the superior newer battery chemistry.
I'm no fanboy though... I own power tools and machines from DeWalt, Ridgid, Porter Cable, Bosch, Senco, Festool, Fein, Milwaukee, Makita, Delta, SawStop, Powermatic, Jet, JDS, Harbor Freight, Fuji, and probably a few more, simply because I don't think anybody makes the best example of every tool across their entire line.
) 20v batteries are backwards compatible with 18v tools with a simple adapter. Other brands either aren't compatible at all or were very late with an adapter. That's been a big deal for me, as I have a bunch of 18v tools with plenty of life in them that can use the superior newer battery chemistry. I'm no fanboy though... I own power tools and machines from DeWalt, Ridgid, Porter Cable, Bosch, Senco, Festool, Fein, Milwaukee, Makita, Delta, SawStop, Powermatic, Jet, JDS, Harbor Freight, Fuji, and probably a few more, simply because I don't think anybody makes the best example of every tool across their entire line.
Mostly what gives me a headache is the background music in that video.
The consolidation of tool companies (which started decades ago) has been great for stockholders but it really hasn't helped the end users much at all. The quality of some tools has, indeed, gotten better but I haven't found that to be the norm at all.
Yeah, I'm actually surprised that my Ryobi stuff has lasted as long as it has.
I honestly expected to have to replace the high mileage tools every few years and I'd just keep using the batteries. The stuff is relatively inexpensive (or used to be) and that was the plan. But it all just keeps going.
It seems that the stuff is becoming more user friendly in the sense that it is all lighter and more compact. And cordless is is extremely convenient and the battery/motor tech has improved a lot in 20 yrs.
But I definitely feel like it's all designed to be beat on for a few years, thrown away and replaced. Not like the old school stuff that weighed a ton and had to be plugged in, but lasted decades.
I'm curious to see how much more compact and powerful they can push these cordless tools over the next 20 yrs.
I honestly expected to have to replace the high mileage tools every few years and I'd just keep using the batteries. The stuff is relatively inexpensive (or used to be) and that was the plan. But it all just keeps going.
It seems that the stuff is becoming more user friendly in the sense that it is all lighter and more compact. And cordless is is extremely convenient and the battery/motor tech has improved a lot in 20 yrs.
But I definitely feel like it's all designed to be beat on for a few years, thrown away and replaced. Not like the old school stuff that weighed a ton and had to be plugged in, but lasted decades.
I'm curious to see how much more compact and powerful they can push these cordless tools over the next 20 yrs.
As someone who just finished up 8 years at TTI headquarters in SC, some of the conjecture here is way off, especially Red tool vs Blue tool copies.
But I am not surprised by @RichterScale's experience with RYOBI tools. Neither the crew throwing shade, nor the overall longevity and winning fans over.
I no longer have any affiliation or dog in the fight. Carry on.
But I am not surprised by @RichterScale's experience with RYOBI tools. Neither the crew throwing shade, nor the overall longevity and winning fans over.
I no longer have any affiliation or dog in the fight. Carry on.
Were you more in the marketing side, or manufacturing side?
Or a little bit of everything?
