milwaukee chop saw

[butch romig]

my wife got me a milwaukee chop saw for my belated birthday present,ive always thought they made the best power tools,so it comes on the brown truck,and when i go to open the box,what do i see??........MADE IN TAIWAN!!!!!!!!!!
jees i almost puked!!!,tho it is a nice saw!!
isnt ANYTHING made in the usa anymore????????
butch

[Gordon Maney]

That is sad news. I have two grinders, a drill, a hammer drill, a drywall screw gun, all from them. I think they were made here, but I realize I should check. I have had them all for some years.

[Russ Erickson]

Now you did it!

I'm gonna check my Milwaukee Sawzall as soon as I get home tonight to make sure it was made in America. You're right about Milwaukee making some of the finest tools available.

[JimmieD]

I don't know about this particular item, but sometimes this has nothing to do with the American manufacturer. You can purchase a brand new Stihl 038 chainsaw today at a fraction of the Stihl cost, because the Chinese have made a clone knock-off of it that is indistinguishable from the genuine item. That is, until you try to run it and cut real wood.

Could be a loving wife was hoodwinked by an unscrupulous seller. Regardless of this the value of such a caring spouse far outweighs any minor problem with point of manufacture of that tool! You're a lucky man indeed......

Aslo, many Taiwanese products are now top quality as they have been expanding their manufacturing technologies and methods for over 20 years, in addition to using far better materials for construction. The real junk stuff comes from the backward China mainland, and not so much from Taiwan. Some Tai' stuff is very good indeed.

JimmieD

[bosco]

SawZall Made in USA

Just checked mine ... USA made ... model 6537-22.

[JimmieD]

http://www.milwaukeetool.com/us/en/a...s?OpenDocument

[bosco]

Yes, somethings that were once manufactured in the US are no longer. Even the famous Winchester rifle.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/column13_winchester.htm

[MoparNorm]

Blame it on the cordless revolution, until then ALL Milwaukee tools were made in the USA. To compete with Mikita, Milwaukee used a Japanese vendor intitially, but the quality was poor, so they switched to Taiwan.
As a blanket rule not any one manufacter makes ALL things well. Milwaukee makes the best corded drills and that Sawsall, but their circular saws are weak Skill makes the best power circular saw, but their drill are weak. Dewalt makes the best (most durable) cordless tools but Mikita may have raised the bar with their new batteries that are just now hitting the market. Earlier Mikitas were underpowered jokes that somehow found favor with homeowners and poor illegal immigrant laborers, so they had to step up a notch. Irony is ripe in the tool business, Hilti makes excellent power actuated tools from Litchenstien, but their biggest plant is now in Tulsa OK! Bosch makes powerfull rotary hammers, my favorite chop saw is the Dewalt Multi-Saw. Carbide, NOT carberundum, bladed it will cut up to 1/2" steel with little sparking and a perfect cut, much faster than a band saw and much more accurate.
Keep in mind that you may get a lemon or a perfect tool in any brand, my observations are based upon having many dozens of tools out in the "field" at any given moment, over the last 35+ years, being used by all types of personnel, some who care and some who could care less (and were soon to be unemployed).
A hobbyist will needs only ONE high quality tool for each task, buy the right one the first time and it will become your grandchildrens tool. Buy the wrong one and post about it here.....= )
MN

[bosco]

I have a Makita corded circular saw (a gift after my Skil was stolen). It actually performs very good. When I reroofed my house about 8 years ago it stood up to the demand. With the right blade it performed flawlessly cutting through the decking and nails while cutting the opening for the ridge vent. However, I will say that I do miss my Skil saw.

Dewalt does make excellant cordless tools. I've owned many in the past and have several now. I really like their trim saw (14.4V is what I have), being light weight it's great. But it can't perform as well as a corded saw. The battery drains too quickly when cutting 2 by stock, but does great with plywood. Even though I have 2 batterys for this saw, I have had to switch to the Makita to finish some jobs. Ok, maybe my batterys are spent ... I know they last forever and I need to buy a few more. But man they are expensive. Their 18V cordless HD drill ... never a problem. Out performs any cordless drill I've ever used. Their charger radio is also something I have and love it. The charger will accept any voltage battery and will charge quickly. Tip ... just don't plug the radio/charger into a electrical cord splitter and plug in a Milwakee Sawzall into the same splitter, unless you want your radio fried. I did that and now my Dewalt radio/charger doesn't work. But I did get a new one.

[JimmieD]

Hmmm....I wonder if there's a ground fault on that breaker your cord was attached to? Could be some feedback on the common or the ground lug.

[bosco]

Jimmy,

There was no ground fault protection on the outdoor receptacle (rated @ 15 amps) nor on the extension cord (10 gauge wire) nor the pigtail (8 gauge wire). Not being an electrical whiz, I beleive the inrush current of the Sawzall (rated at operating current of 10 amps) was enough to fry the radio when I first ran the saw, therefore no tripping the breaker (rated at 15 amps). I now have replaced the ALL outdoor receptacles with the GFCI type ... a wise investment. I still have the old radio/charger and plan on taking a look interally to see if if has some protective device that was blown that I can replace.

I will say that since that has happened, I have replaced my service panel to an updated GE panel board and breakers. The old panel board was a 25 year old Federal Pacific ... major hazard.

[MoparNorm]

I will say that since that has happened, I have replaced my service panel to an updated GE panel board and breakers. The old panel board was a 25 year old Federal Pacific ... major hazard.

Ah the old Federal Pacific "Stab-Loc", melt and burn but never trip! They have been banned since 1979 but replacement parts are available from Canada and Mexico where the lawsuit didn't reach....= )
MN

[JimmieD]

That upgrade sounds like a wise move!

[MoparNorm]

Yep, he did the right thing by getting rid of it! Federal Pacific panels were nortorious for bursting into flames, the breakers just plain do not trip, they melt instantly into place and ignite the panel, then the home. Just Yahoo or google 'Federal Pacific lawsuit' and be amazed at the number of articles!
The most interesting thing I learned about them is that after TWO companies went bankrupt over these panel, Schnieder Electric bought them! That's the parent of Square D, which seems really weird. Schnieder still makes them under a corporate umbrella in Canada and Mexico.
MN

[JimmieD]

Sounds like a 'feed-thru' breaker. Some work, some don't. Not a real bright design overall. However GE used them as the EQ series and they worked fine.

I got my Makita back when the U.S.A couldn't seem to produce a quality rechargeable tool and that includes DeWalt. It's been a great tool for many years and especially with the newer 'Smart' batteries. I've used it long and hard and on the job, but not continually everyday for years. Still it's been a very good tool and I have no complaints even at 9.6V.

How many volts is the Milwaukee?