Metabo

[bonesbr549]

I bought a small driver set made by Metabo that was soso at best.

 

[GhostFist]

Contractor i was working with was all proud of his cordless 18v Metabo drill until it dropped a foot and the chuck snapped off because it was all cheap plastic. Never looked at their tools since.

 

[richard.selwyn]

I recently bought the smallest, cheapest Metabo chop saw (I also own their biggest see above)
I did not expect much - it was 99 euros - but it is the lightest - at 9kg - I could find for lugging around (I hate lugging heavy tools up flights of stairs in peoples' homes.)
Anyway, it is about what you would expect for 99 euros (pretty rough), but having installed a Festool blade - which is worth almost as much as the saw- it does give reasonable cuts.  I couldn't see any mention of where it was made anywhere, but it certainly looks and "smells" Chinese. 
That said, this is being typed on a 1500 euro chinese built computer so I know that made in China doesn't necessarily mean cheap rubbish.  I just wish some of these European companies (Jet is Swiss owned for example) set out more exacting standards for their Chinese partners.

I would like to buy a better saw but cannot find anything that compares weight wise. (Apart from the Festool Sysmetric saw which I can only use for small moldings)

Richard

 

[Radone]

Very good point; the weight: 14kgs. I hurt my back awhile ago and can't be lugging this thing around when I do use it. Also, cross cut width (305mm), 5,000 rpm idle/3756 rpm rated load and 1.5kw input power seems pretty darn good for a 216mm. I can see me putting a better blade on it as well. I can't wait to actually cut with it.

Speaking of, it's still in the shop to get the warranty replacement bearings put on. The shop has had it longer than I have. I turned it in at three days old and they've had it for about a week and a couple of days now waiting for bearings that are on back order. It sure will be nice to use the thing.  :

 

[aloysius]

I've been using Metabo tools for 30 odd years, & overall I'm impressed.
Their corded drills are probably the best available.  I have 3.
Their grinders are the longest lasting, most reliable tools money can buy.  They're a firm favourite with engineering and steel fabrication workshops.  I have 3 of these also.
Their cordless tools, however, aren't really all that good.  I've had quite a few: 1 driver, 5 drills, a circular and a saber saw.
Their sanders are excellent, complimented by reasonable quality sandpapers and absolutely woeful intermediate pads, that self destruct even before use!
Overall I'd rate their corded drills and grinders as the best professional tools available.
Their cordless tools, however, I'd rate as only on a par with Festool's (in other words not really as good as alternative brands).
Their sanders, however, aren't nearly as good as Festool's equivalents.  Festool is the world's premier manufacturer of sanders.

 

[lerabotperche]

any others reviews for the last nine years ?

Their 12v drills look nice but I'm looking for reviews (and for 18v tools) for cabinet making and carpentry

 

[Sanderxpander]

They just "upgraded" to a new 12V battery platform, I've used the older 10.8V one and really liked it, the quick chuck is great and it has plenty of power. Mafell rebrands these with a few small modifications, which should really say enough.

 

[jeh]

To be clear for those in the United States there are two different Metabo companies: Metabo and Metabo HPT (formerly Hitachi Power Tools). A reasonable person would assume the cordless products would be compatible between the two, but they are not. Why there would not be consolidation of the cordless platform is beyond belief and will lead to customer confusion and eventually disappointment. The travesty is that Metabo and several other European manufacturers (Mafell being one of them) came together to design a battery pack that is compatible across manufacturers.

Some will say this is bad and full of compromises, but that is not the point of my posting, which (2) Metabo's with zero compatibility.

 

[Svar]

To be clear for those in the United States there are two different Metabo companies: Metabo and Metabo HPT (formerly Hitachi Power Tools). A reasonable person would assume the cordless products would be compatible between the two, but they are not. Why there would not be consolidation of the cordless platform is beyond belief and will lead to customer confusion and eventually disappointment.

Hitachi acquired Metabo only in 2016. Obviously, with millions of units in circulation from both companies they can't suddenly make them compatible. They will have to support both platforms for a while. Perhaps new models will be the compatible.

 

[jeh]

Metabo's plan moving forward is to maintain separate platforms according to several articles I have read. Considering they do not share a common website at this point (3 years in) I don't anticipate any other changes. Marketing wise they should have just kept the Hitachi name until they could make the changes necessary to share battery technologies.

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

The only Metabo I’ve ever owned was, many years ago when I used to buy fixings in bulk from a supplier. One time we ordered a real big amount of various screws and fixings. They handed me a Metabo cordless drill/driver brand new in a case with two batteries.
Could you trial this and let us know your thoughts? they said. Sure I said.
Anyway, being used to Makita drill/drivers, I couldn’t get on with it, and neither could anybody else that used it.
I eventually returned it to the supplier with a not so good report. They said thanks, but keep it as a thank you for doing the trial, and being a good customer.
I couldn’t give it away, it sat in storage for years until I threw it away a few weeks ago when clearing out.

I know many people swear by Metabo, it’s not for me though, even the modern stuff.

 

[jeh]

The only Metabo I’ve ever owned was, many years ago when I used to buy fixings in bulk from a supplier. One time we ordered a real big amount of various screws and fixings. They handed me a Metabo cordless drill/driver brand new in a case with two batteries.
Could you trial this and let us know your thoughts? they said. Sure I said.
Anyway, being used to Makita drill/drivers, I couldn’t get on with it, and neither could anybody else that used it.
I eventually returned it to the supplier with a not so good report. They said thanks, but keep it as a thank you for doing the trial, and being a good customer.
I couldn’t give it away, it sat in storage for years until I threw it away a few weeks ago when clearing out.

I know many people swear by Metabo, it’s not for me though, even the modern stuff.

I don't think your one-time use of a drill "many years ago" really adds anything to the discussion other than noise.

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

The only Metabo I’ve ever owned was, many years ago when I used to buy fixings in bulk from a supplier. One time we ordered a real big amount of various screws and fixings. They handed me a Metabo cordless drill/driver brand new in a case with two batteries.
Could you trial this and let us know your thoughts? they said. Sure I said.
Anyway, being used to Makita drill/drivers, I couldn’t get on with it, and neither could anybody else that used it.
I eventually returned it to the supplier with a not so good report. They said thanks, but keep it as a thank you for doing the trial, and being a good customer.
I couldn’t give it away, it sat in storage for years until I threw it away a few weeks ago when clearing out.

I know many people swear by Metabo, it’s not for me though, even the modern stuff.

I don't think your one-time use of a drill "many years ago" really adds anything to the discussion other than noise.

The OP asked for Metabo experience, so I posted mine. Not that it’s any of your business, and the only thing you’re adding to the discussion is abruptness.
The point of my post was, I’m saying I wouldn’t have Metabo as a gift. This obviously went over your head?

When my experience with the drill took place, Metabo were a lot more respected than they are now.
In my country, most users of decent tools, use Japanese or German, or the U.S. brand De Walt. We have a good choice of brands including Metabo, and I can tell you for fact, Metabo are one of the least seen tools on the many sites I am on, week in, week out. What does that tell you?

I have had good experience with the older Hitachi tools btw.

If I am able to give any more input to the thread, I shall, and if I get too noisy for you, put your ear defenders on, or maybe be polite and keep quiet?

 

[demographic]

I don't think your one-time use of a drill "many years ago" really adds anything to the discussion other than noise.

Seemed like a reasonable answer from a person that wasn't blown away by a product to me.

I have a Metabo Steb 140 jigsaw, its not the best jigsaw I've  used, nor the worst. It's OK. Its got an LED light that goes on when I pick it up, seems like a better idea is just having the light on when its connected to a live cable so I can tell at a distance that its on.

You OK with me having a fairly vague opinion are you?

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

I don't think your one-time use of a drill "many years ago" really adds anything to the discussion other than noise.

Seemed like a reasonable answer from a person that wasn't blown away by a product to me.

I have a Metabo Steb 140 jigsaw, its not the best jigsaw I've  used, nor the worst. It's OK. Its got an LED light that goes on when I pick it up, seems like a better idea is just having the light on when its connected to a live cable so I can tell at a distance that its on.

You OK with me having a fairly vague opinion are you?

 

[RKA]

The vagueness he refers to is “I couldn’t get on with it”.  It doesn’t elaborate on the reasons why he didn’t like it.  Then we have added that nobody else on jobsites uses it.  Again, why?  Is the platform of tools insufficient, is the support poor in some way, do the tools fail, do they lack in ergonomics, do the batteries take too long to charge, does the color clash with your trousers?  Obviously there are specific reasons, but if we fail to bring them to light, how is anyone supposed to parse out those shortcomings and decide what is or isn’t important for their intended use?

So if there are specific observations you would like to add, great, let’s hear them.  Otherwise let’s not keep adding to the noise here.

 

[ChuckM]

I hear noise when someone is complaining about another member making a noise. That abrupt, rude remark is uncalled for and unnecessary.  [eek]

Are we trying to practise censorship here?

Granted, if a member wanted another member to expand or clarify his or her comment, just ask. Why use a provocative sentence. I could equally argue what makes any of you an undisputed authority on a topic that another member contributes to.

 

[peter halle]

Please let’s not let this thread go further south.

Peter Halle-Moderator

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

The vagueness he refers to is “I couldn’t get on with it”.  It doesn’t elaborate on the reasons why he didn’t like it.  Then we have added that nobody else on jobsites uses it.  Again, why?  Is the platform of tools insufficient, is the support poor in some way, do the tools fail, do they lack in ergonomics, do the batteries take too long to charge, does the color clash with your trousers?  Obviously there are specific reasons, but if we fail to bring them to light, how is anyone supposed to parse out those shortcomings and decide what is or isn’t important for their intended use?

So if there are specific observations you would like to add, great, let’s hear them.  Otherwise let’s not keep adding to the noise here.

Ok, I like to be fair, and reasonable, so I'll elaborate a little more on the drill.
At the time of being presented with the drill/driver I was a user of mainly Makita tools both corded and cordless, and a fair bit of Elu, routers, table and mitre saws etc.
So, we had plenty of Makita cordless drill drivers. The supplier was a Metabo stockist, and was constantly trying to covert me to the brand.
When he gave me the drill, although brand new, it looked old and outdated in design, and did not have the ergonomics of my drills or any other current brand offerings.
It is still in the skip outside of the workshop, if I can find an old Makita of the time, I'll post pics up of both, so that everybody can see what I'm talking about.
The drill reverse switch, was a flimsy plastic paddle that protruded out between the top of the trigger and the casing, looked like it would last about 5 minutes. The tool was not balanced or comfortable, lacked power, had terrible battery life, and also a lengthy battery charge time.
It was a world away from the Makitas of the time, or anything else. It resembled a cheap DIY centre tool, or an occasional use tool for a handy man.
Four or five of us tried it out, for the working week but, nobody liked it, nobody had anything good to say about it. As I said, I couldn't give it away.

Not my own experiences but, I have friends and colleagues that have owned various Metabo tools, and the feedback hasn't been great, or mediocre at best. I know somebody that had untold problems with a Metabo planer thicknesser, another with a mitre saw that was replaced three times before a refund. They have had major issues with grinders too.
Whenever I see anything German manufactured, it nearly always means quality, precision engineering and design, and as a consequence great durability.
The Germans build everything to a very high standard. Houses, cars, guns, tools and just about everything else. I don't now, or have never seen this quality with Metabo, and the fact they were bought by a Japanese company tells me they weren't very successful?
There are almost certainly firm fans of Metabo out there, and I would imagine if that's true, the majority of them are hobbyist or DIY users where products aren't worked so hard, or so frequent as in a professional environment, as I mentioned earlier, I see very little Metabo tools being used on building sites of all types and sizes.
My own experience, and the others that used the drill, was more or less how I expected it to be, after seeing various Metabo tools, and inspecting them, not very innovative in my opinion.

Most of the sites I'm on you'll see mainly, Makita, De walt, Milwaukee, Festool, Fein, Mafell. Sometimes some Panasonic, and some Hitachi, and a fair bit of Erbauer (Screwfix own brand) and some other cheap and cheerful tools but, I really don'y come across much Metabo. Maybe the odd drill etc but, not much at all.
It's not one of the popular brands here, at least professionally. There's probably a reason for that?

 

[RKA]

That was great! Thanks for elaborating!!