Hot or Not? Rockwell Power Tools
By Sean O'Hara
The Rockwell label has popped up on an entire line of power tools lately. This half-inch, 18V drill caught our eye and made us wonder how many folks have taken a chance on the new tools with the old name.
Like other drills in its class it features a 24-position torque collar, magnetic fastener tray, bubble level, and a two-finger trigger. With a hefty two-speed motor, it boasts big torque numbers to the tune of 485 in/lbs of grunt. But how will it fare against a sea of competitors who have the jump on it?
To answer that question you could take the Zen master approach: “Only time well tell.” But we don’t have much Zen in us, so we want to know what you think. Are the new Rockwell tools going to find a place in the shop soon, or will they make their way to the bargain table first? Let us know in comments.
18V NiCad Cordless Drill [Rockwell]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
June 19th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Ah, genuine Chinese tools, My guess, the bargain bin.
Is Snap-on next, in the race for the bottom.
http://www.alltradetools.com/index.html/screen/product_nav/display_id/id483dcc0283f682.33852473
June 19th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Bargain bin…..the LI conversion rate is speeding up with more tools being offered and decreasing prices.
Besides, I can get a Bosch 18V NiCad at about the same price. Why take a risk with Rockwell when I can get a proven winner?
June 19th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Right on Putnam….it’s a race to the bottom. These are probably being built by the same factory that makes Bob Villa power tools along with all the other off brands that have been diluting the market.
Maybe it’s me but I don’t think it’s a real strong strategy to take a decent brand and slap it on a commodity power tool from China. Where’s the differentiation and innovation that made this a decent brand to start with.
June 19th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
mongo only buys yellow tools (DeWalt). And NOTHING from Harbor Freight that plugs into the wall.
June 19th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
We still have some old Rockwell Porter Cable Tools (USA made chain-driven sanders, 4-1/2 inch worm-gear trim saw etc.) Its sad that the Rockwell name - like lots of other brands - now has no value - except to peddle junk.
June 19th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Like with so many things all this means is that the buyer must beware. Do your research and the best option for your needs should be pretty apparent. Not saying that I like it, just acknowledging the way it is.
June 19th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
It’s just an attempt to swindle the uninitiated. They take an old reliable name people may have heard of their fathers using and slapped it on their otherwise unsellable tools and voila - Rockwell power tools.
If you’re a professional or even a serious do-it-yourselfer, you definitely get what you pay for, and if its a tool you’re using it all the time its almost always worth the money for a tried and tested brand. Probably why, for the most part, all you see on jobsites is red, yellow, or teal.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
My grandfather had a nice Rockwell circ saw, from many moons ago. THAT was a nice tool. It’s the name game; the Chinese are no longer content with professional sounding names (i.e. Chicago Electric, Pittsburgh Tools, Cleveland Steam, etc.).
Poaching once respected name brands is the next step. Pep Boys sells a line of cordless tools with some name, I forget which. The Winchester names appears on lower-end pocket knives.
If they really wanted to cash in, they would crack a history book or visit some historical societies… Indestro of Defiance, Ohio hasn’t been defamed yet…
Maybe the Chinese are hoping that K-Mart’s parent company will sell off “Craftsman” for some cash flow…..
June 19th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
HDT tools had a special on the Milwaukee 18 volt 4pc kit w/ hammer drill, circ saw, recip saw, flashlight, bag, 2 batts + charger all for $225 shipped.
Why buy crap when good deals on good tools are there for the buying?
Color it orange and call a central electric pile of crap.
JT
June 19th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
This approach really annoys me. I wouldn’t buy one just on principle. Rockwell build great industrial tools, and to use that good name on cheap imports is so deceptive. So many buyers have no idea. It’s sad….joe
June 22nd, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Pep Boys sells Goodyear and Kawasaki power tools. The Kawasaki are also an Alltrade line according to an article I read last year.
June 22nd, 2008 at 4:05 pm
so whats the difference between this and the made in china dewalt? can you guys be more specific,cause I might buy one of this.
June 22nd, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Re Rockwelllover Says:
I’m not sure that anyone was actually commenting on the specific tool. Rather we were saying that when a Chinese company resorts to using a brand name like Rockwell (nothing to do with Rockwell International) to peddle their wares - alarm bells sound and one has to suspect that that quality may not be as good as you might hope. If they wanted to stand behind their product - why not establish their own brand identity. No one complains about the Hitachi or Makita brand names - both Japanese companies that produce some of their product outside of Japan.
Regarding a Dewalt Tool made in China or a Porter Cable tool made in Mexico or a Delta tool made in Taiwan - we have mixed emotions - but hope that their parent company (Black & Decker) located in Towson Maryland - will stand behind the quality of their product. Time will tell.
June 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 pm
just needed some more info,actually went to their site and they have lifetime warranty on their battery.don’t get me wrong,I own DeWalt,Milwaukee,Porter Cable drills,but this was before production shifted overseas.What I’m trying to decide is should I buy a current Dewalt,Milwaukee drill thats made in China for 3 times the cost or should I get this.Production shifted to China and they are still charging Made In USA prices.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:45 am
Frankly, I don’t see much in this (or many drills) to buy over a Ryobi. Some of the bigger name brands (Milwaukee and Rigid in particular) have definite advantages over Ryobi-grade tools, but not a ton. The big complaint against Ryobi’s 18V line has been the batteries, but the batteries (and chargers) are so dirt cheap compared to the other brands it’s hardly even worth mentioning ($40 for two batteries vs how much for 1 of the other guys?). And the new LiIon batteries are right up there with the big guys (in cost too!).
As for the lifetime warrantee — from who? Who are you going to have to deal with in order to get it honored? Are they still going to be around in 5, 10, 15 years or will they have sold the name off to the next guy without selling the obligations as well? If I want a lifetime warrantee then I’d go with Rigid… and even then the warranty is void (limited to 2 years IIRC) if you’re a pro. At least with Rigid I have significantly higher faith that they’re not going to just up and disappear, or sell off their name brand to someone else (they could; but they didn’t *just* acquire it for the name brand, so that’s a lot more doubtful).
Forget this junk — if you want well made, well performing, and cheap then go with Ryobi. If you need the improvements (and there certainly are some) from Milwaukee, Bosch, Rigid, DeWalt, etc. then go with them. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you’re getting a top-grade tool from a fly-by-night company that just buys defunt logos and brands.
September 25th, 2008 at 11:55 am
I happen to know someone who works for this company. Most of the employees are former Bosch, B&D and Irwin guys who didn’t like working for a big corporation. They revived the Rockwell name and why not? If they make good tools, it seems like smart business to use a name everyone already knows instead of a brand new one nobody knows. Their philosophy (according to their website http://www.rockwelltools.com) is to cut out all the Nascar marketing and bloated corporate payrolls and offer good tools at lower prices. Sounds good to me.
I love how you guys bash the tools before you’ve even used them. I checked out amazon and most all of the tools have 4+ star ratings. I even saw an ad for the Jawhorse which looked pretty cool.
September 25th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
TOMTOOLMAN Says:
They revived the Rockwell name and why not?
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Why are they riding on the backs of giants, instead of making a name for themselves?
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It seems like smart business to use a name everyone already knows instead of a brand new one nobody knows.
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It may make them a few quick bucks based on people mistaking them for what was once a quality tool manufacturers wares, but pulling a quick switch is really no way to win MY approval.
What we need is a quality American tool company making top quality tools in the good old USA. Not more value engineered, Chiwaneese tools that rely on a false quality perception based on a bought out manufacturers name.
October 17th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
PUtnamEco:
Love Made in America, too bad it doesn’t exist anymore…I guess you prefer to send your money to that ivory tower in Towson, MD where the Corporate Fat cats at B&D/Dewalt/Delta/Porter Cable fly around in their corporate jets and pretend to be tool guys….given what’s happening to us little guys by the Wall Street suits these days, no so sure I’d throw my money in their greedy little pockets.
January 9th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Before you draw any conclusions you have to ask yourself a question first- Made in America or made in good quality? If you choose Made in America, then go ahead, though it seems more difficult in the market now… if the latter, I can tell you Rockwell definately does much better than you think! You get the value by the money you pay.
PutnamEco, you just an ignorant filth… don’t be a dick. You know nothing about tools.
January 13th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Here’s a word in praise of cheap-ass tools. Believe it or not, they do have their place. If you’re a home owner screwed out of your money by your insurance company after a certain blankety-blank hurricane and have to do all of your repairs yourself, these babies are a godsend. Some of us will not be using these tools to make our living, but we need them now. Ditto the sculpture grad student who really needs a tool to get through his program but whose budget is tight. The cheapies teach you about the features you really want in a tool while you’re saving for the real thing.
Both of the above categories apply to me. I am grateful for all of the recommendations from you pros, though.
January 15th, 2009 at 9:13 am
If their market strategy was legit, I’d be interested but it sounds more desperate to me. As for icky corporate strategies, WHAT 4 star reviews on Amazon? That one guy saying time will tell on the hammer drill? Thanks for the spam, you shill. Tell your former Bosch buddies that you happen to know that I don’t consider removable chucks to be a tacky homeowner’s feature, but rather the mark of a good drill that’s easy to self-maintain, especially if you’re only offering keyless chucks on your higher speed 3/8″ which is exactly where you’d want keyless. And why are they introducing a Ni-Cad line into this market? That’s pretty much evidence to me that they’re looking for impulse buys, not people who are into quality tools.
You want to talk no frills? Check out my Milwaukee hole-shooter. It’s based on an old Sioux design from back in the day when people gave a damn about quality engineering.
You want great stuff at excellent prices? Look for well-maintained pre-’80s stuff on eBay.
February 1st, 2009 at 7:12 pm
I was told a long time ago, when I first started out purchasing my own tools, that I could not go wrong if I purchased the best tool quality tool that my money would allow. This guiding principle has prevented me from sinking good money into low quality tools. I must admit that I have made mistakes along the way - these small mistakes prevented me from making big mistakes. (It’s all part of the learning curve) I now own a large selection of Rockwell international Tools and in my collection you can see the progression from Rockwell Beaver to Rockwell to Rockwell Delta to Porter Cable and Delta.
Point is - do your homework and go with the best quality you can afford all the while keeping in mind what type of service the tool will be put to. Always go with a tried and true name for a product that has been around for a while.
I can see where the dispute arises here - Rockwell is an old name and this company is preying on the customer who makes the false assumption that Rockwell is back. This is an appeal to the ignorance of the customer ergo the need to do your research and remember those two famous words: CAVEAT EMPTOR - Buyer Beware.
March 30th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
I buy used American made tools instead of new Chinese tools. especially older Rockwell tools.
May 3rd, 2009 at 9:22 am
I have just bought a couple of new power tools. What convinced me to buy was the price and origin of build. Knowing full well the Germans allways give you value for money. So for those that think all Rockwells are made in China take a closer look and you,ll find many are made in Hamburg Germany. I,m English and live in Spain but I,m sure it,s the same company.
May 4th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I was in Menards yesterday and noticed they had started selling Rockwell cordless drills and impact wrenches. They must have redone the line for the recent lithium ion battery release, because now they are neon green plastic.
I can’t put my finger on it exactly but something about how they molded the plastic bothered me when I held it. It had a weird feel. That aside, the drills seemed to be built well. It’s really hard to judge how well the tool performs in a store setting.
One thing I noticed is that they now seem to be using the same ratcheting chuck that Dewalt uses. I’ve said it before, but I really like my Dewalt’s ratcheting chuck. So this is a good thing.