And I chose Makita batteries...
- Thread starter pe2dave
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Bosch copying what Metabo pioneered long before them with their cordless alliance (CAS).
The great benefit of collaboration like this, in my eyes, is that it helps specialist tool manufacturers stay afloat as the world goes more and more cordless.
Fein, as just one example, make good tools but aren't a big enough player to offer a full range.
Now that they share the Bosch battery platform which is amongst the best, people can opt for a mixed set of tools. Say Bosch for the SDS, drill and woodworking tools and Fein for the oscillator and metalworking tools. On balance, both companies benefit. Fein won't have to spend on keeping their own battery platform up to date with the latest tech and can develop more tools instead. Bosch will sell more batteries and may win customers over from the other big names.
The great benefit of collaboration like this, in my eyes, is that it helps specialist tool manufacturers stay afloat as the world goes more and more cordless.
Fein, as just one example, make good tools but aren't a big enough player to offer a full range.
Now that they share the Bosch battery platform which is amongst the best, people can opt for a mixed set of tools. Say Bosch for the SDS, drill and woodworking tools and Fein for the oscillator and metalworking tools. On balance, both companies benefit. Fein won't have to spend on keeping their own battery platform up to date with the latest tech and can develop more tools instead. Bosch will sell more batteries and may win customers over from the other big names.
pe2dave
Established Member
Surely standardisation wins in the long haul?
Yes, I agree. But it's good to keep some competition to force innovation too. Apple v google v microsoft v linux ...
Any one with a monopoly would be insufferable.
Choice between a manageable range of standards works for me.
Who gets to decide ? Some "expert" who can never get it right for everyone or an industry standard which means all the big companies gang up to protect their market position. They keep the innovators and cheap copy outfits down and agree on a compromise standard so they all share some pain and no one gets an advantage over the others because of the standard chosen. (This is what actually happens in the standards world).
Any one with a monopoly would be insufferable.
Choice between a manageable range of standards works for me.
Who gets to decide ? Some "expert" who can never get it right for everyone or an industry standard which means all the big companies gang up to protect their market position. They keep the innovators and cheap copy outfits down and agree on a compromise standard so they all share some pain and no one gets an advantage over the others because of the standard chosen. (This is what actually happens in the standards world).
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pe2dave
Established Member
I disagree? Cooperation (W3C?) is much better for 'customers' than competition?
You may have done the right thing.
Look at all the clone (far East) cordless tools, commonly called Fakita. Which battery do they use?
Do you think there may be a reason for that choice?
For a cordless tool that you will only use once in a while, the clones make a lot of sense. For a tool you use every day, to earn a living, the big brands also make sense. There is no one right answer.
Note that Festool and Mafell are not part of the collective.
pe2dave
Established Member
IMHO more fools them? No company is better than a wide standardisation?
Without competition the innovation and continual development process will just stagnate, if your product is market leading and all the others are way behind then you will cut back on R&D which is extremely expensive until someone starts to get closer but you must never take your eyes of the ball otherwise you can end up overtaken. Festool is guilty of this with the domino, has there been any changes since it's introduction ? As for big monopolies then Microsoft is up there. With something like a cordless drill then what more can really be done, now using brushless motors so at some point all the brands will be much the same, defined only by the battery life and for the older amongst us weight is important.
Some of Mafell's tools are Metabo designs (very possibly with improvements and more rigorous quality control) such as their 10.8V drill driver. The companies have cooperated for many years.
So Mafell belong to the other, longer established collective. Their cordless tools use the Metabo (CAS) battery platform as do over 38 other brands.
https://cordless-alliance-system.com/en/brand-world.php
Notice the LiHD branding that Metabo created when it was the first company to make packs with the bigger 20700 cells.
Mafell also cooperate with Bosch. The Mafell tracksaw guide rail is a Bosch design and manufactured for them by Bosch. Bosch have a corded tracksaw that is heavily based on the corded Mafell MT55.
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