Information on elu

[tsb]

Can anyone tell me when Elu ceased being Elu or trading and was it taken over by Dewalt. Thanks

 

[George_N]

I'm pretty sure Elu were taken over by Dewalt, who in turn are part of the Black and Decker group. Have a look at the company history for a little bit more information.

 

[chippy1970]

Can anyone tell me when Elu ceased being Elu or trading and was it taken over by Dewalt. Thanks

Can anyone tell me why ? :lol:

They were great tools I still use a planer,96e router and a chopsaw all Elu.

 

[gidon]

I don't know why - Scrit may be along to help you.
A lot of the old Elu models are made now by Dewalt with few changes. Also Trend make an almost identical version of the MOF96 - the T5.
Although the quality isn't the same as the old Elu stuff but still pretty good.
Elu stuff still comes up on Ebay but very much buyer beware because it's usually pretty old and not necessarily that well looked after (speak from personal experience!!).
Cheers
Gidon

 

[andy king]

Can't remember the actual time line, I bough Elu in and around 1990 and beyond, so reasonably recent.
As for why, the same old same old I suppose - Bigger fish swallowing up the smaller companies.
Saying that, Elu were still available in Europe while the changeover to DeWalt was happening in the UK, so the routers and sanders etc were still Elu branded there as it was percieved as a strong brand name I suppose.
The same is happening now with Dewalt buying Porter Cable and Delta in the US. Those brands are still strong there, but DeWalt rebadge for their range here.
Here's an example:
http://www.deltaportercable.com/Product ... ctID=15062
http://www.dewalt.co.uk/powertools/prod ... no/D26480/
Identical product, different brand/casing.
Porter Cable doesn't/didn't sell as well here, but DeWalt has a huge market share here, so it makes sense to establish the brand further with an established tool, whereas the US market has accepted Porter Cable and Delta as a market leading brand name, so probably pointless to confuse the market place with an identical tool in a different guise.

Andy

 

[chippy1970]

since they changed to Dewalt its rubbish i was told its all made in Eastern Europe where as Elu was Swiss engineering at its best.

Also I have a Trend T5 and thats rubbish too lucky i still have my 96e

 

[andy king]

since they changed to Dewalt its rubbish

I wouldn't maybe go that far. The routers are normally Italian now, and maybe not as good as the Swiss ones, but certainly still well worth it. The DW625 still holds its own against any trade one out there in my opinion.
The mitresaws likewise.
Some stuff is European, some Far Eastern, but that's the case for Bosch, Makita and other companies after our money.
The days of any company making from one area are limited nowadays, and those that do charge for the privilege, Festool and Lamello being two, and not everyone can afford the best so look to lower down the ladder, and deWalt, Makita etc fit the bill.

Andy

 

[TheTiddles]

Black & Decker have owned Elu for a long time, along with Trend and DeWalt. Many of the castings are off the same tools (look at the tool ID if you've got a lot of spare time). All the plastic parts are made by the same sub-contractor too, with exception of the multi-shot parts which come from a more expensive US manufacturer. The difference is branding, DeWalt are aimed differently to Trend, Black & Decker are 'DIY' tools so want to keep their image separate from the expensive 'professional' tools. You've probably noticed that a great number of the lower priced tools look the same with different badges on, that's because often they are. As Number 2 said in Austin Powers, "there is no evil empire anymore, only corporations"

 

[TheTiddles]

... oh, I forgot to mention...

an awful lot of Swiss engineering is done with British machines!

Aidan

 

[andy king]

Black & Decker have owned Elu for a long time, along with Trend and DeWalt.

Certainly true of Elu and DeWalt, but i'm pretty sure they don't own Trend.
Trend have the T10 and T11 as clones of the DW625, but these are made under license I believe. I think the original T5 used to be made by Perles, the T20 bicuit jointer I think is a Freud.

Andy

 

[chippy1970]

... oh, I forgot to mention...

an awful lot of Swiss engineering is done with British machines!

Aidan

Oh don't worry I still think we have the best Engineers in the world most of the formula 1 teams have British engineering and most large projects around the world are British engineered when you look closely.

My Dad was one of them till he retired.

How can you say Trend are aimed at DIY at the prices their stuff sells ?

My T5 router was £170 nearly, NOT diy money .

OH and Andy I had 3 Dewalt routers exchanged now and two Trend ones and was told by Dewalt that they are made in Czech Republic didnt know that was in ITALY. :roll:

I do agree not many companies can afford to make their own stuff but surely they can keep a better eye on it.

Trend were never owned by Black & Decker youre right

 

[andy king]

OH and Andy I had 3 Dewalt routers exchanged now and two Trend ones and was told by Dewalt that they are made in Czech Republic didnt know that was in ITALY.

Well, they may have changed their manufacturing plants then - when I reviewed the DW625, the DW621 and the DW615, each a clone of the Elu originals (Mof 177, 97e and 96e) according to the rating plates on each, all three were of Italian origin.

Andy

 

[chippy1970]

I have had two 625's replaced now then Dewalt exchanged it for a 626 which is much better this all happened about 2 to 3 years ago and they were Czech then not all but mostly.


The first 625 had a wobbly cutter problem spent months getting it looked at then finally they gave up and replaced it, the second lasted a month when I noticed the main casting was cracking so they then sent me a 626 which I requested and thats been OK.

None of these problems were from abuse as if you saw my tools you would know how well I look after everything.

I started buying Festool this year as they seem to be one of the last companies that actually care about what they sell.

Bosch jigsaws are another that are just as good as they always were so there are a few.

 

[andy king]

I have had two 625's replaced now then Dewalt exchanged it for a 626 which is much better

Interestingly, the DW626 is badged as 'Idstein, Germany' which is, I gather, a generic mark that DeWalt use for products built in the Far East, so it looks like the Chinese have got the upper hand on the Europeans! :wink:

Andy

 

[chippy1970]

Dont get me wrong I know people who have had dw625,s for years with no complaints but the two I had put me right off Dewalt.

The only complaint I have with the DW626 is that it gets quiet hot when used and I dont push it eg when I cut worktop joints I take around 8 to 10 passes.

When I get time I will check where mine was made.

 

[mailee]

I bought an Elu 96E this year from a company on E-bay and it was made in Italy. As for the Trend T5 router not being DIY It may be pricey but it is certainly inferior quality to the Elu models. I have two Elu 96's and a Trend T5 all were bought new and one of the Elu's is almost 12 years old now and still they operate much more smoothly than the T5. Also the base plate on the T5 it is bonded on to the base of the router whereas on the Elu models it is held on by screws. IMHO the Trend is more of a DIY machine than a true trade machine like the De Walt or Elu. :wink:

 

[ivan]

DW625 bought UK last yr is badged made in italy

DW621 bought USA ~2002 badged made in UK (cost me 99 quid!)

DW625 bought USA 2001 badged made in italy

DW 10" RAS bought in mid 1970s made in italy, had DW belgium literature/g'tee, and a gaudy B&D selotape flash that looked like an afterthought as no B&D trace on shop demontrator.

B&D sr600 ELU router lookalike bought mid '70s badged made in Switzerfland

All still working

So ELU probably bought by B&D in early '70s and DW in mid 70s?

 

[chippy1970]

I bought an Elu 96E this year from a company on E-bay and it was made in Italy. As for the Trend T5 router not being DIY It may be pricey but it is certainly inferior quality to the Elu models. I have two Elu 96's and a Trend T5 all were bought new and one of the Elu's is almost 12 years old now and still they operate much more smoothly than the T5. Also the base plate on the T5 it is bonded on to the base of the router whereas on the Elu models it is held on by screws. IMHO the Trend is more of a DIY machine than a true trade machine like the De Walt or Elu. :wink:

That was the point I was making Mailee Trend stuff is pricey for what it is I would compare the quality of their power tools to the cheapie Screwfix stuff which is a 3rd of the price and I would never buy may I add.

You cant say its aimed at the DIY market at those prices I would imagine an average Diyer wouldnt pay £165 for a router.

The T5 I have even smells cheap :lol: that horrible greasy smell that rubbish tools smell of.

 

[ivan]

I believe that the DW625, Trend and CMT that look alike are all made in the same factory in Italy which secured the rights to the design at the time B&D transferred manufacture of the then ELU branded version there.