Tools in the Philippines

[intrepid]

Beware that many of if not most of the brand name tools are fake.  There seems to be little enforcement of the infringement on the copyright/Trademark names.  You can usually tel by the price.  I was looking at Makita angle grinders and noticed the model number was not listed on there official website.  When I asked the seller he said the brand was OEM.  Makita was just a name on the grinder but looked like a Makita.  Price for the OEM/Makita was p2100.  Price for the MAKITA was p6500.  It goes for most all the tools sold here that I have seen.  Really hard to tell the difference most times.  Anyway, sometimes its just as well to buy the cheaper tool and know its a knockoff and understand it is most likely disposable.  Then if lasts a long time, even better!  I bought a cheap 6" bench grinder more than 30 years ago expecting it to last no more than a few years at most.  Still running today with several change of wheels of course.

[Mike J]

57 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

Excellent!! I will need a Skillsaw, Sawsall and probably an angle grinder too in the near future. I like Milwaukee, Makita and Dewalt, especially. I find Bosch to be overpriced...just my opinion...

I still have my trusty Milwaukee drill that is almost as powerful as a drill press - it will break your wrist if you don't hold it right. I need to get a bigger transformer for it, though, since it is 110 volt and many amps!

While in the USA I had a Bosch worm drive skill saw.  It was 110 volt so I left it there.  Highly recommended.  The saw cuts like a beast, nothing stops it.  It also tracks much nicer than your standard style skill saw.  Cost more, but worth it in my opinion.  The only negative is the weight of the saw.  That makes it a challenge if you need to make vertical cuts, or do any overhead/ladder work.

[Tommy T.]

4 minutes ago, Mike J said:

While in the USA I had a Bosch worm drive skill saw.  It was 110 volt so I left it there.  Highly recommended.  The saw cuts like a beast, nothing stops it.  It also tracks much nicer than your standard style skill saw.  Cost more, but worth it in my opinion.  The only negative is the weight of the saw.  That makes it a challenge if you need to make vertical cuts, or do any overhead/ladder work.

Thanks, Mike... I had a nice set of power tools years ago when setting sail on the yacht. They proved to be just too much in size and weight to carry around, so we sold most of them off... Today, of course, I wish I had them all back! It will be hard to replace some of the higher quality tools I had before.

But, exactly like you said, you get what you pay for, so I will pay top dollar (peso?) for the best I can get and hope that it will last as long as I hope to last!

[Tommy T.]

@expatuk2014

You mentioned tools that you have found or purchased here in the Philippines...

Would you care to, please, elaborate on what you have seen or purchased? You mentioned Lotus brand? I am totally ignorant about that brand...

[Huggybearman]

Lotus brand can be found in the likes of Ace hardware. I have only purchased a couple of Lotus tools, an adjustable wrench, and a screwdriver set. The wrench was a loose fit, it just wouldn't stay tight, and the screwdrivers couldn't take much rotational force before the head bent. OK I guess if you just want to tighten or loosen a new screw but wouldn't budge one that was slightly corroded in place before it bent!

 

[Huggybearman]

They seem to have a limited selection of tools in S&R that appear to be made in the US. They might be worth looking at next time you are there.

[graham59]

I'm a bit of a DIY enthusiast (and amateur mechanic) too.

I brought almost all of my (British-bought) tools, with me or put them in Balikbayan boxes... realising their desirability over almost anything 'local' from previous times living expat in the Phils.

If I needed something GENUINE, and perhaps a bit special or unusual in this market, I'd have it sent over from my home country (NOT bought online, even back home, as so much Chines fake crap there now)...perhaps included in a Balikbayan box ?

[graham59]

19 minutes ago, Huggybearman said:

Lotus brand can be found in the likes of Ace hardware. I have only purchased a couple of Lotus tools, an adjustable wrench, and a screwdriver set. The wrench was a loose fit, it just wouldn't stay tight, and the screwdrivers couldn't take much rotational force before the head bent. OK I guess if you just want to tighten or loosen a new screw but wouldn't budge one that was slightly corroded in place before it bent!

 

Thanks for the warning.

I was almost tempted to buy one of their 'strimmers', but suspected that they mostly make cheap rubbish, so kept my money in my pocket. 

[graham59]

Oh, and always read the online reviews on these shopping sites,  guys.  

[Tommy T.]

34 minutes ago, Huggybearman said:

OK I guess if you just want to tighten or loosen a new screw but wouldn't budge one that was slightly corroded in place before it bent!

Thanks, Bearman... So if only good for a loose screw, they would probably not be good for me...?