Cheap Makita impact wrenches on Ebay

[TUS373]

Was looking tonight at Makita DTW700 18v impact wrenches. Large disparity in price on the body only, with Ebay having lots at £75-90.

Are these fake tools but sporting the Makita name?

I'm a bit wary as the regular retailers are double the price or more.

[InitialDave]

If there's a very large disparity, I'd be suspicious.

On Ebay, I've found that PowerToolMate, BuyAParcel and FFX are often very good on pricing for power tools, especially as they often participate in 20% off deals (I'm usually looking for Dewalt, as I have several tools/batteries already).

If someone unknown was massively undercutting them on the same tool, my immediate assumption would not be a charitable one.

[TUS373]

Thanks. Powertoolmate are at £218.99 as opposed to £75. Obvious difference is suspicious. Curious to know....are fake branded Makita tools a thing then? I have seen lots of Makita looking tools that stop short of having the brand name on them.

[GreenV8S]

TUS373 said:

are fake branded Makita tools a thing then?

Fake branded anything is a thing, these days.

[E-bmw]

Looking at just that tool on ebay the "full price" ones have "BL" on the front of the casting, the cheap ones don't.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233740544449?_skw=DTW+7...

[Fore Left]

Almost certainly fake. If you look at the writing on the label of this full price one it is completely different to this cheap one which has Chinese writing on it and no CE markings.

[TUS373]

Thank you. Lack of CE mark is a good point though if someone is going to the lengths of making a fake, why not fake the label properly too?

Caveat emptor then.

[iguana]

GreenV8S said:

TUS373 said:

are fake branded Makita tools a thing then?

Fake branded anything is a thing, these days.

Pal of mine has fake Makita angle grinder, he didn't buy it as that, just a cheap Chinese one that took Makita batteries & it turned up all branded. I got a cheap China one too also takes Makita batteries same colour but no branding.

[Fore Left]

TUS373 said:

Thank you. Lack of CE mark is a good point though if someone is going to the lengths of making a fake, why not fake the label properly too?

Caveat emptor then.

Made for the Far East market where it wouldn't be relevant perhaps. Hence the Chinese writing.

[InitialDave]

TUS373 said:

Thank you. Lack of CE mark is a good point though if someone is going to the lengths of making a fake, why not fake the label properly too?

Caveat emptor then.

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-10...

[TUS373]

Interesting and dodgy at the same time!

I suppose question is...are the fakes worth the money?

[Tony1963]

Buy the correct item once, rest easy, and feel smug.

[Tye Green]

Are the ones just as good quality ?

[PhillipM]

No, not even close, be lucky if they're half the power, I'd get it from TFT or similar.

[paddy1970]

Check YouTube—there are numerous comparisons between genuine and fake Makita tools. The results consistently show that counterfeit versions have about half the power, fewer features, and lower-quality manufacturing.

[GreenV8S]

TUS373 said:

I suppose question is...are the fakes worth the money?

Buy cheap, buy twice.

What attracted you to the brand you're looking at? If you're buying fake you aren't actually getting any of those things.

[gweaver]

InitialDave said:

On Ebay, I've found that PowerToolMate, BuyAParcel and FFX are often very good on pricing for power tools

Sadly FFX went bust last year. I've had some bargains from ITS, Axminster Tools & Lawson HIS. Screwfix were great when I had two consecutive duff DeWalt circular saws - third time lucky there.

Bosch and Makita have the best spares availability, followed by DeWalt. Most of the other brands are practically unrepairable now. See Dean Doherty on YouTube for examples.

[kambites]

iguana said:

Pal of mine has fake Makita angle grinder, he didn't buy it as that, just a cheap Chinese one that took Makita batteries & it turned up all branded. I got a cheap China one too also takes Makita batteries same colour but no branding.

I've got one of them too (without the branding, in my case). In my very limited experience, whilst they're not up to Makita standards they're perfectly acceptable tools for light DIY use. I certainly wouldn't buy a fake combi-drill or impact driver because they get so much use, but for a grinder I use about once a year, it's adequate.

Edited by kambites on Monday 17th March 18:44