A Redditor posted in the Milwaukee Tool forum this week, saying that their “Cornwell truck guy” tried to sell them “insanely priced Milwaukee industrial tools.”
According to the Redditor, the Cornwell tool dealer claimed that:
the tool trucks have “industrial versions” compared to Home Depot and any other seller.
Advertisement
The implication here is that an “industrial” version of a Milwaukee tool would be better than the same tool sold at Home Depot, which if true could justify the dealer’s inflated pricing.
That doesn’t sound right – there are no “industrial” versions of Milwaukee Tools, at least in regard to cordless power tools with the same model number.
If I ask my contacts at Milwaukee about this, I know exactly what they’d say – something about how ALL of their M18 Fuel impacts being industrial-grade.
I have seen cosmetic and sourcing differences in hand tools sold in promotional displays, once for Milwaukee (wire strippers) and a couple of times for other brands, and so I can’t say that tools with the same model numbers always come from the same production line. In those instances, the differences stem from production capacity considerations, such as where a different factory is used to produce a high volume seasonal run of say 100,000 tools.
However, if you’re buying a Milwaukee M18 Fuel impact wrench at Home Depot, an online dealer, or a tool truck dealer, the tools should all be the same.
I have never seen any differences between Milwaukee cordless power tools purchased from Home Depot and the same model tools sourced from a different dealer or direct from the company.
Advertisement
Do some companies produce different grades of products for home centers than they do industrial dealers? Absolutely. I have heard this most recently about water heaters, and how you can get better ones from a supply house.
That’s not the case with Milwaukee cordless power tools. There are no “industrial” grade versions of the same exact Milwaukee cordless impact wrenches.
Whether you buy a Milwaukee impact wrench from a tool truck dealer, Home Depot, or independent tool dealer, you shouldn’t be able to tell them apart with respect to performance or the parts and components in a teardown.
Even when companies other than Milwaukee have different products for different users or markets, the product model numbers tend to change.
It sounds like the Cornwell tool dealer was at best misinformed, or at worst trying to pull a fast one over their customers.
Without talking to the tool truck dealer firsthand, I’m inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt. I’ve heard unsubstantiated claims about Home Depot-sourced products before, such as about plastic gears or weaker components. It’s possible the Redditor’s “Cornwell truck guy” believed what he was saying.
The subReddit community is not so generous, with the consensus being that the dealer was lying in an attempt to sell the tools at substantially higher pricing for greater profit or commission.
Here’s what user mrxraykat949 said in their Reddit post:
So yesterday at my shop we had a cornwell guy stop at our shop and he sells Milwaukee tools. He was selling a Milwaukee 1/2 impact and 3/8th impact with 2 5.0 batteries for $1100.
My jaw dropped and I said holy crap dude why so much? I showed him the same kit online which was much cheaper. His excuse was that the tool trucks have “industrial versions” compared to Home Depot and any other seller.
I used to sell Milwaukee tools on FB marketplace so I’m somewhat familiar with pricing and tool lines. I know there’s a base model Milwaukee and the fuel line. That’s it. Never have I heard of “industrial” was told that if I bought a high torque 1/2 impact at Home Depot it’s not the same as his high torque 1/2 impact.
Sounds like some used car salesman crap, please tell me I’m not losing my mind because I told this dude I’m never spending a dime with someone who lies.
I’ve heard of tool truck dealers selling Milwaukee and other brands of cordless power tools before, and I have seen various tools listed at higher prices than retail. The Cornwell salesman’s claim of the tools being special “industrial” versions is a new one.
Tim
Common myth spread by industrial suppliers is that they get the preferred pick of the lot for tool manufacturers and big box stores get “cheapened down versions with the same model number and cheaper bearings, switches and wiring”
Have heard it from everyone from the local supply houses to tool trucks to justify their prices.
Was partly based in truth back in the day with Makita and Hitachi having factories in Japan and China and supply houses turning down Chinese made versions of the same tool.
You’ll get 50 dudes in any tool group telling you their supplier gets the “better version” of Tool Company A.
You’ll probably get some people here too.
MM
That’s exactly what came to my mind as well: there’s an old myth which refuses to die that big-box stores get stripped-down models while you can only get “the real thing” from specialty dealers, and those have bigger motors, tougher construction, more metal and less plastic, blah blah blah. I first heard this nonsense in a discussion my cousin and uncle had with a tool dealer in England regarding corded Bosch drills. I’ve been hearing that kind of claim for 30 years thereafter from time to time and with every brand you could imagine.
I’ve asked for proof countless times and never seen it once. Nobody can ever provide photos or video showing two examples of the same tool side-by-side with appreciable differences in construction. It’s all hogwash with no proof to back it up. If it were true there would be videos exposing the great ripoff all over youtube. Let’s see the teardown pics proving this guy’s impacts are any better than the same model no from elsewhere, I guarantee you that he won’t provide any, but you will likely hear plenty of excuses.
….now all that said, Milwaukee did recently come out with couple of new and very expensive impact wrenches, the model 3061 and 3062 “Controlled Torque” series. If those are what he was selling then $1100 would have been a good price. I haven’t had a chance to play with them; they do not have very high torque specs but are apparently high precision.
KMR
” there’s an old myth which refuses to die that big-box stores get stripped-down models while you can only get “the real thing” from specialty dealers, and those have bigger motors, tougher construction, more metal and less plastic, blah blah blah”
This isn’t a myth, at least not for some products.
A John Deere X series lawn tractor doesn’t look too dis-similar to the S series. X is sold at dealers, S is at the Big Box stores. You get better engines, heavier duty hydrostatic axle, grease-able joints, better cutting decks, longer warranty, etc on in the dealer series.
There is a huge price difference as well. X3xx models will be 2x the price of the S1xx models. Back when I bought my dealer series/model X320 it was about 2.5x the price of an equivalent “size” JD lawn tractor at the HD/Lowes. My X320 has a Kawasaki motor versus, IIRC, Briggs and Stratton in the box store models.
So yes, there are instances where the dealer has a better model… but it is typically differentiated by a completely different model line-up and the differences do justify the price upgrade.
MM
Please correct me if I am mistaken, but these John Deere mowers have different model numbers so they are quite clearly not the same product. If you buy a model X1234 from Lowes and you buy an X1234 from a tractor dealer they will be the same thing. You seem to be talking about a different thing altogether, comparing an X1234 from Lowe’s with a model Y5678 from the tractor dealer.
Chuck
I worked for home Depot for 35 years in Az. When Lowe’s came to Az was about the time I noticed part #s on tools and other items would be slightly different. The # on the home Depot tool looked identical. With some inside info from vendors found the two companies had the own part # so we did not have to match pricing.
Matt
Are you dense? X series and S series are not the same at all, nor are they marketed that way. That’s not at all what is being talked about
Stuart
That’s uncalled for.
xrh07
If it’s differentiated by a different series/model # then it’s not confirming the myth then. It’s debunking it further.
The myth is that supply houses and dealers justify absurd pricepoints because their products, with the EXACT same product #s, are magically better than same name/# stock being diverted to Home Depot.
If John Deere dealership were selling an S-series mower for 2.5x the price of the Home Depot version then there’s no reason to believe it’s magically better unless somebody had definitive proof of the dealer version and Home Depot version. Yet whenever somebody makes such a claim nobody can take 2 same model # products side by side and point out the qualitative differences.
Pointing to 2 different series isn’t proving the myth correct in any capacity. Simple as that.
AC
I did not believe either, but did see an example first hand of a Moon faucet with nylon internals from home depot and brass from a specialty store, both same model number. That said, I think this may be a rare example.
TomD
This might be where the rumor comes from – early production of an item is better (or sometimes worse!) but the big box stores sell through quickly and the smaller industrial stores sell through slower, so you’re getting an earlier production run from them.
Other times the model number is short but the sku is longer and indicates other things (like the various Milwaukee kits you see when looking up a tool).
AC
This is a good explanation
Vards Uzvards
Moen 1222 is a “brass and plastic” (the shell is all plastic) Posi-Temp faucet cartridge. Moen 1222HD is a very similar cartridge, but it has “heavy-duty brass shell”.
Vince
The reason for the higher price on the tool truck is your ability to make payments on the tool while you’re using it. ( also Home Depot has Milwaukee on consignment and doesn’t pay for it till it’s sold so their margin of profit is extremely low )
xrh07
Home Depot offers financing options as well, everybody and their mother offers credit nowadays. It’s not a real justification for anything except more pointless hand waving because the culprit in question is a tool truck brand.
The reality is the tool truck is just a mostly unnecessary middle man trying to run up margins because it’s some guy piddling around all day long in a box truck. Home Depot has volume capacity and far more efficient distribution hubs (between warehousing and physical retail stores) than any tool truck brand will ever have.
The best tool trucks are the UPS and Fedex delivery vans anyways. Much tighter and more efficient ship being ran there in the grand scheme than any tool truck brand will ever be. They’re middle-manning all the crap that goes from the main warehousing hubs to the guy who just piddles around town all day every day serving a fraction of the amount of customers UPS/Fedex can fulfill in the same hourly cycles
Saulac
I think variations are to be expected…whatever they are…they do not worth the price difference this big.
Jim
Maybe they are selling the one-key version of the tool?
Stuart
The Redditor says they pulled up the exact model number online to compare prices.
SamR
I think the tool truck guy is banking on the Milwaukee 2767 impact wrenches case.
To my understanding, Home Depot was the only retailer selling this model.
Rumor has it that Home Depot asked Milwaukee to cut corners to increase profit! But who knows!
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/milwaukees-m18-fuel-2767-impact-wrench-probems/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Stuart
No, and that didn’t only affect Home Depot.
There is a less expansive impact, model 2666-21B.
Milwaukee wouldn’t intentionally dilute the M18 Fuel line.
SamR
So why change the 2767 from H96A to H96B?
Adam
Sounds like he was charging the full ridiculous “retail value” given to tools & batteries.
HT – $299
Mid – $249
5ah oil resistant- $189 x2
standard charger – $79
That is $1025. So while ridiculous, and really stretched out, looks like the tool truck could “legitimately” screw over the customer
Frank Orphey
All accurate.
Kit discussed in OP is 3010-22 and also includes a nice tool bag, worth around $39 I believe.
We are currently promoting this kit on our quarterly flyer for $939, with choice of an extra free 5.0ah Battery, or the latest gen 2880-20 5” grinder. Value on free goods is $189-$229 I believe. I sell one almost every day off my Cornwell truck without haggle. It’s a very fair promo, and good way for a tech to get into the Milwaukee line.
Ralph Harrell
I’ve had the same experience from Corwell ,USA tools and National tools.They all buy their stuff at Home Depot and other places and then markup the prices.All 3 have stored their trucks at the storage place I worked at.USA told me $600.00 plus tax for the Milwaukee Fuel m18 1/2 impact.Tool only! Catalog #2767,1,400 lbs.torque.I bought the same one at Home Depot,same catalog number for $303. with tax.
Frank Orphey
Respectfully sir, Cornwell is a direct distributor of Milwaukee, and we do not source any product from Home Depot. Cannot speak for the others you mentioned, and cannot speak for other independent dealers.
ITCD
This is actually a tale I come across commonly in tool circles, spoken by guys repeating what their truck guy alleges.
I say it’s bologna, a sales pitch, and one that could open up the dealer to a lawsuit if one really wanted to go that way. Puffery is one thing and is allowed by law, making claims like its the best or high quality, but misrepresentation of tangible facts isn’t covered.
The big smoking guns to me are the complete lack of proof like side by side teardown etc, and the fact they always share a common SKU.
MFC
The only truth I’ve seen to claims like these are with riding mowers. The big box version vs. the dealer versions can have differences, but they are slightly different models most of the time.
MM
I’ve definitely seen superior riding mowers at a proper dealer compared to what’s in front of a big-box store. That said, they are always different model numbers. If you want a 100-series John Deere then Lowes will fix you up. If you want a 700-series then you need to go to the tractor dealer.
eddiesky
This. I got a used Ariens from a friend who’s parents passed. It is a 42″ mower. It lacked the anti-scalp rollers (three) that non HD sold Ariens include. Plus the motor didn’t come with an extend oil drain, that other retailers had. While not terribly expensive, I was able to buy these online and add. But it was really frustrating that not have a perfectly flat property would create scalps because a $1500 mower from HD won’t include those parts as some “deal” behind closed doors. Note: HD no longer sells the riding mower, and I got it used for $500.
Matt
Here’s what the Husqvarna dealer that I bought my tractor told me: if you buy the same model number from wherever they are the same. The difference is that the tractors get shipped assembled (but not aligned and tightened) in a crate.
When the crate arrives the final assembly is done. At the dealer it is done by a certified mechanic that probably works on Husqvarna all day. At Lowes the final assembly is done by some 18 year old seasonal employee. You can figure out the rest.
Besides, I bet it’s not even legal to sell two different versions of the same model number to unsuspecting customers.
Matt
Of the model number is different (or like Stuart mentioned, but much more rare, the country of origin), there may be a difference. This is common with a lot of box store stuff (plumbing related specifically) where one letter/number at the end will be different, and it generally does mean plastic instead of brass components. BUT you can tell if you get the whole model #! Otherwise, as just one example, how would the distributing warehouse know how to separate the tools that, generally, come all packaged together in shipping containers from overseas?
Michael F
Complete BS. I’ve worked in sales and unfortunately the salesman probably knows what he’s doing.
Munklpunk
I remember 20-25 years ago people were saying DeWalt sold at Walmart had plastic gears
ElectroAtletico
This sort of reminds me of the often uttered comments by the Snap-On Truck salesmen when asked why is their stuff so expensive: “It’s because we use better steel.”
I always respond with “….I did not know that Snap-On had achieved some sort of magical pixie metalurgic process that nobody else, not even the Chinese, has replicated and then used to sell the same tool at lower price!”
Never get a final response on this.
ITCD
They did patent an alloy recipe that facilitated their cold-forging technique. Pretty sure the patent is expired and the recipe is right there as public knowledge, no science required.
Ko-ken also does cold forged sockets so
TomD
You just misheard- the “use better steal!”
DC
The tool truck dealer is full of BS.
Nathan
If he’s guaranteed the tool for say longer time with say immediate replacements or such like they do with the hand tools. Then maybe
JR Ramos
Everything depends on the particular truck owner/salesman, but….Cornwell. I don’t even know if we have someone running a Cornwell truck in our area anymore because people pretty much shunned the few we had years ago – for crap like this as well as the inflated prices (more than usual) and slow warranty replacements.
Sounds like he was just doing the usual thing and maybe that comment about adding up straight suggested retail is accurate, but $1100??? Geez.
The only thing I’m aware of Milwaukee doing – if they’re still doing it – is supplying service centers with non-retail plain brown boxed items for use as replacements. That was still true as of 4-5 years ago but two years ago when I needed a replacement vac it was just shipped directly from Milwaukee to my home address, normal retail box. Long in the past Makita and Bosch also did this but I have no idea about their practices now.
Reminding me of the whole B&D Professional/Industrial/Kodiak line which morphed into DeWalt yellow…same tools, just different colors and labels and distribution networks.
Gary
Yep my matco tool truck guy sells Milwaukee and for some reason they are ridiculously expensive I bought a sawzall and the 12 amp hour battery with a charger that does both style batteries and it was nearly $700.. Was that too much.. I’m thinking so because I did look it up online and found it much cheaper.
Frank Orphey
As a current Cornwell dealer, I can say that we don’t have some sort of a revised, better version of the same part number when it comes to Milwaukee impact products. The reality is, they kick ass as they are, and as a dealer force we are very proud to carry them.
What we tool trucks DO offer our guys, is personal service, short-term financing to our customers, unique BOGOs and packages, more convenience and flexibility with the warranty, and the most important in my mind: The chance to keep your dollars local. None of this may matter to a lot of you, and that’s your prerogative. But it means a whole lot to the guys we service, especially the rural ones who don’t necessarily have a ten minute drive to Home Depot, etc.
I will also state that there ARE other lines we sell, where a product IS substantially better made for us. One example would be our Cornwell branded AC machine line from Robinair. Our products use the exact same Robinair part # as you would find at Napa, AutoZone, etc. However, our units have longer hoses, twice the CFM on a two stage vacuum pump, twice the warranty term, and extras like cover and database included. So even though the only difference to the naked eye is our logo (same plastic case and everything), it is a completely different, much more improved machine.
So, with regards to this specific post, that dealer was misinformed (or misinforming) about the Milwaukee impacts. But there are many other instances where we have negotiated an improved version of a tool over what you’d find online or elsewhere.
IronWood
Good answer, thanks for weighing in with the inside info. I hope the referenced dealer was misinformed and gets corrected. If they’re being deceptive, that’s the kind of thing a customer will never forget once they realize it. Not good for the brand.
Mitch
Thanks for your rational, informative response, that for me satisfies Occums Razor. In my past (and likely future) “blurts”, too often the immediacy of social media provokes my temptation to comment first and check facts after.
Good job representing your brand.
Greg
M18 on some tools and be considered industrial grade but there are no other variations of industrial grade. The tool truck guy was trying to rip people off that’s all that was going on.
Andrew
This is what happened when someone isn’t qualified at their job. They try to get the sale without knowing the product. As a franchise owner of a different tool company I can you tell you that you have to know the product you are selling of the mechanics will roast you. This article is a perfect example of that. The hardest thing to explain to someone buying off a tool truck is that you don’t pay the premium price for just the tool. The delivery and constant service is also included in that price. The advantage of buying a tool off a tool truck is the weekly payments for that tool. As well as if that tool breaks you know that your tool guy will be there to take care of it if it breaks.
CA
I always wondered if supply houses had better Milwaukee tolls than big box stores. I know HD has better prices. When it comes to faucets and plumbing supplies I will go with the supply houses any day. I have seen plastic in place of metal on the exact same model of faucets sold from big box stores. Good to know it is all the same when it comes to the battery powered tools.
Riley
This may add fuel to the fire…
I don’t know about in the states but here in Australia some of our combo kits contain skins with m18… then a series of letters/ numbers. Not the usual say M18FID30 but look the same. The kits are cheaper.
A Milwaukee rep for a company years ago told me about the ‘sale’ table and check numbers to the display skins. Have seen discrepancies. Had apprentice’s turn up with new combo kits with unique number/ lettering but other skins were run of the mill…
Being the good ol USA you might get the best of the best.
Patrick
“I know there’s a base model Milwaukee and the fuel line. That’s it.”
Well, do we know this? I believe there are sometimes regular brushed tools, then brushless tools, then Fuel.
Not that every tool has all three of these options.
But yes, obviously the single independent tool truck dealer made this up.
Stuart
It depends on the category.
For most tools, there’s just one model, Fuel or not. Sometimes there are two.
For core tools – drills, impact drivers, circular and reciprocating saws, they are multiple tiers.