2018 PRODUCT REVIEW
Review of the Year 2018 – 'It wasn't all about Brexit…'
HITACHI 18v framing nailer
By PETER BRETT IT IS sometimes instructive to look back over a year of tools and try to get a perspective. Are things progressing or standing still? Were there any new trends taking hold so that they become the orthodoxy? Or was there just a steady progress to ‘better’, but with nothing really spectacular on the road? I guess it might depend on your view from whichever part of the market you are in. What might seem a great tool for a product manager might not be as good from the perspective of a salesperson, retailer or tool user.
Hitachi becomes HiKOKI
Perhaps the biggest story of the year was 16
TBH January, 2019
the great Hitachi – HiKOKI rebrand. As an exercise in rebranding it was about as comprehensive and imaginative as could be achieved. Plus, there was the added assurance for owners of Hitachi-branded tools that warranties and servicing would be seamlessly picked up by HiKOKI. Yes, there was a (sizeable) budget to go with it, but more importantly, there were several new power tools in the HiKOKI 36v range launched and these definitely reinforced the message that HiKOKI is a major player in the highly competitive power tool market. But it was a Hitachi branded tool that caused a stir when it was launched at the beginning of the year. This was the 18v framing nailer. For the first time, it
provided genuine cordless competition for gas and pneumatic framing nailers, and the only slight criticism that users could find was that it was a bit heavier than a gas nailer. In my view, this nailer was a welcome addition to the market and a technological step forward. In the latter part of the year under the HiKOKI banner, a great set of new 36v cordless tools was launched. The impact driver, combi drill, recip saw, angle grinder and a couple of circular saws provide a core of very popular power tools that are very capable. And, of course, there are more to come.
Flexible Flex
Sticking with power tools for a bit, the German company, Flex added a few new
www.toolbusiness.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32
