looking at the back of a tool mag i was gifted the other day i noticed a Hitachi and a Metabo air nailer and both were identical bar the brand names,
had a quick google there and took the first one, seems there has been a bit of buying and selling of late,
it was news to me, could be common knowledge for all i know.
the pair are owned by an outfit called KKR, only recently mind but from a bit of reading, KKR don't have a great rep, a private equity firm whos main goal is profit it seems.
im personally not too worried about Hitachi but id hate to think KKR would run the Metabo stuff into the ground on the back of a quality name, i use their grinders here and i couldn't fault them, their not the cheap versions mind you, be a pity to see the quality diminish imo but here's hoping...
a link and a few quotes.
https://toolguyd.com/hitachi-power-tools-is-now-metabo-hpt/
had a quick google there and took the first one, seems there has been a bit of buying and selling of late,
it was news to me, could be common knowledge for all i know.
the pair are owned by an outfit called KKR, only recently mind but from a bit of reading, KKR don't have a great rep, a private equity firm whos main goal is profit it seems.
im personally not too worried about Hitachi but id hate to think KKR would run the Metabo stuff into the ground on the back of a quality name, i use their grinders here and i couldn't fault them, their not the cheap versions mind you, be a pity to see the quality diminish imo but here's hoping...
a link and a few quotes.
Hitachi Power Tools will now be known as Metabo HPT in North America. You may have recently heard that Hitachi would be known as Hikoki. That will only be true in the European and Asian markets.
The transition will take place over the next two years and the first new tools launched under this name will be the new MultiVolt platform slated to come out in September 2018. At the same time, they plan on converting their fasteners and accessories to the new Metabo HPT name. Following in the next quarter, they want to finish converting the branding for all current tools.
The reason for the name change is that they are no longer part of the large corporation known as Hitachi, which sells everything from consumer products to automotive equipment. Hitachi acquired Metabo a few years ago, and last year both brands were sold by Hitachi to KKR, a private equity firm.
https://toolguyd.com/hitachi-power-tools-is-now-metabo-hpt/