All Brand Service, Inc.
Major Appliance Repair
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Clients often ask for our recommendations for what products to purchase. Please click a
category of product above, or see our shortcut to our Best and Worst Picks.
How To Use the Charts
The information in this section will help identify manufacturers of major brand
appliances. This information changes regularly as companies are acquired, and models
are added or deleted. I have included some side notes that may help in selection of
brands. Your result with a particular brand or model may vary from my report but my 30
years experience and customer feedback has made this information very accurate. You
can't get this type of information from the store.
I have also rated the appliances, based on my opinion of the products I service. The rating
number is in the last column and the appliances are rated as follows:
A Best Buy
B Good Equipment
C Just Average
D Below Average
E Not Recommended
N/R not rated due to new product or insufficient information available at the present time
Products made out of the country or in limited distribution, affecting parts
*
availability
Rating is based on a compilation of the following:





Product performance (customer satisfaction)
Repair history
Parts availability
Serviceability
Price
Note the line number is not a ranking, products are listed alphabetically.
As you will see, many brands are the same machine with different name plates. Knowing
this information will help you select the best product at the right price.
All Brand Service, Inc.
Major Appliance Repair
New Product Recommendations
Dryers
I recommend a 29" dryer with the lint screen on top.
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General Tips:


Whirlpool is currently producing dryers for the Kirkland, Estate, Roper, Kenmore,
Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Amana and Inglis labels.
Most of these machines can be bought in a 27" wide and a 29" wide model. The
29" version is a very good design with proven reliability over the last 40 years.
This model has the lint screen on top, see picture above. The 27" machine is a
newer design and has had problems too numerous to mention including, safety &
fire issues. I do not recommend the 27" design at all. This model is the one with
the lint screen in the door.
Since natural gas has become available, dryers with gas for a heat source represent 98%
of equipment in the area. Gas dryers usually are more effective in drying clothes than
electric dryers.
Machines with the blower motor in back and lint screen pull out on top work the best.
These have better air flow, less lint buildup and fewer fires. This is the proven design
over last 45 years. They are typically 29” wide. Dryers with the blower motor in the back
are better suited for installations with long vent runs. I recommend this type.
Choose Whirlpool, Kenmore, Roper, Amana and Estate.
Machines with motor up front and lint screen inside door are prone to more service
problems and more fires. They are short lived and are usually 27” wide. These usually
made by GE, Kenmore, Whirlpool, Kenmore and Kitchen Aid.
Machines by LG, Samsung and GE are not recommended because of cost and availability
of parts.
Dryers are available with doors that swing right or left or open downward (called hamper
style). I have found hamper style to be most convenient when loading and unloading.
29" Machine on the left
with lint screen on top
27" Machine on right
with lint screen in door
Brand
Amana
Type
Manufacturer
29"Machine Whirlpool
Asko
*Asko
Bosch
*Bosch
Electrolux
Frig/Electrolux
Fisher/Paykel
*Fisher/Paykel
Frigidaire
Frig/Electrolux
GE
GE
GE
Haier
Hotpoint
Inglis
Kenmore
Kenmore/Oasis
Kenmore
Our Rating & Comments
A Best Buy, very dependable, lint
screen on top
N/R Limited part avail.
N/R Limited part avail, very
expensive parts
C Same as Frigidaire
N/R Limited part availability,
Service issues
C Basic
E Frequent repairs, poor quality,
very expensive parts
Stack unit
Haier/China
E No part availability
E Same as GE, Frequent repairs,
GE
short life, very
expensive parts
29" Machine Whirlpool/Canada A Same as Whirlpool
A Best Buy, dependable, lint screen
29" Machine Whirlpool
on top
A Best Buy, dependable, lint screen
29"
Whirlpool
on top
27" Machine Whirlpool
E Safety issues, Not recommended
Kenmore
Kenmore
Steam Dryer
Eurostyle
*Whirlpool
HE3
Kenmore
Stack unit
Kirkland
29" Machine Whirlpool
Kitchenaid
27" Machine Whirlpool
Kitchenaid
29" Machine Whirlpool
LG
LG
*LG Electronics
LG
Steam Dryer
Maytag
29" Machine Whirlpool
Maytag
Steam Dryer
Maytag/Bravos
29" Machine Whirlpool
Miele
Roper/Estate
Speed Queen
Whirlpool
*Miele
Speed Queen
29" Machine Whirlpool
Whirlpool/Cabrio 29" Machine Whirlpool
Whirlpool
Whirlpool
27" Machine Whirlpool
Steam Dryer
All Brand Service, Inc.
10S160 Ramm Dr., #D
Naperville, IL 60564
Phone: (630) 851-4747
Fax: (630) 851-3635
Washers
Not proven
E Service issues
E Parts availability issues. Avoid
this product.
A Same as Whirlpool, lint screen
on top
E Safety issues, Not recommended
A Best Buy, Same as Whirlpool,
lint screen on top
E No part availability, Poor
warranty support
Not proven/No part availability
A Good overall, Same as
Whirlpool as of Jan, 2007
Not proven
A Best Buy, dependable, lint
screen on top
N/R Limited part avail.
No longer available
B Good overall
A Best Buy, Same as Whirlpool,
lint screen on top
A Best Buy, Same as Whirlpool,
lint screen on top
E Safety issues, Not recommended
Not proven
I recommend using powdered soap.
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Front loaders have advantages and disadvantages.
Some of the benefits are that they use less water and spin faster. This means that the
drying time is also less. Front loaders also do not use an agitator which can beat up
clothing.
Disadvantages include costing twice the price of a top loader and using more expensive
low sudsing soap. Moldy smells may come from the door gasket boot. They are
expensive to repair and have a shorter life span. The wash cycle is also much longer,
usually 90 minutes.
I am not recommending any front load washers.
Standard top load machines also have advantages and disadvantages.
Benefits include being easy to load and unload. They are less expensive to buy and repair
compared with the front loader. They also have a longer life span, usually 10-15 years.
A few of the disadvantages are that they use more water and are harder on clothes. They
also spin slower meaning longer dry times. Powdered soap is recommended.
Cold water washing in temperatures below 65° is not recommended on any machine. If
during the winter your tap water is colder than 65°, you should use a warm or hot wash
cycle to get clothes cleaner and dissolve the soap completely.
Machines with digital control boards offer no real benefit. They just are more expensive
to repair and look trendy.
My recommendation for top load washers is Speed Queen. It is the only washer made
with heavy duty metal inner and outer tubs that keep machines from shaking and walking
in the spin cycle. Other models by Whirlpool, Roper and Estate are also acceptable.
Energy efficient top loaders such as Bravos, Cabrio & Oasis have experienced a high
incidence of failure and have a short life, therefore are not recommended.
Electronic controls are
expensive and temperamental,
with no better performance
Front load stack
washer and dryer
Tub boot on front loaders
frequently have a problem
with a mold and mildew smell
Most machines have
plastic outer tubs
Metal outer tub is only available on
Speed Queen models
HE Series - Top Load Washe
NOT a good choice
Note: The Sears Kenmore label has multiple manufacturers, as listed by percentages below.
When purchasing a Kenmore product, check the model number to determine who manufactured
the product.
Brand
Type
Manufacturer
Amana
Top Loader
Whirlpool
Asko
Front Loader
*Asko
Bosch
Front Loader
*Bosch
Electrolux
Top Loader
Frig/Electrolux
Fisher/Paykel
Top Loader
*Fisher/Paykel
Frigidaire
Frig/Gallery
Top Loader
Front Loader
Frig/Electrolux
Fri/Electrolux
GE
Top Loader
GE
GE
Front Loader
LG
Haier
Haier/China
Hotpoint
Top Loader
GE
Hotpoint
Front Loader
Inglis
Top Loader
Whirlpool
Kenmore
Top Loader
Fisher/Paykel
Elite Oasis
Fisher/Paykel
Kenmore
Front Loader
LG
Kenmore/Stack
Front Loader
LG
Kirkland
Top Loader
Whirlpool
Our Rating & Comments
B Same as Whirlpool, Good
quality
N/R Limited part availability,
small capacity
N/R Limited part availability,
small capacity
C Same as Frigidaire, Short life
E Design flaws, many
problems, Foreign objects
can collect in outer tub,
Pump issues
C Basic
C Small capacity
E Too many problems to list,
very expensive parts
D Too many problems to list,
new design
E No part availability
E Same as GE, Numerous
problems, very expensive
parts
D Too many problems to list
B Same as Whirlpool, Good
quality
D Design flaws, many
problems, Foreign objects
can collect in outer tub,
Pump issues
D Design flaws, many
problems, Foreign objects
can collect in outer tub,
Pump issues
E Poor warranty support,
Made in S. Korea, poor part
availability - Not
recommened.
E Same as above. Not
recommended.
B Same as Whirlpool
Kitchenaid
Top Loader
Whirlpool
LG
Front Loader
LG
Maytag
Top Loader
Whirlpool
Maytag/Bravos
Top Loader
Fisher/Paykel
Maytag/Neptune Front Loader
Maytag
Miele
Front Loader
*Miele
Speed Queen
Top Loader
Speed Queen
Whirlpool
Top Loader with agitator
Whirlpool
Roper/Estate
Cabrio
Whirlpool
Fisher/Paykel
HE Series
Whirlpool
Front Load Duet
All Brand Service, Inc.
10S160 Ramm Dr., #D
Naperville, IL 60564
Phone: (630) 851-4747
Fax: (630) 851-3635
New Product Recommendations:
Dishwashers
*Whirlpool
B Same as Whirlpool, Washes
well but much vibration
E Poor warranty support,
Made in S. Korea, poor part
availability
B Same as Whirlpool, Good
quality
E Design flaws, many
problems, Foreign objects
can collect in outer tub,
Pump issues
C Many design flaws,
Expensive, Many recalls
N/R No parts available, small
capacity
No longer available
A Best Buy Metal tub, Belt
drive, Metal trans gears
B Washes well but much
vibration, Good quality
E Design flaws, many
problems, Foreign objects
can collect in outer tub,
Pump issues
C Many service issues
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General Tips:
Dishwasher lifespan has been compromised by the lack of quality of components, and
most machines are lasting only five to seven years.




Most manufacturers are producing a tall tub design. This means that the door is
all one piece and is hinged closer to the floor allowing more accessible space. It is
more expensive to buy, more expensive to install, and more expensive to repair.
Machines with a double level wash have two spray arms (one under each basket).
This greatly improves washability over wash tower designs.
If you are buying a dishwasher to replace an existing unit made in the USA,
do not purchase Bosch, Ariston, Meile, Asko or Fisher/Paykel. The connections
for water and drain will be in a different location and will result in expensive
installation costs to convert over.
Note that the Sears Kenmore label has multiple manufacturers, as listed below.
When purchasing a Kenmore product, check model numbers to determine who
manufactured the product.
Look for machines with two wash arms, one under each basket. Spray arms at top of
machine are worthless, since they rinse only the outside of items
Wash towers which eject from lower level spray arm are ineffective since placement of
large items will obstruct water flow to upper rack. Avoid tall tub design machines with
wash towers that eject from the center. Dishwashers that are tall tub design utilize smaller
motors. They are quieter, but jam easily because of lack of power. The wash cycle time is
long (about 3 ½ hours) since motors are very small and ineffective, but they do offer
more dish loading area. Service on tall tub machines require removal from cabinet and is
more expensive to install.
Standard machines (non-tall tubs) offer better washability and the wash cycle is
approximately 45 minutes. They work well and are less expensive, but are a little louder.
I recommend this type.
The dish drawer system by Fisher Paykel, Kenmore and Kitchen Aid has proven to be
most troublesome and expensive. It has limited space for large items and has frequent
breakdowns. They are difficult to service and, for these reasons, is not recommended.
Powdered and block soap (like Electrosol) is recommended for all dishwashers. Liquid or
gel soaps create wash ability problems, leaving soap film on glasses and causing
dishwasher door leaks. Pillow pack soaps are not recommended by manufacturers
because all the soap enters the tub at the same time.
Choose Whirlpool non-tall tub models for fastest and best performing machines. These
machines offer the best wash but are louder.
Machines by Asko Bosch and Siemens are extremely expensive to service.
Standard tub on left
Tall tub on right
Double level wash:
Separate spray arm under each basket allows fo
Single wash tower only
has one spray head;
results in poor washability
Brand
Amana
Ariston
Asko
Type
Double
Bosch
Multi Level
Electrolux
Double Level
Fisher/Paykel
Drawer
Frigidaire
Frig/Gallery
Gaggenau
Double Level
Double Level
Double Level
Double Level
Standard motor on left
(the preferred design)
Tall tub motor
on right
Manufacturer
Our Rating & Comments
Whirlpool
A Standard tub
Ariston
E Poor quality overall
*Asko
E Repair prone
C Limited part availability, expensive to service,
*Bosch
very expensive part. It is quiet.
Frig/Electrolux E Same as Frigidaire
E Poor wash, limited part avail, pricey. Limited
*Fisher/Paykel
loading options.
Frig/Electrolux E Most repair prone
Frig/Electrolux E Same as Frigidaire
*Gaggenau
D Very costly, limited part avail.
GE
Double Level
Haier
Hotpoint
Double Level
Ikea
Inglis
Double Level
Double Level
Jenn-Air
Double Level
Kenmore
Double Level
Kenmore
Tall Tub
Kenmore
Kenmore
Spray Tower
18" Compact
Kitchenaid
Tall Tub
Maytag
Miele
Roper
Thermador
Viking
Whirlpool
Whirlpool
Whirlpool
Double Level
Double Level
Double Level
Double Level
Tall Tub
Refrigerators
E Poor wash, Many repairs, very expensive parts.
Short life.
E No part distributors in the U.S.
E Same as GE , Poor wash, very expensive parts.
GE
Short life
Whirlpool
B Same as Whirlpool
Whirlpool
B Same as Whirlpool Tall tub
A Good but overpriced. Why not buy a Whirlpool,
Whirlpool aft '07
less $$
Whirlpool
A Fewest repairs, Best Buy
B New design, good wash, door cables break
Whirlpool
frequently.
Frigidaire
E Same as Frigidiare
D&M
E Poor quality
B New design, Good wash, door cables break
Whirlpool
frequently.
Whirlpool
B Same as Whirlpool
*Miele
C Limited part avail. Expensive. It is quiet.
No longer available
*Bosch
C Costly, Limited part avail, Many recalls
*Asko
E Same as Asko, Repair prone
Whirlpool
A Standard Tub
Whirlpool
A Fewest repairs, Best Buy
Whirlpool
B New design, door springs break
GE
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Refrigerator technology has changed a great deal in the last 10 years. While new
refrigerators have become more energy efficient, they also have become more expensive
and are experiencing a shorter life span (usually about 8-10 years).
Solid state circuitry and micro processing control boards achieve accurate temperatures
and savings with smaller compressors, but added components have made a durable
appliance a temperamental, undependable and aggravating product.
Stainless steel has become very popular but be aware, it is a high maintenance option,
and dents are unavoidable and not repairable.
Top freezer refrigerators offer the most space and dependability for the money.
Choose Whirlpool, KitchenAid and Roper.
Bottom freezer refrigerators have gotten popular again. French doors on top will add
approximately $1000 to cost without any real benefits. If the ice maker is located in the
refrigerator section, it will take up valuable space.
Amana may be your best choice here.
Side by side refrigerators are not recommended unless you have a door space problem in
front of an island. They offer the least amount of usable space for the money. Water and
ice dispensers through the door are the cause for many service calls and floods.
If you must go this route, choose Whirlpool or Roper.
Avoid vertical ice maker, bins indoor with optical sensors.
Avoid GE, LG, Samsung & Panasonic. They have the most problems.
Water filters are a waste of money unless you are on your own well for water supply.
Ice maker located in
refrigerator takes up
Top freezers make the
most use of space and
a lot of room
are very dependable
New refrigerators have
an electrical "brain"
Even at a prem
price, new warra
are only one y
Cafe doors are trendy and
expensive with no more
usable space than top
freezer designs
Note: The Sears Kenmore label has multiple manufacturers, as listed by percentages below.
When purchasing a Kenmore product, check the model number to determine who manufactured
the product. Ask the salesperson. If it is made by LG or GE, forget it.
Brand
Amana
Amana
Electrolux
Frigidaire
Frigidaire
GE
Type
Manufacturer
Amana (Whirlpool)
Amana(Whirlpool)
Frig/Electrolux
Frig/Electrolux
Frig/Electrolux
GE
Our Rating & Comments
All
B Good overall, Same as Whirlpool
Bottom freezer
B Good overall, Same as Whirlpool
D Same as Frigidaire
D Poor repair history
Gallery Series
E Over rated, Same as Frigidaire
All
E The worst, very expensive parts, repair prone
E Over rated, Over priced, disappointing, The
GE
Profile/Monogram *GE
worst of the worst, very expensive parts
GE
Bottom freezer
Samsung
E
Haier
No part distributors in the U.S. Made in China
Hotpoint All
GE
E Same as GE, very expensive parts
Inglis
All
Whirlpool/Canada A Same as Whirlpool
Kenmore Side by side
GE 10%
E 22 cubic ft & larger
Kenmore Side by side
Whirlpool 50%
A Best Buy, Same as Whirlpool
Kenmore Side by side
LG 10%
E Poor warranty support, Made in S. Korea
Kenmore Side by side
Frig/Electrolux 20% D Same as Frigidaire
Kenmore Side by side
Amana 10%
B Same as Whirlpool
A Best Buy, Same as Whirlpool, Most
Kenmore Top Freezer
Whirlpool 20%
dependable
Kenmore Top Freezer
LG 40%
E Poor warranty support, Made in S.Korea
Kenmore Top Freezer
Electrolux 15%
D Same as Frigidaire
Kenmore Top Freezer
Amana 25%
B Same as Amana
Kenmore Bottom Freezer
Amana 50%
B Same as Amana
Kenmore Bottom Freezer
LG 50%
E Poor warranty support, Made in S. Korea
Kitchenaid All
Whirlpool
A Best Buy, Same as Whirlpool, Most depenable
LG
*LG Electronics
E No part availability, Poor warranty support
Marvel
Bar Refrigerator
Marvel Ind
A Good quality
Maytag
All
Whirlpool
C Same as Amana, but more expensive
Panasonic All
Panasonic
E No part availability
Roper
No longer available
Samsung
SubZero
Thermador
U-Line
Bar Refrigerator
Viking
Whirlpool All
*Samsung
SubZero
Bosch
U-Line
Whirlpool
Whirlpool
E No part availability, Service issues
D Expensive to buy, Repair prone, Overrated
N/R Pricey, Limited part availability
A Pricey, Excellent quality
C Expensive to buy & repair
A Best Buy, Most dependable
All Brand Service, Inc.
10S160 Ramm Dr., #D
Naperville, IL 60564
Phone: (630) 851-4747
Fax: (630) 851-3635
Microwaves
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Approximately 90% of ALL microwaves, regardless of brand name or type, are produced
by Goldstar (in Korea) who markets products sold in the United States. Choose American
brand names and shop price. Look for higher wattage. Products by Sharp, Norelco,
Quasar, Panasonic, Sanyo & Samsung are difficult to obtain parts for. EWave (Home
Depot) rated the worst in Consumer Reports. I recommend Whirlpool, Electrolux, Magic
Chef, Hotpoint and Kitchenaid.
Microwaves have turned into a disposable appliance due to inexpensive pricing. Built-in,
double wall ovens may be the only microwaves worth repairing.
All Brand Service, Inc.
10S160 Ramm Dr., #D
Naperville, IL 60564
Phone: (630) 851-4747
Fax: (630) 851-3635
Cooking Appliances
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Gas ranges represent 80% of the market. All of these are spark ignition, meaning no
pilots.
Some are basic without a waist high broiler and with no self clean. A porcelain liner is
best with manual oven control.
Upscale models offer self clean, digital control pad and other features. Digital touch
control boards have become most common, but are expensive to repair.
Sealed surface burners are on most ranges today. The name suggests that they are
somehow sealed against spills, which is not the case. These types of burners are difficult
to clean if spilled on and are expensive to repair. The small electrode that lights the gas is
similar to a spark plug and can be fouled with food, grease or water very easily. Be
careful.
Gas cook tops are made with the same technology and sealed burners.
Choose Whirlpool, Hotpoint, Electrolux, Kenmore.
Wall ovens have become popular when mounting in an island under a gas cook top. This
way you can get gas surface cooking (preferred) and electric oven cooking (preferred).
Ask a chef.
Gas surface cooking can be regulated to a very low simmer which cannot be done with
electric surface cooking. Also, the electric cooking surface elements continue to stay hot,
even after the burner is shut off.
Electric oven cooking is more consistent and cooks more evenly because of double
elements, cooking from the top and the bottom. Gas ovens bake only from the bottom.
Wall ovens are usually dependable, just be careful not to lean on the oven door hinges or
break the glass.
Choose Whirlpool or Kenmore.
Down draft cooking, like Jenn Air, has been most disappointing. The smoke and cooking
odor extraction by a fan that is next to the burner is ineffective. The appliance is tough to
clean and never has been good for grilling inside, usually leaving lots of grease on floor
or countertop. Leave the grilling for outside on the barbeque.
Convection ovens employ a fan in the back of the oven to circulate air. It makes for more
even cooking and cooks about 15% faster, but it does tend to dry out foods. With the
added cost of the convection feature it is usually not worth the expense. Most customers
who bought it say that they would not recommend it.
Electric smooth top cooking surface is easy to clean, but remains hot after turning off and
is difficult to slow simmer on. Glass breakage is also a problem if something heavy is
placed on cook top or something is dropped on stove top.
Choose Whirlpool or Kenmore.
The self clean feature allows the oven to lock itself and raise temperature to 1000 degrees
in order to burn off spills on the oven liner. After it has completed the cycle (usually
about 4 hours), open the door and wipe out ash from bottom of oven with a paper towel.
This works well, but excessive heat does cause premature failure of oven components.
My experience and Consumer Reports both indicate expensive ovens like GE Profile,
Thermador, Dacor, Viking, LG and Bosch are not worth the cost. Performance in these
units has been substandard and not worth the extra purchase price.
Cook top mounted over wall oven
Waist-high broiler
Some burners come apart
for easy cleaning
Convection fan in oven
Sealed burners are difficult to clean after spills
Standard removable
burners are easy to clean in the sink
Standard 30" Range
30" Gas Double Range
Upscale 30" Range
Note: The Sears Kenmore label has multiple manufacturers, as listed by
percentages below.
When purchasing a Kenmore product, check the model number to determine who
manufactured the product.
Brand
Amana
Type
Manufacturer
Our Rating & Comments
All
Amana (Whirlpool) B Whirlpool Value Brand
B Limited part availability,
Dacor
All
*Dacor
Expensive, Good cooktops
N/R Limited production, many
DCS
All
*Dynamic
recalls
Dynasty
All
*Jade Range
N/R Limited production, many recalls
Electrolux
All
Frig/Electrolux
C Same as Frigidaire
Frigidaire
All
Frig/Electrolux
C Builder quality
Frig/Gallery All
Frig/Electrolux
D Overrated, overpriced
Gaggeneau All
*Gaggeneau
N/R Limited part availability
GE
Gas Range Multiple
B Frequent repairs, Good overall
manufacturers
GE
Electric
Range
GE
A Best Buy GE's best product, very
expensive parts
Hotpoint
Gas Range
Multiple
manufacturers
B Same as GE, Good overall
Hotpoint
Jenn-Air
Kenmore
Kenmore
Kitchenaid
Electric
GE
Range
Down draft Whirlpool
Frig/Electrolux
Gas Range
80%
Electric
Range
A Same as GE, Best Buy
E Doesn't meet expectations
C Same as Frigidaire
Whirlpool 20%
B Same as Whirlpool
Don't buy direct spark ignition
models
Electrolux
B Good overall, Best Buy
GE 20%
A Excellent, Best Buy
B Same as Whirlpool, Good overall
Don't buy direct spark ignition
models
Gas Range Electrolux
Electrolux
B Same as Whirlpool
LG
Maytag
Miele
Roper
Thermador
Electric
Range
All
All
All
LG Electronics
Electrolux
*Miele
All
*Thermador
Viking
All
*
Whirlpool
Gas Range Electrolux
E No part availability
B
B Pricey, limited part avail.
No longer available
B Limited part availability, expensive
B Very expensive, Disappointing
performance
B Good overall
Don't buy direct spark ignition
models
Whirlpool
Electric
Range
Electrolux
B Best Buy
Wolf
Gourmet
All
*SubZero
C Many recalls, Very expensive
Kitchenaid
All Brand Service, Inc.
10S160 Ramm Dr., #D
Naperville, IL 60564
Phone: (630) 851-4747
Fax: (630) 851-3635
New Product Recommendations
Heating and Cooling
Home Appointments Appliances & Brands Newsletter Recommendations UV Air
Purification Testimonials
Using the Charts | Cooking | Dishwasher | Dryer | Heating/Cooling | Microwave |
Refrigerator | Washer
SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) refers to cost of operation.
Higher numbers indicate more energy efficiency.
Furnace energy efficiency is rated between 80 to 98%. Consumer Reports quoted
"the most expensive furnaces to buy and install tend to have the most frequent repairs due
to added complexity. "My recommendation is to purchase furnaces in the 80% SEER
rating.
All furnaces produced since 1990 are pilot-less.
Furnaces that incorporate variable speed draft induction and variable speed blowers are
quieter and more energy efficient but are more expensive to repair.
Two stage heating is more energy efficient but incorporates more components.
Remember, the higher the energy efficiency, the higher the price tag.
Air conditioning energy efficiency is rated between 13.0 SEER to 23.0 SEER. Like
furnaces the most efficient models are expensive and have a higher incident of failure.
Two speed air conditioners add more expensive components. Variable speed blowers are
more energy efficient but are more expensive to repair.
R22, the common refrigerant used for many years, was phased out in 2010 in production
and in 2020 will no longer be available for service work.
New refrigerants like 410 and Puron are being used to replace R22 and are more
environmentally friendly.
Clients ask which brands I recommend for heating and cooling products. I have listed a
few of the most common units. There are many other furnace manufacturers besides the
ones listed below.
You will want to get on-site estimates from at least 3 contractors before purchasing. You
should ask the contractor to do a load calculation at your home.
All Brand Service Inc does not sell or install heating or air conditioning equipment.
Replacing your equipment in April or September will be more beneficial since companies
that install are not as busy at that time. Work quality will be better and price will be more
reasonable. Try to get referrals and use a local company that has been around a while.
Single Stage Furnace
2-Stage F
Programmable Thermostat
Manage energy costs while
you're asleep or at work
I recommend using pleated filters in furnaces.
Brand
Air Ease
American
Standard
Bryant
Carrier
Comfortmaker
Frigidaire
Goodman
(Janitrol)
Heil
Lennox
Maytag
Rheem (Ruud)
Tempstar
Manufacturer
Armstrong
Our Rating & Comments
C
Trane
B Similar to Trane, lower price
United
Technologies
United
Technologies
InterCity Products
Nordyne
D Builder quality
C Fair quality
Goodman
E Not recommended
A Best Buy, Same as Carrier, lower price
A Best Buy
Inter-City Products D Builder quality
C Many specialized parts. Service can be a
Lennox Industries
problem.
Nordyne
C Fair quality
Rheem
C
Inter-City Products D Poor quality
2-Stage F
Variable
Trane
York
Trane
B
York International C Fair quality
All Brand Service, Inc.
10S160 Ramm Dr., #D
Naperville, IL 60564
Phone: (630) 851-4747
Fax: (630) 851-3635
Copyright
UV Air Purification
Home Appointments Appliances & Brands Newsletter Recommendations UV Air
Purification Testimonials
The Sun: Nature's Outdoor Air Purifier
For years, scientists have known that one of the most effective air purifiers is natural
sunlight. Not the light we see when we look out the window, but the invisible "C" band,
ultraviolet rays that make up part of the sun's light spectrum. UV-C light inhibits the
growth and reproduction of germs: bacteria, viruses, fungi and mold. The sun acts as a
natural outdoor air purification system, controlling airborne bacteria with ultraviolet rays.
Indoor Air: High Concentration Of Biological Contaminants
Biological contaminants in indoor air account for over 50% of home allergies, according
to the World Health Organization. Asthma and allergy sufferers must endure constant
bombardment by molds, dust, and spores. Even worse, inhaling airborne bacteria and
viruses can cause sickness ranging from allergies to tuberculosis, and are actual the cause
of death to an estimated 8.5 million people annually.
The sun's UV rays must directly contact bacteria in order to affect them. This process
does not occur indoors. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that indoor air can
contain up to 70 times more pollution than outdoor air. The air in a single room can
contain hundreds of thousands of infectious bacteria, viruses, fungal spores, and
contaminants, which can only be seen with a microscope.
To reduce indoor airborne bacteria, contamination, and particulates, many health and
environmental authorities recommend air purification with ultraviolet energy.
Facts About UV
Ultraviolet energy waves, invisible to the human eye, are lethal to the microorganisms
found in indoor air. UV's effectiveness is directly related to intensity and exposure time.
Also, to destroy microorganisms, UV rays must strike the contaminants directly. UV light
penetrates the microorganism and breaks down molecular bonds causing cellular and/or
genetic damage. The germs are either killed or sterilized, leaving them unable to
reproduce. In either case, live bacterial counts can be significantly reduced and kept
under control.
Filter Systems Alone Don't Solve the Problem
The majority of indoor air is conditioned by forced-air heating and cooling (HVAC)
systems. Standard fiber air filters are entirely ineffective in trapping germs, as most
particles are simply too small, passing right through the porous filter. New, HEPA style
filters will only capture airborne bacteria down to a certain size. These HEPA filters are
nominally effective, trapping small airborne contaminates on the filter, creating a
breeding ground where germs can continue to grow and multiply.
HVAC systems are a dark and damp breeding ground for mold and bacteria, particularly
at the system filter and air condition (A/C) coil. The buildup of matter on the A/C coil
and filter can significantly reduce the efficiency of the appliance as the airflow is
constricted and reduced. This means increased cost to the homeowner on top of the risks
of airborne pollutants.
UV's effectiveness in killing bacteria is directly related to a microorganism's exposure
time. Indoor air in a typical residential forced-air HVAC system will be re-circulated over
50 times a day. With a UV generating lamp mounted in the HVAC duct, cumulative
exposure can be very effective in controlling indoor bacteria. UV rays will also kill germs
that breed in drain pans and A/C coils. Properly positioned, an ultraviolet system can
significantly reduce indoor air contamination and prevent the growth of new
microorganisms.
The treatment of indoor air with ultraviolet radiation has been successful in health care
facilities, food processing plants, schools, laboratories and other applications. It is a safe,
silent, and proven method of improving indoor air quality. Warning: UV lamps must
only be operated inside metal ductwork where the light can be contained.
Installation Locations
Locating the UV lamp in the supply duct over the A/C coil is the first choice as this is
downstream of the air filter, keeping the lamp clean. Also, the lamp will inhibit bacteria
growth in condensation formed on the air conditioning coil, a prime breeding ground for
bacteria, spores and viruses which can become airborne. Alternatively, install the UV
device in the return air duct, preferably downstream of the air filter. Install a UV device
in both the supply (over the A/C coil) and the return is ideal for its cumulative effect.
Summary
With tighter home construction, indoor air quality has declined dramatically. Indoor air is
laden with invisible bacteria, viruses, toxins and molds. Filtering systems offer little or no
solution because these airborne contaminants are so small they pass through the filter or
simply collect on the filter medium, creating a breeding ground. Re-circulated air
contains millions of disease and allergy-causing microorganisms which not only live in
the air, but are multiplying with each cycle through the system.
Ultraviolet radiation (UV-C) replicates the natural outdoor purification system of the sun
by destroying the allergy and disease-causing microbes living and multiplying in indoor
air. Ultraviolet radiation is a safe, cost-effective method of purifying indoor air. By itself,
or in combination with a HEPA or like-quality filter, it is the most effective way to
reduce airborne bacteria and the health risks they represent. The result is a clean, safe,
healthy home environment.
HOW ULTRAVIOLET IS HELPING FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS
As reported in the HVAC Insider, 3rd Quarter 2003 Magazine
The Conley family of Brighton, MI are an average family living in an average home.
The air inside their home was causing their family problems. Their daughter, Katie,
suffers with allergies that were so severe she experienced interrupted breathing
patterns and her parents had to sleep in her room to make sure she didn't stop
breathing. Attempting to eliminate the source of Katie's allergies, they changed
filters, pillowcases, bedding and considered removing carpet and draperies in their
home. As a last resort, the doctor said the cat had to go. They had the heating ducts
professionally cleaned and were about to get rid of the cat when they heard about
the UV-Aire purifier. Within a few days of installation, Katie was able to sleep at
night, her breathing patterns were normal, and the cat was able to stay. They were
completely amazed. Katie improved 100%, is able to play sports and is enjoying
improved overall health.
A new elementary school in Beulaville, NC is among the 20% of U.S. schools who
have reported unsatisfactory indoor air quality that can impact the comfort, health
and performance of students and staff. In one particular classroom the teacher and
students complained of an indescribable odor. The smell greeted us in the hall as we
approached the classroom, reported the teacher. Both teacher and students had
itchy throats and itchy, watery eyes. The carpet was ripped up and tile installed but
did not help. The maintenance department installed a UV-Air purifier and the smell
was gone within days. There are now plans to install additional units throughout the
entire school system.
An HVAC contractor in Pinckney, MI had personal experience with UV air
purification. His teenage daughter had chronic allergies to pollen, dust mites and
other indoor allergens since she was five years old. Allergy shots every other week
and daily medication was prescribed, but no improvement was noticed. After the
installation of a UV-Air purifier, her symptoms totally disappeared within two
months. In the fall her symptoms suddenly returned. They checked the UV lamp
and discovered it had been unplugged when the furnace was serviced two weeks
prior. The UV-Air purifier was plugged back in and within one week her symptoms
disappeared. The family figures they have saved about $1500 in doctor visits and
prescription drugs.
A Doylestown, PA resident used to take daily medication for allergies and was using
a spray to prevent congestion at night. His HVAC contractor recommended
installing the UV-Air and started noticing results in about two months. He was able
to lie in bed at night and breathe easier without sprays and other medications. He
was able to gradually decrease daily medication and now doesn't need any
medication at all. In addition, his family began to notice that they were no longer
susceptible to the common colds that passed through the area.
For more information or an estimate, please give us a call.
All Brand Service, Inc.
10S160 Ramm Dr., #D
Naperville, IL 60564
Phone: (630) 851-4747
Fax: (630) 851-3635
Saurieng ( 114 ) Aug. 16, 2015 at 8:22am
Please be careful and ask the Sears about the internal components' source. All of our
Kenmores have the badge of an American brand but its internal components are all POS
LGs, which failed in all three fridges. Compressors timely died right after the 5 years
warranty, ice makers crapped out in a year and a half, its replacement too, died in two
months, relays, water pumps failed shortly after. Never again I trust Kenmore, Samsung
or LG appliances, good looking? Yes! Quality? POS!
Well, I am wisely staying away from the fancy "look at me" fridges, stick with a standard
top freezer and bottom refrigerator, cheap, easy to fix and best of all, all four of the
repairmen suggested (one is a brother in law).
My Kenmore Trio french door...its PCB (green circuitry board that controls temp etc)
died and it cost $300 to replace, among other things that died. Laugh on but I think
durable goods ought to be durable, within 5 years is a POS in my book.
Reply
11
traderjose ( 65 ) Aug. 16, 2015 at 8:49am
Quote from enforcer2133 :
Just for sheets and giggles - if you don't trust Kenmore, Samsung or LG, then what brand
do you trust?
My Samsung washer crapped out after 4 years. The dryer belt and heating element broke
year 3. Replaced with old school technology - speed queen. My Samsung fridge ice
makers broke. I have two ice makers, one in door and one in freezer, both which are
broken. Samsung stove still going but with a major buzzing sound when oven is on. Oh,
my Samsung microwave almost caught on fire when it decided to turn on by itself in
popcorn mode. I wish I can be making this crap up but if you google, you will see the
craziness of Samsung appliances.
Yup, the Whirlpool WRS325FNAM rebadged for Kenmore. Made in Mexico.
This is a great price for the fridge, especially if you can stack on the extra SYW coupon
and get back 25% in rewards.
Reply
23
coast327 ( 76 ) Aug. 17, 2015 at 1:12am
Quote from bulldog427 :
this fridge is manufactured by whirlpool..just an fyi
Correct! A Kenmore with a model number beginning with 106.xxxxx are made by
Whirlpool.
My repairman will not touch an LG or Samsung appliance bc when he fixes one thing,
something else always breaks shortly thereafter..
Samsung should stick to making TV's and smartphones.
chuckrs
May 25th, 2017 at 10:03 am
Recently read an article recommending that, for white goods, you should buy
the dumbest appliance you can find. No IOT, no touch screens, no umpteen
operating modes you’ll never use.
It’s good advice for many of us buy and hold car buyers, too. That nav/info
screen will go tango uniform well out warranty and may not be carried in
inventory anywhere, plus necessitate yanking the whole dash out just to swap in
a salvage or rebuilt replacement.
Nobody seems to design for long term maintainability – not in their interest to
do so.
Login to reply

Featherston
May 25th, 2017 at 12:41 pm
Interesting point. I actually know a guy who recently bought a commercial
washer and dryer for his home for just this reason. He didn’t need a machine
with Shabbat mode, e.g.; he essentially wanted a brand-new 1970s washer and
dryer.
Login to reply
o
JimZ
May 25th, 2017 at 3:16 pm
I’m still using my 15 year old Whirlpool conventional top loader. two
speeds, three cycles, that’s it. And since I live surrounded by the Great
Lakes I needn’t give a damn about high efficiency.
Top 10 Air Conditioner Brands of 2017 –
Price vs. Value.
So what is the best air conditioner brand? To answer this, it is important to understand
the difference between price and value. When an air conditioner has a good price, it
means that it is cheaper than other comparable HVAC brands. However, if that air
conditioner has a low price but also has a poor reputation, then one might say that it has a
good price, but a poor value. As such, when making a list of our top 10 air conditioner
brands, we will be addressing this from the aspect of the best value to our customers.
Also try out this article before buying:

Online Central Air Conditioner Installation Cost Calculator
As another example of why value is a better way to evaluate air conditioner brands, let’s
take a look at Carrier. Carrier is a fantastic product with a solid reputation backed by a
track record of success. In fact, Carrier invented modern air conditioning – so why not
just buy a Carrier? Carrier is fantastic, but Carrier is also extremely expensive,
typically running about $1,000-$3,000 more than some of their competitors for
similar models of equipment – this may be no big deal to you, but to most consumers
this would lower Carrier’s value.
How Value Was Determined for the Top 10 Air Conditioner
Brands
All Systems Mechanical specializes in the installation and repair of heating and air
conditioning systems, both residential and commercial. We are licensed to install all
major brands. What this means is that we have no loyalties to any one specific HVAC
equipment supplier. It is important to point out that we have no horse in this race – we
gain and lose nothing by recommending one brand over another, and the only thing that
drives our opinions are our customers’ satisfaction. We cannot risk installing something
that is not the absolute best value for our customers’ needs, and we wouldn’t have built
the reputation we have in a highly competitive Los Angeles market if we weren’t honest.
In other words, this isn’t the first time that we’ve made this list for a client, it’s just the
first time we’ve published it online.
There are four contributing factors that we used (weighted equally) in determining value
for our list of the top 10 air conditioner brands:
1. Reliability – we cannot recommend a company that has reliability issues or
customer satisfaction will suffer greatly.
2. Cost – part of determining value is cost. Is one brand too expensive? Do you get
more bang for your buck with one air conditioner brand over another?
3. Customer Service – how does the company deal with warranty problems and do
they readily supply spare parts at affordable prices?
4. Features – although delving deeply into features is beyond the scope of this
article, features available were taken into account when making our list.
You might also be interested in:



Buying a New Air Conditioner – 5 Tips From the Pros
The Top 10 Furnace Brands
Should You Replace Your Furnace and Air Conditioner at the Same Time?
Top 10 Air Conditioner Brands – The List
Important Tip Before We Start
Disclaimer – Before we start, it is important to understand that these are our opinions,
and they sometimes conflict with consumer reviews. Why? There is no way to tell for
certain, but what I can tell you for certain is that each and every one of our field
technicians sees the same thing that I see:

Premature failure of components is almost always the result of improper
installation. There is a right way, and there is a wrong way.
Realize, that despite what you might think, all of these brands are comparable, for
the most part. Many of them even use the same internal components, made by the same
companies, and some are even produced on the same assembly line. Yet, in a search, one
has higher reviews than the other?
At the end of the day, the most important part isn’t the brand you choose, it’s doing your
research on the contractors you will use to install it. Think about it – are all
mechanics the same? How about all doctors? Mechanical contractors (aka “air
conditioning contractors”) are not like the other trades in that we require extensive
knowledge of all mechanical systems and their components, including high and low
voltage electrical, plumbing and refrigerant.
Your AC system is an engine that will run for hours a day, for 15-years, if done properly.
Yet, every guy with a truck and a wrench is out there saying that they’re a contractor.
We often come across people who are taking multiple bids for their project (which is a
good idea), and then, against our advice, decide go with the cheapest contractor available
to “save money.” Listen, it always costs you more in the long run.
To give you a reference, we are almost never the cheapest bid, and we tell people that at
the start. We do not use undocumented laborers or unskilled workers, we use high
quality parts, and everyone on our team is an HVAC professional – but that costs money.
If one contractor is significantly cheaper than others, ask “why?” These units aren’t just
something that you plug in and it works, and not all materials are the same; they require
on-site, custom fabricated parts and tuning to work properly. Installed improperly, it
will fail in just a few years, and sadly, we see it all the time…just a thought.
That being said, over 25% of our business is going out to peoples’ houses after they
hire the cheapest possible contractor they can find to install their new unit, and then
uninstalling and reinstalling everything for them. It is expensive, and costs a lot more
than if they had just done it right the first time. My advice, since most of you aren’t in
our service area, is to just pay the money for a real contractor. The other guys are
cheaper for a reason…there is a proper way to do this, and unfortunately, most people
don’t know how to do it! I’ve seen Carriers fail after three years due to poor installation,
and Bryants that are 25-years-old. Moral of the story: don’t skimp on this
project…do your research on the best HVAC contractors, not the cheapest. This is
what a good contractor should cost in California:

Air Conditioning Installation Cost – What’s a Fair Price?
Whether you live in our service area, or not, take a look at this article for help on how to
pick a contractor:

How to Choose an HVAC Contractor
When is the best time of year to buy an air conditioner? Take a look:

Best time of year to buy an air conditioner
Don’t Overpay for These Top 10 Brands; Watch This Short
Video:
Before you buy, consider getting an HVAC-Facts Report from our HVAC Design &
Consultation Program. It includes all of the information you’ve been looking for and
need to have before talking to contractors, including: fair installation prices, contractor
prices for top AC brands, and all the insider tips and information you’ll need to choose
the right contractor, and pay a fair price. Here’s a short video on it:
Click to Enlarge – Excerpt Page 3 of an HVAC-Facts Report
Group 1 – Our Top Picks for the Top 10 Air Conditioner Brands
of 2017:
1. Day and Night Air Conditioning and Heating
Equipment
Although Day and Night is not as well known of a heating and air conditioning supply
company as some of their competitors, they are currently number one on our list of the
top 10 air conditioner brands. Their products are reliable and their customer service is
top notch.
But there’s another reason we like them, and it’s because of who manufactures their
equipment. Day and Night is made by United Technologies, who also makes Carrier
(and Bryant, and Payne), they use the same internal components, including an Aspen
coil, and we were told by a United Technologies representative (the company that owns
both names) that they are actually rolled off of the same assembly line.
In fact, most contractor won’t tell you this, but up until about six or seven years ago,
they used to just roll out exactly the same units, and all four brand tags actually
came in the box…the contractor would decide which brand they were selling (Carrier,
Bryant, Day & Night, or Payne), and place the tag on the unit themselves. As you might
imagine, we would tick-off some of our competitors when we’d tell people, “what would
you like? It’s all the same price…if you want a Carrier, we’ll throw on the Carrier tag…”
Yet, Carrier sometimes runs $800 to $2,500 more than Day and Night for the same unit.
They have since changed their cases so they can differentiate the brands (which was
smart on their part), but they are all still eerily similar on the inside…
Why? As someone who has installed and repaired the internal components of each,
I can tell you that they are almost identical, and in the basic 14 SEER models, they
even still look the same on the outside. As such, Day and Night gets our vote for the
best value to our customers, and is first on our top ten list.
For more information on Day and Night, see the following articles:


Day and Night Air Conditioners
Day and Night Air Conditioner Review
2. Goodman Heating and Air Conditioning
Second on our list of top 10 air conditioner brands is Goodman Manufacturing.
Goodman owns another brand, Amana, but different from the relationship between
Carrier and Day and Night, Goodman is the more affordable version of Amana. They use
the same internal components, and have a reputation for reliability. Plus, they have the
best warranty pay-out program on the market.
Read more on Goodman in our article:

Amana vs. Goodman Review
3. Mitsubishi Electric Ductless Split Heating and Air Conditioning
If the world were a different place, Mitsubishi Electric would be our go-to company.
They are used extensively in Japan and Europe – two societies known for perfectionism.
They are reliable, and the most efficient systems on the market. So what’s the catch?
The catch is that they are ductless systems, meaning that you have to install one in
each room at several thousand dollars a pop. Each unit has to have its own drainage,
electrical and line set run to it. So, if you’re just trying to get the garage some air
conditioning for when you are working on the car, this would be the option for you. But,
to do an entire house with ductless air conditioners would be far more expensive than a
central heating and air conditioning system – sometimes $30,000 total! As such, they
rank third on our list of the top 10 air conditioner brands.

Mitsubishi Electric Ductless HVAC Equipment
4. Carrier Air Conditioning and Heating
We love Carrier air conditioners and they have a top notch reputation in the industry.
That being said, their biggest downside is their price. “But Tim, you get what you
pay for right?” In most cases this is true, but I just have a hard time putting them first
when you can get their technology at a more affordable price tag under the name of Day
and Night. I don’t care about names, I care about value. But Carrier is one of the gold
standards in the industry, and if price is not a factor for you, this is definitely something
to consider. On the top end, they also offer a 21 SEER model that they do not offer in the
Day & Night or Bryant lines. That’s why we have them as fourth on our list of the top 10
air conditioner brands.
More on Carrier can be found here:



Carrier vs Lennox Air Conditioner Review
Carrier Air Conditioning and Heating Equipment
Carrier Infinity vs. Performance Review
Group 2 – Middle-of-the-Line Picks for the Top 10 Air
Conditioner Brands of 2017:
5. Bryant Heating and Air
Conditioning
Bryant has a good reputation and is reliable. That being said, they just lack an edge that
makes some of the other brands just a bit better, in our opinion, and that’s the same
reason I mentioned above for Day & Night and Carrier. They offer the same
technology as Day & Night, but are slightly more expensive, and don’t have the same
name-recognition as Carrier. As such, they ended up in the middle of our list of the top
10 heating and air conditioning brands.
More on Bryant can be found under:

Bryant Air Conditioners
6. York Heating and Air Conditioning
York is also in the middle of our list of the top ten heating and air conditioning brands.
They are reliable and well built, but lack some of the features that our list-toppers have.
More on York can be found here:

York HVAC Equipment
7. Amana Air Conditioning and Heating
Amana is a fantastic company with a long standing reputation, but their equipment is
available under the name Goodman for a lower price, which is why Amana ends up in the
middle of our list of the top 10 air conditioning brands.
More on Amana:


Amana Air Conditioning and Heating Equipment
Amana vs. Goodman Review
8. Trane Heating and Air Conditioning
Trane rounds out the end of our recommendation list of the top 10 air conditioner brands.
Trane does make a residential series air conditioning and heating unit, but is better
known for their solid reputation in the commercial HVAC industry. They also own
and make equipment under the name American Standard. Unfortunately, they also had
some reported issues with their warranty pay-out program for warranty parts. That being
said, they are still a reliable company, just not the top of our list.
More on Trane:


Trane vs American Standard Air Conditioner Review
Trane Air Conditioners
Group 3 – Top 10 Air Conditioner Brands Not Recommended by
ASM:
9. Rheem Heating and Air
Conditioning
Continuing our list of the top 10 air conditioner brands, we didn’t feel comfortable
leaving out a couple of the brands that we do not recommend. Rheem‘s equipment does
work, and it is typically reliable, as are all major brands. The problem is, however, what
happens when they break down.
Rheem makes their coils in a “zig-zag” configuration that differs greatly from their
competitors, who use an A-frame configuration. In our experience, this typically
makes them more prone to freezing up and very difficult to clean properly, often times
resulting in the eventual replacement of the coil.
More on Rheem:


Rheem Heating and Air Conditioning Equipment
Why is My Air Conditioner Freezing Up?
10. Lennox Air Conditioning and Heating
Lennox rounds out the bottom of our list of the top 10 air conditioner brands. We just
can’t recommend them.
10-20 years ago, they were THE name in heating and air conditioning equipment.
Unfortunately, they have since become problematic, in our opinion. Unlike other
manufacturers who use similar or even the same internal components, Lennox is
completely proprietary. To get parts, you have to go through Lennox. So what’s the
problem?
The problem is that their logistics chain can be horrible, and we’ve had a lot of
trouble with them. It sometimes takes weeks to get parts, and when you do, expect to
pay three times as much for them. Their customer service also leaves something to be
desired. As such, we steer our customers completely clear of Lennox equipment
whenever possible, even though we are licensed to install them. We do repair them,
however…the last time took us two weeks to get the part and it was flown in from
Toronto, Canada. Look, this is just based on our own experience and opinions, so do
your research…but we’ve had nothing but problems with them. Just a thought…
More on Lennox can be found here:


Carrier vs. Lennox Furnace Review
Lennox Air Conditioning and Heating Equipment
Pro Tip Before Selecting Your Air Conditioner:
As you can see above, there are a lot of options to consider. But, when doing your
research, be wary of contractors that are “factory authorized dealers,” or who advertise
that they are “your friendly local Lennox dealer,” for instance. These companies have a
vested interest in selling you only one brand of equipment – their brand – and therefore,
they will tell you line after line about how they have what you are looking for. You
shouldn’t be interested in one brand, but should instead be interested in the brand that
provides you the best overall value for your air conditioning installation, and what works
best with your house.


An example of this would be Day and Night or Carrier, who both offer a
“Slimline” condensing unit that is only 18 inches wide. This may be the
solution to your home if you have a narrow walkway on the side of your house,
for instance, but will not be a solution provided to you by a “factory authorized
Trane dealer.” Trane doesn’t offer a Slimline series.
Instead, look for companies that install all major brands, as these companies
will typically give you options that meet your needs, and don’t have a vested
interest in pushing one specific brand on you. Air conditioners, like cars, have
good years and bad years – make sure that you use a company that will give you
options.
Also try:

Furnace and Air Conditioner Combo Cost – Know a Fair Price
See Which Brand Works Best for Your New S
ASM’s Disclaimer About HVAC
Installation Costs
At ASM, we are not only utilized for our heating and air conditioning installations,
furnace repairs, and other general HVAC applications, but we are called in from all over
the United States for our HVAC consultation services to large companies. So, it is
important for me to make a little disclosure:
1. These prices are just guidelines, and are meant to give you an idea of what an
honest, well-done HVAC installation costs. If you want to calculate a fair
installation price, see the exact prices contractors pay specific equipment and
other information, try this article: HVAC Installation Cost Calculator – The
HVAC Design & Consultation Program.
2. These prices are meant for residential HVAC installations only (prices differ
for commercial HVAC).
3. They are written for California – subtract $800-$1,000 from the prices below if
you live in a state that is not so strictly regulated, as insurance and licensing fees
are cheaper, or use the HVAC Design & Consultation Program.
4. These are the prices for a proper installation from a professional – as a word
to the wise – HVAC systems require fine tuning and the custom fabrication of
parts during installation to work properly, otherwise they will likely fail
prematurely. But there are plenty of people who will do it for cheaper than this,
using substandard, used, or stolen equipment (stolen from construction sites and
new housing developments). Or, they are using unskilled laborers with no
experience, etc. But HVAC is not a “we’ll figure it out trade;” there is a right
way and a wrong way to do it. There are just too many predatory companies out
there, so e careful. I’d highly recommend not skimping on your HVAC
contractor. If you go cheap, you will typically pay more in the long run, and in
California, that will be a lot!
5. We are doing this to help keep you from being ripped off! Unfortunately,
some people will likely take these guidelines as “set-in-stone” price quotes, and
not realize one fundamental truth:

Asking how much an HVAC installation costs is kind of like
asking, “how much does a new car cost?”
Well, are you buying a Porsche or a Honda? Is it a 911 or just a Boxster, and are you
going to get the leather seats? Likewise, are you going to get a Carrier or a Goodman air
conditioner? Does the ductwork need to be replaced? These are all questions that will
affect HVAC installation cost, so let’s take a closer look.
More on our opinion of Carrier and Goodman HVAC products can be found here:


Carrier Air Conditioning and Heating.
Goodman Heating and Air Conditioning.
Quick-Guide to HVAC Installation Cost –
Choosing a Brand
Look, let’s be honest…most of you are here to get a quick snapshot of what the different
units cost, so I won’t bore you with our lengthy explanation of how to know a fair price
when you see one. Instead, I’ll give you – the impatient ones – your quick-look so you
can be on your way. What you might not know is that the brand you choose is one of the
most important factors in determining a fair HVAC installation cost. So, before delving
in-depth, let’s take a quick look at the average prices of a new air conditioner and
matching coil by brand…keep in mind, these are the average prices, by brand, that
contractors pay for your AC equipment:
Average Air Conditioner Cost by Brand (w/ Matching Coil)
Amana
$1,217
American Standard $1,655
Bryant
$1,207
Carrier
$1,678
Goodman
Heil
Lennox
Rheem/Ruud
Trane
York
$1,076
$1,277
$1,737
$1,213
$1,693
$1,403
3. Brand of Equipment Affects HVAC Installation Cost.
Just like the car example above, are you buying a Porsche or a Honda? Both are reliable;
their prices are…a bit different. A Carrier is a fantastic HVAC unit, but it is typically
going to be $800 – $2,500 more expensive than comparable units, and there are other
options out there that are just as reliable.
Lennox, on the other hand, is probably the most expensive unit out there and I can’t stand
them – in our experience, they have a horrible logistics chain, making repair parts
difficult to come by (taking weeks sometimes), poor customer service, and the parts cost
three times as much. That’s not what this article is about, so read more in: Carrier vs.
Lennox Furnace Review.
My point is that the brand of equipment you choose is going to affect your HVAC
installation cost greatly. People often times call us for an air conditioning
installation job and say, “I would like to install Carrier equipment.” Now, if you are a
future client of ours, I’ll have to warn you – I can be a bit of a smart-ass. Why can’t
work be fun? Besides…I was in the Navy for 11 years, what do you expect. So,
naturally I respond with, “you don’t tell your doctor which medication to prescribe you,
do you?” The point is, on the residential level, who you get to install your HVAC unit
is far more important than which unit you choose – keep your options open and let
your HVAC contractor make a few recommendations – that’s why you spent time finding
a reputable contractor!
For more info on the different unit brands, take a look at:

Top 10 Air Conditioner Brands.
Daikin is a worldwide HVAC brand that until 2012 did not have a large share of the North American standard
split system market. In that year, the company bought the Goodman/Amana brands.
While keeping both Amana and Goodman brands, Daikin also branded the Amana models with Daikin
badges. In other words, Daikin split system heat pumps are the same as the Amana heat pumps.
This Daikin heat pump price list is a reference you can use to compare prices and features with all the top
brands including Trane, Lennox, Carrier, Heil and Maytag.
Daikin Heat Pump Prices
Here are all of the models, a summary of the features for each and their prices. SEER (seasonal energy
efficiency rating) is the cooling efficiency; HSPF (Heating season performance factor) is the heating
efficiency.
Speed Queen: The Life (and Death) of
Internet Commenters’ Favorite Washing
Machine
March 7, 2018

Liam McCabe
In my six years of reviewing washing machines, I’ve never once seriously considered
recommending a Speed Queen top-loader. This shouldn’t be controversial: Every
publication that tests appliances has years of controlled test results proving the superiority
of front-loading washers. So why are most washer reviews’ comments sections filled
with Speed Queen fans claiming otherwise?
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For most of my career, I’ve been content to brush off Speed Queen washers as wasteful,
ineffective machines. They just barely meet the Department of Energy’s efficiency
requirements. However, Speed Queen top-loaders are exceptionally durable and
repairable—they’re essentially commercial laundromat washers without a coin slot, and
should last at least twice as long as a mainstream HE (high efficiency) washer. Even so,
they can use so much extra water and energy (we estimate $150 extra per year on
average) that it’s unlikely that owners will save money in the long run, even after
factoring in the cost of replacement or repair every few years.
But as I researched the new 2018 Speed Queen models for the latest update to our
washing machine guide, I came across some surprising reactions to the latest design from
longtime devotees that piqued my interest. It also dawned on me that I’d never had an
actual conversation with a Speed Queen fan about why they hold such strong feelings for
these machines. This seemed like a shame, because chances are we’re more alike than
different—not many people care enough about washing machines to argue about them
with strangers on the Internet. I’d assumed that I’d been making my points clearly in my
reviews, and that the Speed Queen fans who left harsh comments were simply being
stubborn. But maybe I was the one missing something. So I reached out to some washing
machine enthusiasts to hear their side.
Pull Quote
“I was totally devastated by it… Am I really going to change my entire opinion on Speed
Queen that I’ve had all my entire life?” —Eugene Pallas, owner of Lorain Furniture &
Appliance
Eugene Pallas, owner of Lorain Furniture & Appliance in Cleveland, Ohio, was among
the most ardent enthusiasts I encountered. He has been a huge Speed Queen fan since
2000, the first time he repaired one. For a couple of years, the only new washers he
would sell at his shop were Speed Queen.
“I gotta look the customer in the eye three months later when I see them,” Pallas said,
“and I don’t have any hesitation when I know they bought a Speed Queen from me.” He
worries that if he sells somebody a cheaper, repair-prone washer, he’ll lose the customer
forever. As a small shop, he can’t afford to have that happen.
Regular posters in forums I visited while reporting this article echoed Pallas’s
assessment, referring to themselves as “people reminiscing [for] the days of quality
construction and easy repair” who “like to have control.” Several users compared them to
old muscle cars, before smog-reduction regulations kicked in and crippled the old
designs. It’s also, at least a little bit, about holding up a middle finger to our “throwaway
disposable economy,” which they deride as “planned obsolescence run amok.”
I brought up the fact that Speed Queen top-loaders earn mediocre test scores from
mainstream review outlets, but none of the fans seemed particularly bothered. “I’m nearly
60 years old and have seen most washers from the mid-1950’s onward” wrote
AutomaticWasher.org forum member Barry Warren, who posts under the handle
mrsalvo. “The agitator washers… were the standard, period. Tried and proven,” and then
he wrote out a very comprehensive list of pro-agitator points, including: better reliability,
never locking you out of the washer, no mold, quick cycles, and more user control in
general. (Warren did say, though, that he liked his vintage GE Filter-Flo agitator toploader much more than the Speed Queen he bought last year.) Michael Haensel, who
posts on the forum as EEmac, added: “The agitator top-loader cleans my stuff very well.”
As for the rough cleaning action and excessive water use? Haensel puts it simply: “For
gentleness, there’s the gentle cycle. Efficiency is less of a concern for me than the other
things I value.”
Actually, one of the most compelling points in favor of the Speed Queen is that it does
use a ton of water. Pallas, and several others with knowledge of lots of different types of
washers, said that old-school top-loaders are the best at cleaning grimy, dirt-caked work
clothes. That’s actually something that the industry-standard tests do not currently
measure, and I think the fans may have a point.
I’m still convinced that most people are better off with a midrange front-loader from a
mainstream brand. But now that I can put some voices to the pro-Speed Queen
arguments, I have a better appreciation for why somebody would make this choice. I even
thought about making a full-throated recommendation for a Speed Queen in our buying
guide for people who frequently deal with heavy-duty messes.
Unfortunately, my change of heart may have come too late. Eugene Pallas, our Speed
Queen superfan and dealer, was one of the first people to review the new 2018 Speed
Queen top-loaders on YouTube. He did not like what he saw.
In this video, Eugene Pallas of Lorain Furniture & Appliance sums up what he found
when he tested the new 2018 Speed Queen TR7 top-load washer. The results were not
what he’d hoped for.
Speed Queen public relations manager Randy Radtke told us that the wash action on the
2018 model is “radically different” from that of past washers, and that the new design
performs better on the industry-standard cleaning tests, is gentler on clothes, and much
quieter. If that’s true, it should help the washer score better on the kinds of tests that
Consumer Reports (subscription required) and Reviewed.com run. Unfortunately, as
Pallas demonstrates in his videos, this revamped wash action comes as a result of the
agitator and tub moving in unison, rather than the separate action that Speed Queen fans
swear by.
Pallas found that the new washer worked fine on items like smaller towels (which is
exactly what the standardized tests use), but that it struggled to clean heavier items like
work clothes, leaving behind stains and soap residue. The items just kind of float in place,
swishing back and forth instead of getting pushed around. If you watch his videos in
order, you can hear the disappointment building in his voice.
“Once I got down to real clothes and a real test, it’s like, this fucking thing isn’t even
washing, I don’t even know what to do,” said Pallas in a subsequent interview. “Honestly
man, I was totally devastated by it. I didn’t publish that video without a heavy heart, you
know what I mean? It was serious, I had to sleep on it. Am I really going to change my
entire opinion on Speed Queen that I’ve had all my entire life?”
Pallas’s heavy heart was no consolation to Speed Queen. Pallas claims that after he
posted his summary review, his distributor contacted him on behalf of Speed Queen,
asking him to take the video down. Pallas declined. “You’ve got to think about somebody
who’s working construction and got three kids. $2,000 is a ton of money for a washer and
dryer. Can you imagine when they buy that and get it delivered and it doesn’t clean the
poor guy’s work clothes?”
Pull Quote
“I wonder if Speed Queen realizes that by cheapening their design that they alienated
90% of their customer base.”
—whoisthisguy724A, YouTube commenter
The next week, Pallas found that he could no longer log into any Speed Queen retailer
portals, so he couldn’t order new machines, or even parts to service the machines that
he’d already sold to his customers. His store had been taken off the public database of
certified Speed Queen dealers. The brand hadn’t contacted Pallas directly to tell him any
of this, and he had to get in touch with his distributor to confirm that he’d been
decertified. (We asked Speed Queen about Pallas’s claim, and the company said it does
not comment on matters relating to its dealers.)
So where does this leave the fans of old-school agitator washers? Well, some of them
have already decided that they hate the new Speed Queen design. In a video polemic
against the 2018 Speed Queen models, YouTube reviewer Sharkie626 said that the only
worthwhile washing machines left are used ones. In that video’s comments section
whoisthisguy724A lamented, “I wonder if Speed Queen realizes that by cheapening their
design that they alienated 90% of their customer base.”
Some forum members have pinned their hopes to the new Maytag Commercial
MVWP575GW—another agitator top-loader built for laundromats that’s now available,
without the coin slot, for home use. However, it’s barely been available for six months,
so not many people have reviewed it yet. It also has some important differences in the
build—for instance, the spin speed is slower, which means clothes will need to spend
more time in the dryer—so it’s hard to say how it compares with the older Speed Queen
model that people loved so much. Pallas now sells and recommends that Maytag
Commercial instead of the new Speed Queen, and says it performs just as well, if not
better than his old favorite. But he has yet to compare it directly with the last good Speed
Queen from 2017. We eagerly await that video.
In the meantime, Pallas said he also really likes front-loaders. If you walk into his shop in
Cleveland today, you’ll be able to check out the front-loading LG WM3770HWA, which
Pallas also keeps in his own home for large items that can’t fit in his top-loader (like a
comforter), or for nicer clothes that he doesn’t want to subject to the top-loader’s
aggressive wash action. He said the LG does a solid job cleaning pretty much anything,
and we agree: It happens to be our current top pick for best washing machine.
readallover
June 29th, 2017 at 12:10 pm
The guy who comes to fix our POS Sub Zero always knows what is wrong – because
they ALL break at the same time at the same place, so he always has the right parts.
So, it is like buying a German car out of warranty and parking it in your kitchen.
Re: Super Tomahawk
Sounds like you got a deal............one caveat though.
When MTD bought some of the Gardenway-Troybilt assets from court, they didn't buy
the tooling on the Tomahawks. MTD already had chippers.
Murray bought the tooling, went bankrupt as well , and now Briggs owns it. Hard to tell
if /when/ how it will fit in with Briggs/Simplicity/Snapper/Ferris/Giant Vac.
Take care of it and it will last awhile.
neil_nassauequipment is offline
Quote Quick Reply
post #8 of 10 Old 01-10-2006, 10:58 AM
bontai Joe
Citizen of Earth
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Northeast PA
Posts: 14,957
Images: 2
Re: Super Tomahawk
The good thing about the Super Tomahawk chipper is that there are very few specialty
parts that you really have to go to the manufacturer for. The shredder knives are generic,
the housing is just a metal box, the engine is a bolted on affair and can be easily removed
for repair or replacement. Belts are belts, the only really special part is the chipper knife,
and that can be reverse engineered by any competant machine shop.
If it's FREE, it's for ME!

Drew8MR
February 16th, 2018 at 4:36 pm
Don’t buy Dyson Vacs. Save up and get Miele or Riccar or a real Electro Lux.
The boneyard at most vacuum places is filled to the brim with Dyson’s along with
all the other plastic bagless models.
Login to reply
o
eggsalad
February 16th, 2018 at 5:18 pm
Don’t buy any of those. I spent years in the hotel industry. Vacuum
cleaners run for 8 hours a day in a big hotel, sometimes more. Hotels I
have worked in have universally used Oreck vacuum cleaners. Not only
are they durable, but they are also designed to be infinitely repairable.
Five years ago I bought a factory-refurbished Oreck Commercial
vacuum cleaner. I’m pretty sure I can keep it the rest of my natural life.
Oh, and it was $99. No “saving up” required.
Login to reply

Drew8MR
February 16th, 2018 at 5:28 pm
You must have better employees than me, my guys can wreck a
vacuum in a week. We use Sanitaire uprights. I spend alot of
time replacing fan blades and brush strips.
Login to reply

eggsalad
February 16th, 2018 at 5:45 pm
I don’t know that brand, but the fact that it is repairable
already makes it better than a Dyson.
Login to reply

MBella
February 17th, 2018 at 1:13 am
I have to agree with you eggsalad. After going through the
gambit of bagless vacuums, a commercial Oreck has been a
godsend. The relibality alone is priceless. Dyson’s upright
makes me feel like a chump for even trying it.
Login to reply
o
Garrett
February 17th, 2018 at 9:11 am
Kirby is the way to go, especially if you score a lightly used one.
We picked up one with all the attachments for $500 including a free
pack of bags.
In terms of quality of cleaning, you won’t find better. Made in the
USA. Actual metal housing. Good stuff.
Login to reply
Now Parts such as seats, Transmissions and engines(Deere
Changes there Kawasaki's a Bit after they receive them from Kawasaki To
a Point where Kawasaki Doesn't recognize Them as One of there Specked
engine's) where they Hire Other companies Like Michigan seat company
to Produce them could Be the same as Murray, MTD and Simplicity and
You will Notice That with GT 225 thru GT245 and LX200 series seats are
the same as some early Conquest and Prestige seats Just 1 Is Black the
Other Is Yellow
DWO1DT802
They following machines were all Built and designed By John Deere In
Horicon, WI Or Cary North Carolina( Nothing Built In NC Residential
Line Is HQ in NC)
Lawn Tractors
60
70
100
108
111
111H
112L
116
116H
130
160
165
170
175
180
185
LT133
LT150G
LT150
LT155
LT160
LT166
LTR166
LT170
LT180
LTR180
LT190
LX172
LX173
LX176
LX178
LX186
LX188
LX255
LX266
LX277
LX277AWS
LX279
LX280
LX280AWS
LX288
LX289
X300
X300R
X304AWS
X310
X320
X324AWS
X340
X360
STX30
STX38
STX46
Garden Tractors
110
112
120
140
200
208
210
212
214
216
240
245
260
265
285
GT225
GT235
GT242
GT245
GT262
GT275
GX255
300
312
314
316K
316O
317
318
320
322
325
330
332
335
345
355
GX325
GX335
GX345
GX355
400
420
425 - 2WD OR AWS
430
445 - 2WD OR AWS
455 - 2WD OR AWS
X465 - 2WD OR AWS
X475 - 2WD OR AWS
X485 - 2WD OR AWS
X495 - 2WD OR AWS
X500
X520
X530
X534
X540
X575 - 4WD
X585 - 4WD
X595 - 4WD
X700
X720
X724AWS
X728 4WD OR AWD
X729 AWD & AWS
X740
X744AWS
X748 4WD OR AWD
X749 AWD & AWS
X710
X730
X734AWS
X738AWD
X739 AWD & AWS
X750
X754 AWS
X758 AWD
Add In all the Deere Rear engine riders to That list as well as all Sabre
Lawn, Yard and Garden Tractors all Scotts By John Deere were Built By
Deere and Sabo is also Built By Deere In Germany and don't forget the
STX Line as well were Made By Deere
The L100 thru the Current D170 are Made By Deere In Greenville, TN
Now MTD Has Made Products for Deere such as the Frontier self
Propelled snow Blowers
Before MTD Ariens Made Most of Deere's self Propelled snow Blowers
and Self Propelled Tillers
Aluminum Deck Push Mowers were Made By Deere In House
The Last Few Years of the Deere steel Deck Push Mowers were Made On
the Snapper Production Line( Briggs & Stratton Outdoor Power)
Many of the Deere Hand Held Power equipment's such as trimmers,
Blowers ect were Made By echo and Efco depending on year of
Production Efco who also Made chains saws for Deere as well
The Deere Bucks were Made By Bombardier
The Deere Model 20 Garden tractor Loader was Made by Johnson for
Deere. The Model 330 Backhoe was made By Brantly
But as Far as Deere riding Mowing equipment has always Been Made In
House since 1963.
Deere Has made some there self Propelled snow equipment In House as
well.
Now Deere Has even Made tractors for Sears Under the Craftsman Label
which would Be sears/Craftsman Model # 750256060
Before Ariens Owned Great Dain Deere Owned them and that is where
Deere Used some of the Great Dain designs To Make there Deere stander
Zrt's .
Deere currently owns Lessco Products( which My Understanding is Deere
can't wait to dump Lessco)
Now Law-Boy In the Past Made Push Mowers for IH Cub Cadet and
Many other Manufactures in the 1960's & 1970's
But IH and Deere always Made There riding Machines In House MTD did
Take Over Production Of Cub Cadet 4 Years Prior to IH Being sold to
Tenneco(Case)
A lot of Deere's Power tools In Recent Year were Made by Hitachi
So Many Outdoor Power equipment Manufactures Use each Other to
Produce certain Items
Now Ford, Oliver, Minneapolis-Moline and even White Before MTD
started Making them for White There Lawn & Garden tractors were Made
By Jacobson
Genteq
Professional Member
Join Date
Feb 2010
Location
Fort Wayne, IN
Posts
32
Post Likes
Over the past several years, many company's have chosen to stock overseas capacitors. Initially,
a Chinese capacitor and a quality capacitor will look and test the same, but over the life span, the
overseas capacitor will fail quicker and at a more infant stage causing repeat call backs and
stress on either the compressor motor or the fan motor. This $2.00-4.00 part can cause major
issues with the entire system if it is not of high quality and life span that the AC unit was designed
for.
When choosing a capacitor, many if not all capacitor manufacturers, claim to pass the HVACR
industry testing standard for capacitors (EIA-456). This 2,000 hour highly accelerated life test
simulates roughly 60,000 hours of field life. Typically, 60,000 hours of field life would correlate to
roughly 10 years. Given the posts above, even though some manufacturers claim 60,000 hours
(10 years), it is obvious that they cannot pass even 6 months in the field.
Genteq Capacitors is one of very few, that passes the EIA-456 test. We have one of the biggest
testing labs in North America at our manufacturing facility where we continually do competitive
benchmark testing (domestic and overseas competitors) along with continuous audits our of
processes and end products to guarantee that we meet and exceed the industry standard.
Dealer/Contractor Site:
http://www.thedealertoolbox.com
http://www.evergreendealer.com
Consumer Site:
http://www.genteqcomfort.com
bhill
Regular Guest
Join Date
Jun 2010
Location
Houston
Posts
36
I know nothing about capacitors specifically used in HVAC
Post Likes
but I know a lot about capacitors.
Just because one is expensive does not mean it is good, but if it is cheap it will not hold up.
It is not inexpensive to build a quality capacitor. Inexpensive transistors, resistors, inductors, maybe. But reliable capacitors and
heavy-duty-cycle transformers just cost a bit more.
There are some quality electronics coming out of China in other industries (and some garbage, but you knew that). In every case
that I know of, the electronics that are outstanding use no Chinese capacitors or use them in low-stress circuits.
mark beiser
Professional Member*
Join Date
Aug 2004
Location
North Richland Hills, Texas
Posts
15,630
Post Likes
Replacing a blown start cap, without replacing the potential relay, virtually always results in another blown start cap...
RSES Certificate Member
RSES-SWRA President
The planet is fine, the people are
! -George Carlin
5down vote
According to what I can find, the XE1000 line was manufactured from about 1994 until about 2006.
If it was made in 2000 or later, it may be a victim of the capacitor plague.
Some background : From about 2000 until about 2008, various Taiwanese electronics parts manufacturers produced water-based aluminum
electrolytic capacitors containing a flawed electrolyte formula. Specifically, the formula lacked the phosphate corrosion inhibitors needed to
protect the aluminum anode. Without the inhibitors, instead of a stable layer of protective aluminum oxide on the anode, you instead get a
buildup of aluminum hydroxide. The reaction producing that aluminum hydroxide buildup also produces hydrogen gas. Capacitors have vents
to deal with that gas (as the hydroxide reaction happens even with the inhibitors, but at a much lower rate), but eventually, the rate of the
reaction grows to a point where the vent is not able to vent the gas as quickly as it is being produced. The pressure then builds up to the point
where the capacitor seals or casing bulges or even outright bursts. This obviously wrecks the capacitor. This failure tends to happen after about
2-3 years under most circumstances.
From about 2002 til 2010, vast numbers of computer components and other electronics suffered failures due to these capacitors. Dell initiated a
recall and spent hundreds of millions of dollars replacing these capacitors which were used on the motherboards of many models of their
computers and many other manufacturers implemented similar measures.
If this is the case, the failed capacitor has probably been replaced at least once before, and replaced with another such capacitor, which then
failed again.
Alternatively, if it was one of the earlier units, the capacitor may simply have reached the end of its lifespan, as RedGrittyBrick suggests.
Under typical conditions, a typical quality non-defective electrolytic capacitor has a lifespan of about 20 years.
shareimprove this answer
4down vote
as a HVAC technician. i found most failed capacitor issues was involved with blocked/dirty condensate coils, causing the compressor/fan to
drew more amperage. so check first your condensate (outside unit) coil. if it is dirty unscrew the grill/fence around the unit and clean it with
water. it is sometimes important to use detergents to wash it off.
shareimprove this answer
answered Jun 23 '15 at 20:13
user38767
1down vote
Capacitors (similar to light bulbs) will fail at some point. Sometimes the chemicals (an electrolyte/oil/etc..., though PCB are very stable) will
degrade and cause the capacitor to expand (perhaps blow up). Other times, the dielectric material (the material that separates the two
conductors in the capacitor) will degrade, allowing the terminals of the capacitor to short together (perhaps causing the capacitor to blow up).
Many air conditioner capacitors have a "feature" that causes the capacitor to become disconnected when they expand, reducing the chance of
explosions.
The lifetime of the capacitor is greatly impacted by temperature and voltage. At higher temperature and higher voltage, the capacitors will fail
more quickly. The temperature can be influenced by dust and debris (insulating the capacitor) in the compressor unit. The voltage should be
OK, except for transients like lightning strikes. Also, keep in mind that that dirty coils/improper charges will cause the system to be less
efficient and run for a longer amount of time each day. This will cause the capacitor fail at an earlier date since it's being used more heavily.
Air conditioners often will have two capacitors: "start" and "run". These have slightly different requirements, but for the purposes of this post
can be considered to be equivalent.
There are two main technologies used for the creation of capacitors for air conditioners: electrolytic and polypropylene film.
Electrolytic capacitors are more sensitive to temperature and have a propensity to expand, causing premature failure. Polypropylene capacitors
generally are more temperature-resistant AND can self-heal. When polypropylene capacitors have an internal short, they tend to just vaporize
the local area, leaving the rest of the capacitor to function normally.
Some datasheets of polypropylene capacitors I found state that 90-94% of the capacitors will last >=60,000 hours. Electrolytic capacitors are
often used as "start" capacitors and are only used for a short time (on the order of a second) each time the AC unit turns on. They are often
rated for on the order of 40,000 starts.
So, if you want a longer life capacitor in the future, keep your air conditioner unit clean and well maintained, and use polypropelyene
capacitors, if possible. Also, you could install a whole-house surge suppressor in order to reduce power supply surges.
Troubleshooting Reasons for Failing Start
Capacitors
Tips for troubleshooting possible causes and best practices for replacing
April 2, 2018
Joe Marchese
KEYWORDS Frostlines /troubleshooting
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Many single-phase compressors require a start capacitor to assist in starting the motor. These capacitors will occasionally fail, causing
a compressor to fail to start. Overheating is a primary cause of a failed start capacitor.
Start capacitors are not designed to dissipate the heat associated with continuous operation; they are designed to stay in the circuit only
momentarily while the motor is starting. If a start capacitor stays in the circuit too long, it will overheat and fail. If a failed start
capacitor is discovered while troubleshooting, the start relay should be inspected as the possible cause. The contact points of the relay
could be damaged, causing it to stick closed when starting and keeping the start capacitor in the circuit too long.
To eliminate this potential problem, there should be a bleed resistor across the terminals of the start capacitor. The damaged contacts
could be caused by the high voltage stored in a start capacitor being discharged across the contacts of a start relay. The bleed resistor
will quickly dissipate this energy to prevent any damage to the start relay’s contacts. Many new OEM start capacitors will come with
this bleed resistor already installed. However, general replacement start capacitors may not come with one. Before installing a
replacement start capacitor, verify there is a bleed resistor across its terminals. If the replacement does not have one, a 15,000-18,000
2W resistor should be placed across its terminals.
Another possible cause of a failed capacitor is a motor that is short cycling. The start capacitor may not have sufficient time to cool
down after each start, and this can lead to the capacitor overheating. It is generally recommended that a start capacitor be limited to a
maximum of 20 starts per hour.
A start capacitor will normally fail open, and this can be tested with an ohmmeter or a capacitor tester. Normally, a visual inspection
of a capacitor will indicate if it is defective. The membrane on top of a defective capacitor will normally blow out when the capacitor
fails. However, a failed start capacitor may not always have a blown membrane, so always check the capacitor with your test meter.
When replacing a start capacitor, there are two important specifications that must be determined. First, its microfarad (MFD) rating,
and second, its rated operating voltage must be verified.
The MFD rating of the replacement capacitor should be equal to its original. If the exact rating cannot be found, a capacitor with a
rating up to 20 percent greater can be used. A lower MFD rating should not be used. The voltage rating on the capacitor should also be
matched to the original. If the original voltage rating cannot be found, a capacitor with a higher rated voltage can be substituted. Do
not use a capacitor with a lower rated voltage.
Also, it is a good practice to replace the start relay when changing out a start capacitor. The damage to its contact may not always be
easily identified, so it is best to simply replace the relay at the same time as a precautionary measur
Troubleshooting A Defective Start
Capacitor
August 1, 2002
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Troubleshooting single-phase refrigeration compressors requires a technician to have a proficient understanding of capacitors. The
start capacitor is one of two types of capacitors that can be found on single-phase compressors. Understanding how to troubleshoot
and replace a defective starting capacitor is essential when working with these compressors.
The start capacitor is used to boost the starting torque of a compressor’s motor. This is done by placing the start capacitor in series
with the start winding during the starting of the compressor. As current flows through the start capacitor and the start winding, the
capacitor causes the start winding to become out of phase with the run winding.
This causes the motor to start with a higher torque than would normally be possible. The addition of a start capacitor increases the
starting torque of the compressor by 300% to 500%. The start capacitor is designed to stay in the circuit only until the compressor
reaches 2/3 to 3/4 of its operating speed. If left in longer, the start capacitor could be damaged. It is not designed to dissipate the heat
that will build up from continuous operation.
Defective start capacitors can and will lead to problems with the operation of single-phase compressors. A start capacitor can be
damaged by a sticking relay, which will cause it to stay in the circuit longer than normal and overheat. A start capacitor can also
overheat from rapid cycling of a compressor. It is recommended that a start capacitor be limited to a maximum of 20 starts per hour.
REPLACING CAPACITORS
When replacing a capacitor, there are two important specifications that must be determined: its microfarad (MFD) rating and its rated
operating voltage. The MFD rating of the replacement capacitor should be equal to its original. If the exact rating cannot be found, a
capacitor with no more than a 20% greater microfarad rating can be used. A lower microfarad rating should not be used. The voltage
rating on the capacitor should also be matched to the original. If the original voltage rating cannot be found, a capacitor with a higher
rated voltage can be substituted. Do not use a capacitor with a lower rated voltage.
When replacing capacitors, if a single capacitor cannot be found to replace the original, multiple capacitors can be wired either in
series or parallel to replace the original. To determine the capacitance of capacitors wired in series, use the formula:
1/Ct = 1/C1 + 1/C2 + 1/C3 + __
The rated voltage of capacitors wired in series is the sum of the individual operating voltages. The voltage applied to each individual
capacitor is inversely proportional to the applied voltage. For this reason, it is not recommended to connect capacitors of unequal
values in series.
Capacitors can also be wired in parallel. To determine the total capacitance of capacitors wired in parallel, use the formula:
Ct = C1 + C2 + C3 + __
The total rated voltage will be that of the lowest rated voltage of an individual capacitor.
When replacing a start capacitor, it is a good idea to also change the starting relay. The contact points of the relay current could be
damaged, causing it to stick closed when starting. It is difficult to inspect the contact points, so replacing the relay is a precautionary
item.
A start capacitor will normally fail open. This could be tested with an ohmmeter or a capacitor tester. Normally a visual inspection of
a capacitor will indicate if it is defective. The membrane on top of a defective capacitor will normally blow out when the capacitor
fails.
Many single-phase compressors use a start capacitor to assist in the starting of the compressor. Understanding how to troubleshoot and
identify a defective start capacitor is essential when working with these compressors. It prevents a good compressor from being
replaced because it failed to start due to a defective start capacitor.
Marchese is owner of Coldtronics in Pittsburgh, PA. He can be reached at 412-734-4433; joe@coldtronics.com (email); www.coldtronics.com (website).
Publication date: 08/05/2002
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Submitted by Alaska John on 2015/01/22 at 1:32 am
Anyone considering a condensing high efficiency boiler needs to know that 95% of them will have shorter life cycle due their
design. They also need to be maintained, per the manufacturers recommendations EVERY YEAR. These are not like the iron
boilers we all grew up with, they will actually quit running if you don’t service them. I am not affiliated with HTP but have
installed and serviced their products and others of the same design with success for over 10 years. I have one in my home. If
you are DONE with Munchkin seek a boiler with a different type heat exchanger. The Munckin has a “water tube ” design
with tiny passages that clog. Find a manufacturer with a “fire tube” design heat exchanger. Lennox makes one, Dunkirk makes
one as does Lochinvar in their WHN series.
Please note: Every Munchkin i have ever worked on that had on going, repetitive failures has had a quirk in the
INSTALLATION or no maintenance. One of my new favorite boilers is the Weil Mclain GV6+, check it out. Iron heat
exchanger, long life, proven design, it pre-heats the return water.
Good luck one and all.
(Please save any bile for others, im just sharing my experience, 10 yrs, Service supervisor and Senior Technician)
Reply

Jud on November 1, 2017 at 8:40 pm
8 Comments
12
Featured Comments
For the uninitiated, the old Polaroid company went out of business and was eventually bought out by the parent company of the Impossible Project. It is now known
as Polaroid Originals and has released two brand new Polaroid cameras: the OneStep 2 and the OneStep Plus. The OneStep 2 (the one listed here) is your basic pointand-shoot instant film camera. The Plus model also has full manual control over aperture, shutter speed, etc. via an app.
This particular camera retails for $99.99 on the Polaroid Originals website. One of the benefits of getting one of the new cameras (as opposed to buying an old
Polaroid 600 camera from a garage sale or thrift shop) is that these new ones have built-in batteries, which can take film packs without batteries, resulting in a lower
cost per shot.
This camera does not come with film, so you'll have to buy that separately. It's not cheap, but it is definitely a fun retro thing to do with family or friends. There is
just something special about the physicality of an instant photo, not to mention the uniqueness (since you can't make copies of it unless you make a crappy scan of
it). Read Less
adamsw216
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Today at 11:01 AM#10
Unfortunately, the original Polaroid formula for the film was lost to time, and the Impossible formula is not as good. It's close, but they take longer to develop, are
more sensitive to light, and the results can be a little inconsistent. I've only been using vintage Polaroid cameras with the new film, but that's been my experience.
I also gave the Fujimax Wide 300 camera. The Fuji instant film is superior, but Polaroid has that nostalgia factor.
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Joined Nov 2012
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Today at 12:41 PM#14
Quote from adamsw216
For the uninitiated, the old Polaroid company went out of
business and was eventually bought out by the parent company of
the Impossible Project. It is now known as Polaroid Originals and
has released two brand new Polaroid cameras: the OneStep 2 and
the OneStep Plus. The OneStep 2 (the one listed here) is your
basic point-and-shoot instant film camera. The Plus model also
has full manual control over aperture, shutter speed, etc. via an
app.
This particular camera retails for $99.99 on the Polaroid Originals
website. One of the benefits of getting one of the new cameras (as
opposed to buying an old Polaroid 600 camera from a garage sale
or thrift shop) is that these new ones have built-in batteries, which
can take film packs without batteries, resulting in a lower cost per
shot.
This camera does not come with film, so you'll have to buy that
separately. It's not cheap, but it is definitely a fun retro thing to do
with family or friends. There is just something special about the
physicality of an instant photo, not to mention the uniqueness
(since you can't make copies of it unless you make a crappy scan
of it).
...and they fade out to white in less than 10 years.
Reply Helpful Comment? 0 0
-22-2019 at 01:39 PM#18
Quote from baltik
I want to get an instant camera from my kids who I am sure will
want to take 100s of shots. what's the cheapest format from a
cost/photo perspective?
I'm not really sure there are any actually cost-effective instant cameras. That being said, if you want the cheapest possible route, go with the Fujifilm Instax Mini.
Reply Helpful Comment? 0 0
1-22-2019 at 03:20 PM#21
As for the price per shot It was never cheap to shoot with the instant cameras. If you factor in inflation it is actually cheaper per shot today than it was 20 years ago.
It was about $10 for 10 shots back then.
U.S. Inflation Rate, $1 in 1980 to 2019
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, today's prices in 2019 are 212.31% higher than average prices throughout 1980. The dollar
experienced an average inflation rate of 2.96% per year during this period, meaning the real value of a dollar decreased.
In other words, $1 in 1980 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $3.12 in 2019, a difference of $2.12 over 39 years.
The 1980 inflation rate was 13.50%. The current inflation rate (2018 to 2019) is now 1.76%1. If this number holds, $1 today will be equivalent in buying power to
$1.02 next year. The current inflation rate page gives more detail on the latest official inflation rates.
Reply Helpful Comment? 0 0
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#34 · Sep 7, 2012
Stop Leaks, do they clog systems?
"hvaclover... Sorry dude. That stuff is a restriction waiting to happen. The stuff activated by moisture or 02 will clog where ever
moisture or 02 is present. The oil mentioned earlier is just a gasket conditioner and is meant strictly for the automotive field.
Nothing that seals a leak can not help but deposit it self in metering devices."
------------------------------------------------------------------Well, where do I begin?
Sorry to you dude, but I guess you better go back to school and study chemistry. You don't know the difference between polymer
and non polymer, plus you don't understand micro or nano particles technology.
We manufacture a product called Stop Leak Plus and it is "non polymer" a/c conditioner, that means it is not activated by
moisture. You can pour it on a table and in a month it will still be a liquid. Try that with Stop Leaks that come in the pressurized
cans, like ClipLite and SuperSeal. They are the ones that damage systems because they are polymer based and are activated by
moisture.
Regarding the gasket conditioner (seal sweller) comment, we do build our platform on specially blended proprietary synthetic oils.
So yes, they do condition the compressor and rest of the system, but that's not related to how we stop leaks.
Our patented "Micro Particulates" are added to our special oils, by the millions, and that is what seals tiny pin holes in tubing,
condensers and evaporator coils. What you need to understand is they are fixed in size and already made, before they ever go
into a system. They range in size from 1 micron to about 30 microns and they just float in the oil and freon as it circulates in a
system, passing through every metering device. Do you know of any metering device that is smaller that 50 microns? I didn't think
so. There is no way for a particle that is smaller than the smallest openings in the system to clog the system.
We have offered our SLP for over 20 years and have never had a single claim for damage, for any part, for anything! Please don't
talk about subjects you are not technically familiar with or at least have studied on, before making a comment. A/C service is a
science in itself but chemistry is a completely different one, be aware that the two are light years apart. Please don't lump us in
with products that don't work, just as there are some good A/C techs out there there are some good products too.
Technical is available on this subject, you can take a look at...
stop HVAC leak dot com
Hope this settles the matter, you just can't bash things you "think" are no good.
#40 · Jun 10, 2013
I have used supper seal for years without a problem. You guy's who think you should find and repair a leak in a fifteen year old
R22 system because you are pros. What is best for the customer. A $1500.00 dollar repair or a two hundred dollar repair?
I ran supper seal in a coil that had several leaks in it, this was supposed to be a temp repair until we could replace the RTU that
was two seasons ago this spring added 1 pound of Freon.
45 · Sep 8, 2015 (Edited)
More profitable service, stop costly comebacks...
I decided to write again because I see a lot of technicians still believe A/C additives seal in the presence of moisture... My
question has to be, are you 100% sure?
Well the correct answer is based on knowing the difference between Polymer and Non Polymer chemical nature, really no
opinions here just a simple black and white answer. Remember that technology changes... and the chemical marketplace has
done so at a faster rate than most all other sciences. For example, some of the special proprietary oils we use today are less than
5 years old.
Fact... If a product is based on polymerization chemistry then it hardens by moisture, period, no options. If on the other hand it’s a
NON polymer, then it is impossible for product to harden by moisture or anything else. You honestly need to know what you are
buying or dealing with, before you can compare or in this case criticize.
The word Stop Leak is the real problem here, truthfully it is just too generic. How about us selling one using a name like Nano or
Micron Particulate AC Treatment and Conditioner, would it be easier to determine which one is safe?
Techs need to get the idea of clogging out of the equation, because our Nano/Micron particulates cannot clog or block flow in ANY
a/c systems. It is IMPOSSIBLE! Why? The fact is they are not ACTIVATED or MANUFACTURED inside the unit, even if moisture
is present. Not sure why but this is still the number one misunderstanding espoused by A/C videos and comments on these blogs.
To clarify, our fixed sized 1 to 20 micron solids are made in our factory and then added to our patented oils, in sizes that are too
small to clog any system component or recycle machine. You simply inject our special proprietary oils into a system so that the
embedded micron particulate circulates and flows continuously. They never change, they never stick together, they never get
bigger, they simply circulate and fill tiny holes that match each particulates unique size. That's it, it's just that simple. Note: That
means forever, so if you have to fix something in the future no need to worry about replacing everything (per AustinAir's concern.)
So now that we have established our product does not damage or clog A/C systems… Do we settle with just fixing leaks? What
about improving the overall performance of an older system?
What if changing a part is required, how do you rejuvenate the rest of the system to match ???
Well now you have ACT, a treatment with several proprietary oils that modify the way the system operates! These are not
available in any other single configuration, here is what they do, automatically....
Professional R22/410 HVAC Conditioning Treatment (A.C.T. tm)
1. Lower Vent Temperatures
2. Clean Restrictive Oil Fouling
3. Kill Acid that Creates Pin Holes
4. Convert Free Moisture in the System
5. Rejuvenate Rubber Seals and Gaskets
6. Super Lubricate the Compressor Bearings
7. Seal Micron Size Leaks in Metal Components
8. Reduce compressor's power draw (lowers amps)
Think about this, how would you address all of these important issues? Unfortunately you can't... because it would be impossible,
to time consuming, or to costly for the consumer.
If you think this is important, like you're customer would, you can make it happen in just 30 seconds. The best part... your total
investment is under $25 per unit, less cost than a pound of wasted or lost freon.
Thanks for your thoughts and questions. We are always happy to talk and even get techs some product to test, if they are ready to
move to newer technology. Check out this page when you have a chance... stop HVAC leak. com
P.S. I did want to comment on the braze/repair idea, how much time would that take if you need to remover a coil (evaporator or
condenser) or another tricky part? What about spending hours and then when it is all reinstalled, a week later you get a call that
says the unit is not cooling again. Believe me, that happens every day. How do I know, because of the calls we receive every
week. Techs tell me they spend hours doing leak repairs and then another one pop up when system pressure is restored. If you
simply put in a few ounces of our product, even after a repair, you have a guaranteed and a better overall operating system.
Reactions:flashheatingand
Do You Use Refrigerant Leak-stop
Agents?
Proponents, detractors weigh in on the quick fix versus solid solution debate
TO SEAL OR NOT TO SEAL?: A technician adds a refrigerant sealant to the suction
side of a residential air conditioning unit. Photo courtesy of Nu-Calgon
SUPER SEAL: A tech installs Cliplight’s Super Seal Total into a system. Photo courtesy
of Cliplight Manufacturing
PROPER TECHNIQUE: A technician brazes an R-410A refrigerant line. Proper
installation techniques help prevent leaks in refrigeration and air conditioning
systems. Photo courtesy of D. Brian Baker, Custom Vac Ltd.
APPLER AND HOMENUIK: Paul Appler (right), director of research and
development, Cliplight Mfg., and Jesse Homenuik (left), research and development
engineer, Cliplight Mfg., host a popular “Truth and Lies” presentation at HVACR
industry events. Photo courtesy of Cliplight Manufacturing
April 4, 2016
Ron Rajecki
KEYWORDS leak prevention / refrigerant leaks / refrigeration systems / Repairing HVACR
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It may not be the Hatfields and the McCoys or even the Democrats and the Republicans, but there are definitely two schools of
thought when it comes to using leak-stop agents in refrigeration and air conditioning systems.
Some contractors have used them successfully for years and consider them practical and cost-effective ways to seal small, hard-to-find
leaks in systems. Other contractors feel strongly that only two things belong in a system: refrigerant and oil.
Joseph Kokinda, president and CEO of Professional HVACR Services Inc. in Avon Lake, Ohio, said he has seen it all in his 40-plus
years in the mechanical trades, and, based on his experiences, he is not a fan of leak-stop agents.
He relayed a story of recently finding a huge pool of leak-stop agent around a missed brazed joint in a large refrigeration system. The
customer’s records showed the system had about 90 pounds of R-404A added to it each quarter since 2004. According to Kokinda, an
acceptable leak rate for the HVACR industry should be zero, and the way to achieve that is through proper installation upfront and
proper service throughout the equipment’s life.
READ MORE ABOUT
• Leak Prevention
• Refrigerant Additives
• Leak Detection
“Most leaks in systems are there because the installer didn’t properly evacuate the system to ensure tightness,” Kokinda said. “The
HVAC trades fall woefully short when it comes to properly dehydrating piped systems using micron gauges to fix a leak, especially
after an installer has pulled in air, moisture, and non-condensables because of a missed joint during an evacuation procedure.”
Dave Boyd, vice president of sales and education, Appion Inc., noted compressor manufacturers will never bless using foreign
materials on an air conditioning or refrigeration system, and he agrees with that stance.
“The only thing that should ever be in a system is pure virgin refrigerant and oil,” he said. He cited Kokinda’s story as a perfect
example of why systems must be properly brazed or crimped, pressure tested, and evacuated.
“Unfortunately, that is not always the case,” he said. “If the EPA [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] got its act together, it
would not let systems like this be continuously topped off. The 35 percent leak rate the EPA allows for these types of systems is
ridiculous.”
D. Brian Baker, president of Custom Vac Ltd. in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, said it’s unfair to lump all leak-stop products together,
as some have much different formulations than others.
“It always comes down to using a trusted product,” he said. “Furthermore, we all should understand these are not permanent repair
products and, therefore, have limited use and specific uses. There is never a replacement for clean, dry, and tight.”
Baker agreed with Kokinda that most leaks occur because of improper installation procedures.
“That’s why these products are not the correct answer and why in Manitoba and Winnipeg they are considered temporary and can only
be added to a known leak-free system before a leak develops or after a leak has been repaired,” he said. “Other than that, all leaks
must be repaired immediately. There is a $50,000 fine for noncompliance, an additional $1,000-a-day fine from the day of the
conviction up to prosecution, and/or six months in jail.”
Having said that, Baker stressed that this does not mean the additives don’t have a place, adding they could work well in limited,
preventive roles.
“I do think there is something to be said for additives that could seal small leaks, since it is almost impossible to be 100 percent leakfree, even for the best of the best,” he said. “However, these products should not be allowed as permanent repairs.”
He added that doing it right the first time takes less time than repairing a leak after a problem shows itself.
“We need higher test pressures, longer wait times, and advanced installation practices if we are to achieve leak-free systems,” he said.
“We can do much better than we are doing. Personally, I think the U.S. should follow Canada and have a policy of zero leak
tolerance.”
Kevin Wood, owner of Holly Wood Air in Visalia, California, said he has used leak-stop agents for the past five years and has found
that they work great for hard-to-find leaks or those that are in the middle of coils.
“I’ve had it in some systems for five years now, and I’ve not had a call back on a leak,” he said. “If the leak is accessible and easy to
repair, I always do it the conventional way, but many times there are leaks that can’t be located or are in inaccessible places, and this
stuff becomes a lifesaver.”
Yogesh Patel, owner of A Green Temp Inc. in South Elgin, Illinois, said he’s had great success using leak-stop agents when it comes
to very small leaks. “We don’t have callbacks, and it saves our customers a lot of money,” he said. “As a company owner myself, I
feel that is a fair deal to them.”
Joe Moravek, training director at Nance HVACR Tech School in Beaumont, Texas, said his results with leak-stop agents have varied.
“Sometimes it solved an unfound leak problem and other times, not so,” he said. “We’re willing to try to find a leak and repair it
ourselves, though leak sealers are our last option.”
Moravek said he has not experienced any equipment damage from using a leak-stop agent.
In the Jan. 18, 2016, NEWS article, “Climate Pacts Create Turbulence,” Gordon McKinney, vice president and COO of Icor Intl., said,
not only are leak-stop agents effective, they are also underrated contributors to air conditioning and refrigeration systems being tighter
and more leak-free than ever before.
“I know stop-leak additives are not endorsed by the OEMs, but they’ve proven themselves as highly effective and efficient,”
McKinney said. “They’re not degrading system performance or causing system failures, and, over the past five to 10 years, they’ve
helped keep vast amounts of refrigerant inside systems. The industry’s low leak rates are just one more reason we should take a step
back and ask if we really want to get rid of a whole generation of highly reliable, effective, proven refrigerants, such as the HFCs.”
Nicholas Griewahn, a refrigeration service technician and refrigeration instructor at Northern Michigan University, said he teaches
students that only two substances are to be used in refrigerant-containing systems: refrigerant and the appropriate oil. He considers any
other substance in the system a contaminant.
Griewahn said he believes leak-stop additives encourage a quick fix and aren’t necessary based on the capabilities of modern leak
detectors.
“I cringe whenever I see a piece of equipment tagged with any additive,” he said. “The traditional way of leak location and repair is
the way to go.”
Griewahn said he has two major issues with leak-stop additives. The first is safety: “Many local and state mechanical codes dictate
where refrigerant-containing components can be located in buildings because of the fear of refrigerant entering a confined space in
high concentrations,” he said. “I can’t speak for everyone, but, if I had a leak in a system like this, I would prefer to have direct control
of finding and repairing it instead of leaving it up to a chemical that’s added to the system.”
His second major issue is that compressor manufacturers largely do not approve leak-stop chemicals.
“There’s a reason for that,” he said. “Who invests the most resources testing and analyzing performance? Who knows their equipment
and components the best? Who has the most vested interest in the longevity and reliability of the equipment? The manufacturer should
be the foremost experts on what works and what doesn’t work in their equipment. Not only that, but I don’t want to be the one to tell a
customer the warranty is void due to an unapproved chemical my company added into the system.”
Finally, according to Griewahn, working on systems that have leak-stop agents added can compromise a technician’s tools.
“I have found dyes and leak-stop additives can degrade the performance of manifold gauges, vacuum gauges, vacuum pumps, and
recovery machines,” he said. “This contamination can then be transferred to other pieces of equipment that additives should not be
used in. Then, there is the question of refrigerant reclamation: Will reclaim facilities be able to take this stuff out easily?”
Like many issues in the HVAC and refrigeration industries, the questions about leak-stop agents don’t stop at the North American
border. Vitor Caçador, an HVAC contractor in the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal, said he has not used leak-stop agents to
date but sometimes wonders if he might be missing out on something great or miraculous.
“I don’t use these products, because I don’t understand the science behind them,” Caçador said. “Information is scarce, and
distributors are usually unable to provide me with clear answers to my questions, such as: What’s the science behind leak-stop agents?
Are they a permanent solution? How do they work? Do they clog the system in some way? How much is enough? Is the product
miscible with the refrigerant and oil? Does it affect the efficiency of the cycle, such as by reducing refrigeration power and increasing
current draw?
“I always hear, ‘This works like a charm, everybody’s using it,’ but that answer will not do,” Caçador added. “I understand the science
behind conventional leak-repair techniques and will continue to use them. I will not use ad-hoc solutions that sound too good to be
true. As we say in Portugal, ‘When the giving is too much, the poor man starts to distrust.’”
TWO COMPRESSOR MANUFACTURERS WEIGH IN
The NEWS asked two compressor manufacturers for their views on leak-stop agents.
• Ben Majerus, manager, field systems engineering, Danfoss:
“Danfoss spends extensive engineering time selecting and qualifying our compressor oils. Oil viscosity, miscibility, foaming, and
wear properties are some of the key variables that are evaluated to choose the right oil for each refrigerant type. The oil selected is
then tested during our engineering qualification of each compressor model to ensure long-term reliability and performance. Our testing
is comprised of hundreds of compressors and thousands of hours-of-life testing performed at extreme conditions, so the wear on
internal bearing surfaces can be examined. Without testing each of the leak additives, Danfoss cannot guarantee they won’t negatively
impact the long-term reliability, so we will not endorse these type of additives. If detected during a warranty claim, it would void our
warranty terms.”
• Randy Tebbe, service engineering manager, Emerson Climate Technologies Inc.:
“Creating and maintaining a leak-free refrigerant system is always a goal; however, we have not conducted testing on the vast amount
of additives available to approve adding a substance to a refrigerant system that will plug leaks from the inside to achieve that goal.
The typical refrigeration or air conditioning system has multiple designed orifices with restriction from cap tubes and thermal
expansion devices to injection ports and oil feed holes. Adding a substance intended only to block refrigerant leaks, thereby blocking
the orifices, creates a host of potentially negative implications. The substance also brings with it unknown effects on the system’s
components, seals, oils, and even manufacturing process fluids over time. Because there are so many unknown effects at this time,
Emerson does not approve the use of additives in the presence of refrigerants.”
PRODUCERS SAY PRODUCTS ARE TESTED, TRIED, AND TRUE
Cliplight Mfg., a company of Diversitech, introduced its sealants into the HVACR industry more than 15 years ago, and the company
says the products are tried, tested, proven to work, and here to stay.
“Super Seal and Super Seal Total have evolved into multifunction tools that not only seal leaks but also eliminate water and contain
UV trace dye to find larger leaks,” said Paul Appler, director of research and development.
Appler said major companies, such as Sears Holding, Amtrak, and Ford Motor Co., use Cliplight’s products to service everything
from domestic refrigerators to trains (the cooling systems in the passenger cars and kitchens) to plant chillers.
“While good technicians repair most leaks by re-brazing and replacing components, this does nothing to prevent future leaks,” noted
Jesse Homenuik, research and development engineer, Cliplight. “Pinhole leaks are time-consuming, often difficult to find, impact
compressor life, and decrease performance. While system moisture is a root cause of leaks, it also causes compressors to fail. Sealants
save you time and money, reduce call backs, and result in satisfied customers.”
Not all refrigerant leak-stop agents can be counted as the same, added Appler.
“As a contractor, you need to ask the manufacturer three questions: What’s in it, how does it work, and who uses your product? How
they answer all three will quickly help you decide if it’s the real McCoy or not,” Appler said.
He suggested looking for sealants that include UV fluorescent dye to help find leaks, moisture eliminators to prevent acid formation,
and the capability to seal both present and future leaks for more than a year.
Mike Benack, director of product management, Nu-Calgon, said he views his company’s a/c EasySeal and EasySeal Direct Inject
products as valuable tools contractors should add to their tool bags.
“Like any tool, our leak-stop products are designed for use in certain situations,” Benack said. “They’re not meant to replace the
traditional method of finding and repairing leaks but more so for fixing leaks that a technician can’t find — the microleaks that
contractors would typically fix by topping the system off with a small amount of refrigerant every month or year. They’re really
designed to be used in situations where traditional means aren’t practical or as a preventive measure.”
Benack said not all leak-stop agents are created equal, and contractors must pay attention to the active ingredient — and the amount of
the active ingredient — contained in the product they’re purchasing.
Regarding the products’ effectiveness and safety, Benack cited Nu-Calgon’s long history in the market.
“EasySeal was launched in July 2009, and although there are still contractors who are skeptical of sealants, we’re confident once they
try EasySeal, they’ll find it solves the problem quickly and easily with no issues,” he said. “In addition, EasySeal Direct Inject takes
just seconds to install, which adds to the case for using it to fix small, hard-to-find leaks.”
Theresa Lee, AC Leak Freeze product manager, Rectorseal Corp., noted that leak-stop products aren’t designed to seal all leaks.
“If you can hear or see a leak, you need to fix it the traditional way,” she said.
However, for small, hard-to-find leaks, the products work well when used according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
“With polymer-based agents, the system must be free of air and moisture, and that can be difficult to achieve,” she said. “Our products
are polymer-free, so, although it’s still not good to have air and moisture in a system, our products won’t react negatively with them.”
Rectorseal promotes its Leak Freeze with Magic Frost SDS as a leak-prevention agent.
“You can put it in when a system is new, and it travels with the oil so it won’t contaminate the refrigerant,” she said. “Once a
microleak pops up and the product activates, it will still stay suspended in the oil and look for more microleaks and pinhole leaks.”
Lee noted that although no OEM manufacturers approve leak-stop products, Bristol Compressors Intl. LLC and Fieldpiece
Instruments Inc. have tested Rectorseal’s polymer-free products and found they did not harm or damage their systems or tools.
“We continuously run our own tests to ensure our products are safe and effective,” she said.
And, thus, the verdict is in your hands. What decision will you make — or have you made — about leak-stop agents at your company?
Publication date: 4/4/2016
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R-458A as an R-22 Alternative?
By Alec JohnsonMar 22, 2018
I came across an article the other day referencing a refrigerant that I hadn’t heard much
about. My curiosity was peaked so I began researching the product, what it was, and what
possibilities existed. The refrigerant’s official name is R-458A but most of you may know of it
as Bluon TDX 20. The TDX 20 is a relatively new refrigerant that has only been around for a
few years now. It was designed as a replacement for R-22, R-404A, and R-507A.
If there’s anything the market needs right now it is a safe, cheap, and easy alternative
refrigerant for the aging R-22 machines out there. R-22 isn’t coming down in price folks and if
anything it is going to jump even higher as we inch closer to that 2020 total phase out. We’re
going to be left with three choices fairly soon. The first is scrounging around for reclaimed R22 refrigerant, second is talking your customer into purchasing a new R-410A unit, and the
third is alternatives. But, are there good alternatives out there? And are they legal?
The Details
Now, I know that there are a lot R-22 replacements out there but a lot of them have not been
approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. In fact I know of a few stories of
refrigerant manufacturers selling unapproved SNAP refrigerants. I can assure you that it
never ends well for them. One company out of Wichita ended up paying a one-hundred
thousand dollar fine for selling unapproved R-404A alternatives. (Link to the article here.) This
is where things can get tricky. You do not want to be responsible for using an unapproved
alternative. Before using ANY alternative to R-22 you have to make sure that it is approved by
the EPA’s SNAP. There are so many people out there looking to make a quick buck during this
R-22 phase out and a lot of them do not care about established laws.
The good news here is that Bluon’s R-458A is approved by the Environmental Protection
Agency to be used in commercial air conditioning, industrial process refrigeration, retail food
refrigeration, as well as residential air conditioning including heat pump applications. In fact
it was approved just last year on July, 21st, 2017. The link to the EPA’s official approval can
be found at the bottom of this article in my sources header.
The TDX 20, or R-458A, is non Ozone depleting which is already a markeable improvement
when compared to R-22. R-458A has a Global Warming Potential of one-thousand six-hundred
and fifty. While that number is still quite high it is lower than R-22’s one-thousand eighthundred and ten. (Nine percent better.) This refrigerant is also non-flammable and non-toxic.
It receives an A1 for it’s safety rating. All of these facts are pretty standard but there is a very
unique feature to this refrigerant that you don’t see elsewhere. TDX 20 is a blended HFC
refrigerant made up of FIVE varying refrigerants. Yes, you heard me correctly. Five different
refrigerants are blended to make R-458A. Some of these refrigerants you may very well
recognize form dealing with other blends.
Bluon’s TDX 20 consists of 20.5% of R-32 (Difluromethane), 4.0 percent R-125,
(Pentafluroethane), 61.4% R-134a (Tetrafluroethane), 13.5% R-226ea (Heptafluropropane),
and 0.6% R-236fa (Hexafluropropane). These five varying refrigerants actually results in a
five to twenty-five percent energy savings when compared to a standard R-22 application.
Something else that I noticed during my research is that this refrigerant actually comes with
a warranty. You don’t see that everyday in this industry. From what I have read the
refrigerant comes with a one year warranty on new machines and a ninety day warranty on
existing machines. Now like with most warranties, any claim is subject to Bluon’s approval.
More on Bluon’s warranty policy can be found by clicking here.
Retrofitting
The thing that really caught my attention on this R-22 alternative is that it is a drop-in
replacement. Now I’ve seen the words drop in and retrofit thrown around a lot over the past
couple years. If there is any confusion on the difference let me explain. A drop-in is just that.
You take out the old refrigerant and put in the new alternative. After that you are done. With
a retrofit you will have change or replace key components of the machine in order for it to
safely use your new alternative refrigerant. Retrofits are where things can get quite
expensive for you and the customer.
The R-458A is a simple drop in. There are no equipment modifications required. In fact all
there is to it is removing the old R-22, vacuuming out the system, and then recharging the
unit with the TDX 20 replacement product. On a standard residential unit the job will take
around three to four hours to complete. (Obviously, larger units will take more time.) Now,
what I gave you above was a quick step process but please be aware that there are some more
steps to a full conversion. If you are looking for a guide then I highly recommend watching
the Bluon HVAC offical retrofitting video found below. They made it look easy!
Conclusion
So after writing this article about Bluon’s refrigerant I was only left with one question that I
couldn’t get an answer for. What is the price on this product? Is it the same or even higher
than R-22? If so, then why bother with it? To me the only thing this refrigerant is missing is a
great price point and as I write this it very well may but I honestly couldn’t find much
information about pricing. From the literature that I have read the product is marketed as
significantly less expensive then R-22, but I am still wondering how much less expensive. Is it
negligible, or is there a significant savings to the customer?
Lastly, before closing this article I wanted to reiterate that if you are converting a unit from
R-22 over to R-458A to please please please re-label the machine once you are done with your
work. There is nothing worse then coming to a site and beginning to work on a unit only to
find that there is a completely different refrigerant in the machine then what the label says.
Just like they teach us in elementary school, ‘Think of others!’
Thanks for reading,
Alec Johnson
RefrigerantHQ
Dave Yates: Thermal expansion tank
conundrum
Properly sizing thermal expansion tanks.
November 9, 2020
Dave Yates
KEYWORDS mechanical engineer / plumbing engineers / thermal expansion tanks
Order Reprints
One Comment
When our local water company started adding Watts No. 7 dual-check backflow preventers to all water services, we soon discovered
water heaters were failing at a rapid pace, with gas fired models exhibiting telltale signs where the cold/hot water lines skewed off
making them look like a bow-legged cowboy! Center flue tubes were collapsed, causing the by-products of combustion to spill out the
access doors and, in many cases, melting the plastic temperature adjustment knobs. Lots of crazy remedies appeared — seemingly
overnight —at our local supply houses, which included:
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Toilet ballcock valves that would weep if pressures rose above 80 psi;
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Thermal expansion tanks (TXT) rated for 125 psi, and also required we add a PRV (pressure reducing valve) to protect
against excessive water pressure, which made no sense to me given the T&P (temperature and pressure) relief valve was
not going to open until seeing 150 psi if at all because none were being tested annually; and

The suggestion to install a by-pass water line from the hot outlet to the reconfigured drain valve port! Given that water is
essential non-compressible, that made no sense, but you know I had to try it at least once because the owner of the electric
water heater had read about it and insisted we install the by-pass. After bleeding all air from the potable system and
ensuring the system had no leaks, I installed my pressure gauge on the boiler drain, turned up the thermostat and we
watched the gauge climb from 70 psi to 150 psi quite rapidly. A TXT rated for 150 psi was added. The literature assured
me the 2-gallon TXT was the correct size for the 75-gallon water heater, but it wasn’t long before I was back to install a
4.5-gallon TXT because the relief valve was once again dripping at times due to thermal expansion.
Who knew I was about to meet up with Boyle’s Law! Way back in the 1600s, Robert Boyle had studied the relationship between
pressure and volume. Boyle’s study determined that P (pressure) x V (volume) derived a constant and the constant did not change as P
and V were modified. P1 x V1 = C therefore P2 x V2 = C. That got me thinking about how to properly size a TXT for our residential
water heaters to ensure no more callbacks. I no longer trusted the paperwork provided by the TXT manufacturers, and set out to build
a test where the results could be documented.
With 2-gallon and 4.5-gallon TXTs, I set up a water tank and connected the expansion tanks one at a time and used a small portable
air compressor to test the TXT with its 40 psi air charge (DOT regulations limit shipping TXT to 40 psi, and although the literature
instructs the installer to adjust the air charge in the field to match the home’s static water pressure, very few contractors did so. This
created a need to determine actual air volume for a TXT with a 40 psi air charge when installed on a system with no air charge
adjustment, as it would become the actual jump-off point. The constant would therefore be P40 x V2 (gallons) = C80. Added to a 70
psi potable water system rendered P70 x V? = C80 V2 now equals just 1.14 gallons of air to accept thermal expansion. Let’s consider
that 75-gallon electric water heater callback.
My search for a thermal expansion chart was found at Wessels. Locate the cold-water temperature, then final temperature and where
they intersect, and you have the multiplier for determining volume of the thermal expansion. Two hitches in that giddy-up: You need
to use design conditions and almost everywhere in the USA, that’s 40° F during the coldest weather because water lines are buried at
different depths based upon your geographic location; and water heaters, in theory, are set at the factory for a maximum of 120° for
better protection against thermal scalding. We can discuss that issue in a later column because it is a fallacy to claim 120° is a safe hot
water temperature, not just with respect to scalds, but also because of bacterial amplification issues. Add to this that regulations
governing residential water heaters 75,000 Btu/h or less recognize the phenomenon of thermal stacking, which occurs in hot water
tanks. In fact, the water heater can still be compliant with regulations where the upper tank can be at 150°! Granted, the entire tank
will not be 150°, but if we are to design for worst-case scenario, some elevation of water temperature above 120° needs to be
considered, so I chose 140°. Let’s be honest, water heater thermostats are often changed when folks start running out of hot water, so
we need some sort of cushion for that eventuality.
As we can see from the Wessels chart, where 40° and 140° meet, the expansion multiplier is .01501. Therefore, our 75-gallon water
heater will produce 1.126-gallons of thermal expansion under my design conditions. Going back to our P2 x V2 exercise, we can
easily understand why failing to recharge the 2-gallon tank will not work because thermal expansion now exceeds V2 capacity. But
say we did inflate the airside to match the 70 psi water pressure as I did for our customer. P70 x V2 = C140. We know V2 now has to
accept 1.126-gallons of expanded water, resulting in V2 now becoming .874 in volume. P2 therefore must be 160.2 psi and why our
customer’s T&P valve was leaking at times. Clearly the manufacturers’ literature was wrong! (Over time, the manufacturers did revise
their charts to better reflect real world conditions).
I did the same exercise using a 4.5-gallon TXT — without changing the 40 psi, the air charge will result in a constant of 180.
Installing the TXT in a 70 psi potable water system reduces the air volume to 2.57-gallons. Introducing 1.126 gallons of thermal
expansion reveals our final pressure will be slightly more than 124 psi. By this time, I had burned up two portable air compressors!
Change the TXT initial air pressure to 70 and the final pressure after acceptance of thermal expansion will be 93.4 psi -— a higher
pressure than I would like to see, which can place a potable water system under considerable stress. If we add a second 4.5-gallon
TXT with its air charge adjusted, the final pressure is an acceptable code compliant 80 psi. I determined thermal expansion acceptance
by resting the TXT on my digital refrigerant scale and using 8.34-pounds for 1-gallon of water.
The weakest link reality show was discovering which potable water component was going to be sacrificed — usually after everyone
was asleep and/or over for a holiday! The lucky ones saw a rupture in unfinished basements or knew where and how to shut off their
water. Unlucky homeowners suffered thousands in water damages when the rupture occurred on upper floors. The really unlucky ones
were away on vacation, and I remember one couple that returned home only to be greeted by water running out from under their side
door and a basement swimming pool.
The next issue we saw in the field was failure to properly support TXTs. Incredibly, it was not unusual to find expansion tanks
installed horizontally and connected using ½ inch copper with either no support or using perforated plastic hanger strap! Physics won’t
be denied its destiny with gravity, and add 8.34-pounds per gallon for some dynamic stress on the side outlet for the tee. The pending
flood disasters almost universally happened in the dead of night. Overnight pressures in municipal water systems spike at night due to
fewer people drawing water and the additional push of added water seemed to add just enough weight in the TXT to cause separation!
ToolGuyd > Tool Buying Guides > Tool Brands: W ho Owns W hat? A Guide to Corporate Affiliations
Tool Brands: Who Owns What? A Guide to Corporate Affiliations
JUN 25, 2020 ST UART 292 COMMENT S
If you buy something through our links, ToolGuyd might earn an affiliate commission.
Many popular tool brands have made big names for themselves, but are actually part of
larger corporate families. Complicating things further, brands can change hands during
acquisitions, mergers, and spin-offs.
To help you sort things out, we put together the following guide, identifying the most
popular tool brands and the companies that own or are affiliated with them.
Please note that these are not full lists of brands each parent company owns. This list
highlights construction, industrial, DIY, and other tool-related brands, with the focus
mainly on hand and power tool brands.
This guide discusses the following parent companies: Stanley Black & Decker, Tectronic
Industries (TTI), Bosch, Fortive, Apex Tool Group, TTS Tooltechnic Sytsems, KKR,
Chervon, Emerson, Werner, Illinois Tool Works (ITW), JPW, Snap-on, Ideal, Newell
Rubbermaid, Delta PEC, Kyocera, and Positec.
This information was updated and republished on June 25th, 2020. Although infrequent, brand ownership can change. Please let us know if you discover an
inaccuracy in this listing.
Table of Contents
Stanley Black & Decker (including Dewalt, Craftsman, Irwin)
TTI/Tectronic Industries (including Milwaukee, Ryobi, Empire Level, Ridgid Power
Tools)
Bosch (including Bosch, Freud, Dremel)
Fortive (including Fluke, Matco)
Apex Tool Group (including Crescent, Gearwrench, Wiss)
Festool Group (TTS Tooltechnic Systems, including Festool, SawStop)
KKR (including Metabo, Metabo HPT)
Chervon (including EGO, Skilsaw)
Emerson
Werner
ITW (including Paslode, Tapcon)
JPW Industries (including Jet, Wilton, Powermatic)
Snap-on
Ideal Industries
Newell Rubbermaid
Delta Power Equipment
Kyocera (Senco)
Positec
Stanley Black & Decker
Headquarters: New Britain, CT, USA
Construction and DIY (CDIY)
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Black & Decker
Bostitch
Dewalt
Porter Cable
Stanley
Irwin (Acquired in 2017)
Lenox (Acquired in 2017)
Craftsman (Acquired in 2017)
(Acquired in 2017, sold to DiversiTech in August 2018)
Industrial
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Blackhawk (Proto)
Bost
Britool
Facom
Lista
Mac Tools
Pastorino
Powers
Proto
Sidchrome
USAG
Vidmar
More Info (via Stanley Black & Decker)
Irwin Tool Brands (Sold to Stanley Black & Decker in 2017)
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Irwin
Hanson
Marathon
Marples
Quick-Grip
Record (vises)
Speedbor
Strait-Line
Vise-Grip
Unibit
More Info (via Irwin)
Back to top
Techtronic Industries (TTI)
Headquarters: Hong Kong, China
Power and Hand Tool Brands
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AEG
Empire Level (owned by Milwaukee Tool, as of mid-2014)
Hart
Imperial Blades (acquired by Milwaukee Tool in 2018)
Milwaukee Tool
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Ryobi
Stiletto (owned by Milwaukee Tool, as of 2007)
Milwaukee Tool is headquartered in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
TTI owns the Ryobi power tools and accessories division in the USA, North America, the
UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, but Ryobi is also an independent company
with separate product lines in some other parts of the world.
TTI also develops and produces Ridgid power tools, under a licensing agreement with
Emerson. This arrangement began back in 2003 (press release, PDF).
Home Appliance Brands
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Dirt Devil
Homelite
Hoover
Oreck
Vax
More Info (via TTI)
Back to top
Robert Bosch GmbH
Headquarters: Stuttgart, Germany
Power Tools and Accessories
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Bosch
CST/berger
Dremel
Freud (and Diablo)*
RotoZip
(Sold to Chervon)
Vermont American
*Bosch purchased Freud’s power tool accessories segment in December 2008, namely
their saw blades, router bits, and cutters division.
Automotive Tools and Equipment
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Accu-turn
Actron
Beissbarth
OTC
Robinair
Sia Abrasives
Sunpro
Gardening Tools
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(Sold to Fiskars)
(Sold to Fiskars)
More Info (PDF via Bosch North America 2013 Publication)
Back to top
Fortive (Formerly Danaher)
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., USA
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Matco
Test & Measurement
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Amprobe
Fluke
Keithley
Pomona Electronics
Tektronix
Fortive was spun off from Danaher in mid-2016.
More Info (via Fortive)
Back to top
Apex Tool Group
Headquarters: Sparks, MD, USA
(Apex Tool Group was a joint venture between Danaher and Cooper industries, and is
presently owned by Bain Capital.)
Hand, Electrical, Industrial Tool Brands
In late 2017, many Apex Tool Group hand tool brands were rebranded under the Crescent
Tools label.
(Apex Tool Group’s most popular and well-known brands are in bold.)
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Airetool
Apex
Read More about the closure
Atkins
Belzer
Campbell
Cleco
Collins
Crescent
Delta (Truck Boxes)
Diamond
DGD
Doler
Dotco
Erem
Gearwrench
Geta
H.K. Porter
Iseli
Jacobs Chuck
Jobox
KD Tools
K&F
Lufkin
Master Power
Mayle
Metronix
Niagara Tools
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Nicholson
Plumb
Quackenbush
Recoules
Sata
Spline Gauges
Utica
Weller
Wiss
Xcelite
More Info (via Apex Tool Group)
Back to top
TTS Tooltechnic Systems
Headquarters: Wendlingen, Germany
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Festool
Tanos (Systainers)
Cleantec
Microcell
Narex
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SawStop
Shaper Tools
Schneider Airsystems
SawStop was acquired by TTS Tooltechnic Systems in 2017.
Shaper Tools, a handheld CNC Router technology company, was acquired in 2019.
Back to top
KKR
Headquarters: New York, NY, USA
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Metabo HPT/HiKoki – formerly known as Hitachi Power Tools
Metabo
KKR acquisition of Hitachi Power Tools and Metabo was announced in early 2017.
Hitachi Power Tools was rebranded to Metabo HPT (North America) and HiKoki
(internationally).
Back to top
Chervon
Headquarters: China
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EGO (outdoor power tools and equipment)
Devon
Flex
Skilsaw (acquired from Bosch in 2017)
Skil (acquired from Bosch in 2017)
X-Tron
Hammerhead
Calmdura
Chervon is also an OEM that produces cordless power tools for other brands, including
private label brands such as Lowes’ Kobalt 24V Max brushless power tools line.
More Info (via Chervon)
Back to top
Emerson Tools
Headquarters: St. Louis, MO, USA
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Greenlee – as of 2018
Klauke – as of 2018
Ridgid
ProTeam
Workshop
Emerson also manufactures wet/dry vacuums under Dirt Hound, and goClean brands.
Emerson acquired Greenlee from Textron in 2018, along with Klauke and Paladin
(acquired by Greenlee in 2007).
Greenlee and Rothenberger engaged in a joint venture agreement for handling the North
American market, lasting from 2004 thru 2015.
Ridgid power tools sold exclusively by Home Depot are developed, produced, and
marketed by TTI. Ridgid hand tools and other plumbing and professional industry tools
are not included in the arrangement.
More Info (via Emerson)
Back to top
Werner Co.
Headquarters: Greenville, PA, USA
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Bailey
Green Bull
Keller
Knaack
Weather Guard
Werner
More Info (via Werner Co)
Back to top
Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Headquarters: Glenview, IL, USA
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Buildex
Duo-Fast
Kester
Hobart
Miller
Paslode
Racor
Ramset
Red Head
Tapcon
More Info (via ITW)
Back to top
JPW Industries/WHM Tool Group/Walter Meier
Manufacturing
Headquarters: New York City, NY, USA
JPW Industries is currently owned by Gamut Capital Management, a private equity firm
(as of July 2017)
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JET Tools
Powermatic
Wilton
Other JPW Brands
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Edwards Manufacturing
Promac
Tool Air
GYS
More Info (via JPW)
Back to top
Snap-on Incorporated
Headquarters: Kenosha, WI, USA
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Snap-on
Acesa
ATI
Bahco
Blue Point
CDI Torque
Irazola
Irimo
Lindstrom
Palmera
Sioux
Wanda
Williams
(These companies fall into four groupings – Snap-on, Snap-on Industrial, SNA Europe,
and Snap-on Specialty Tools, with some overlap.)
More Info: Snap-on Incorporated, Snap-on Industrial, SNA Europe
Back to top
Ideal Industries
Headquarters: Sycamore, IL, USA
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Ideal
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Anderson Power
Casella Measurement
Pratt-Read
SK Hand Tools
Trend Communications
(Closing as of Feb 2020)
More Info (via Ideal)
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Newell Rubbermaid
Headquarters: Atlanta, GA, USA
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Dymo
(Sold to Stanley Black & Decker)
Rubbermaid Commercial Products
(Sold to Stanley Black & Decker)
More Info: Newell Rubbermaid
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Delta Power Equipment Corporation (Chang Type Industrial)
Headquarters: Anderson County, SC, USA (Delta PEC); Taichung City, Taiwan (Chang
Type)
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Biesemeyer
Delta
More Info (via ToolGuyd)
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Kyocera
Headquarters: Japan (Kyocera Parent Corporation)
Kyocera acquired Senco, known for their air compressors and nailers.
Kyocera also acquired Ryobi, but not the Ryobi brand that North America users are
familiar with – that brand’s tools and accessories North America business is still owned
by TTI.
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Senco
Aerfast Europe BV (formerly Van Aerden Group BV, a European pneumatic tools
brand)
Ryobi (not the Ryobi most USA readers are familiar with)
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Positec
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Rockwell
Worx
Positec has also been known to manufacture tools for other brands.
More Info (via Positec)
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Reader Recommendations
Which other companies should be added to this guide to corporate tool brands?
Independent Brands
Makita is one of few remaining power tool brands not owned by a larger corporation.
Fein and Hilti are also independent.
There are very many hand tool and tool storage brands that remain independent. They’re
not listed here, although you can inquire about your favorite brands if you’re unsure.
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292 Comments
1.
Cameron
Feb 5, 2014
so unless I missed something makita is independent?
REPLY
o
Stuart
Feb 5, 2014
Yes. If a brand isn’t mentioned here, it either means they’re independent (e.g. Makita and Hitachi), or part of a company I
forgot about.
REPLY
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jeff
Feb 7, 2014
Isnt Hitachi owned by GE? or are we only regarding tool companies?
REPLY
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Stuart
Feb 7, 2014
The only affiliation between GE and Hitachi that I am aware of is their joint nuclear energy business. Hitachi power tools are not – to my
knowledge – connected to GE in any way.
REPLY
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Chris
Feb 24, 2019
*nukeular

Brian
Feb 25, 2019
I believe Hitachi power tools got changed to HiKoKi power tools now.
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Stuart
Feb 25, 2019
Metabo HPT in the USA.
2.
John
Feb 5, 2014
Is Matco still under Danaher?
I think Werner is based of PA. They also have Keller Ladders and Green Bull Ladders under them.
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has tool companies like Miller Welders, Hobart Welders, Ramset, Paslode, and a slew of
consumables under their corporate umbrella. http://www.itw.com/business-segments/
Snap-On has Bahco, Williams, Blue Point, and CDI Torque as industrial brands.
Ideal owns SK, Pratt-Read, and Western Forge. http://www.idealindustries.com/
REPLY
o
Stuart
Feb 5, 2014
Thanks!
Matco should still be under Danaher’s umbrella, but I didn’t see it on their corporate site in their business directory. I’ve added
it in.
You’re also right about Werner, which is indeed based in Greenville, PA.
I updated the post a little while ago with ITW and JPW, and am still working on Snap-on, Ideal, and Newell Rubbermaid.
I might not delve too far outside of tools and into fasteners, tooling, and consumables, as that could really complicate things.
REPLY
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Nicholas
Feb 5, 2014
If I’m not mistaken Williams make snap on hand tools don’t they?
REPLY
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Stuart
Feb 5, 2014
The lines are so blurred it’s hard to tell. Williams is a Snap-on Industrial brand. Even if certain tools appear similar, there might be small
nuances that differentiate the Snap-on tools from Williams ones.
REPLY
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Nicholas
Feb 5, 2014
I know that Williams make tools for other companies. Like you said the lines are very blurry there.
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Stuart
Feb 5, 2014
OEM and private label tools is tough to follow as well, as contracts and arrangements change every now and then. Right now, I have no
clue as to who else Williams manufacturers tools for outside the Snap-on corporate family.
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Jeff
Apr 23, 2017
It is,the other way around . SnapOn acquired the bankrupt Williams name and made Williams product here and later in Taiwan.
REPLY
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Steve
Jul 18, 2019
No snap on owns Williams it is part of their indiustrial department it equal to blue point
REPLY
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Chris
Jun 25, 2020
Williams is much better than bluepoint. A lot of Williams tools are US made, a lot of bluepoint tools are not. And besides, most bluepoint
stuff is rebranded anyway.
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John
Feb 5, 2014
Couple of more that I thought of:
Stanley Black & Decker has Emglo compressors as a unit but it doesn’t look like they really want to sell any compressors unless
they’re rebadged as DeWalts – no mention of where to buy them on the website and they’re down to just two
models. http://www.emglo.com/index.html
I’m not sure how Irwin classifies everything they make like Vise-Grip, Marples Chisels, etc since they are a unit of NewellRubbermaid. Lenox is also under N-R
Textron has Rothenberger, Klauke, and Paladin operating under Greenlee. http://www.textron.com/about/our-businesses/index.php
REPLY
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Stuart
Feb 5, 2014
I’m still working on updating the post with Newell Rubbermaid and Textron information. UPS stopped by with a new tool delivery and I
got distracted.
REPLY
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John
Feb 5, 2014
New tool deliveries are always an acceptable reason to be distracted.
o
stephen griffith
Nov 27, 2015
Danaher is making Craftsman tools now, Danaher started making them in China, Its interesting to know Danaher is owned by
Bain capitol which was founded an owned by Mitt Romney, no wonder Craftsman tools are being made in China, Romney
absolutely hates American workers!, after finding this out I will never buy another Craftsman tool, I would rather overpay for
SK, or Snap On than buy a piece of shit Chinese made Craftsman tool!!!!
REPLY
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Stuart
Nov 27, 2015
Sorry, but you are wrong. Danaher is not owned by Bain Capital.
Apex Tool Group is owned by Bain Capital, and was previously a joint venture between Danaher and Cooper Tools.
REPLY
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Fritz
May 12, 2016
Here’s the Wikipedia page about Bain Capital, basically a brief summary of it’s history and assets:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bain_Capital
Whilst Mitt Romney was a co founder of Bain Capital though his being a partner in the Bain and Company consulting firm, he was
also a co owner, not THE owner. In any event he apparently retired as CEO of the firm in 2002, at which time Bain Capital also
retired the position of CEO. Since that time Mr Romney has had nothing to do with Bain Capital’s management or with what
acquisitions it has made. Sorry if you don’t like Mitt Romney, or believe that he hates American workers, because he had nothing to
do with Danaher, Craftsmen tools being farmed out to China, or even Bain Capital purchasing the Apex Tool Group from Cooper
Tools and Danaher.
REPLY
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Barry Crane
Nov 18, 2017
Craftsmen is under Stanley etc now & so is Erwin, Lenox & himor.
I can’t remember the rest. Unibit also.
REPLY
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Stuart
Nov 18, 2017
Yes. This is already indicated in the post. I didn’t realize about Hilmor, though – thanks!
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Dana Lorio
Jun 23, 2020
I’m looking at adding brand “Ultimate force “. Wood router looks good and the resemblance to Makita is amazing. Bases, colors, and
design looks almost identical. I can’t find any association. Can you shed some light on this?
REPLY
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Fritz
May 12, 2016
By the way, Bain Capital bought out Apex Tool Group in 2012, for $1.6 billion dollars, I forgot to mention that.
REPLY
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Jeff
Apr 23, 2017
Boy, you got that all wrong. Danaher never made anything in China. Danaher and Cooper group spun off their tool divisions to form
Apex . They sold Apex to Bain Capital that has been closing tool divisions like Armstrong, Allen and KD and making tools in
Taiwan. Mitt Romney has had nothing to do with Bain for many years so your attempt to tie him to the current situation is just you
political viewpoint.
REPLY
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Skip Dow
Aug 22, 2017
What do you consider Many years that Romney has had nothing to do with Bain ??
According to what I have read in several places, he closed an American computer parts company through Bain and sent it to China
either election day, or the day after election day, when he ran for president. I remember it because it’s such a stupid, uncaring thing to
do on election day, IF Romney is the one running for President. Sound’s exactly like a King Turnip idea.
Again from what I read in more than one place, the company was making a profit in the U.S. when it was moved. Many folks had been
there over 25 years.
I try to stick to the Truth — Do you?? You make it sound as if Romney hasn’t had a thing to do with Danaher for 25 years. Please
provide some references. Also look up the computer parts company Romney sent to China. You don’t need the name of it to read about
it. Just look up Romney sends computer parts company to China. Many articles about it.
REPLY
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Keith
Sep 10, 2017
Not on election day, these were things that happened in the 1990s that were reported on during the election. Read through this fact check
article by PolitiFact. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/jul/13/barack-obama/were-romneys-companies-pioneersoutsourcing/
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Steve
Jul 18, 2019
Danaher makes almost nothing in the states
REPLY
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Jim Felt
Jun 25, 2020
Yes.
Look to both Tektronix and John Fluke and see the Danaher “business model” in action.
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Jkeith
Sep 26, 2017
Regardless of when, from whom, or where these acquisitions and transfers took place, the story is fundamentally the same. These
corporate conglomerates are nothing more than profit drones – machines in their own right. “They” have no concern for quality,
American workers (or any workers for that matter), or the consumers who buy their tools.
They function from a calculus that simply states: What can we do to minimize material, labor, and all other operating costs as close
to zero as possible while still generating maximum profitability and growth. It’s about maintaining quarterly profits to enrich
shareholders and corporate executives – that’s literally it. If Mitt Romney doesn’t exemplify that pathology, I don’t know who does.
Long gone is the norm of companies who took pride in the tools they produced, whose principle concerns were quality and
reputation while making enough of a profit to keep the business going, i.e., companies who took satisfaction in creating something
of real and lasting value. Sounds quaint doesn’t it?
So where’s the list of people like Thomas Lie-Nielsen of Lie-Nielsen Toolworks who created and carefully built a company based
on the principles of quality and reputation, and whose success is one of the rare bright spots in an otherwise dismal industry? Yes,
it would be a very short list of a few rare individuals, but it would be nice to provide some recognition for these folks who are not
hell bent on destroying everything they touch for the sake of their personal wealth and power.
REPLY
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Stuart
Sep 26, 2017
So where’s the list of people like Thomas Lie-Nielsen of Lie-Nielsen Toolworks who created and carefully built a company based on the
principles of quality and reputation, and whose success is one of the rare bright spots in an otherwise dismal industry? Yes, it would be
a very short list of a few rare individuals, but it would be nice to provide some recognition for these folks who are not hell bent on
destroying everything they touch for the sake of their personal wealth and power.
I can’t praise individuals I haven’t met and don’t know much about. I don’t have experience with Lie-Nielsen tools, although I am quite
aware of their reputation.
Your idea is a good one, and I’ll keep in mind to try and build a list of laudable independent tool brands focused more on quality than
maximized profit. A lot of the time, this results in premium pricing, but there are some brands that are able to offer a lot at near entrylevel pricing.
REPLY
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Jkeith
Sep 26, 2017
Thanks for the reply, Stuart. The idea was more of a general query/observation and not directed necessarily toward you. In fact, off the top
of my head I’m hard pressed to come up with even a handful of independent tool manufacturers.
Anyway, I came across your website only recently, and wish I had found you earlier. Great stuff!
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MichaelHammer
Feb 25, 2019
Oh, my friend, to hold a Lie-Nielsen plane is to hold a piece of history, not only in the painstaking replication of perfect, beautiful Stanley
planes of a lost era, but also that era’s quality manufacturing to the nth degree. They are worth every penny as even your children’s children
will enjoy the ribbons of wood that curl from its finely-tuned throat.
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ray
Feb 5, 2021
yes sir rather pay more then give him any of my money
REPLY
3.
Lenny
Feb 5, 2014
Other than Bosch (Germany) and TTI, all of the companies are headquarted in the US. It still burns me that TTI is a
Chinese owned company and it produces Milwaukee tools. Not knocking their products, they make nice stuff, I just have a
hard time seeing the profits go back to China too.
REPLY
o
Stuart
Feb 5, 2014
A lot of these biggers companies really are global companies. It doesn’t quite matter if Bosch and Milwaukee are owned by
parent companies based outside the USA, as they have massive infrastructures here.
Delta and Biesemeyer are part of Delta PEC, which is owned by Chang Type Industrial Co., which is based in Taiwan.
Cleveland, Bassett, Chicago-Latrobe, Cli-Line, Putnam Tools, and Vermont Tap & Die are part of Greenfield Industries, which
is owned by Dalian Far East Tools, which is based in China.
REPLY
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Jeff
Aug 1, 2015
This is a great site. I was always fascinated by the corporate machinations of my favorite tool brands.
Black & Decker acquired Porter Cable and Delta from Pentair that had merged their operations. Then Stanley bought B & D and
the first thing they did was sell Delta to Chang Type, who was one of their suppliers. Chang Type moved Delta from It’s plant in TN
to a new plant in NC.
Delta dates back to before 1940 and if you were willing to pay the price you could get a part for almost anything. According to a big
tool dealer in my area, support is not so good under the new owner
REPLY
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Dr Duke
Apr 30, 2016
I still remember when Delta was Rockwell. Makers of tools, automation equipment and the space shuttle.
REPLY
o
firefly
Feb 5, 2014
That’s just part of globalization… If you really care where the profit go, a good place to start complaining is with the US
government as they have made US a very hostile place for corporation in general.
REPLY
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Happy Mondays
Feb 6, 2014
Came for the Koch Brothers, mindless drone sound-byte, left satisfied.
Do me a favor and outline the US Government policies that hold corporations hostile?
I mean really, you do live in the same country I do, right? Where nominally, one would expect to be able to drink clean water, eat
safe food, ensure some decency in labor conditions?
Sure, we can go cheaper/better/faster with gung-ho-corporations-are-people-too… in places where, when the corporation is done
with you, they throw you in the same run-off ditch the factory waste goes into.
The “US being a very hostile place for corporations” is exactly what the oligarchs want you to say. Kudos between you and them!
REPLY
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Steve
Feb 6, 2014
If you do not think the government is hostile just ask any one in the generation industry.
REPLY
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Joseph
Oct 4, 2014
Try opening a manufacturing plant in New York, Massachusetts, California, Oregon, Washington State and many more. I worked as a
Location Planner for Rosemount Industries. I can tell you with 100% certainty, state and federal agencies intentionally make it nearly
impossible to build (permits) and operate (taxes, regulations) in this country. You obviously have never worked in the private sector nor
have one ounce of business knowledge. The liberal US government is hostile to manufacturing industry. Period!
REPLY
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ron
Feb 28, 2015
It is not the Liberal government that is making all the regulations–many have been instituted under republican admins as well—It has to do
with “not in my back yard” mentality. Every one wants energy independence and manufacturing jobs–but not in my backyard–don’t spoil my
view. Ps, while I am fine with paying more for my American made tools, to ensure domestic workers have decent wages and conditions the
rest of the Wal-mart connoisseurs are only about the cheap price with no regard to the fact their neighbor lost his job and now his kids
qualify for free lunch at school because they refuse to look for the USA label.
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Will
Jul 20, 2015
I live in Pittsburg, Kan., and there are multiple manufacturers here; Vinylplex (PVC pipe), Pitt Plastics, Masonite (doors), Atkinson (steel
electronics buildings) and various other machine, cabinetry and manufacturing outfits.
If you want to set up manufacturing in the U.S., it can easily be done, and most municipalities will fall over themselves to offer tax breaks
and other amenities (the state damn near offered to pay Boeing to keep its Wichita plant in operation before they decided to relocate).
Companies blame “regulations,” i.e., laws, so they don’t have to say they don’t want to pay their labor force.
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MichaelHammer
Feb 25, 2019
I don’t understand what your talking about. There are already lots of manufacturing in those states. In fact I see ads from New York State
specifically targeting manufacturers touting tax breaks and favorable laws. There are bygone manufacturing hubs in those states that would
be ecstatic to see a resurgence.
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Steve
Jul 18, 2019
Snap on does all day every day
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Victoria schrudder
Aug 2, 2015
Where can I find out how much these companies have paid for a tool product or tool line. I have one for sale? I’ve had interest from a
couple of well known companies and I don’t know what number I should put out there.
REPLY
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Stuart
Aug 2, 2015
For a tool product or tool line? I don’t think such information is ever publically available. If a publically owned company (one where anyone
can be a shareholder instead of private owners), corporate acquisitions and purchase prices are usually disclosed.
For a tool product or tool line, I wouldn’t even know where to direct you to for more info.
I can’t give you advice if there’s money on the line, as I don’t want to steer you the wrong way. I don’t even know if there’s an obvious
authority you could consult with about this.
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Eco Mouse
Oct 8, 2015
I’d have a conversation with FastCap. They actually look at new tool ideas and inventions from regular people, Help develop them and
share in the profits!
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Hank
Sep 15, 2019
From a valuation perspective, I would apply a multiplier to revenue or earnings to come up with an initial price. You should be able
multipliers for different industries on the internet.
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Rick
Oct 24, 2015
Sounds to me like Happy Monday is really bitchy Thursday!
REPLY
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Fritz
May 12, 2016
Corporate income tax policy for one, the U.S is the only Western government that expects U.S based companies to pay taxes twice on
profits they earn overseas. So if a U.S company had an overseas division in France, or Great Britain, and paid corporate income tax on
the profits they made there to the French or the British government, they currently have to pay U.S corporate income tax on those same
profits. This was why Burger King moved their head office to Canada a few years ago.
Then you have the various regulations and red tape, some estimates peg the cost of complying with those at $500 billion dollars or
more. Whilst some are necessary, such as many labor and workplace safety standards, others are complete balderdash.
REPLY
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Jeff
Apr 23, 2017
Thank you Bernie Sanders. The EPA was calling a puddle on private land a water resource to regulate. They poked a hole in a coal
slag retaining pond to “inspect it” caused a break that poured millions gallons of sludge into a river. The US has the highe
Tool Industry Behemoths: The Tool Companies Who Make
and Own Most Tool Brands
ByJameyOctober 1, 2021
PressureWashr spent 56 hours investigating the global hand & power tool industry.
The goal was to find the tool companies who make and who own most of the tool brands you know and love.
All the research is boiled down into two useful infographics:
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
Graphic #1 allows you to quickly see the tool companies who control the global tool market cashflow (the top 4
control 48%)
Graphic #2 allows you to quickly check the parent company who owns each brand of hand & power tool
Below each graphic is an in-depth look how the data was found (tax forms, annual reports etc.) and any assumptions
made. Enjoy.
Infographics updated: June 28, 2019
Quick jump to sections:



Graphic #1: Tool Companies Who Make The Most Money
Graphic #2: Who Owns What Tool Brands?
FAQs: Who Owns, Who Makes and Where are Specific Tool Brands Made?
How the infographics were made – start to finish
The following public records were reviewed to source the info required to create the infographics:
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
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) 10-K forms
Tool company Annual Reports and website Investor Relations
Tool discussion
forums: GarageJournal.com, ToolGuyd.com/forums/, reddit.com/r/tools and reddit.com/r/buyitforlife
Tool company websites including About Us, History and Timeline pages.
All crucial information was captured in spreadsheets as detailed notes and tabulated data.
Then we began planning and creating the two infographics in OmniGraffle Professional – a diagramming and graphic
design software by Omni Group. After many hours inputing logos & data, adjusting lines, circle sizes, colors & alignments
the final result emerged. Here it is.
Moneymaking Tool Makers: The Tool Manufacturers Who
Dominate The Industry
In this infographic, the size of each company’s hand & power tool revenue is shown by circle area. Stanley Black & Decker
is inside the biggest circle because it has the largest revenue from hand & power tools. Close behind is Bosch’s hand and
power tool business. And so on until we reach Positec, JPW Industries and Ingersoll Rand with the smaller circles
representing their smaller respective revenues.


Use $5 billion, $1 billion and $500 million grey circles as revenue reference.
The faint grey circle border around the outside represents $98.6 billion (~BMW 2015 revenue).
In-depth look at the 18 companies who control 91% of the $51
Billion global hand & power tool market



First, let’s look at how the global hand and power tool market value was arrived at $51 Billion.
Second, let’s look at the actual sales values of each company in the infographic.
Third, let’s talk about any estimates made to arrive at final sales figures.
How big is the global hand & power tool market?
To find out the dollar value of the world power and hand tools market 5 industry reports were used as data points.
1.) Future Market Insights – Power Tools Market Global Industry Analysis
In this $5,000 report the two following points are the key takeaways:


Global power tools (not incl. hand tools) industry to reach $36.2 billion in 2020 and $46.5 billion in 2025
200 million electric power tools vs 88 million pneumatic
2.) Future Market Insights- Hand Tools Market
Key finding from this assessment:

In 2014, global hand tools market accounted for $14.4 billion with 3.5% yearly growth expected
3.) Freedonia – World Power Tools
In this $6,500 Industry Study, these two facts were key takeaways:


Global demand for power tools to reach $32.9 billion in 2018
Cordless electric tools to experience most rapid growth
4.) Credense Research – Power Tools Market Growth, Share, Opportunities &
Competitive Analysis
Key finding:

Global power tools market to reach $41 billion in 2023.
5.) Statista – Global Tools Market Value Share
Statista.com is a data analysis website that has a wide range of free and premium industry reports, statistics and analysis.
The most interesting tidbit we found investigating hand and power tools is this:

In 2015, hand tools accounted for 35.1% of global tools market value with power tools at 64.9%
Conclusion on global hand / power tool market size:
Using the numbers above as starting data points and a spreadsheet with all the tool companies (who own and who make
tool brands) 2015 tool sales as additional data points… The market size estimates are:



2017 power tools global market is $33 billion
2017 hand tools global market is $18 billion
Total 2017 hand and power tools global market: $51 billion.
Moneymaking tool makers’ company sales
Company
Hand/Power Tool Global
Sales
Market Share
Stanley Black & Decker Inc.
$7.14 Billion
14.0%
Robert Bosch GmbH
$6.2 Billion
12.2%
Fortive Corp.
$6.0 Billion
11.8%
Techtronic Industries Company Limited (TTi)
$5.04 Billion
9.88%
Hilti Corp.
$4.3 Billion
8.43%
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
$3.6 Billion
7.06%
Makita Corp.
$3.5 Billion
6.86%
Snap-on Inc.
$3.4 Billion
6.67%
Emerson Electric Co.
$1.9 Billion
3.73%
Apex Tool Group, LLC.
$1.5 Billion
2.94%
Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
$1.2 Billion
2.35%
Chervon Holdings Ltd.
$630 Million
1.24%
Textron Inc.
$600 Million
1.18%
TTS Tooltechnic Systems (Festool)
$400 Million
0.78%
Ideal Industries, Inc.
$360 Million
0.71%
Positec Tool Corp.
$300 Million
0.59%
JPW Industries, Inc.
$150 Million
0.29%
Ingersoll Rand Inc.
$112 Million
0.22%
Other (Home Depot, Lowe's, Harbor Freight Tools $4.67 Billion
and sub $100 million sales companies)
9.2%
TOTAL
100%
$51 Billion
Notes on tool company sales numbers
Most of the companies (who make and who own tool brands) sales figures are available in tax forms and company annual
reports. But even with that information some estimations have to be made to arrive at the tools only sales numbers. Here
are some notes how we arrived at estimations for the following companies.
Bosch – Our best estimate is $6.2B in tool revenue
The Bosch annual report tells us their Consumer Goods division had 17.1 billion euros revenue (~18.5 billion USD) in 2015.
The division consists of power tools (drills, jigsaws, impact screwdrivers, lawn mowers, best pressure washers etc.) and
household appliances (fridges, washing machines, dryers, ovens etc.).
The household appliances portion of the Bosch Consumer Goods division was a 50:50 joint venture with Siemens
until Bosch bought out Siemens for 3 billion euros (~3.25 billion USD) in late 2014. That was for the 50% share that
Siemens owned, valuing the total household appliance company at 6 billion euros (6.5 billion USD). The company reported
10.5 billion euros revenue in 2013. So what’s the 2015 revenue to give us the portion that is power tools? With a growth
rate of 4% yearly the revenue is 11.36 billion euros in 2015 leaving 5.74 billion euros (~$6.2B USD) as power tools
revenue.
Other – Our best estimate is $4.67B
You’ll notice there is an ‘Other’ row in the above table. In that row are Home Depot, Lowe’s and Harbor Freight Tools.
Since these companies don’t manufacture their own tools they were not included in the above infographic. However, they
still collect substantial revenues from the global tool market with their home brand tools – Husky, Kobalt and US General,
for example.
Within The Home Depot and Lowe’s financials you can see they both report more than $5B in tool category sales.
Combine that with Harbor Freight and we’re at $12.4B. But a sizeable portion of this is going to external manufacturers
and brands.
Looking at Home Depot and Lowe’s, we estimated both companies are collecting around $500M for home brands and
$4.5B from selling other companies brands on their shelves. This estimate came from looking at their online stores portion
of products that are home brand vs. external brands in the tools & hardware categories. When you include cost to
purchase the home brand tools from the OEM and the consignment cost of the external brands’ tools, the cut they get of
the total is probably around 30%. That gives Home Depot and Lowe’s somewhere close to $1.5B in global tool
market revenue each. And leaves Harbor Freight around the same.
We believe this to be in the ballpark as you have to realize the OEMs and external brands are taking their share of the tool
market revenue from the reported Home Depot, Lowe’s and Harbor Freight sales.
Tool Brand Behemoths: The Parent Companies Who Own Most
Tool Brands
In this graphic, the outer rectangles contain logos of brands owned by the parent companies in the middle. Not all brands
owned by the parent companies are in the rectangle – just the most well-known. Hilti and Makita only sell tools under
their own names. Take a look. What brands owned by parent companies surprise you?
The findings show the tool industry is mature and highly consolidated. Two companies: Stanley Black & Decker Inc. and
Robert Bosch GmbH sit at the top of the tool industry controlling 26% of the global market. They have gained this much
control by aggressively acquiring the best most trusted tool brands. It is surprising to find out who owns and who makes
well-known brands like Milwaukee, Ridgid, DeWALT and Craftsman.
Why is Home Depot, Lowe’s and Harbor Freight Tools included in this
graphic but not the Moneymakers one above?
Simple, it’s because of the ‘Tool Makers‘ part of the title. They aren’t makers.
The Home Depot, Lowe’s and Harbor Freight are not original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or original design
manufacturers (ODMs). They are purchasing companies who form partnerships with OEMs and ODMs (like Stanley Black &
Decker) to get their tools made for them to distribute under their own brand names.
In many tool categories these big-box hardware stores simply buy from an OEM and slap their Husky, Kobalt or
Drillmaster stickers on the product for sale. In other categories, they approach ODMs with specific product specifications
and then work with them to get the tool built to their specs. Exactly which categories of Husky, Kobalt and Harbor Freight
tools are ODM or OEM is impossible to find in their tax documents or annual reports.
In-depth look at the parent companies who own all the successful
tool brands
Check out the favorite tool brands each parent company owns. Below the image is a list of the brands and the location of
the parent company who owns them’s Global HQ.
Stanley Black & Decker Inc.
See the tool brands owned and made by Stanley Black & Decker:
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Stanley
Craftsman
Lenox
Irwin Tools
Vidmar
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Black & Decker
AeroScout
Facom
Proto
Porter-Cable
Mac Tools
Lista
DeWALT
Bostitch
CribMaster
Powers
Stanley Black & Decker is the largest tool manufacturer in the world with many well-known brands under their corporate
umbrella. Their Global HQ is in New Britain, Connecticut.
Robert Bosch GmbH
You can see the logos of the most well-known tool brands owned by Bosch here:
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Bosch
Diablo
Hawera
Rolatape
Beissbarth
Dremel
OTC
RotoZip
CST/berger
freud
Robinair
Vermont American
Bosch’s Consumer Goods division sells power tools and household appliances. They own many brands in both industries.
Their Global HQ is in Gerlingen, Germany. It is 9km west of Stuttgart.
Fortive Corp.
What brands does Fortive make and own?
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Fluke
Hennessy Industries
Tektronix
Anderson-Negele
Matco Tools
Qualitrol
Fortive Corp. spun out from Danaher Corp. in 2016 to become its own company. It is foremely the Tools & Measurement
division of Danaher. It operates out of the Fluke Corp. headquarters in Everett, Washington.
Techtronic Industries Company Limited (TTi Group)
TTi is one of the fastest growing tool manufacturers in the world. Here are the brands TTi now owns and makes in their
sprawling China based production facility:
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Milwaukee
Empire
Hoover
AEG
Homelite
Dirt Devil
Vax
Stiletto
Ryobi
Hart
Oreck
TTi also makes products for other brands, including Ridgid. TTi Group’s Global HQ is in Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Hilti Corp.
Hilti doesn’t own any subsidiary tool brands. They make Hilti brand pro tools.

Hilti
Hilti is still a family owned company based in Schaan, Lichtenstein. They are known for their professional tools and are very
popular throughout the world. Hilti has more than 23,000 employees.
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
See the tool brands made and owned by Illinois Tool Works:
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Hobart
Buehler
Buildex
Ramset
reid
Spit
Tregaskiss
Paslode
Miller
Bernard
Illinois Tool Works is a global diversified manufacturing company with more than 250 brands and companies under its
corporate umbrella. It has headquarters in Glenview, Illinois.
Makita Corp.
Like Hilti, Makita just makes Makita brand tools & equipment for DIYers, pros and general tradespeople.

Makita
Makita is a large power tool manufacturing company based in Anjo, Japan. They are well-known for their rechargeable
power tools and were the first to produce a rechargeable drill. They introduced it in 1969.
Snap-on Inc.
Check out the tool brands Snap-on owns and makes:
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Snap-on
Bahco
Williams
Irimo
Lindstrom
Blue Point
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CDI Torque
Snap-on is best known as the company / tool brand that visits you at work with a van full of tools for you to buy. They
started as a socket wrench company and now offer a wide-range of tools for professionals in the automotive, aviation,
marine and railroad industries. The Snap-on Global HQ is in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Emerson Electric Co.
Emerson owns these brands but gets an OEM (TTi) to produce the products.
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ProTeam
Workshop
Ridgid
Emerson Electric is a massive company with a sizeable tools business. They are best known for their process-automation
products and services (valves, regulators, measurement & analytical instruments). The Emerson Global HQ is in Ferguson,
Missouri.
Apex Tool Group, LLC.
Apex Tool Group owns and makes a lot of brands in the tool and equipment industry. Here they are in logo form:
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Crescent
Jacobs Chuck
HKP
Dotco
Wiss
Sata
Lufkin
Cleco
Delta Truck Storage
Armstrong
Master Power
Gear Wrench
Jobox
Weller
Allen
Belzer
Apex
Bain Capital owns Apex Tool Group. Bain also owns a large/majority number of shares in the following companies:
Domino’s Pizza, Toys “R” Us, Burger King, Dollarama, Staples Inc and The Weather Channel. Bain bought Apex Tool Group
for $1.6B from Cooper Industries and Danaher (formed company as joint venture of tool segments) in 2012. Apex Tool
Group has headquarters in Sparks, Maryland.
Harbour Freight Tools USA, Inc.
Harbour Freight buys their tools direct from manufacturer and then offer them as home brands for affordable prices. Here
is a selection of the brands they own and sell under:
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US General
Chicago Electric
Central Pneumatic
Central Machinery
drillmaster
HaulMaster
Harbor Freight Tools is a private company with headquarters in Calabasas, California.
Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
Hitachi owns and makes Metabo and Hitachi tools. They bought Metabo in late 2015 for nearly $180 million.
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Metabo
Hitachi
Hitachi Koki operates as a subsidiary to Hitachi, Ltd. Hitachi Koki manufactures and sells power tools and power
equipment. It has HQ in Tokyo, Japan.
Textron Inc.
Textron is a diversified manufacturer in aircraft, industrial and automotive products. Within their industrial segment they
make tools and equipment and sell them under the brands shown here:
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Greenlee
Jacobsen
Dixie Chopper
Sherman+Reilly
Klauke
HDE
Textron has headquarters in Textron Tower, Providence, Rhode Island.
Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
Lowe’s sells a range of external brands in the tools & power equipment categories. They also own two home brands in the
tool and equipment niche:
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Kobalt
Blue Hawk
Kobalt is their mid-tier tool brand and Blue Hawk is geared towards beginners. Lowe’s has a massive 275-acre corporate
campus in Mooresville, North Carolina. It was built starting in 2011 and is designed to be environmentally sustainable
(LEED Gold Certified). Check out Lowe’s HQ here. One of the main features of the campus is a functional 7-acre lake. It is
home to over 10,000 employees.
The Home Depot, Inc.
The Home Depot owns two home brands in the tools category. They also exclusively sell brands of power tools and
equipment such as Ryobi and WORX. Overall, they have sales of hand and power tool/equipment over $5 billion per year.

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Husky
HDX
The Home Depot has Global HQ in Cobb County, Georgia. It is a large building but not a corporate campus type setup like
Lowe’s has. The Home Depot is the largest home improvement store in the USA, reporting 50% more revenue than Lowe’s
(second biggest) in 2016.
Ideal Industries, Inc.
Well known for their screwdrivers and hand tools, Ideal Industries is the brand owner of Western Forge, Pratt-Read and SK
Pro Tools.
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Pratt-Read
Western Forge
SK Professional Tools
Anderson Power Products
Ideal Industries is based out of Sycamore, Illinois. Ideal Industries is now well-known for their Pratt-Read, Western Forge
brands and SK Tools brands, which they acquired in three separate deals in 2010. It is rumoured they paid ~$50 million for
Western Forge and a fair bit less for Pratt-Read.
Positec Tool Corp.
Here are the tool brands Positec owns:
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WORX
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Rockwell
Positec is a tool manufacturing company with Global HQ in Suzhou, China and North American HQ in Charlotte, North
Carolina. Positec tool brands sell at all the big-box stores: Lowe’s, The Home Depot, Walmart and Costco.
JPW Industries, Inc.
See the brands owned and made by tool and machinery parent company JPW Industries:
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Jet
Wilton
Powermatic
Edwards
ProMax
Toolair
JPW Industries is based out of La Vergne Tennessee. It was originally known as Walter Meirer Manufacturing, Inc., and
represented the tools arm of Swiss based Walter Meier AG. In 2013, Tenex Capital Management purchased Walter Meirer
Manufacturing, Inc. and named it JPW Industries to represent the three main brands – JET, Powermatic and Wilton.
10 Frequently Asked Tool Brand Questions, Answered
While researching the tool brands people are most interested in some common questions kept showing up. Namely, the
“who owns” and “who makes” the popular tool brands questions. Here’s a chart to show the total monthly searches for the
combo of who owns plus who makes each of the top tool brands:
Now let’s answer the 10 most asked questions about tool brands:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Who makes Ryobi tools? Techtronic Industries (TTi) is the OEM for Ryobi. TTi owns the Ryobi brand of power
tools in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. They are sold exclusively at The Home Depot in
United States. Ryobi Limited, which sold the power tools businesses to TTi in 2000/2001, is a Japanese company
that sells power tools, die castings, hardware and printing equipment in Asia, Latin America, Middle East and
Africa
Who makes Kobalt tools? Chervon the Chinese OEM (not Chevron the oil company) makes many of Kobalt’s
power tools. In 2016, Lowe’s awarded them a vendor award in innovation for the Kobalt 24-Volt cordless power
tools. Sunrise Global/Greenworks Tools is the OEM for Lowe’s Kobalt cordless 80-volt outdoor power equipment
(they were awarded 2015 innovation award).
What happened to Danaher the tool maker? Danaher spun out their tool and power tool brands and OEM
capability to a company called Fortive Corp. in 2016. Danaher tools are now Fortive, essentially. Fortive operates
out of the Fluke HQ just north of the Boeing Everett Factory.
Where are Milwaukee tools made and who owns Milwaukee brand? Dongguan, China. In Aug-2004, TTi
Group acquired two divisions (Milwaukee Electric Tools and AEG Power Tools brands) of Atlas Copco’s Industrial
Technique business for a total sum of $627 million ($797 million in 2016 dollars). By 2004, all of Milwaukee’s tool
production facilities had left Wisconsin for Mississippi. And in 2008, when TTi opened their massive Dongguan
facility, the move for Milwaukee Electric Tools from U.S.A. to China was complete.
5.
Who makes Snap-on tools? Snap-on makes Snap-on tools. Snap-on is an original equipment manufacturer
(OEM) and they make tools in their vast production facilities.
6. Who makes Ridgid tools and who owns the brand? TTi Group makes Ridgid brand tools through a partner
agreement with Emerson and their OEM subsidiary One World Technologies. They first entered into an
agreement in 2003 for TTi to make Ridgid woodworking power tools (and have since furthered the partnership
to other tool categories). Ridgid has been a subsidiary of Emerson Electric since 1966. The brand is targeted at
plumbers and heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) trades.
7. When did Stanley and Black & Decker merge? Officially, Stanley Works acquired Black & Decker for an all
stock deal worth $4.5 Billion ($3.5B stock and $1B debt), which was announced in Nov-2009. The “merge” was
finalized in Mar-2010. At the time Stanley Works owned the popular brands Stanley, Facom, Bostitch, Proto, Mac
Tools, Vidmar (and others) and Black & Decker owned Black & Decker, DeWalt, Porter-Cable, Baldwin, Emhart,
Kwikset, Price Pfister (and others). The combination of the two created a tool and equipment powerhouse
valued at nearly $10B.
8. Who makes Husky tools? Husky is a home brand of Home Depot. The tools are made by various OEMs
including Stanley Black & Decker, Western Forge and Apex Tool Group.
9. Who owns DeWalt tools brand? DeWALT is owned and made by Stanley Black & Decker. Black & Decker
owned DeWALT since 1960. In 2010, when Stanley Works and Black & Decker merged the new company,
Stanley Black & Decker, became the owner of DeWALT.
10. Who makes and owns Craftsman tools? Craftsman tools are made in factories around the world. Depending
on the tool category, it could be made in USA, Mexico, India, Honduras, Japan, Taiwan, China, Germany or
France. Many manufacturing companies have been contracted to make different tools for Craftsman over the
years. These include: TTi Group, Stanley, Apex Tool Group, Western Forge, Easco, Danaher and Pratt-Read. Sears,
the creator of the Craftsman brand, never made Craftsman tools – they owned the brand. In 2016, Sears sold the
brand to Stanley Black & Decker for $900 million. With the sale, it is more than likely all manufacturing of
Craftsman Tools moving forward will be done in Stanley Black & Decker manufacturing plants.
Sources
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Stanley Black & Decker SEC Filings. www.StanleyBlackandDecker.com. Info retrieved 31-Jan-2017.
The Home Depot, Inc FORM 10-K. www.SEC.gov. Info retrieved 30-Jan-2017.
Lowe’s Companies, Inc. FORM 10-K. www.SEC.gov. Info retrieved 30-Jan-2017.
Illinois Tool Works Inc. FORM 10-K (PDF). Investors.ITW.com. Info retrieved 29-Jan-2017
Textron Financial Summary. www.Textron.com. Info retrieved 29-Jan-2017.
TTI Group Financials. www.TTIGroup.com. Info retrieved 28-Jan-2017.
Fortive SEC Filings. www.Fortive.com. Info retrieved 28-Jan-2017.
Disclaimer: All logos (trademarks) appearing on pressurewashr.com are the property of their respective owners.
Jamey
Jamey is the founder of pressurewashr.com and has led testing and reviewing since 2013. He has also worked as a
commercial pressure washer at a rendering plant for 3 years and has been using commercial and residential pressure
washers for 15+ years. He is also a mechanical engineer and while working in the mining industry designed several turnkey light industrial vehicle wash pads.
Why Briggs & Stratton Went Bankrupt
A story of greed, mismanagement and union busting.
By Michael Rosen and Charlie Dee - Sep 28th, 2020 05:29 pm
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Briggs & Stratton warehouse. Photo by Michael Rosen/Wisconsin Examiner.
Just days before filing for bankruptcy in July, Milwaukee’s Briggs & Stratton Corp., at one time the largest producer of small
engines in the world and employer to 11,000 union production workers making a solid, middle-class living, handed its top
executives $5 million in bonuses, calling them “retention awards.”
In mid-September a federal bankruptcy court judge approved the sale of Briggs & Stratton’s assets to KPS Capital Partners, a
private equity firm.
Like vultures picking a carcass clean, these bonuses in the run-up to bankruptcy have become an all-too-frequent way for
corporate executives to gift themselves with one last, egregious payday before stiffing their workers and creditors.
The story of how Briggs got to this point is a morality tale about modern American industrial capitalism. Briggs embodies the antiunion race to the bottom characterized by contempt for hourly workers, mismanagement and misjudging markets.
Briggs managers lost the race, dragging their employees down with them.
Corporate class warfare
To understand Briggs’ decline we have to go back to the early 1970s when corporate attorney Lewis Powell drafted his infamous
memo to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce urging the business class to become more “aggressive” and “pursue political
power.” Business Week recognized the impact of Powell’s call to arms in its October 12, 1974 issue: “Some people will obviously
have to do with less … it will be a bitter pill for many Americans to swallow the idea of doing with less so that big business can
have more.”
Powell’s message was pursued by corporate management with such intensity that United Auto Workers President Douglas
Fraser decried the “one-sided class war” being waged by capital against labor. Then in 1981, new President Ronald Reagan
entered the fray by forcing a strike by the Air Traffic Controllers union before firing them all. Union busting was now supported in
the White House, by a former union president at that, as the Reagan era of corporate greed with no social responsibility
commenced.
Forced strike in ’83 a turning point
Even though it was an extremely profitable company in 1983, Briggs declared virtual war on its employees, demanding
unprecedented concessions such as a two-tier wage system, three-year wage freeze, elimination of personal days and the ability
to subcontract work to non-union companies.
At the time, Fred Stratton, Briggs’ President and CEO, claimed the concessions were necessary because of lower wages paid by
foreign competition, singling out Japanese manufacturers. While Briggs’ labor costs were indeed higher, Stratton’s claim was a
canard.
Japanese companies actually participated in the premium engine market, making high-end engines for snowmobiles and riding
lawnmowers while Briggs’ entire focus was low-end, smaller engines for lawnmowers and snowblowers.
Briggs wasn’t alone in playing this shell game and going after its union employees. A May 1982 Business Week poll of 400
executives from top companies indicated that 19% admitted, “Although we don’t need concessions, we are taking advantage of
the bargaining climate to ask for them.”
Briggs wasn’t always so virulently greedy and anti-union. A decade earlier in 1974, Allied Industrial Workers Local 232 also struck
Briggs. However, at that time, management accepted the walk-out as a legitimate, although undesirable, collective bargaining
tactic. That strike was settled on classic union-management terms: both sides presented positions, they whittled away provisions
from each other’s offers, and eventually arrived at a new contract. It was what labor-management bargaining is supposed to be: a
negotiation.
Hired union-busting lawyer
But the combination of greed, “bargaining environment” opportunism, and hubris led Briggs to an all-out assault on its workforce in
1983. It hired the notorious union-busting attorney Tom Krukowski, who had earned his spurs helping to break the Milwaukee
Packing House Workers strike in 1975 and rose to national prominence for his role in the 1985 Hormel strike.
Under Krukowski’s direction, Briggs first forced the strike by its draconian demands, then began recruiting replacement workers,
and threatened to replace employees if they did not submit to company demands. It also began moving its lock-and-key
production to a non-union plant in Georgia. This was too much even for the conservative Milwaukee Sentinel, which opined, “the
threat was a common practice in Texas, but new to Milwaukee.”
After ninety days Local 232 conceded. The Milwaukee Journal called it a management “victory with a contract tipped by an
unsheathed bayonet — the threat of firing 7,600 workers…” Even with all the concessions the union made to keep the plant open,
Briggs still announced that it would open a new non-union facility in Murray, Ky., in a plant given to the company by the city.
Briggs’ management continued these zero-sum tactics. Between 1983 and 1995 Briggs’ workers repeatedly gave concessions in
an effort to save their jobs. Briggs’ workers’ real income declined by 30% according to The Milwaukee Journal. Yet Briggs and
Stratton continued to relocate production out of Milwaukee to non-union southern states, Mexico and China.
Flawed Business Strategy
It’s safe to say that this sea-change in attitude toward union workers was fueled by a flawed business strategy and a failure by
Briggs’ leadership to read the markets for its products. Both CEO Fred Stratton and John Shiely, Vice President of Strategic
Planning and Corporate Counsel (and later Stratton’s successor as President and CEO), came from finance backgrounds.
Although Stratton’s grandfather, Harold Stratton, was co-founder of the company, Fred Stratton didn’t grow up in the company. He
came to it after several years working in private equity with Robert Baird. Shiely was an Arthur Anderson tax accountant before his
Briggs & Stratton employment. Neither were manufacturing men with a vision and passion for building things nor a commitment to
innovation.
The two of them were apostles for a management philosophy, Economic Value Added (EVA), that claims to align the interests of
management with shareholders by structuring business to seek the highest possible rates of profits. This strategy minimizes longrange planning and ignores workers’ expertise, treating them as nothing but numbers.
Stratton and Shiely ignored the lessons learned by other manufacturers: success in manufacturing depended on investing in
research and innovation and relying on the skill and ingenuity of front-line workers.
Stratton and Shiely were so focused on trying to squeeze more concessions and profits out of their hourly employees that they
missed all the changes in the marketplace. Lawnmowers using Briggs’ engines were once sold almost exclusively through highpriced dealers with well known brand names like Toro, Snapper, Jacobsen and Lawn Boy. Those dealers would charge $300 for a
lawnmower with a Briggs engine in it.
That changed in the 1990s when massive, big-box retailers like K-Mart, Walmart, Home Depot and Farm and Fleet started seizing
market share and squeezing manufacturers. Walmart was the king of this approach, dictating to manufacturers what it would pay
for their products. Now those same $300 lawnmowers were going for $129, the dealer stores were going out of business, and the
only way Briggs could keep profits up was to cut their labor costs even more.
Fred Stratton reflected on this changed dynamic in a speech at a 1996 Robert Baird award luncheon. “This shift in relative power
from manufacturer to retailer has greatly increased the relative importance of price. This increased the importance of being a lowcost producer and added urgency to our need to achieve our cost goals.”
Briggs had actually flirted with an alternative strategy. In the late ’80s it announced plans to produce a high-value-added engine
for the top end of the market. It was an effort to compete based on performance, quality and features rather than low price. Local
232 agreed to work rule changes to support the effort because it was a chance to stabilize family-supporting employment in
Milwaukee.
But Stratton and Shiely excluded workers from participating in the design of the project and treated it as a simple automation
experiment. Predictably, after ignoring the skill and knowledge of the workers on the shop floor, management bought the wrong
machinery.
The effort failed; after only a few years it was abandoned and soon outsourced to Mitsubishi. Stratton justified abandoning the
project by citing “our revised strategy” of producing high-volume, low-cost, small engines with a manageable number of features
and “EVA discipline.” This was the very strategy that was to bring them down.
Management keeps misreading market dynamics
Stratton, Shiely and the rest of Briggs’ management missed yet another development in the marketplace. In the early 1990s there
was a growing consciousness of environmental damage done by emissions from even small gasoline-powered engines, and a
growing interest in the industry to respond to that by developing battery-powered lawnmowers or less polluting engines. Briggs’
management was so addicted to the model of low-cost, high-volume, standardized production with its low wages that company
executives didn’t even consider it. Instead they teamed up with Missouri Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) in an unsuccessful fight to
undermine California’s emission standards.
In a 1991 interview for a City of Milwaukee project designed to keep manufacturing jobs in the city, Shiely was asked about the
potential for producing green or premium engines. He rejected the idea, implying it was unnecessary for Briggs to innovate. He
stated that if those markets emerged, Briggs would simply buy the innovating company.
A nimble company that was responsive to the market, valued its skilled employees and cared about the community it was based in
would have diversified by investing in higher-quality, premium engines. A smart company that recognized changing consumer
tastes would have responded to growing concern about the environment with innovation. But Briggs management put all its eggs
in the basket that demanded lower and lower labor costs and polluting engines that sold at minuscule margins.
The other strategy Briggs management pursued was to buy up other companies. In 2000 it bought Generac Portable Products
Systems. Over the next decade and a half it acquired a total of five separate companies including Simplicity, a leader in the
production of premium engines. The buying spree lacked strategic focus and ultimately failed to turn around the company’s
decline.
Rather than investing in research and innovation, Briggs’ management tried to buy success while continuing to enrich its
executives and stockholders. According to its securities filings, the company has spent only $167 million on research and
development since 2012 while devoting $239 million to buying back its own stock to inflate the price of the shares held by
management and investors.
The downward spiral of Briggs resulting from such arrogance is well documented. When Ronald Reagan was elected president in
1980, Briggs had four manufacturing plants in the Milwaukee area and 11,000 unionized employees.
Over the next 35 years it opened and closed plants in Milwaukee, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and other locations,
either moving that production to China or simply downsizing. When the company emerges from bankruptcy, only 300 hourly
employees will remain in the Milwaukee area.
Briggs managers’ struggle to find a direction was summarized recently in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by industry analyst Tom
Hayes of Northcoast Research, “It’s been, ‘Let me turn this dial and turn that dial.’”
Management takes bonuses but no responsibility
Declining sales, looming debt payments, then the COVID-19 pandemic with its dramatic drop in lawnmower sales all combined to
finally push the company into Chapter 11. Sales for the second quarter of 2020 were down by $107 million, or 18%, over the same
period last year. The third quarter results are expected to be even worse.
Despite obvious mismanagement, Briggs’ board of directors in July made “cash retention awards” of $1.2 million to CEO and
Chairman Todd Teske, $600,000 to Senior VP Mark Schwertfeger and lesser amounts to other executives. Although the new
owners abruptly dismissed Teske on Sept. 22, he could still hang on to some or all of his $8.8 million golden parachute,
bankruptcy attorneys suggested to the Milwaukee Business Journal.
After taking care of its top dogs, what did Briggs do for its investors and hourly employees? Instead of generosity, there was only
contempt.
The day before filing for bankruptcy, Briggs’ board voted to terminate the health and life insurance benefits of the company’s
retirees. Then, in late August, Briggs and the United Steel Workers local 7232 (the successor to AIW 232) agreed to a severance
package for the workers who will lose their jobs. Most will get less than $5,000. The company also failed to make a $6.7 million
interest payment on a bond due later this year. Briggs’ 2020 bond is now trading at just a few cents on the dollar, reflecting the
company’s dramatic decline.
As Brown Rudnick lawyer Robert Stark, who represents unsecured creditors in the Briggs & Stratton bankruptcy case, said about
Briggs’ management: “They pay themselves large bonuses, stick it to the rank and file and don’t pay their bondholders.”
Congress in 2005 tried to curb payouts to executives when a company is in distress, restricting executive bonuses when a
company declares bankruptcy. In response, these pre-bankruptcy “retention” bonuses were designed as an end-run around that
law. “It’s regulatory evasion,” according to Jared Ellias, a law professor at the University of California Hastings College of the Law.
Today Milwaukee is one of the poorest, most segregated cities in the country. Briggs long ago abandoned its two factories on the
North Side, home to most of its Black workers. It sold most of its large suburban manufacturing plant in the western suburb of
Wauwatosa. A Lowes department store now sits where workers used to make small engines.
The decision by Stratton, Sheily and their successors to compete based on low wages, their refusal to develop innovative
products, and their self -defeating war against their employees has cost the community dearly.
By paying themselves engorged bonuses in 2020, Briggs’ current management is behaving in a way totally consistent with its
predecessors. While corporate executives who preside over failure often find someone else to blame, Briggs’ demise has, in
reality, directly resulted from its executives’ mismanagement, greed and pathological animosity towards the unionized workers
who had made them rich.
Reprinted with permission of Wisconsin Examiner.
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