Are Milwaukee & Hart Tools From Walmart Made By The Same Company?

There are few names in the consumer tool game that inspire a level of unbridled confidence, and if you're familiar with the Milwaukee Tools and Hart Tools brands, odds are that you rank both among them. The Wisconsin-based Milwaukee is, of course, the better known of the two, with the company ranking among the most prominent American tool makers for more than a century now. You may not realize it, but Milwaukee even invented the rechargeable battery technology currently used by virtually every manufacturer of cordless power tools. 

Hart's historical timeline is considerably shorter than Milwaukee, with the Los Angeles, California, brand only having come into being in 1983. It did so initially with the singular purpose of producing the best framing hammers on the market. Fans of the brand might be quick to tell you Hart has largely succeeded in that endeavor, though the company has dramatically expanded its offerings in the decades since entering the market. While Hart still mainly focuses on hammers, it now offers an extensive line of hand and power tools and even boasts an exclusive distribution deal with big box retailer Walmart.

As it currently stands, Milwaukee and Hart are essentially positioned as market competitors, so it may come as a surprise that the brands are indeed owned and made by the same company. That outfit is Techtronic Industries (aka TTI), and it turns out that Milwaukee and Hart are just two of the world's major tool brands that TTI currently owns.  

It is, of course, not uncommon for one company to own several competing market brands, these days. And as far as Techtronic Industries is concerned, its various holdings in the consumer tool arena would seem to give it a considerable market edge. One might easily argue that owning even one of the market's most legit majors would be enough for TTI to claim that edge. Even more so with a brand tied exclusively to a retail outfit like Walmart. But apart from Milwaukee and Hart, TTI counts six other tool brands among its holdings, along with four major vacuum brands.

Even as Milwaukee feels like the crown jewel of the TTI portfolio, the company also owns one of its primary market competitors in Ryobi, which is one of the top DIY options in the world. However, TTI is not the only player in the Ryobi game, as Kyocera Corporation took over rights to the brand in the Asian market back in 2018. Along with Ryobi, TTI also claims ownership over pro-grade level maker Empire, noted blade manufacturer Imperial Blades, hammer and axe maker Stiletto, as well as hand and power tool brand Kango. 

Just FYI — while TTI doesn't own the brand outright, the conglomerate also holds a licensing agreement to manufacture and sell AEG branded tools, though that brand is actually sold under the name of Rigid in America. As for TTI's vacuum brands, the company owns both Dirt Devil and Hoover, as well as two lesser known outfits in Oreck and Vax.