This Is The Oldest Power Tool Brand Still Operating Today

Power tools are a permanent fixture in every garage and workshop today, powering a global market worth roughly $40 billion. But the category of tools has only really existed for a little more than a century. The company that kicked it all off is still around, and its name is Fein. Based out of Germany, it has a pretty cool backstory, too.

Fein was originally established in 1867 by brothers Wilhelm Emil and Carl Fein – and it didn't even start out as a tool company. Rather, it was a workshop for creating physical and electrical equipment. The core mission was to build equipment with practical value, which led them to create a diverse range of electrical innovations. For example, the company created an improved telephone with better transmission quality in the late 1870s. Not long after, they took on massive projects like constructing the public telephone network for the city of Barcelona. They also sold public safety devices like electric fire alarms.

It was this culture of applying electricity to solve practical problems that led to another big moment in 1895, when some clever employees decided to cobble together a hand drill and a compact electric motor. They ended up creating the world's very first power tool. This was a hand drill, and it was an absolute unit, tipping the scales at 16.5 pounds. You can actually go see the original artifact today in Munich's Deutsches Museum. Fein saw the potential in their invention, and by 1908, they fully pivoted to a dedicated power tool manufacturer. They weren't a one-hit wonder either and continued to innovate, dropping the first hammer drill featuring an electropneumatic hammer action in 1914 and patenting the first-ever jigsaw in 1933. This wave of innovation influenced how other toolmakers like Ryobi evolved.

Fein's knack for invention has had some weirdly specific and hugely influential origins. Take the oscillating multi-tool, for example. Its story actually starts in 1967, when Fein developed a saw for a very different customer, the medical profession. The tool was designed to cut through hard plaster casts without harming the patient's skin, using an oscillating blade that needs the resistance from a hard surface to cut effectively. This technology sped up cast removal and is still used in medicine today. Fein later adapted this tech for the automotive world, creating a version in 1985 that could safely cut out silicone-bonded car windows. This tool evolved into the famous Fein MultiMaster, a high-end device for professional tradespeople. It remained an exclusive piece of kit for decades until Fein's patent on the oscillating mechanism expired in 2009, unleashing a flood of alternatives from nearly every major brand. This gave birth to the likes of Milwaukee's popular oscillating tools.

Even today, Fein is often grouped among Europe's most respected power tool manufacturers. Its innovative spirit is backed by a portfolio of more than 800 active industrial property rights. The company remains deeply committed to quality, with one company overview stating that for Fein, "Made in Germany" means that more than 90 percent of its products are made in-house. The company also continues to push boundaries even today. Just in 2016, it introduced the Starlock tool mounting system for faster accessory changes.