Online Exclusive: A Q&A with Malco Tools on the hole saws market
Continuing our coverage of hole saws from the August/September print issue of Contractor Supply magazine, our editor speaks with Shane Norman from Malco Tools. Following is our Q&A dialog:
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| Malco's Quick Release Set Arbor and Pilot Drill |
Contractor Supply: What is the current outlook for the hole saws category?
Shane Norman: I expect the overall market for hole saws used in the building trades within the U.S. to remain relatively flat through the remainder of the year.
This category specifically faces headwinds in residential single-family new construction with stubborn mortgage interest rates remaining elevated and affordability pressures keeping demand flat.
One bright spot in the market for growth over 2026 is in the multi-family building construction market that will help to offset the single-family headwinds.
CS: What are the main challenges the construction industry will be facing in the coming year that distributors should be aware of?
Norman: Supply chain disruptions and pricing pressures will be a main challenge for products coming from overseas — distributors should review their inventory planning for those items for the remainder of 2026.
Skilled labor shortages continue to be a significant challenge across much of the U.S. market with a significant portion of the building trades personnel expecting to retire over the next five years.
CS: Considering those challenges, what do you recommend distributors focus on when it comes to meeting customer needs within this product category?
Norman: Distributors need to review their inventory and stocking plans for products that have a country of origin in Asia, knowing that there can be some additional delays and pricing pressures on those products in the coming months, especially products that are made of plastic due to the oil crunch through the Strait of Hormuz affecting plastics production.
To combat continued and foreseeable labor shortages for years to come, distributors can focus on providing solutions to their customer base that improve jobsite efficiency to keep trade professionals moving between jobs as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality or longevity of their install.
CS: What are the emerging trends or technologies influencing the development of these products?
Norman: The hole saw category continues to experience refinement in application-specific designs and base material improvements from the hole saw body to the cutting edges themselves.
Customer requests for more efficient change-overs between hole saw sizes has driven several manufacturers to design improved arbor systems that speed up this process and improve substrate slug ejection as well.
CS: What are the biggest misconceptions or misunderstandings about the hole saws category?
Norman: One misunderstanding in the field is that when a hole saw prematurely dulls after cutting in a specific application, the user often blames the manufacturer for designing an inferior product.
Customers should first consider if they have the right hole saw cutting material and tooth design for the task at hand.
Proper heat dissipation is crucial to extending service life, especially with bi-metal hole saws. This can be achieved by ensuring perpendicular operation, proper drill speed for the size of the hole saw and the use of cutting lubricant.
CS: What are the key strategic priorities for your company in the next one to three years related to this product category?
Norman: The Malco Group will continue to focus on driving efficiency improvements for the HVAC and building construction trade pros we serve within the hole saw category with a curated selection of designs and sizes for common hole creation tasks on the job site.
We recently launched our latest versions of carbide-tipped and bi-metal hole saws that were designed to improve cutting speed and longevity while pairing with our innovative Quick Connect arbor and Quick Change pilot drills.
CONTRACTOR SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The October/November 2026 issue of Contractor Supply magazine is here!
In our cover story, Human to Human, MC Tool & Safety Sales competes with larger distributors by putting relationships, service and customer knowledge first.
Also in this issue are Industry Updates.
The digital edition, sponsored by BECK AMERICA Inc., is fully searchable and contains live links to every advertiser and new product listing. Click away!
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