Here is the article:

Baltimore Sun

Thoughts:

-I built my layouts primarily using tools from each company...I bet most of you did too...good tools!

-Too bad, Baltimore loses another Fortune 500 Headquarters.

-Many jobs will be lost through the combination of the two outfits.

-As far as the tools go both make good products, I have no problem with Stanley whatsoever.

-I bet they keep the B&D name, as well as the professional grade Dewalt name. The Brand names are a big part of the purchase.

quote:

Originally posted by Craignor:
Here is the article:

Baltimore Sun

There goes B&D.

I really like their 18v drills even though they got smaller lately. I suppose that the new company will try and maximize profits and cheapen it. Then we all know what will happen, the tool will get lousy.

quote:

Originally posted by techie:

quote:

Originally posted by Craignor:
Here is the article:

Baltimore Sun

There goes B&D.

And the Black and Decker Pecker Wrecker.

The two companies don't compete now. Stanley has made quality hand tools for years. The same cannot be said for B&D power tools. My 60 year old B&D metal cased orbital sander still works fine. Over the years the few newer B&D tools I bought, (saber saw, hand drill) have bit the dust after a few years. Hopefully Stanley will improve the brand.

Pete

quote:

Originally posted by Norton:
The two companies don't compete now. Stanley has made quality hand tools for years. The same cannot be said for B&D power tools. My 60 year old B&D metal cased orbital sander still works fine. Over the years the few newer B&D tools I bought, (saber saw, hand drill) have bit the dust after a few years. Hopefully Stanley will improve the brand.

Pete

Pete --

In the 80s my wife worked for a B&D-owned company. We got the employee discount & i stocked up on a lifetime supply of DeWalt. Still . . . and i say this with regret . . . i concur with your view of B&D run-of-the-mill tools; there may be exceptions, but most i would only classify as "light duty". Partly that's a market thing. There is a whole generation of home-owners with only the vaguest idea of how to use tools and will only use a drill to hang pictures.

But, i digress . . .

-- gary ray

Gary, just to be clear I still have respect for Dewalt but my experiences with the newer (past 20 years) B&D products have not been positive.

Pete

I don't think many will miss Black & Decker power tools. I can't say much positive about the few that I had. Note the past tense.

I spent 9 years working at their only Canadian plant, we were one of the first to go as they transfered operations to Mexico and China. Two years later all of the rest of the power tool plants were gone. I haven't bought one of thier items since. (600 people lost their jobs that day!)

i wont miss b&d as i've had many problems with their power tools and especially the ones that run off batteries.

on the other hand i do like stanley tools and have been using them for many years.


thop.......

Black and Decker I think the real prize there is DeWalt now there's a power tool group.

I have8 B & d tools but I have started to buy Ryobi they are real good good price and they are lighter and the batteries hold a charge longer

Before the tools were made in China, after they will be made in China. Big deal

Black & Decker had K-Line produce a special set for their employee's at one time (about the mid 90's). I missed out on it when I was with them. Does anyone have the set?

I remember selling to the huge Black & Decker factories back in the 1970's at Hamstead Md., Solon Oh and Lancaster PA. The company employed many thousdands of Americans and made quality tools. Now a visit to their store reveals ONLY low quality Chinese manufactured tools. This is quite a change from the Black & Decker that I remember. Unfortunately much the same can be said about Lionel. They moved all the good American manufacturing jobs to China as well. Thousands of companies followed suit. Is it any wonder why Michigan now has 18% unemployment? Lets all thank the corporate CEO's and the politicians for doing such a great job on the world trade front.

quote:

Originally posted by Norton:
Gary, just to be clear I still have respect for Dewalt but my experiences with the newer (past 20 years) B&D products have not been positive.

Pete

Pete --

yah, i still think DeWalt is okay too . . . but i don't think they are cost-effective for the most part.

My most recent few power tool buys have been some of the better grades of Craftsman when they go on sale. If you shop carefully & aren't ina hurry, i've found that 30-40% off makes a really attractive buy for a good tool.

-- gary ray

Thanks for the Stanley/B&D news.
Nowadays I pretty much stick with Porter Cable and Dewalt Battery operated drills and saws and 120/240 volt shop equipment, nail guns, etc.

My friend worked at a B&D owned company they called it
"Bleak & Darker".....I grew up in the next town over from Stanley Works very old heritage their.

Anyone remember when B&D started selling tools with a 10" cord. Every time you needed it an extension was required.

quote:

Nowadays I pretty much stick with Porter Cable and Dewalt Battery operated drills and saws and 120/240 volt shop equipment, nail guns, etc.

Porter Cable and Dewalt are (were?) owned by Black and Decker.
According to our local paper:
The Black and Decker lines are: Black and Decker, DeWalt, Porter Cable, Kwik-set and Baldwin.
The Stanley lines are: Stanley, FatMax, Bostitch, and Mac Tools.

I know that Black and Decker purchased Porter Cable many years ago. One of my buddies, who does quite a bit of construction, shared his belief that Porter Cable stuff that was made by B&D were of lesser quality.

My older son, who is a car nut and part time mechanic likes Snap-on and Mac Tools, however most of his stuff is Craftsman due to price.

Last electric power tool that I purchased was a DeWalt reciprocating saw. It's seen a lot of heavy use, and still works fine. I did repack the gear box with grease once.

In the early 1960's my dad owned a service station. While he wasn't a mechanic, his mechanics swore by Proto tools.

quote:

Originally posted by jaabat:

And the Black and Decker Pecker Wrecker.

LOL

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Anyone remember when B&D started selling tools with a 10" cord. Every time you needed it an extension was required.

Probably saved them a fraction of a cent on each piece.
One advantage to a short cord is that any cord damage is more likely to be done to the extension, as opposed to the tool cord.
That said, I'd rather have the longer cord.

C. W. is correct. Dewalt Service Net advertises Parts, Service, and repair of Delta, Porter Cable and Black and Decker.

I purchase repair parts for our Dewalt Hammer Drill Drives on line through this sales system and have had a pretty good relationship with Dewalt Factory Service Center, 3234 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA

Some parts are made in the USA and other parts are marked Mexico. I have yet to see parts marked China, but the DC 925 Hammer Drill Driver (kits) are a commercial grade tool, well into the $300 range. So it's a no brainer to spend up to $100 on repair parts. The one in my truck says Made in Mexico.

IMO. Home owner grade tool, less than $100, most likely are Chinese with very limit parts and repair.

Black & Decker made HOLGUN to compete with the other industrial rated power tools made by Stanley, Porter Cable, Mall, Milwaukee, Ram, Skill, Thor in the 1950's.
Those power tools were all metal and designed for continuous commercial use.

Around the 1960's, Black and Decker saw a larger power tool market for the "DO IT YOURSELF" home owners. They then had to compete with Sears Craftsman and many other less expensive store brand power tools designed for occasional use.

quote:

Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua:
I remember selling to the huge Black & Decker factories back in the 1970's at Hamstead Md., Solon Oh and Lancaster PA. The company employed many thousdands of Americans and made quality tools. Now a visit to their store reveals ONLY low quality Chinese manufactured tools. This is quite a change from the Black & Decker that I remember.

Having grown up just south of Hampstead, I passed the Black and Decker plant daily in my teens. Most of my high school graduating class probably went to work there... until it closed. It was a huge deal to both Hampstead and Manchester (the town just north of the Black and Decker plant) when it shuttered its doors. For a while, part of the factory became a "factory outlet" but eventually even that closed - I think.

Love my Dewalt drill except for the batteries. I started with 2 batteries and have gone through at least 4 in 3 years. They are not cheap either.

http://cgi.ebay.com/K-Line-BLA...TL091031174005r31025

K-LINE BLACK & DECKER INDUSTRY & CONSTRUCTION 6 UNIT 0-27 GAUGE ELECTRIC TRAIN SET INCLUDES:
K-219101 Black & Decker Industry & Construction Alco
K629103 Spitfire Hooper
K-639111 Wildcat Tank Car
K-649116 Sawcat/Trimcat Boxcar
K-659103 Gondola w/3 Crates
K-619107 Black & Decker Industry & Construction Illuminated Caboose
27" x 45" Oval Layout
Transformer w/Lockon & Wires
5 Telephone Poles
12 Railroad Signs
3 Billboards

THE ALCO ENGINE FEATURES:
Dual AC powered motors
Operating light
Metal chasis
Quadra-Grip wheels
Detailed Alco trucks
Operating knuckle couplers
Metal handrails
3 Position electronic reversing unit

Years ago Stanley made Craftsman hand tools.

...keep the rails poished...

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Years ago Stanley made Craftsman hand tools.

Any idea who makes them now?
Most of my wrenches are marked made in USA, even the ones recently purchased.

Thanks Joe, I always wondered what was in that set, I only heard about it and never was able to see one.

C.W. I don't believe Craftsman are made at any one company, when I worked at B & D, we had a number of tools we made for them (snap on too!)
Some years we made more models than others. They went out to the lowest bidder.

I was suckered into buying a B&D drill years ago. I needed one down at the camp so went over to a small town hardware store to buy one.

All their power tools had their cords disappearing down a hole in the case. Now I know why! When I opened the box back at camp and saw that cheap excuse for a cord I nearly tossed the drill in the Rappahannock River.

Can you imagine dragging a trouble light everywhere and needing two hands...One for the drill and the other to hold the work light so the plug wouldn't come out?

Needless to say I have not bought ANY B&D tools since then. All layout and module work is handled by other brands.

BTW, are their drills still furnished with 10" cords?

Tony

Wow! Tough customers!

I have several B&D tools and appliances and they've given me good service over the years. They may not be high-dollar professional gear but they are decent homeowner-class goods.

quote:

have several B&D tools and appliances and they've given me good service over the years. They may not be high-dollar professional gear but they are decent homeowner-class goods.

B & D has not built an appliance in 10 years, they rent out their name to another company called Applicia.

quote:

Originally posted by C W Burfle:

quote:

Years ago Stanley made Craftsman hand tools.

Any idea who makes them now?
Most of my wrenches are marked made in USA, even the ones recently purchased.

Actually, while Stanley has supplied various carpentry and other misc tools for Sears over the years, they only supplied a Craftsman ratchet or two for a very short time. The vast bulk of the core Craftsman mechanics hand tools - wrenches, sockets, ratchets - that many might use to build their layouts are currently produced by Danaher, whose other brands include Matco Tools, K-D Tools, Allen, GearWrench, and most recently Armstrong Tools, among others. Some individual Craftsman socket or wrench sets might be sourced from other manufacturers - my early set of Craftsman Pro full polish wrenches are S-K sourced, as well as some specialty hex bit sockets - but the bulk has been for awhile and still is sourced from Danaher. New Britain Machine produced some of the earliest Craftsman mech tools, then Moore Drop Forge (from late 30's) really got the contract moving, with Easco then buying up Moore (late 60's primarily for the Craftsman contract), and finally Danaher doing the same to Easco (mid 80's and for the same reason). Western Forge has been producing Craftsman screwdrivers and some pliers for some time. Now you know waaaaay more than you ever wanted about Craftsman... Oh yeah, Danaher also has the mech tool contracts for Napa and Kobalt (Lowes).

As far as the original post about the Stanley acquisition, I personally find it depressing. Past tool company buyouts by Stanley haven't faired well - Mac is increasingly becoming a shell of it's former self, and Proto has been seriously mangled almost beyond recognition - more and more previously high quality USA-made tools being replaced with mainland China stuff. Stanley has also been nailed by the FTC in the late '90s (and actually again in '08) for falsely claiming/stamping tools as "made in USA" when they actually weren't, or at the most may have been partly assembled but not mostly manufactured in the US.

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B & D has not built an appliance in 10 years

Now that you mention it, yes, they may be older than that. Like I said: pretty good service.

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Actually, while Stanley has supplied various carpentry and other misc tools for Sears over the years, they only supplied a Craftsman ratchet or two for a very short time. The vast bulk of the core Craftsman mechanics hand tools - wrenches, sockets, ratchets - that many might use to build their layouts are currently produced by Danaher, whose other brands include Matco Tools, K-D Tools, Allen, GearWrench, and most recently Armstrong Tools, among others.

I picked up several sets of Gearwrench ratcheting combination wrenches when Sears had them on sale. At first I thought I was purchasing USA made tools but was dissappointed to learn that they are imports.

quote:

Now you know waaaaay more than you ever wanted about Craftsman...

Not so, thank you for posting the information.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: C W Burfle,