Dewalt Trying to Take Over?

[robertwhite]

2 times in 2 days, I encountered what must be Dewalts attempt at taking over the tool industry.

In Home Depot, I saw a couple of boxes in a shopping cart filled with bright yellow wrecking bars waiting to be put up on the shelves. Looked closer and saw they were Dewalt branded wrecking bars. Asked the sales guy how much, he looks it up, gives price. I then look at the Stanley display. Not only is the bar the same price, but they are identical in every way. Either made by Stanley or a total copy. Store shelves are also jammed full of Dewalt tools. Everything from hammers to tape measures.

Today, I am in Lowes and while trying to find some 2" nails for my Bostich framer I see Dewalt branded boxes of pneumatic nails. TONS of boxes. I then turn and see 3 different Dewalt nail guns on the wall display. There are now maybe 6 different Bostich sizes (used to be about a dozen) and a crapload of Dewalt. Kicker is that Dewalt is using a 30* nail, while Bostich uses a 28* nail. Obviously done on purpose.

It is extremely easy to see that Lowes is really leaning towards Dewalt as a good 80% of their power tools are Dewalt and now they are trying to muscle in on Bostich too.

Did the big box stores strike some kind of deal with Dewalt (Black & Decker) that I haven't heard about?

 

[Slip_Kid]

Those yellow tools are everywhere in the big box stores. But most of them are the consumer grade of there tools, not the construction grade. That's why you may see a 19V cordless drill priced at $129.00 and another priced at $219.00. The low priced line of tools are fine for the homeowner, not the professional.

 

[jcfields]

Stanley bought B&D to form Stanley Black & Decker (Stanley also owns Bostitch). Stanley is probably pushing DeWalt hand tools because they know the brand is popular with contractors.

 

[Stuey]

2 times in 2 days, I encountered what must be Dewalts attempt at taking over the tool industry.

In Home Depot, I saw a couple of boxes in a shopping cart filled with bright yellow wrecking bars waiting to be put up on the shelves. Looked closer and saw they were Dewalt branded wrecking bars. Asked the sales guy how much, he looks it up, gives price. I then look at the Stanley display. Not only is the bar the same price, but they are identical in every way. Either made by Stanley or a total copy. Store shelves are also jammed full of Dewalt tools. Everything from hammers to tape measures.

Today, I am in Lowes and while trying to find some 2" nails for my Bostich framer I see Dewalt branded boxes of pneumatic nails. TONS of boxes. I then turn and see 3 different Dewalt nail guns on the wall display. There are now maybe 6 different Bostich sizes (used to be about a dozen) and a crapload of Dewalt. Kicker is that Dewalt is using a 30* nail, while Bostich uses a 28* nail. Obviously done on purpose.

It is extremely easy to see that Lowes is really leaning towards Dewalt as a good 80% of their power tools are Dewalt and now they are trying to muscle in on Bostich too.

Did the big box stores strike some kind of deal with Dewalt (Black & Decker) that I haven't heard about?

Yes, Home Depot is the exclusive home center distributor for Dewalt's new hand tools. Those hand tools and many others will also be available via independent channels.

Some of the Dewalt tools are heavily inspired by Stanley FatMax tools, but their aim was to avoid lick and stick relabeling.

Those yellow tools are everywhere in the big box stores. But most of them are the consumer grade of there tools, not the construction grade. That's why you may see a 19V cordless drill priced at $129.00 and another priced at $219.00. The low priced line of tools are fine for the homeowner, not the professional.

No, Dewalt is definitely not aiming for homeowner market, their primary target users are professionals.

That said, they do take "sophisticated hobbyists" and DIYers into account.

The drill you saw is most likely the same one I consider a consumer-special. Just about every single home improvement retailer puts a Dewalt cordless NiCd drill on sale for $100 during the Christmas holiday shopping season. When not on sale, they can still be found here and there for $110-130 or so.

Stanley bought B&D to form Stanley Black & Decker (Stanley also owns Bostitch). Stanley is probably pushing DeWalt hand tools because they know the brand is popular with contractors.

Yep, you hit the nail on the head. At a media event 2 weeks ago, they said the same exact thing. They polled contractors about which brands they would expect quality hand tools from, and their results showed Dewalt ahead of their competitors by a huge margin. And with Stanley's know-how and manufacturing infrastructure, they're a step ahead.

 

[chadster1]

resistance is futile

 

[robertwhite]

Stanley bought B&D to form Stanley Black & Decker (Stanley also owns Bostitch). Stanley is probably pushing DeWalt hand tools because they know the brand is popular with contractors.

Ahhh, I forgot Stanley bought B&D. That explains a lot.

Yes, Home Depot is the exclusive home center distributor for Dewalt's new hand tools. Those hand tools and many others will also be available via independent channels.

Actually, their lightweight framing hammer (forgot if it is carbon or titanium) felt really nice when I played with it.

Some of the Dewalt tools are heavily inspired by Stanley FatMax tools, but their aim was to avoid lick and stick relabeling

Kind of struck out on that aim. When I say that wrecking bar was identical. I mean in every way. Maybe if they are going to start pushing the bright yellow tools, they will blow out the Stanley version. That would be cool.

They polled contractors about which brands they would expect quality hand tools from, and their results showed Dewalt ahead of their competitors by a huge margin.

Funny thing is, there are usually better tools to be had at or below Dewalts pricing. Don't get me wrong, I have a ton of Dewalt stuff, but their cordless tools have always had the absolute worst batteries going and their bigger corded saws are much less sophisticated and less accurate than say Hitachi units.

This Dewalt push is going to be interesting. Too bad the closest HD to me is an hour away. I would love to get in on some of the deals they will be having to clear shelf space.

 

[Stuey]

Ahhh, I forgot Stanley bought B&D. That explains a lot.

Actually, their lightweight framing hammer (forgot if it is carbon or titanium) felt really nice when I played with it.

Kind of struck out on that aim. When I say that wrecking bar was identical. I mean in every way. Maybe if they are going to start pushing the bright yellow tools, they will blow out the Stanley version. That would be cool.

Funny thing is, there are usually better tools to be had at or below Dewalts pricing. Don't get me wrong, I have a ton of Dewalt stuff, but their cordless tools have always had the absolute worst batteries going and their bigger corded saws are much less sophisticated and less accurate than say Hitachi units.

This Dewalt push is going to be interesting. Too bad the closest HD to me is an hour away. I would love to get in on some of the deals they will be having to clear shelf space.

The hand tools have been up in stores for a couple of months now, and the pricing is no different in-store as it is online elsewhere.

Some of the tools are going to be close or even identical, especially with simpler tools like pry bars.

I agree about the hammer, it's incredible to swing! It's steel, not Ti or carbon fiber.

Dewalt put a lot of tech into their new batteries, so hopefully they'll hold up well.

The push will be interesting, and from what I've been told, they're not done yet.

As for in-store sales, I was at a Lowes earlier today, and they're already putting out inventory for Black Friday and the Christmas rush. Sears as well. I didn't stop by Home Depot recently, but I imagine that they're doing the same.

Floors are clear, aisles are clean, pegs are full, and a couple of sections are bare and ready to be filled with holiday promos.

 

[TWX]

It's also possible that with simple tools, they may look identical but might be made with different alloys.

 

[Stuey]

It's also possible that with simple tools, they may look identical but might be made with different alloys.

True, but at the same price? If the Dewalt pry bar was made to be heavier duty, then there should be an increase in materials and initial development costs that would be passed onto customers.

 

[Danglerb]

Holiday season craziness, all sorts of junk gets dumped this time of year mixed in with good deals etc. because lots of things are being bought as gifts so the buyers are easily confused.

 

[zer0cell]

Its funny... You've got stanley, bostich, porter cable, dewalt and probably a few others I am forgetting all "competing" with one another at lowes... the funny thing is, they are all owned by Stanley/BD. Bosch, Hitachi, and Lowe's own Kobalt are the 'real' competition, although the latter two pretty much only focus on powertools and drill bits. Around where I live DeWalt certainly seems to be the choice among contractors and many DIY people alike.

Milwaukee also seems to be focusing more and more on adding hand tools to its lineup. A quick search on homedepot.com reveals that dewalt is adding all sorts of hand tools to its catalog. I suspect a good portion of this may end up being rebranded merchandize from one of stanley's other companies. That MIG welded dewalt hammer looks and feels pretty good, but at double the cost of a quality estwing or vaughan hammer (which I already own) I find it hard to justify paying the extra money. Still... perhaps when I am feeling incredibly impulsive and have a coupon in hand I might take it for a test drive

One of the customer reviews at homedepot.com says:

"i like swinging this hammer, but i wish it had a smooth face so it wouldn't mar the wood so much when you drive the nail home. the colors are kinda toy and truck like since its Dewalt but its actually made by Stanley, they sell it as the Stanley Fat Max extreme MIG 15 hammer in Canada only. wish i could have gotten that one, the colors are better."

 

[Stuey]

Bostitch hand tools are exclusive to Lowes, and the tools are not in competition with any Stanley or Stanley FatMax offerings.

Similarly, Dewalt hand tools are exclusive to Home Depot, and do not compete against Stanley-branded tools as they're meant for different users.

With the Dewalt hammer, it's a little pricey, but definitely easier on the hands and arms than a 22-28oz framing hammer.

And they do make it with a smooth face.

 

[Provincial]

Years ago feeble-minded mis-managers cheapened the Black & Decker products so badly that contractors quit buying them. A new management team brought in to clean up the mess found that the damage done to the B&D brand was so bad that it would be impossible to fix. B&D had bought the Dewalt name years before, so marketing people suggested that B&D use the Dewalt name and yellow color to "brand" an improved quality line of tools aimed at the contractor market. The ploy worked, and Dewalt became a go-to brand for the contracting market.

As always, some pinhead manager couldn't resist piggy-backing a POS consumer grade product on the good name, so you have the current situation. Now you have to be an educated consumer to figure out if the Dewalt tool is any good.

 

[HandyManny]

Yeah I've been noticing that DeWalt and Bostitch have been offering more and more handtools lately as opposed to their power or pneumatic tools.

DeWalt has been big for years now.

Bostitch (originally a stitching and staple company) has remained alive today only because of Stanley.

Stanley has been much bigger for much longer. People can say what they want about Stanley, but truth be told, it's doubtful that you will find any professional from any trade that doesn't own and use at least a few Stanley tools. Stanley has far reach in the industry and always has, probably always will.

 

[Trey T]

The yellow color brand is probably the most popular brand, contractor or home owners.

The yellow color really sticks out from many TV shows.

 

[kc-steve]

(post #4) Yes, Home Depot is the exclusive home center distributor for Dewalt's new hand tools. . .

Yep, you hit the nail on the head. At a media event 2 weeks ago, they said the same exact thing. They polled contractors about which brands they would expect quality hand tools from, and their results showed Dewalt ahead of their competitors by a huge margin. And with Stanley's know-how and manufacturing infrastructure, they're a step ahead.

That's good to know Stuey! As far as the consumer designs versus professional designs go, there are other brands that do such a thing and I guess a few people think they ALL do the same thing. One prime example is Lincoln welders and if you look on their website they will even tell you which welders are made for the home and which are for the pro. Since it was too difficult to figure out which was which at the store, I went to a professional welding supply and bought a Miller.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Stuey]

That's good to know Stuey! As far as the consumer designs versus professional designs go, there are other brands that do such a thing and I guess a few people think they ALL do the same thing. One prime example is Lincoln welders and if you look on their website they will even tell you which welders are made for the home and which are for the pro. Since it was too difficult to figure out which was which at the store, I went to a professional welding supply and bought a Miller.

Thanks,
Steve

It is inevitable that many people will see the Dewalt tools and associate them with Stanley. The same people often forget that Stanley has a tiered system as well with Stanley, Stanley FatMax, and Stanley FatMax Xtreme sub-brands aimed at different users.

In time I think that the Dewalt hand tools might supersede FatMax Xtreme, but maybe not.

Stanley B&D's goal is to "serve every end user, every application, every channel." From what I have seen of the Dewalt hand tools, many are Stanley-inspired, some are new innovations, and very few are lick-and-stick relabels.

 

[dankicksass]

When it's said that Bostitch and DeWalt are exclusive to Lowes or Home Depot, that's only among big box stores. Your local family owned contractor supply house might carry both Bostitch and DeWalt hand tools, and have better warranty service over the counter, maybe even better prices. Stanley-BD is very aggressive, and wants your business everywhere.

The new DeWalt hand tool line is a bit less of a badge engineering exercise than the Bostitch line was to Stanley and FatMax, but there's not a whole lot of brand new stuff there. Notable new things are the hammers, including the MIG hammer. A lot of the stuff that looks new, like the 5-way hacksaw, Stanley had in Europe and it either wasn't in the US before or it was discontinued in the US previously.

 

[BQuicksilver]

Those yellow tools are everywhere in the big box stores. But most of them are the consumer grade of there tools, not the construction grade. That's why you may see a 19V cordless drill priced at $129.00 and another priced at $219.00. The low priced line of tools are fine for the homeowner, not the professional.

This is not true. Contractors and homeowners get the same tools. There are a 'few' items with options (like drills - gotta make a cheap one for ), but that's about it.

 

[allinon72]

I think this will be another case of a good brand being watered down in the name if marketing.

 

[Stuey]

I think this will be another case of a good brand being watered down in the name if marketing.

Why would you think that? These are not Walmart-level Stanley tools painted yellow and labeled Dewalt.

 

[robertwhite]

I think this will be another case of a good brand being watered down in the name if marketing.

Why would you think that? These are not Walmart-level Stanley tools painted yellow and labeled Dewalt.

I would have to agree with Stuey. IMHO, they will either be sold alongside the FatMax Extreme stuff or replace it all together.

 

[Greatbear]

I picked up a few DeWalt-labeled hand tools when they were released, a folding utility knife, SAE and metric hex key sets and a snap-off utility knife. The prices were quite reasonable, the quality of all the tools is very good, and the ergonomics and other usability factors compared to similar type of tools were excellent. Yes, these items were more in line with the Stanley FatMax heavy duty stuff, but that is not a bad thing. Stanley found a way to position tools that were a typical evolutionary step above "last year's" tools in such a way that their own product line didn't get bloated, and these items being in line with what contractors, pros and "smart" DIYers make heavy use of found a brand name where they could stand out. COOs range from USA, Taiwan and China that I saw, if that matters. The nice thing about the DeWalt line is the hand tools are automatically in the upper end of quality and duty cycle ranges, unlike Stanley which has everything from elcheapo on up. It was a smart marketing move for sure.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Stanley has been much bigger for much longer. People can say what they want about Stanley, but truth be told, it's doubtful that you will find any professional from any trade that doesn't own and use at least a few Stanley tools. Stanley has far reach in the industry and always has, probably always will.

I think just about everybody has atleast one Stanley tool in their box, belt or garage. If you don't have one, go look at your father's screwdrivers, I bet he has a few from what you bought him as a Christmas gift many many years ago.

I'd have no problem buuying a Dewalt hand tool or another Stanley hand too for that matter. I think I will make a Stanley head count tomorrow in the garage.


****, to think of it, I just bought three Stanley wood files/rasps and 2 handles today.

 

[Stuey]

To be honest, I prefer Stanley over other brands that outsource to the lowest bidder.

I've never been happy with my Gearwrench Double-X pliers, and now, 3 years later, the jaws of my new Crescent Double-X pliers are still shoddy.

This really is a powerful marketing move for Stanley. I had the chance to talk to some of the product managers again, and they're really prideful about their work, which makes me trust the brand quite a bit more than I used to. I also gave someone an earful about the POS Bostitch-branded ratcheting adjustable wrench.

 

[Rogue1987]

I also gave someone an earful about the POS Bostitch-branded ratcheting adjustable wrench.

I picked up one of those from lowes just for shits and giggles and got about half my monies worth...the shits part. It sits in one of the cabinets, well really waiting for me to give it away. Not worth at all whatever I paid for it!

 

[american lockpicker]

I think just about everybody has atleast one Stanley tool in their box, belt or garage. If you don't have one, go look at your father's screwdrivers, I bet he has a few from what you bought him as a Christmas gift many many years ago.

I like older Stanley. The newer stuff is rarely up to my quality standards though.

 

[Stuey]

I picked up one of those from lowes just for shits and giggles and got about half my monies worth...the shits part. It sits in one of the cabinets, well really waiting for me to give it away. Not worth at all whatever I paid for it!

Someone emailed me asking what I thought about it. I was heading to Lowe's that day anyways and thought I'd pick it up. The package card has a "tester" as you probably remember, so I checked it out in-store. I utterly hated the design. I can see what they were going for, but execution could have been better.

Hopefully Version 2.0 is better.

 

[usdemt]

To be honest there is a fail with the topic of this thread. Any company competing for market share in a competitive market is most certainly going to try and "take over." The true question is whether or not they are taking a trusted brand and (like mentioned earlier) "watering it down." Is DeWalt sacrificing their name for short term monetary gain with low quality tools branded to be easily misinterpreted? Or are they expanding their lineup with other high quality tools that will satisfy their target market and benefit the company?

 

[american lockpicker]

The true question is whether or not they are taking a trusted brand and (like mentioned earlier) "watering it down." Is DeWalt sacrificing their name for short term monetary gain with low quality tools branded to be easily misinterpreted?

Well they are owned by Stanley Black & Decker....

 

[IDASHO]

For power tools...

Black & Decker, BOSTITCH, DELTA, Devilbiss, DEWALT, PORTER CABLE are all one in the same.

I have loads of fun (not really) with this at work when filing warranty claims. The MFGs give you the run-around, telling you to call one of the other MFGs

They still do not have one hot-line for retailers to call for warranty.

 

[Stuey]

To be honest there is a fail with the topic of this thread. Any company competing for market share in a competitive market is most certainly going to try and "take over." The true question is whether or not they are taking a trusted brand and (like mentioned earlier) "watering it down." Is DeWalt sacrificing their name for short term monetary gain with low quality tools branded to be easily misinterpreted? Or are they expanding their lineup with other high quality tools that will satisfy their target market and benefit the company?

Didn't I answer this already?

I have seen many of the new products.

I have heard the marketing claims.

I have spoken to some of the brand managers and engineers.

I own or have used some of the tools that inspired the Dewalt versions.

Dewalt is not sacrifing their name (at least from what I can tell), and the tools, at least most of them, appear to be contractor-appropriate grades in terms of build quality and features. Some of the tools are a tad gimmicky, e.g. the compound leverage pliers, but they appear to be extremely rugged and tough.

I have a couple that I'm reviewing, and will try to get my hands on a few others.

 

[dankicksass]

Delta is no longer part of Stanley/Black and Decker. There are still some common tools between Delta, Porter-Cable and DeWalt, but the future for Delta is without Stanley.

 

[strnjss]

I've always liked the DeWalt stuff I have. I've always hated all the Black and Decker stuff I have. I love Stanley Fatmax stuff.

I've been looking at some of the new DeWalt hand tools at Home Depot, and they seem decent. They aren't cheaply made **** that you can tell just by looking at them on the shelf how crappy they are. They look and feel like they were made pretty well.

Of course actual real life use is the only true test, but I think they'll do ok.

As long as DeWalt doesn't start making Black and Decker quality ****, I'll keep buying it.

 

[Shipfittin]

I also gave someone an earful about the POS Bostitch-branded ratcheting adjustable wrench.

Thank you because I have one and it's garbage. I have found it only really seems to work on larger bolt heads. But I threw it in my junk drawer after I figured that out and never used it again. It really irritated me because I'm a Lowes guy and really have had no other problems at all with the Bostitch hand tools. I have gotten a lot of use out of my tape measure, hammers, punches etc.

If Stanley Black & Decker is really successful with this DeWalt line in Home Depot I wonder what their next move might be. I've always thought that HD either needs to really improve their Husky line of wrenches, ratchets and sockets or bring someone else in. If they brought in something like a line of HD exclusive MAC, or Proto that was reasonably priced and comparable to old Craftsman. Then they could effectively put the nail in the Sears coffin.

 

[Stuey]

Thank you because I have one and it's garbage. I have found it only really seems to work on larger bolt heads. But I threw it in my junk drawer after I figured that out and never used it again. It really irritated me because I'm a Lowes guy and really have had no other problems at all with the Bostitch hand tools. I have gotten a lot of use out of my tape measure, hammers, punches etc.

If Stanley Black & Decker is really successful with this DeWalt line in Home Depot I wonder what their next move might be. I've always thought that HD either needs to really improve their Husky line of wrenches, ratchets and sockets or bring someone else in. If they brought in something like a line of HD exclusive MAC, or Proto that was reasonably priced and comparable to old Craftsman. Then they could effectively put the nail in the Sears coffin.

HD only carries a small part of the new hand tool lineup, but who knows what will happen.

But the Bostitch wrench just looks terrible. I tried it out in store, and it barely grips a fastener, and when it does it's only at the corners, potentially rounding out fasteners.