The eighties are forty five years ago, so I would consider that good service from the Bosch.
SBD pretty much introduced the Dewalt moniker to replace the old standby D&D name as top dog in the power tool pecking order. The B&D name was relegated to kitchen gadgets and low end consumer tools over time.
I never understood the logic behind that move. I have a B&D air impact gun that frankly outperforms my SnapOn, and not by just a little bit bit, but I’m almost ashamed to mention it because of the way people raise their eyebrows when you mention the name.
There’s a B&D 3/4” drill, probably from the forties clamped in one of those drill press contraptions that were once popular. That honker will rip your arm off at the shoulder if the bit catches. Marked my Milwaukee corded Hole Hawg seen like a kindergarten toy.
Black & Decker had made cheap power tools for the consumer market at some point, during the same period when B&D was still manufacturing power tools for the Industrial and Professional market under the B&D brand name.
B&D also sold tools around the world.
Some purchasers, including professional tool users, thought they were getting the Professional/Industrial quality tools, when they were actually buying the homeowner grade tools.
The management at B&D decided to purchase Dewalt, which was known for producing heavy duty industrial Radial Arm saws, I guess because the business was for sale.
I’ve read that the purchase was just for the Dewalt brand name, but B&D did have some Black & Decker branded radial arm saws made for the B&D brand by Dewalt, so purchasing Dewalt for the brand name may just be a rumor or theory.
Whatever the actual case was, B&D soon decided to stop manufacturing radial arm saws, and sold the manufacturing facility to the managers, who continued manufacturing the saws under the name “Original Saw”. (Original Saw is still in business manufacturing radial arm saws and other industrial tools, and supplies radial arm saws to stores like Home Depot for lumber cutting).
B&D kept the Dewalt brand name, and started manufacturing the Professional/Industrial line tools under the Dewalt brand, in a black, silver, and Yellow color scheme, while also continuing to manufacture the better B&D tools under “Black & Decker Industrial”, and “Black & Decker Professional” branding.
B&D had also purchased the smaller portable power tool division of the German tool manufacturer Elu, and started manufacturing those tools in Switzerland under the Elu branding, as well as manufacturing B&D Professional/Industrial branded versions of the tools, and Dewalt branded versions of the tools.
There was also a Black & Decker tool line in orange, meant for homeowners.
Eventually, B&D discontinued the B&D Professional/Industrial branding, switching the tool models over to the Dewalt and Elu branding, and then later dropped the Elu branding as well.
Some of the older models are still in production under the Dewalt name, or were until recently.
Some homeowner grade tools then got rebranded as Porter Cable, after B&D bought the porter cable brand.
