There are quite a few different tool brands under Stanley Black & Decker ownership, such as Dewalt, Porter Cable, and Craftsman, and it can be confusing to think about how all of these different brands are positioned against each other.
Luckily, they put together a neat chart to help us better make sense of things.
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We last talked about Stanley Black & Decker’s brands and their target audiences back in 2017, and… nothing has changed by then. Black & Decker has been bumped up a little on the chart, but that’s it.
On the Y-axis of the chart you have different pricing levels – OPP, MPP, and HPP, which stand for opening price point, middle price point, and high price point. On the X-axis of the chart you have target markets – consumer, tradesmen, professionals, and automotive/industrial users.
So, from the chart you can see that the Craftsman brand is – or will be – developed as a very wide-spreading brand that spans from consumer to industrial users. With regard to price, Craftsman offerings are considered slightly higher than mid-level, higher than Irwin and Porter Cable, but lower than Dewalt.
The thing to remember is that this is a simplified representation, a generalization of how the brands are positioned against each other on average. For instance, Craftsman’s premium brushless cordless drill/driver kit is priced at $150, while Dewalt’s DCD777 kit is priced at $99. Craftsman’s entry-level cordless drill kit, reviewed here, is better described as an entry price point product.
Personally, I don’t quite agree with the chart. Irwin is considered an opening-to-mid-priced brand, and lower positioned than Stanley? Stanley is higher than Irwin and Porter Cable? Stanley FatMax is considered a professional and automotive/industrial brand?
But then I remember that some brands are cordless power tool brands, others are more focused on hand tools, and only some of them are full-featuring brands with cordless power tools, outdoor power tools, hand tools, tool storage, and power tool accessories lines.
Additionally, the vertical values seem to be relative and thus different for each brand. That could explain how Stanley tools are considered slightly above mid-price-point values and Stanley FatMax, the more pro-leaning step-up slightly below MPP. Thus, perhaps the pricing target for each brand aren’t relative to other Stanley Black & Decker brands, but relative to each of the markets they’re in, on average. With that in mind, I still don’t agree with the chart completely, but might me more understanding of it. However, the notion breaks down when remembering that brands such as Proto, Mac, and Facom are relatively priced on-par with competing brands.
Stanley Black & Decker’s brand targeting charts used to be a little different, with more categories, including “sophisticated hobbyists” and “residential contractors.” Perhaps the X-axis scale is better simply described as a scale of iser demands, from light to heavy.
I wonder – where do the new affordably-priced Dewalt Atomic cordless power tools fall in place on this chart?
I take it back, I like this chart, or at least the idea of it. Maybe we can use something similar in future coverage, to depict our perceptions of where a tool or brand might be positioned against competitors and other available options.
Stanley Black & Decker seems to intend for the Craftsman brand to be extremely wide-spreading, covering nearly every target audience. Personally, I think it should be shifted to the left a bit, as the brand seems to meet many consumer needs as well. So far, we also haven’t seen any new tools that could be categorized as professional or automotive/industrial-grade, but hopefully that will change. Perhaps we’ll see new USA-made pro-grade Craftsman tools once their new Texas plant is up and running.
I’ve posted about this chart before, or least a very similar one, and despite my nitpicking about how I might place the brands a little differently, I can’t help but appreciate the complexity of it all. How many different tools do all these brands represent? How many SKUs? In how many tool boxes would you find tools from at least one of these brands?
How many other tool brands can rival the colossal capabilities and presence of Stanley Black & Decker?
As we reported in early 2016, Stanley Black & Decker earned $11.172 billion in 2015, with $7.141 billion revenue coming from tools and storage.
In 2018, Stanley Black & Decker earned a total of $13.982 billion, with $9.814 billion of that in tools and storage. That’s nearly $2.7 BILLION in additional tools and storage revenue compared to three years ago. Their tools and storage profits were $1.439 billion in 2018. Clearly they’re doing something right.
Chart Source: Stanley Black & Decker May 2019 Investor Presentation (PDF)
Bob says
The allmost $10 billion number is sticking in my head. DeWalt is only a portion of SBD but I would argue a large and significant source of profitability. That being said, how are they not crushing Milwaukee on every single aspect? Milwaukee is a private company so we will never know financial info but it is safe to say it is multiples smaller than SBD, especially a few years ago.
Now I happen to think competition is a good thing so we the user benefits but I have to scratch my head and wonder who was asleep at the helm at SBD to let that happen. Especialy when you think of the market share DeWalt had on the old 18v pod battery platform. Fat dumb and happy I guess? They are innovating now trying to regain marketshare it would seem but I have to think alot of that is gone for good.
It would ne pretty interesting to see how the other brands market share and sales dollars stack up against SBD.
Anyways thanks for the post. Fun to see the “behind the curtain numbers” sometimes.
Gary says
Milwaukee is a subsidiary of Techtronic Industries (TTI), which is a publicly-traded company. In 2018 TTI reported revenues of $7.0 billion — up from $5.0 billion in 2015.
In 2018 the Power Equipment segment earned revenues of $6.0 billion — up from $4.0 billion in 2015 — and reported an operating profit of $0.6 billion.
One side note … although both companies have had their share of acquisitions over the last three years, the Lenox/Irwin acquisition contributed nearly $0.8 million (and non-Sears Craftsman contributed another $0.1 million) to SBD’s $2.7 billion revenue growth.
Stuart says
Yep! Between their comment and yours I looked up the numbers and my jaw dropped. The difference isn’t “close” when talking about billions of dollars, but closer than I had anticipated, especially given the disparity in market diversity.
Jeremiah McKenna says
But if you think about it, with SBD being as large and diverse with their tools, and compare that to TTI and their smaller tool brands, relatively it is closer than it looks.
The main difference I see between DeWalt and Milwaukee is that recently, Milwaukee has been releasing more innovative products and making their product a little better quality wise than DeWalt. But I think this may be due to SBD acquisition of Craftsman.
Gary says
Typos:
Lenox/Irwin @ $0.8 billion
Non-Sears Craftsman @ $0.1 billion
Jeremiah McKenna says
I agree with 90%of the chart. I believe, from personal experience, that the Craftsman line should extend farther to the right, especially since they have their Craftsman Pro line. Or, there should be another segment on there specifically for that tool line.
I’ve used Craftsman tools right along side mechanics using Mac, Snap On etc. and never had a second thought or hick up. Although they don’t have as many specialty tools as those other brands. I also don’t have to wait for the rape van to pull up once a week, or give them more of my paycheck than they deserve.
And, with their lifetime warranty on their Pro series toolboxes at less than half of the price as those other brands, it is a no brainer to go with them.
Nate B says
And the B&D line further to the left! 😉
Stuart says
Are you referring to former Craftsman Professional tools manufactured for and sold Sears?
From what I have seen so far, Stanley Black & Decker had not released any new tools of Craftsman Pro caliber, but I continue to be hopeful about what they have planned.
Corey Moore says
I see the difference being that sbd is running an empire, and Milwaukee it’s actively building one. It seems to me that tti gives their subsidiaries much more autonomy, and we see in innovation and release schedule the exact benefits that can provide.
Matt says
Weird chart. What’s the difference between a “tradesman” and a “professional”?
TravisF says
I was wondering the same thing. For instance, a professional poker player earns their living playing poker, as opposed to an amateur player. A Journeyman Plumber is a Professional and a Tradesman. You would think Stanley Black & Decker could put together a simple chart.
Fernando says
Blackhawk?
Stuart says
Technically part of Proto, and presumably omitted for simplification purposes.
Kenneth Stephens says
How is Bostitch a pro brand. I’m sure their drills and things are halfway decent, but I can’t see them above porter cable (who has brushless tools and is sold through multiple vendors) when they don’t have brushless tools and are to my knowledge only found in Walmart’s
Matt says
Bostitch primary focus is nailers/staplers and other such tools, there Wal-Mart branded tools are just rebranded porter cable.
Altan says
From all these, I can see Facom, Mac Tools, DeWALT, Stanley (Infrastructure) and Bostitch (Partially in 12V platform) are battery compatible and the rest are not.
It seems to me that Bostitch will be dead soon, some say the same about Porter Cable. I think DeWALT has got the Nailers from Bostitch and the Routers from Porter Cable, so maybe there is no need to have them anymore. But why Craftsman is not with the ones on top of the list in battery compatibility? The only answer I can find is that SBD is trying to use DeWALT technology in a short period of time to recreate Craftsman ad then sell it, otherwise they would assimilate Craftsman into DeWALT same as they did with Bostitch and Porter Cable. This is a good way of making money in short time. If it is other than that I can not give a meaning to this. I don’t understand why SBD does not join the brands that have battery compatibility together. They just make it more complicated for the users, they can have all tools under DeWALT flag I think but different grade of tools.
Hilton says
I don’t live Stateside so I’d like to know what you guys view as the main differences between a tradesman and a professional? Is it merely that one operates from a shop and the other does his work onsite?
Cr8on says
Personally I view the terms in this regard as interchangeable. I think this chart is broken at best…
Stuart says
I believe they might intend for the difference to be similar to “residential contractor” vs. “commercial contractor” as they have used in the past.
Or, they might consider a tradesman as someone who buys their own tools, and a professional as someone who works for a larger organization, such as a commercial contracting firm, power or utility company, or similar.
Perhaps we can consider the scale as ranging from light to heavy user demands.
KajunFramer says
Just buy Makita. Then you don’t have to wonder if the tool you’re purchasing is pro grade or not.
Cr8on says
Oh yeah I love Makita’s hammers and levels! They have some awesome ratchets too.
KajunFramer says
No one manufacturer makes every tool you could possibly need. When it comes to hand tools, “specialized” manufacturers usually provide a superior product that the offerings of the huge tool corporations. (e.g. – Stabila, Estwing)
Sarcasm is rarely an effective tool for proving your point.
James says
The Craftsman brand is a boondoggle for SBD. Both ends of my generation will forever see it as that brand that died with Sears. It is for many of us, and some of the last of generation X, the epitome of American off-shoring: we remember the tools becoming of poorer and poorer quality then finally moving to Asian production all while becoming more expensive!
I see proof of this in Lowe’s stores. Everything with the Craftsman label on it has a layer of dust; there are at least three “new lower price” stickers on it. While I do wish Craftsman could regain its former glory and resume producing generational quality tools in the USA, SBD has so far failed to even begin making an effort to overcome this well impressioned and long reaching stigma.
Sam Yates says
As long as the tools are made in China, I will not touch them. I can go to flea markets and find the original American made tools.
Stuart says
I completely agree with Sam. The trust is lost. Until tools are made in US, they have no chance of regaining my trust. Brand reputations have been so tarnished by all of the acquisitions, they mean nothing. It is just a repeat of what Sears did to us with the Craftsman brand. I still feel duped when I bought my adult kids a set of Craftsman, only to realize that they weren’t made in the US anymore. That was the end of the trust…Other brands now are following that dark road.
Steve says
I think this chart is confusing people and, without SDB’s internal context (definition of categories and such) I think it’s useless to us. For example, FatMax, its premium quality Stanley but it appears to be “lower” than Stanley, which appears really high for what we consider them to be. Brands on this chart may be more relative to their positions in the market and not necessarily relative to the positions of other brands on this chart.
fred says
Maybe its sort of like the nearly company-killing confusion that GM (and the other big 3) once had with car brands. The buying public thought they knew how to position Chevy versus Cadillac – but then where to put Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and upstart Saturn was harder to figure out. Then once they started rebadging what was essentially a small Chevy as a Cadillac (Cimarron) by just changing the trim – I think the buying public got more confused – probably even disgusted. That sort of thing tarnished an diluted the Cadillac brand. Maybe slapping the Bostitch name on Stanley tapes and the Dewalt name on some so-so hand tools does the same.
Gordon says
I think a lot of older woodworkers would agree in regards to the Porter Cable name. Once one of the highest brands in woodworking power tools, now competes with harbor Freight, and often gets beat.
Stuart says
To be fair, the chart is intended for investors and analysts interested in the company in a stock market context, not enthusiasts or end users interested in their products.
Steve says
I think this is correct.
Carl J says
Speaking of Craftsman hand tooks and positioning itself for the tradesman or professional; really ? From the pathetic looking hand tools at Lowes that would look better situated on a peg board at Dollar General, I don’t see why nay professional would even consider these toy handled screwdrivers, pliers and what not.
I was looking for a a set of linesmen pliers at Lowes the other day and they had a Craftsman set for 50% off. After seeing how they felt in my hand and compared to a Irwin model that was 3X the price, I left both pliers in the store. I don’t know what SBD was smoking when they designed those child like red handles on these tools.
Matt says
I’m with Jeremiah in that I’d like to see Craftsman a little more to the right. Regardless, they could completely get rid of or shelve 3 or 4 of those. Perhaps they have sales data that supports keeping everything? I agree with the bottom 5 being OPP, honestly the bottom 6. Those are all Wal-Mart names in my mind these days. That’s not a bad thing though, Wal-Mart sells a lot of stuff.
Stanley FatMax as automotive/industrial though? Again, another OPP Wal-Mart type brand even according to their own chart. How is it automotive or industrial? I always looked at Fat Max as a gimmick marketing name to sell bulky Stanley tape measures. I’ve since seen it slapped on a bunch of cheaper products that really could simply say Stanley. I saw it on a garden hose at Menard’s for example. It doesn’t seem necessary to me to create so much confusion.
Fred’s GM analogy is spot on. GM bought so many companies that they had to eventually organize them in a step ladder fashion in the 30’s. Yet the vast majority of the public never knew there even was a step ladder. Most people I know thought Chevrolet was under Cadillac with basic car interior (luxury) amenities with simply a focus more on trucks and performance. And how could a Pontiac or Buick be over Chevrolet? Chevrolet built Corvette’s after all. Not Pontiac. Chevrolet built Suburbans, did Buick? Then they dreamed up Saturn and within a few years it was nothing more than a badge slapped on existing GM vehicles. Heck, everything became that. Nothing but marketing badges. And GMC vs Chevy has been really confusing people for a long time now.
Corey Moore says
If I recall, @Atlan showed me once that Stanley actually makes some serious industrial cordless tools that use flexvolt batteries. There’s a whole line of battery powered high torque wrenches of various configurations, and a few other things I never would have thought existed. Not saying that the bulk of what I know as Stanley or fatmax to be industrial, but that the scope of their offerings is often much larger than people realize, and I can understand where they may have felt justified in applying that label to the brand.
Diplomatic Immunity says
Interesting.
https://www.stanleyengineeredfastening.com/tools/power-tools/series-b-cordless-tools
Altan says
And also this:
https://www.stanleyinfrastructure.com/products/cordless-td
SBD has batteries branded Stanley (not Stanley Fatmax) which are the same as DeWALT batteries
Gordon says
They make cordless assembly tools. That might be what you’re thinking of. Also a lot of the dewalt tools are sold in the UK under the Fatmax name. But they use the same battery. The only difference is that they call them 18v instead of 20v due to consumer protection laws.
Altan says
I have not seen any DeWALT tools sold in the UQ under Fatmax name, plus Fatmax batteries are different. Could you please send some link?
Stuart says
I don’t believe these tools are considered a part of their tools and storage business, though, and that they’re classified as part of their industrial segment.
NewtonApple says
SBD does really seem to run the risk of brand dilution, particularly within the cordless lines. They didn’t even try to make the Craftsman stuff look different than red Dewalt. This brand stretch, common development tactics seem to have a history of generating short term revenue while hurting the brand in the long run. TTI has done a better job managing that with Milwaukee, Rigid/AEG, Ryobi.
There have been some real head scratchers. The standout for me is why was the Dewalt Atomic line aimed at the low end instead cutting edge premium to compete for M12 sales?
So what/how would you all streamline things? What would you cut?
RC WARD says
Let’s dont forget who put out this chart . It’s all about what they want to be true not what really is.
Diplomatic Immunity says
The confusion happens when these large corporations buy out their smaller competitors over the course of time in an effort to squash that competition. A lot of times what you will see happen is that after the competitor is bought out the name will be left in a stagnant product hell as there is some sort of animosity by the purchaser or just not knowing what to do with the name. When it comes to the GM reference I like to think of Oldsmobile as a prime example. I mean I like to think I’m a car guy and even I could never figure out what the point of Oldsmobile was when Buick did the exact same thing. I guess it’s why I wasn’t shocked when GM killed them off before their housecleaning of other brands.
From looking at this chart I have to wonder what is the point in having or putting the Porter Cable name on anything now?
Also if anyone wants to really torture themselves try looking at a Harbor Freight catalog and how many “create a brand” brands they have made for singular products and try figuring out why the hell they would do that. The total amount of Harbor Freight brands that exist would put SBD brand total to shame.
Flotsam says
I like your analogy of SBD and GM. Hopefully SBD does not meet the same fate.
I personally agree that Porter Cable has been diminished to irrelevancy.
I would argue that the myriad of (own) brands at Harbor Freight is to create their own class system and more importantly to slowly eliminate the reliance on coupon-ing their entire product line.
Ron says
I commend a great effort, trying to decipher a multi-million dollar conglomerate. I’m sure they don’t even have a solid understanding of where their product lines overlap!
The chart evaluates the lines more on opinion on brand quality and less about the real measure. Like all corporations, SBD is all about the dollar and a broader appeal to the majority. Most of the lines should clearly start in the homeowner area, as even Dewalt has some less then impressive projects that reach the homeowner appeal. Basically B+D, Craftsman, Porter Cable, Bostich, and Irwin should start in Homeowner, maybe even Dewalt…