DeWalt (stylized as DᴇWALT) Industrial Tool Company is an American worldwide manufacturer of high-quality power tools and hand tools for the construction, manufacturing and woodworking industries, as well as home craftspeople. DeWalt is a registered trademark of Black & Decker (U.S.) Inc., a subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker.
Black & Decker was long associated with lighter weight consumer tools such as household appliances, and not the heavy duty equipment professional builders wanted. Towards the end of the 1980s, Michael Hammes, executive vice president and president of the company’s power tools and home improvement group, introduced the “Acura concept,” a notion Honda utilized to enter the upscale automobile market. Black & Decker found it useful to reintroduce a name with little appeal to many consumers in the market for construction tools.
DeWalt was acquired in 1960 and continued to produce radial arm saws, table saws, belt/disc sanders and other stationary power equipment. In 1992, Black & Decker introduced a few models of hand power tools under the DeWalt label to the consumer and tradesman market. These tools were merely rebadged models from the Black & Decker “Professional” and “Kodiak” lines with a new yellow housing and an expanded warranty and service policy. Both lines were shortly thereafter discontinued in favor of the DeWalt label and its growing popularity. In a market survey of the United States done by Black & Decker before its reintroduction, the name DeWalt was recognized by 70% percent of tradespeople.
