Who Makes Stanley Power Tools And Are They Any Good?
Originally, Stanley was mainly known for its hand tool business. Founded in 1843 by Frederick Stanley in New Britain, Connecticut, it built up a reputation over the years for quality tools backed by strong warranties. If anything was the clear name brand for hand tools in the U.S., it was probably Stanley. Aside from Stanley's Bostitch-branded pneumatic nail guns, though, hand tools were all that the company made for over a century and a half. That changed in 2010, when the company merged with power tools and housewares powerhouse Black & Decker, acquiring the latter in a $4.5 billion all-stock deal.
Since then, though, the Stanley name has been expanded to power tools, though it's used mainly for wet/dry vacuums (and a portable power station) as of this writing. Most of the company's power tools are sold under the Black & Decker and DeWalt brands. With the hand tools brand having absorbed the power tools brands, you may have questions about who exactly is making what and what the consensus is about the quality of the tools. So, let's look at what we can find out about who makes Stanley's various power tools and how they've been received.
What we know about Stanley power tools
Though not all of the company's manufacturing is done in the United States, by all appearances, Stanley Black & Decker appears to make its products in its own facilities. Stanley Black & Decker has the manufacturing pipeline down to such a science that it also sells manufacturing solutions to other companies. "[W]e offer composable app-based solutions to improve efficiency, scale your workforce, and build adaptable production system," reads a note on the manufacturing solutions page on the company website. All told, Stanley Black & Decker has dozens of manufacturing facilities in the United States alone.
So, just how good are they? On the user-generated review site Tool Talk, Stanley averages a 4.7-star rating out of five from 107 reviews covering all Stanley-branded tools. In our rankings of the best major power tool brands in September 2023 here at SlashGear, two Stanley brands, Craftsman (consumer-focused) and DeWalt (the more professionally-aimed), finished in third and second place, respectively, behind only Makita Tools.
In addition to a reputation for high quality, we gave DeWalt high marks for its unique Flexvolt Batteries. "This innovative technology allows batteries to operate at 20 volts for prolonged use or surge to 60 volts for those extra tough jobs, offering an extra layer of flexibility that few power tools have," noted the ranking for DeWalt.
Stanley has long maintained a high standard, so its brands, whether Stanley, Black & Decker, or DeWalt, should always be considered a viable option.