About Us

Highlights of Progress

Black & Decker® is built on a wide range of strengths. Its brand names command respect and trust throughout the world. Its international network of manufacturing facilities is one of the most advanced and cost-efficient in the world. An aggressive, customer-centered marketing orientation has generated a stream of successful new products and has fostered a reputation for quality, innovation, design and value.

Throughout the Company’s nearly century long history, there have been many special moments. These events are especially important since they show truly important milestones for Black & Decker®.

1923 - Black & Decker® made its first attempt to adapt power tools for consumer use. The ½“ special drill was the first all-sleeve-bearing power tool offered at a price consumers could afford.
1925 - The Company launched two marketing innovations. Clinics were organized to teach distributors how to use and demonstrate power tools, and two Pierce Arrow buses - schoolrooms on wheels - toured the U.S.A. offering product demonstrations to salesmen and plant operators.
1929 - The Company also acquired its first airplane. The specially outfitted, 6-passenger Travel Air Monoplane was a flying showroom for power tools used in reconditioning aircraft engines.
1930 - Black & Decker® took its first step into the consumer housewares market with the Cinderella™ washing machine.
1932 - The Company made another innovation in advertising, producing a 60-minute sound film entitled "Shooting for Profits" on how to sell Black & Decker® tools in major markets.
1932 – 1934 - The Company introduced an electric glue pot, electric polisher and portable circular saw. Other new products included an adjustable-clutch electric screwdriver with the first streamlined housing on a ball-bearing electric drill, an electric fender straightener for automotive repair, and an electric heat gun.
1935 – 1939 - New product activity brought about the introduction of the High Cycle line of power tools, featuring newly designed induction motors. Also introduced were the first electric hammer with a patented Black & Decker® design, streamlined 1/4
1940 - Black & Decker® introduced the Quick Saw, a single-hand operated circular saw with table.
1942 - The company used plastics for the first time in some of its drill housings.
1946 - Black & Decker® introduced the Home Utility line, the world's first popularly priced drills and accessories, such as drill bits, for the do-it-yourself market.
1949 - The Company introduced a full line of Home Utility portable circular saws and an industrial impact wrench with six interchangeable sockets.
1950 - The one-millionth 1/4" Home Utility drill came off the assembly line, a milestone in the Company's manufacturing history.
1953 - New products added included a finishing sander and jig saw for the Home Utility line.
1957 – The first portable electric hedge trimmer marked the Company’s entry into the lawn and garden markets. Also added were a 1/4
1961 - 1962 - Black & Decker® introduced the world's first cordless electric drill; an innovation powered by self-contained nickel-cadmium cells. A cordless hedge trimmer and four additional cordless drills for professional use were added in 1962.
1963 - The Company introduced the first all-insulated industrial electric drills and sander/grinders in the U.S.A.
1964 - Black & Decker® joined the space race, providing a cordless, minimum-torque reaction space tool to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for use under weightless flight conditions by astronauts on the Project Gemini flight.
1965 - The Company used a computer in its operations for the first time and added the first electric brake to its portable electric saws.
1966 – 1968 - New products included the first electric lawn mowers and a new line of heavy duty DEWALT® radial arm saws, representing the first major improvement in industrial radial arm saws in 25 years. The Value line of industrial air tools was introduced. The new line included products to handle 80% of all air tool job applications, and offered more than a 50% average cost savings per tool.
1968 - The flight model of the Apollo Lunar Surface Drill, a cordless battery-operated tool designed to remove core samples from the moon, was delivered to NASA.
1969 - Among new U.S. products was the first four-wheel, reel-type cordless electric lawn mower. The United Kingdom company introduced the 11.5 lb. Lawnderette™ electric lawn mower, designed for compact lawns.
1971 - The Apollo Lunar Surface Drill, with a power head built by Black & Decker®, successfully removed core samples from the moon on NASA's Apollo 15 mission and later saw duty on Apollo 16 and 17 missions.
1973 - The Company offered the first line of double-insulated indoor power tools at no increased cost to the consumer. The price of the cordless drill was reduced by one-third. The Workmate® portable workbench and vise was introduced in the United Kingdom and received an award of excellence from England's Design Council.
1974 - The MOD 4™cordless power tool system and an air compressor and sprayer system were also introduced. The MOD 4 system, which consisted of a battery-powered handle base with interchangeable drill, grass shear, shrub trimmer, and flashlight heads, was the forerunner of the Dustbuster® hand-held cordless vacuum. It also represented the Company's first high-volume production of cordless products.
1975 - The Workmate portable vise and workcenter was introduced for sale in the U.S.A, and a high-performance, 8-cell rechargeable drill expanded the application of cordless technology in the professional market.
1979 - The Dustbuster® cordless vacuum was introduced. Black & Decker®'s expansion of cordless technology would take it from the workbench to all parts of the house.
1980 – 1982 - A variety of new products introduced in 1981 included the SpotLiter™ cordless rechargeable light in the U.S.A., a line of portable fitness equipment. The Lawnraker and Paintmate™ painting system were launched in the United Kingdom, and a security alarm in France. In 1982, among the new products introduced were an electric power planer, a stapler and a hot-air paint stripper. An 8
1984 - The Company began marketing its first cordless professional jig saw and introduced a new generation of professional power tools designed around the powerful 57-millimeter global motor. A new palm grip sander, manufactured in France, was introduced in the U.S.A., along with a full line of bench tools. The Company also introduced the Spacemaker® line of under-the-cabinet kitchen appliances.
1985 - The revolutionary Piranha® carbide-tooth circular saw blade was introduced, featuring a patented design for improved performance. A number of new household products were brought to the market, including the HandyMixer™ cordless beater, a cordless knife and a cordless mixer, and the Automatic Shut-Off™ electronic iron.
1987 - The new cordless screwdriver formed the foundation for a growing line of related products. The Bullet® Pilot Point® drill bit was launched. It featured a patented design that enabled it to last up to seven times longer and work four times faster than conventional drill bits.
1988 - As part of an aggressive global product design program, the Company reduced the number of motor sizes required to power its products from over 100 to approximately one dozen. Cordless technology advanced during the year with the introduction of the Univolt® Universal Voltage Charger System featuring interchangeable energy packs that could power a variety of tools ranging from 2.4 to 24 volts. Among the first Univolt products were two professional drills with higher voltage, dual-range variable speed and a two-way level.
1989 - New products for professional end users included a ¼-sheet professional palm grip sander with unique anti-vibration technology, a new 14
1990 - New products continued to play a major role in the Company’s growth. Among the 72 new and redesigned power tool products introduced during the year were the Cyclone™ cordless drill/driver line that utilized the Univolt system; a redesigned line of higher performance Sawcat® and Super Sawcat® circular saws; the Heatworks® high-speed paint stripper; the QuickFinish® power sanding block; a new drill with a keyless chuck; and an electronic variable-speed belt sander.
1992 – Further developments to the highly successful Stimmer® range with the introduction of the Trim’n’edge™ Stimmer®
1994 – Introduction of the VersaPak® Interchangeable Battery System for consumers was launched. Also introduced was the SnakeLight®, which would eventually propel Black & Decker® into a leadership position in the premium portable lighting market in North America.
1995 – The consumer power tool product range changed colour from Black to Jade.
1997 – Record sales were reported for the year due in part to the success of new products which included the Wood Hawk Circular Saw featuring a patented Sightline window, the Wizard™ rotary tool line and the 3-in-1™ Sander combining the benefits of a detail, finish and random orbit sander in one tool.
1998 – Stand out products for the North American market include the Black & Decker® Mouse® sander/polisher, Firestorm line of high-performance cordless drills, the VersaPak® battery-powered Quattro 7.2v 4-in-1 combination tool.
2000 – We saw the introduction of the Cordless 12v Quattro® 4-in-1 combination tool and Scorpion® Handsaw/Jigsaw, expanding the range of multi functional products. For the garden the revolutionary 4x4® lawnmower was launched with 360 swivel wheels.
2001: The consumer power tool product range changes colour from Jade to Orange reflecting modern industrial designs.
2003: New innovative ranges of power tools are launched including GEL TECH and LASERS, alongside the new household revolution Scumbuster ™ and the ‘extended reach’ Hedge Trimmer range. Sightline jigsaws and the new corded STORM drills are also introduced into the market.
2004: Home products celebrate the Dustbuster ® 25th anniversary and are re-launching whole of Dustbuster ® range as well as introducing the new Cylinder Vac into the European market. Power tools launch are launch new cordless 14.4V Scorpion saw and Mouse with GEL TECH ™.