Porter-Cable/Delta to be bought by Black & Decker
Just found out that B&D is buying out Pentair’s tool group, which includes DeVilbiss (compressors), Oldham (sawblades), and the venerable Delta and Porter-Cable brands. Lots of links to news stories here, with a bit of analysis of what it might mean to woodworkers here.
If I was to speculate wildly on the results… in my experience, a purchase like this often results in a “slide to the median”. PC & Delta might be a little faster to pick up on cutting-edge innovations (like laser guides), something the B&D group has been excellent about. Their quality may also sag a bit as they start trying to trim inefficiencies, parts sharing with B&D for example. The B&D group may similarly improve quality as the groups get closer together. For the moment, though, I see no short term impacts on tool buying.
(I didn’t even realize Delta and PC were co-owned!)
(I believe that B&D is an American company, as PC & Delta are.)
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