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A new survey by B2B International examines the usage of certain hand tools within varying trades, how trades people choose tools and what features they look for
The Importance Of Brand
Quality and robustness are the key requisites for tradesmen when purchasing hand tools but how the tool feels when held is of equal importance eg weight for hammers, and comfort for knives and screwdrivers. Brand and perceived performance are also important drivers that impact on the purchasing decision but this is dependent on the value of the hand tools. When it comes to replacing old favourites, lower value tools such as saws and tape measures are replaced most frequently (every 3-6 months) whereas higher value tools such as hammers and spirit levels are only replaced every 2-3 years and brand plays a larger part in the purchasing decision. The Strength Of Stanley
The Stanley brand is over 160 years old and still has a DNA that reflects its origins. Measuring and hand tools were some of the earliest products made by Stanley and they remain an important feature of the company’s portfolio today. Since its formation, the Stanley brand has been synonymous with quality tools (and the ubiquitous Stanley knife) and so it is no surprise to find that the brand is still the preferred choice for knives, tape measures and screwdrivers. For many years, Stanley’s competitors have concentrated on specialist tools for the trade eg Estwing for hammers and Stabila for spirit levels. However, with Stanley’s recent brand offensive marketing via their Fatmax brand, we have seen Stanley closing the gap on tools such as saws, spirit levels and hammers.
B2B International Director, Nick Hague, was in charge of the research and was impressed with the brand infiltration of Stanley. “The Stanley brand is itself a super brand – well known to most people and positioned as a quality product. It certainly still stands for quality tools in the marketplace. Each trade has its specialist tools and yet the research shows that nearly every tradesperson has a Stanley tool in their bag. In fact, only 7 out of 516 tradesmen interviewed didn’t own any hand tools made by Stanley.” After one and a half centuries in the marketplace, and with younger tradesmen choosing Stanley tools, the brand seems to go from strength to strength.
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