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Dewalt has recently shared in investor materials that they will be expanding their ATOMIC series brand with additional hand tool and laser offerings.
The launch of a Dewalt Atomic laser distance measurer caught me by surprise when it first appeared two months ago, and it looks like it’s not an isolated product.
Dewalt has teased a sampling of the new Atomic Compact Series expansion, which will include tape measures, utility knives, and a new 20V Max laser
See Also: New Dewalt 20V Max Green Laser Levels
Allison Nicolaidis, Stanley Black & Decker’s President of Hand Tools & Storage Group, said:
DEWALT ATOMIC and additional hand tools offering:
This line ties a synergy with the extremely successful ATOMIC power tools line on the promise of compact jobsite performance. These products are positioned for users that buy smaller form factor hand tools and want more aggressive price points without sacrificing DEWALT quality.
Tapes, knives, blades, laser distance measuring, and a strong core of new compact hand tools will be launched in the ATOMIC sub-brand within the year.
ATOMIC hand tools will also feature 20-volt battery-powered lasers. It is more compact and more aggressively positioned than any other laser measuring device in its class.
“A strong core of new compact hand tools.” Sounds great to me!
The Atomic series tools will promise smaller sizing and also more aggressive price points, which is how Dewalt’s Atomic series cordless power tools seem to be positioned. Most are compact and aggressively priced, but some are simply more compact, such as the Dewalt 20V Max Atomic series circular saw.
I think that if Dewalt remains consistent with respect to features and quality, the Atomic series will continue to be successful.
Make no mistake, Dewalt’s Atomic Series 20V Max cordless power tools, combined with their Xtreme Sub-Compact Series of 12V Max tools, have seen a lot of growth, with numbers (presumably sales) up 87% compared to the previous year.
Frank Mannarino, Stanley Black & Decker’s President of Power Tools Group, has said:
It’s always exciting to hear end users talk about how DEWALT saves them time and money on the jobsite. Let’s take a look at the growth catalysts and the numbers behind them. When we combine extreme and ATOMIC platforms, up 87% versus last year;
…
And it’s innovation that is being inspired by our end-user obsession, driving our world’s first lineup, many of which we’ve launched over the last 3 years.
(Emphasis is my own.)
This brings up a good point. It’s not enough for end users to ask for or demand new tools or technologies from brands and retailers. Asking for Dewalt to expand their 12V Max cordless power tool system, for example, is something that users have been doing unsuccessfully for years until the Xtreme system tools first launched. Buying tools from the new lineup shows Dewalt that there is strong enough demand and a need for broader compact cordless tool offerings.
Dewalt has been expanding their Atomic Series and Xtreme Sub-Compact series of cordless power tools because we are showing there’s demand for it.
In other words, I think it’s reasonable to say that we can expect to see continued 20V Max Atomic and 12V Max Xtreme cordless system expansions with even greater certainty.
Back to the topic of compact hand tools, I can already tell you that I would absolutely buy Atomic Series tape measures and utility knives.
Users that want smaller form factor hand tools? Yep, that’s me. I don’t need the strongest tape measure retraction possible, or an ultra-wide tape. I like my tape measures compact and light, at least most of the time. There are of course times when maximum standout and extreme durability are beneficial or even necessary.
Does Dewalt need to slap “Atomic” or “Atomic Compact Series” branding onto the new hand tools? No. But, this could be a good idea. I can see what they’re going for here.
Dewalt will launch Atomic Series hand tools, such as the ones shown here, and there will also be Tough Series tools (such as their new tape measure).
I think that the branding will help with differentiation, although unlike Atomic branding, it doesn’t look like the Tough Series will extend into cordless power tools.
As with the Atomic and Xtreme series cordless power tools, user interest and spending habits will likely fuel future developments. It will be interesting to see what happens, but I am very optimistic.
This is a very interesting move by Dewalt, and speaking as an end user, a very welcome one.
