The company bombarded media members with a litany of new tools and accessories sure to be hits whether at a jobsite or on a weekend DIY project.

It was apropos the Oct. 5 Stanley Black & Decker New Product Introduction and Luncheon was held in the theatre district of Manhattan.

            While there were any of a number of performing arts venues within walking distance, it was Stanley Black & Decker that was putting on quite the show for nearly 100 media members from around North America at the Westin New York at Times Square.

            The company, formed after a merger of Stanley Works and Black & Decker last spring, bombarded media members with a litany of new tools and accessories sure to be hits whether at a jobsite or on a weekend DIY project.

            In the coming year, Stanley Black & Decker will launch 350 new stock-keeping units globally - 130 of which will come from the popular DeWALT brand alone (including 19 world’s first innovations and 16 patents in 2011). I got a sneak peak at some of those DeWALT new releases earlier this year at a DeWALT new product event in Towson, Md. To read my reports, click here.

            In addition to DeWALT, new offerings from Stanley, Bostitch and fellow SBD properties Porter-Cable and compressor manufacturer Emglo were on display.

            While the majority of new tools and accessories did not outwardly scream “plumber,” there is no doubt a good chunk of these gadgets will find their way into a plumbing or mechanical contractor’s repertoire.

            Especially interesting on the plumbing front is the DeWALT 5-in-1 hacksaw. For around 25 bucks, a contractor gets a tool that functions at a 45-degree or 90-degree blade angle (for standard or flush cuts); as a high-tension hacksaw (securely holds the blade up to 330 pounds); as a low-profile saw (tight spaces); as a long-reach saw (the blade attaches to the front frame); and as a jab saw (the front handle becomes the jab saw).

            Stanley Black & Decker’s Bob Scillia notes a huge selling point is the ability to store spare blades on the inside of the handle, which is ultra-important when you are talking efficiency and time-management on a jobsite.

            DeWALT’s framing hammer also caught my eye. The 15-ounce hammer, which uses metal inert gas (MIG) weld technology, touts itself as the world’s first 15-ounce all-steel framing hammer. The big stat here is that MIG weld technology allows the hammer to strike like a 28-ounce one. I tried it out several times during the hands-on portion of the presentation and you can tell the difference. Who wouldn’t want to swing a hammer that weighs 13 ounces less than what it strikes at?

Plumbing and mechanical contractors are always carrying equipment onto and off jobsites, which Stanley plans to make easier with the release of its 3-in-1 rolling storage workshop. Not only are there three separate compartments that combine into one, you also can haul things on top of the case such as a bag of cement. The addition of a one-handed latch operation aids in ease of use. Rolling storage options for Bostitch and DeWALT also were unveiled.

            In the past, I’ve talked about DeWALT’s focus on user feedback and extensive testing procedures with its new tools. That hasn’t changed as evidenced by the revelation one particular Bostitch tool, in addition to being extensively wet- and dry-fired (to the tune of 500,000 cycles), got dragged for miles on top of roofing shingles in order to ensure high performance and durability for end users.

            These products were but a mere sampling of all that was revealed in the Big Apple.

            To say the least, plumbing and mechanical contractors, and any construction contractor or home improvement enthusiast for that matter, have a lot to look forward to in the coming year in terms of new tool and accessory offerings from the SBD group.

            A quick shout out to my afternoon cab driver in New York City. He gets first-star honors (it is hockey season now) for navigating through heavier-than-usual Manhattan traffic and getting me back to LaGuardia with plenty of time to spare.