The increases are expected to be a result of upgrades to more powerful, high-end power tools and by the continuing spreading of cordless products.

While professional users are expected to continue to dominate overall tool use, growth in consumer tool demand is expected to outpace the professional market, according to Freedonia.

David E. Smith, executive vice president of Metabo Corporation (West Chester, PA, U.S.) agrees that the trend exists. "There is definitely increasing activity on the part of do-it-yourselfers," he tells APPLIANCE. "I think more people are trying to tackle a bit more ambitious projects themselves, where they wouldn't have before."

Mr. Smith adds that in the current economic climate, consumers are repairing rather than replacing tools. "You can probably buy a new one for maybe 20 or 25 percent more money than the repair might cost, and people would do that, but not this year," he says.

On the professional side, however, the economics are different, according to Mr. Smith. "The people that really are still thinking more long term will definitely spend a bit more money to get the more durable, better performing product because it will also get the job done faster and reduce labor costs," he says.

Flexibility on the Fly

On the consumer side, Skil Power Tools (Chicago, IL, U.S.) has introduced a 14.4-V drill/driver with built-in bit-size indicator, which stores two screwdriver bits, allowing for fast and easy bit changes.

In addition to functions, Skil has added features to some of its products, its 7 1/4-in Skilsaw(TM) features the company's Site-Light "headlight," which can cast light where needed on projects.

Because Skil products are geared toward consumer DIYers rather than professionals, it has more "flashy" features, according to Randall Coe, director of Product Marketing for Bosch Power Tools (Chicago, IL, U.S.), which is also part of the company that makes Skil products.

Bosch-branded tools, though, are geared more toward "paycheck users" who use the tools to make a living, according to Mr. Coe. He adds that there is a crossover seen where the paycheck users are buying DIY brands, and DIYers are buying professional brands, which he attributes to the fact that home improvement retailers carry both.

Cordless Comfort

As battery and power technologies become more sophisticated, cordless tool performance has also gotten better, according to Mr. Coe of Bosch. One advancement that is increasing in importance is the reduction of weight for cordless tools. "For some tools it is not a real issue, but in certain areas in cordless to get more power, they had to go heavy," says Mr. Coe. "People didn't want to buy tools that were that heavy, so in cordless the idea is to increase the power and durability without increasing the weight," he adds.

Igo Home Products(TM) (Cleveland, OH, U.S.) boasts that some of its products are so lightweight they can be stored in a purse. The company's Grip & Zip cordless drills even run on lightweight AA batteries.