I recently got a chanceย to put my hands on a classic, an โantiqueโ Black & Decker 7301 circularย saw. This rugged 1 HP circular saw was purchased back in 1971 and has beenย running ever since. It has a cast aluminum body and a stamped steelย shoe. It was purchased alongside a Black & Decker drill forย $19.99 for the pair (in 2011 dollars, thatโs about $120!) On top ofย that, when you purchased two Black & Decker tool,s you got a thirdย tool for a penny more (my dad picked up a Rockwell 4420 (96) Type 2ย 1/3rd sheet Finishing Sander.) Three heavy-duty tools for that price, at that time, wasnโt bad. And it was a really good deal consideringย two of the three are still in operation!
Indeed, all of these toolsย were used over 40 years to do numerous renovations and homeย improvement jobs. About the only casualty was the power cord of theย circular saw which was accidentally cut through in the 80s (operatorย error). As you can see from the photos, that was remedied easilyย enough on the Black & Decker 7301ย circularย sawย with a replacement cord.
Itโs amazing to see thisย Black & Decker 7301 circular sawย still going strong after 40 years of use. Then again, given Black &ย Deckerโs reputation back in the day, weโre not terribly surprised.ย Locating tools these days that will last as long is a bit tougher,ย and indeed, you do get what you pay for. Keep that in mind the nextย time you opt for that inexpensive power tool solution over the higher-priced, better-built model.
