The Stanley Works and Black & Decker have recently announced they are merging to form an $8.4 billion manufacturer. The deal, which the companies insist is not due to economic conditions, seems to be getting a positive response from channels the suppliers serve. Still, distributors are watching the manufacturers closely as they move toward closing the deal in the first half of 2010.

While the initial announcement came as a surprise to many, the merger of The Stanley Works (NYSE: SWK), New Britain, CT, and The Black & Decker Corp. (NYSE: BDK), Towson, MD, also made sense to many with interests in …