It goes without saying that this market remains a market for the bold only. There are some 'greens shoots' sprouting in the economy, to cite a phrase popularized by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, but there still are formidable problems.

That said, no one ever made a dime by establishing stock positions when things were 99% safe: by that time, almost every stock has been bid-up. You have to prudently-bottom fish, and with this in mind, Black & Decker (NYSE: BDK) is worth a review.

The market's recent pullback has created several moderate-risk, bargain-basement-price stocks, and one worth an evaluation is Black & Decker.

The Black & Decker Corporation (NYSE: BDK) is a global manufacturer and marketer of power tools and accessories, hardware, home improvement products, and fastening systems.

Analysts expect BDK's recent restructuring to improve productivity and operating margins. In general, analysts are forecasting low-single-digit sales growth for 2008 and 2009, weighed down by the housing sector's doldrums.
Meanwhile, BDK's fastening/assembly unit business should improve somewhat, offsetting housing's likely sub-par performance, and register mid-single-digit sales growth. The Reuters FY 2008/FY 2009 EPS consensus estimates for BDK are $1.14 to $1.57.

This post is part of our Battle of the Brands feature. Let us know which brand you prefer, and check out other Battle of the Brands posts.

A few months ago, I moved into a larger apartment and found that I would need to make numerous trips to the hardware store each week -- and sometimes twice on Saturdays. The list of projects I had in mind for my new pad was as long as a city block and I knew some choices needed to be made. The most important one: Should I go to Home Depot (NYSE: HD) or Lowe's (NYSE: LOW)?

I always go to Home Depot to get lumber or some screws for the toolbox, or to glance at the power tools that I always dream of finding a use for. I go to Lowe's to pick up a closet organizer or to look at the latest washer and dryers on sale. They're both big box home improvement stores, but each one has its own special place in the world.

When I first drive into the lot of the big orange beast, I always see construction crews hauling lumber and Sheetrock into their vans. I know these people didn't search online for what they needed here, mainly because the HD site only has 20% of their actual inventory online. If you want to know what's in Home Depot, you actually have to go to Home Depot. As I walk inside, I find this magical place where men can walk happily around sawdust filled floors, sans spouse, testing out power tools and talking shop with other men. Workers in bright orange aprons walk side-by-side with beeping forklifts that weave in and out of crowded isles, creating an atmosphere that would intimidate any novice do-it-yourselfer. This is the department store for DIY weekend warriors. This is home.

I certainly don't get the same feeling driving to Lowe's. Lowe's is more focused on the aesthetics of home improvement and the final product, compared to Home Depot, which I feel is more about tools and parts. I can search through the Lowe's website much easier than Home Depot's, and even place an order to pick-up whatever I need, which is always good for the novice fixer-upper. Walking into Lowe's, I see couples walking on perfectly swept floors down extra-bright, super-wide aisles. I walk past tons of appliances and machinery that call out to me: top-of-the-line refrigerators, washing machines, and lawn tractors; I walk past them in amazement. This is a place for the general public and the occasional fix-it-yourself team; and this place takes pride in targeting women in their stores -- officials directly aim for the female customer by placing shelves at the perfect height for the 5-foot-4-inch customer.