It's not hype. The Black and Decker tools are good values for occasional home repair type use. They do the job, sometimes you have to work around the limitations of the tool, but they do it. There is no comparison, though, to the better (and far more expensive) brands. The B+D tools I have are on a completely different level than the DeWalt and Porter Cable tools I have. Of course, they cost only a fraction, and are worth what you pay for them. But the difference between B+D and the better brands is anything but hype.