There’s Nothing Wrong with the Dremel Blueprint Drill Driver

As mentioned in the title, there’s nothing wrong with the Dremel Blueprint cordless drill. So why isn’t it selling well?

Dremel calls this a drill, but I think it’s more of a cordless screwdriver. For simplicity. I’ll refer to it as the Dremel Blueprint drill, or similar.

If you’re not familiar with this tool, it’s a beginner-friendly cordless drill with a built-in stud finder and removable module that features a bubble level and laser.

Learn More: Introducing Dremel Blueprint Tools for DIYers

Right now, Amazon and Lowe’s have slashed the price of the tool in half. The Dremel Blueprint cordless drill was $99, and now it’s $49-$50/

If you look at the online product pages for both retailers, Amazon says they sold 400+ last month, and Lowe’s says they sold 500+ last week.

Okay, so for simplicity’s sake, let’s say 1,000 Dremel Blueprint drills were purchased last week from these two major retailers.

That’s it? Just 1,000 units encompassing Black Friday, Thanksgiving, and Cyber Monday? There’s still time left in the holiday season.

I’m working on a roundup of cordless screwdrivers for a potential gift guide, and all of them have sold far better than the Dremel. Some cost more, others less. Why?

Is it the form factor? Is it the brand name?

All of the Home Depot stores in my area started off the holiday deals season with a bunch of a new Milwaukee M12 cordless screwdriver kits, each priced at $59.

Those kits were completely sold through at every store near me.

Why isn’t the Dremel selling out at $49?

Personally, I would have preferred if it didn’t have a stud finder or detachable layout tool with level and laser.

THIS is the Dremel Driver I want to see on store shelves.

I bought the Duo 2-tool set, with the 7.2V cordless screwdriver and Stylus rotary tool. Or at least I think I did. I definitely had the cordless screwdriver but my memory is fuzzy on the rotary tool. If I had the Stylus, I didn’t use it much, but I certainly used the Dremel Driver a bit.

While I prefer the older-style tool, I can see Dremel’s vision for the Blueprint tool. It’s an all-in-one.

Moving into your first apartment or home and don’t know what you need to hang a shelf? The Blueprint drill has got you covered.

I don’t like the idea but I don’t think it’s a bad idea.

So what went wrong? Is there something wrong with the tool?

Consider the Kreg Rebel 20V cordless pocket hole tool, which doesn’t seem to be selling well either, with just 100+ bought in the past month.

The Kreg kit is not selling well either, with just 100+ purchases in the past month as well.

Even though the tool kit has 56 reviews, there were only 5 that were verified purchases, and a whole lot of “review of free product” entries.

I think there are many reasons why the Kreg tool isn’t selling well, such as how a lot of folks might not want to be locked into a new and limited cordless power tool battery system. I could have predicted this.

The drill is compatible with Dremel’s 12V platform and also Bosch’s 12V batteries, and the accessory has a built-in battery, – I wouldn’t have any concerns about platform compatibility.

What about marketing? From the paid and partnered social media content I’ve seen, it’s clear Kreg spent a ton of money on influencer marketing. From what I’m seeing, it doesn’t look to have made a difference

Dremel got the word out about the Blueprint. Retailers dropped prices. Maybe there still isn’t enough visibility.

Or maybe there’s simply nothing wrong with the tool, Dremel’s vision for it, or their approach to selling it.

I haven’t checked recently, and some Dremel Blueprint tools are available in Home Depot stores. I believe I saw them at Lowe’s too.

Maybe they’ll sell better in-store than what I’m seeing online.

What I have learned over the years is that there are good tools and bad tools. Innovative designs and worn out derivatives. Tools that are underrated, and others that are overhyped.

Sometimes, there’s no obvious causality to explain differences in expectations and reality.

I’m not a fan of the tool or product line, but in the same way as if I was looking at a watermelon when I’d much more prefer an orange. It’s not appealing to me, but I still see the potential appeal. I see the appeal, so why aren’t more people enticed into buying one?

This is the important question: what is the takeaway?

Dremel launched a line of Home Solutions a couple of years ago. Well before that, they had the Dremel Driver and Stylus tools. Now they have Blueprint. What comes next?

Of course, I could be wrong – maybe the Blueprint drill is a success and it only looks like it’s been selling in relatively small numbers.

But also, the drill hasn’t been discounted – at least not from what I’ve seen – since it launched at the start of the year, not even for Father’s Day or Prime Day, and now it’s $49.

Maybe this deal price was planned ahead of time, from the start, or maybe this reflects a need to sell inventory before the end of the year.

I do not think Dremel did anything wrong. I don’t think they misunderstood the market.

Maybe it’s like the difference between a home run and a foul ball. Sometimes everything lines up perfectly, and it’s just what happens.

What do we learn from this situation?

Anyway, the Dremel Blueprint drill is a whopping ~50% off right now.