I checked out Home Depot’s early Black Friday 2025 sales flyer.
Home Depot showed off Dewalt ToughSystem and Milwaukee Packout deals – let’s talk about both.
Home Depot’s Dewalt ToughSystem Tool Box Deal
ToughSystem Organizer – $45
ToughSystem 3-Drawer Tool Box – $119
ToughSystem Rolling Tool Box – $90
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So that comes out to $254 for the 3pc combo.
Home Depot’s Milwaukee Packout Tool Box Deal
Packout Organizer – $53
Packout 2-Drawer Tool Box – $159
Packout Rolling Tool Box – $169
That comes out to $381, and the $90 “buy more, save more” discount drops the price to $291.
Analyzing the Deals
What they don’t tell you is that if you swap the 3-drawer multi-size tool box or 3-drawer same-depth tool box, which are each $189, the total jumps up to $411, which makes the bundle eligible for the higher savings tier.
Thus, if you configure a Milwaukee Packout tool box tower in a similar fashion as the showcased Dewalt ToughSystem setup, the price is $411 – $150, or $261 after discount.
$254 for the Dewalt setup, or $261 for Milwaukee, which would you pick?
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Diving Deeper into the Packout Deal
At first I wondered if the Milwaukee deal was configured in such a way so as to create a larger price gap between Dewalt ToughSystem and Packout deals, but it became more important to dissect the Milwaukee deal further.
If you keep the Packout configuration with the 2-drawer tool box as spotlighted in the Home Depot flyer, you can add in one of the eligible $25 attachments for a lower price. That comes out to $381 + $25, or $406 before discount and $256 after.
Even if you’re not comparing the Milwaukee setup to the Dewalt ToughSystem promo, this means you can get the SAME Packout, plus some extra, setup for less money.
Take the Milwaukee combo, which is advertised at $291, add a compact organizer to your order, and the total goes up to $413 before discount, and $263 after. That’s less than the advertised price of $291.
They do advertise in big bold letters how you can save up to $150. I don’t see any malintent, but I also feel consumers need to better understand the Packout deal – hence this post..
To me, the tiered discount structure means that any order with a pre-discount total of at least $339 but less than $399 should be added to.
Keep in mind the savings tiers. Save $50 on $199+, $90 on $299+, or $150 off $399+ orders.
Thus, an eligible order of $339 would be discounted to $249, and the same is true for a $399 order. Would you rather have $339 worth of Packout tool boxes and storage accessories for $249, or $399 worth for the same money?
Similarly, if you spend $259, the discounted price would be $209, which is the same as if you placed an eligible order for $299.
The new rolling drawer tool box is $249, or $199 after buy more, save more discount. Let’s say you add a compact organizer ($37) and a tool box rack attachment ($25). That would be $311, or $221 after discount.
Let’s say you throw in a large Packout tool box . So that’s the rolling 1-drawer tool box ($249), the large tool box ($95), a compact organizer ($37), and a tool box rack attachment ($25). The total would come out to $406, or $256.
All of that is just $7 more than the price of the rolling tool box before discount, as it would have been priced a month ago and will be priced once the promo ends.
You need to shop this deal carefully, or jump to the $399+ tier.
If you’re at or near $259, add more to bring your eligible Packout order total over $299, and if you’re at or near $339, add more to bring your eligible order total over $399.
What if you’re $10 shy? Then it’s up to you. Would you rather get $329 worth of gear for $239, or $399 worth of gear for $249?
When you’re just above the limits, the deal means you buy $199 worth of gear for $149, $299 worth of gear for $209, or $399 worth of gear for $249.
Because Packout tool box prices don’t add up neatly like that, there’s a very good chance you’ll be quite a bit away from those thresholds.
I don’t want you missing out on added savings. That’s why I’m saying $291 for the as-shown Milwaukee combo is a bad deal. Grab a low profile organizer for $32, and you end up saving $28.
This deal can require a bit of math to get the best value out of it.
Most Milwaukee Packout prices are the same across all participating authorized dealers. It’s worth cross-shopping.
I found lower prices for the Packout cart, 2-drawer tool box, and large tool box at Acme Tools, and Home Depot had slightly better pricing on the 15″ tote bag.
The holiday season is full of deals like this, where you sometimes need to take a step back and work out the math.
For another example, there’s a hand tool deal where you buy 3 and save $10 or buy 5 and save $30. Each eligible tool – like the multi-functional FastBack 2-pack – is $20. So if you buy 4 tools, that’s $80-$10, or $70. If you buy 5 tools, that’s $100-$30, or $70. Don’t buy 4 tools, either put one back and get 3 for $50, or add one more to get 5 for $70.
These deals are brilliantly crafted, where there’s strong objective and emotional justification to buy more, and consumers can benefit from the greater savings.
Just be sure that you’re not finding yourself $20 shy of savings an additional $60, such as in the deal Home Depot spotlighted in their sales flyer.
Similarly, be cautious about deals or situations where you might feel compelled to spend an additional $60 to save an extra $20.
Both types of deals can feel the same. For season-long deals, it’s okay to take the time to think things through. Need help? I’m here and will try my best to answer any questions.
EBT
Like you said, BE CAUTIOUS about deals to compel you to spend more for less.
I would rather they just offer discounted prices. Thanks for keeping us posted!
Stuart
This time of year, there are tons of comments “but this deal was $79 when I bought it 10 years ago!!”
When you offer a buy more, save more discount, it doesn’t cheapen the value of the product.
Dewalt dealers all have the 2-drawer ToughSystem tool box for $99 or $100 right now, which is its typical seasonal discounted price. When it goes back up to $129, that’s a bad price.
Milwaukee very closely controls the value proposition of their promotions.
Right now, the Milwaukee M18 brushless 2-tool combo kit is a very good buy at $179.
In between seasons, it sells out and the other combo kit, with different battery inclusions, becomes the prevalent option.
With few deliberate exceptions, Milwaukee does not cheapen their prices.
Because of this, you will rarely see blanket discounts on Packout. Ignoring the potential for price increases over time, a tool box that’s $85 now will also be $85 months from now. The promo will have ended, but you won’t be able to say “but that price was $64 last Black Friday.”
Maybe in between holiday seasons, if sales slump, they can offer a “free organizer with $249+ order” promo or similar.
If costs go up, maybe next year the deal will be $40 off $199, $100 off $349, and $160 off $499+.
They have a tiered discount on wall storage accessories as well, but it’s still an *order discount* rather than being an *item discount*.
Milwaukee – like most brands – employs different sales strategies. Their reluctance to cheapen prices is not something they’ll change here.
Additionally, this promo approach helps to drives commitment and deeper investment into the Packout platform.
Aside from DXL, when is the last time Dewalt launched a new ToughSystem product? What do you think the market share is between Dewalt and Milwaukee, even though Dewalt had quite the head start?
I’d also prefer simpler discounts, but that’s not happening. I don’t fully understand all the facets of their strategy, but from what I’ve seen, I’d do things exactly the same way. Step outside your shoes as a consumer and ask yourself one question: has it worked? And if so, wouldn’t you do the same?
Daniel Larsen
Tell us, plain and simple, what’s the single best deal and how much? Your review was intensely thorough and I’m a smart fellow, but I still didn’t have a clue wtf I should do!! Gonna keep my tool belt, plastic screw box and Dewalt yellow tool bag.
Stuart
Put together an order with the Packout gear you need, and get the total between $399 and let’s say $410 for the biggest effective discount.
Val
Separate transactions of $400~$410 if you want more boxes
Stuart
Yes. Sometimes you need to whip out a spreadsheet.
If you want a rolling drawer tool box ($249), large tool box ($95), and 2x drawer boxes ($189 each), split things up and add in a compact tool box, organizers, or accessories strategically.
You end up with more stuff AND a lower price. But it depends on the initial price you land at.
CMF
Yes, the separate transactions.
This was a good 8-10 years ago. Dewalt would have a for $100 or more of TStak or ToughSystem, get $25 back. But you did not get another $25 at $200, $300 or so on. I made a purchase for multiple boxes, so I made multiple orders to get $25 back on each order. I bought through ACME but just about everyone had this deal.
Tool Junkie
Stuart, I work at HD. I’ve found that Milwaukee knows how they’re stating their prices. I often tell customers to add up their cart to get the best deal. However, in years past it was only on select items. For example, you find 2 pack outs at $199 and your total is $398; but you need $399 for the extra discount. The coffee cup or add on accessory isn’t included in the Pack Out deal, so you’re forced into getting a higher dollar item from their “included” list.
What I tell my contractor customers is to buy up to the dollar limit and then make a separate transaction for additional savings. Someone comes in and wants $1,200 in Pack Out stuff. Rather than making one transaction for $1k, I tell them to make 3. Buy like $425 & get $150 off. Put the stuff in your truck & get another $425 for another $150 off, then do it a third time for another $150 off. $450 in savings vs $150.
Stuart
This was from a Home Depot sales flyer, and so I saw it as HD choosing the configuration to advertise.
I placed a couple of orders to set up a tester with a Packout stack.
Order 1: $407.97
Order 2: $408.58
Order 3: $411.83
The first two orders included no more than I intended to buy, and the third had an organizer included as a filler. The $37 organizer saved me $60.