If you’re lookng to buy some new cordless power tools in November or December, I’ve got good news and bad news for you. The good news is that there are a lot of deals on cordless power tools. The bad news is that there are a lot of cordless tool deals.
Spending a couple of hundred dollars on a cordless tool kit can be a process, given the number of decisions you have to make. It’s a little more stressful when you want to make sure you’re getting the best deal, getting maximum value out of every dollar spent.
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Daniel wrote in today, asking:
I’m looking to make my first investment in tools, and I’m really interested in the HD kit +2 free tools deals, as there are great brands and brushless tools in most of them. I’m particularly interested in the large Makita bundle (really want a circle saw) plus a router.
My question is – do you think Amazon will have a competitive sale? I have lots of Amazon credit that would cover a big bundle/kit.
There are three main kinds of deals. First, there are “buy this, get that” types of deals, where you can buy a cordless power tool kit and receive a free tool (or tools), or bonus battery packs. Then, there are big “bang for the buck” deals where you get a lot for your money. Often, these kits have compromises in some way or another. Lastly, there are other “special buys” which might be exclusive to a certain retailer, or retailers.
I’ve made it easy (or relatively easy) to check back to see what retailers have done in the past.
- Holiday 2017, Black Friday 2017
- Holiday 2016, Black Friday 2016
- Holiday 2015, Black Friday 2015
- Holiday 2014, Black Friday 2014
(Our Holiday deal archives go back to 2013, and Black Friday archives to 2010.)
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The deals change a little, year to year. There’s no telling when the “best” deal will come. Sometimes it’s a seasonal deal that kicks off by early November, other times it might be a Black Friday deal, and sometimes it might come in December.
The trick to maintaining one’s sanity is to remember that a lot of retailers are flexible with returns, meaning that there is the potential to change your mind.
If you choose to wait for a deal, perhaps have fall-back. Some deals do expire abruptly, as either supplies run out or sales limits are reached.
When looking at power tool deals, or perhaps before, jot down your priorities. What are you flexible about? If you want a better drill, don’t settle for a combo kit that comes with a “holiday special” version. If you want a circular saw but don’t necessary want or need a reciprocating saw, take that into account.
Getting back to Daniel’s question, I don’t recall seeing a “buy a combo kit get free bonus tools” promo at Amazon, at least not for the Makita brand. Amazon has run Dewalt deals like that in the past, or at least something like that.
There are numerous bundle listings on Amazon that feature the Makita router:
- Makita brushless drill and impact driver combo kit plus compact router
- Makita heavy duty brushless drill and impact driver combo kit plus 6Ah battery and router
Amazon has special “bundles,” where the bundle price can be less than the sum of its parts. We saw this recently, with a Dewalt 5Ah battery 2-pack and charger bundle.
One could speculate that they’re getting ready to feature these bundles in a promo. Both promos were “first available” November 1st, 2017. But there’s no guarantee. I didn’t notice or mention promos on either of these bundles last year, and looking at price trackers, the bundle prices never changed. There *might* be promo pricing on them this year, but if one made that assumption last year, they would have been wrong.
Home Depot’s free bonus tool offer is on the XT333X1, and there are some new Amazon listings that feature this combo kit. (I discuss the Makita XT333X1 cordless combo kit in more detail here.)
One of those bundles features the XT333X1 kit with a 6Ah battery and a router. The listing first went up in late September of this year.
There is no way to know if it’ll be on sale. And if it is, will you have the same number of choices as with Home Depot’s deal?
Home Depot’s deal should last throughout the holiday season, or at least it has in the past. Supplies *could* run out, which has also happened in the past. But, other retailers, such as Acme Tools, also have an XT333X1 + 2 bonus items offer. There, though, you get a 6Ah battery as one bonus, and only have a choice for the one other bonus item (which can be a router). Acme’s offer ends 1/31/19.
Most deals are centered around the most popular “core tools,” which means that if you want something like a router included, there’s a lot less selection, which makes it easier to make a decision.
Daniel, if in your shoes, I would wait until perhaps the Tuesday after Cyber Monday, to see what happens. If Amazon will have a similar deal, or something even better, there’s a higher chance that it’ll be apparent then. Of course, there could also be a surprise deal later in the season.
There’s also the possibility of selecting a different combo kit and ordering the router separately, as part of a Cyber Monday money-off or percent-off promo, or similar. But that goes back to thinking about what your needs are or will be.
If you want a drill, impact, and circular saw, there’s no need to sink money into a different bundle, such as one that also has a reciprocating saw and jobsite blower.
Speaking in general, it’s very tempting to second guess a purchasing decision. Did you do right by getting a 4 or 5 tool combo kit $399 when there’s a new 6-tool combo for $349? Since the tools are generally different, yes.
At the same $399 price as the XT333X1 + router + something kit that you’re looking at, there’s also the XT706 bundle, which has 7 tools. But those tools aren’t brushless (except for the grinder).
It’s too easy to get caught up in a “I want the maximum value” mindset, because it can be in conflict with what you’re actually looking to buy.
I’m glad to help answer any questions, although I cannot always do so in a timely manner this time of year.
I loved Daniel’s question, above, even though I don’t have a concrete answer for him, because he knows exactly what he wants. When someone asks me “what’s the best deal on cordless power tool kit?” I could answer it with several thousand words and maybe 20 ideas, and still be miles away from what they’re actually looking for.
When looking for the best cordless power tool, think about what matters most to you. What is the best deal for you? Some people might want a specific selection of tools, others might want more capabilities for minimal money, such as a 8+ tool “special buy” kit that can serve immediate and unforeseen future needs.
As far as waiting to see what other deals there might be, this is a good question to ask:
What happens if I wait?
In response to Daniel’s question, will the router sell out before the promo ends? I don’t have enough data to answer that. It’s possible it will. But everywhere? So in Daniel’s case, my process would go like this – i) wait until say 11/27. If Amazon doesn’t offer the same deal by then, I’d buy from a participating retailer. In the days leading up, I’d check inventory. If my first choice retailer (excluding Amazon) sells out, I’d look at second and maybe even third choice participating dealers. If supplies of the router, base kit, or any other part of the promo are depleting, I might cut short my wait and order promptly. Some items might be restocked mid-season, but that won’t be true for everything. Even then, some stores might allow backordering.
Speaking generally, things become so much easier with a plan, because it can take emotion out of the equation. Holiday season deals play on our emotions, on the satisfaction we get from saving money on items that we perceive to be of greater value than what we’re paying.
Figure out what you want ahead of time, and try to come up with a plan. Speaking as someone who loves to help and offer advice on Black Friday and Holiday season tool deals, it’s so much easier to answer questions when some decisions are already made. Otherwise, the pool of information is too great to sort through. And if I have trouble sorting through everything, even with years of experience analyzing scores of deals and “special buys,” it’s going to be a lot harder for someone shopping for their first tool kit.
John
The thing about spending money is that there is no magic 8-ball to tell you the right time. Companies are in it to make money. Holiday sales only happen because the sheer volume of sales. Anywhere from 30-50 of annual sales come in this last 2 months for so many retailers and companies.
Unless you are making money from tools, they are not an investment, they are a cost that is worth half in a year at best. If the tools make you money then they are an asset to help make that money while they depreciate in value rather quickly because there will always be something new and shiny out all the time.
Kits are ok but you wind up with more compromises than if you just buy what you want and need when you need it, as apposed to having something sit there and not be used.
Psychology is the devil here. The companies and retailers are very good at making us feel as if we are in control and getting a deal, but it’s always at the benefit of the seller. I’d actually rather work, make some money and buy what I need when I need it and only at that time see if I can shave off a little from the cost with a discount somewhere. But buying just because of the holiday fervor can create even more buyers’ remorse than not.
We waste more money in uneaten food, wasted gas driving everywhere for no valid reason sometimes, going to the movies which costs as much as fine dining now, high beer prices at sporting events. Saving a few buck at the holidays can be a weird trap. If you don’t need it, who cares if it’s a deal. If you need it then can certainly save you a little. What will the prices be in a month, nobody knows.
Stuart
Investment doesn’t have to mean money in = money out. Even if one is not a pro user, money in can mean enjoyment out, if the work is on hobby projects, or money saved if one can do tasks they don’t have to hire a pro for.
Aside from that, I don’t understand your motivation for bringing up depreciation or the cost of a trip to the movie theater. Lot of people are looking to buy new tools during the holiday shopping season, and there’s nothing wrong with that. If one can save money on less-urgently-needed tools during November and December, that’s great! I have a couple of purchased I’ve been waiting on as well, because spending less for the same stuff is worthwhile.
I need to buy something for ToolGuyd. If I can save X-amount of money by waiting another week or two, when I know there will be a promo, why not? I won’t need it until mid-December anyway.
As for not knowing the answers to deal-related questions, I’ve been following seasonal tool deal trends for years, and so there are some questions I can answer, or at least help answer.
Daniel R
First of all, I’m extremely impressed by the speed and thoroughness of this post. I asked this question in the parking lot of Home Depot, went inside, strolled around, got a feel for the tools in question and the other Black Friday deals, went home, and there was this post, plus an email response. Well done.
Secondly, your site has been really helpful in learning both what to look for in tools and how the marketing/deals work.
I have two additional questions, one building on the above and one general.
1. Since I’m not yet bought into any particular brand’s line of cordless tools, would you suggest that I look into other deals, in particular? For reasons that I’ll mention in the other question, I’m struggling to understand the differences between these bundles, in terms of quality or specs. If it helps, I’m clearly a DIYer, since this is my first investment (or, purchase, for the folks like John, above). The 12v Craftsman drill that my father gave me 15 years ago has handled everything I’ve needed up until my new interest in tackling projects in my new to me 50+ year old home.
2. When you and others mention “holiday special” models, what do y’all mean? Are these models sneaky, under the radar lower quality models than the ones we can buy year round?
Stuart
Thanks, glad to help!
I can’t always be this timely, but I try my best.
1) I would still recommend that you make a list of your priorities. Makita and Ridgid have cordless routers out now, Dewalt’s is on the way. If that’s a must-have, then perhaps leave Milwaukee out of consideration for now.
Both Makita and Dewalt, and Ridgid too are great brands. Both have great holiday deals. I think that Makita is more aggressive this year, and their offerings are a little more appealing to me personally. Look at current needs and try to imagine what your future needs might be. If I had to pick between the two product families, I prefer Dewalt. But Makita is quite good too.
2) Short answer? Yes.
Consider the cordless drill deals. https://toolguyd.com/best-black-friday-2018-cordless-drill-deals/ . Dewalt’s kit is specially designed to be a $99 seasonal “special buy.”
Consider the Dewalt 9-tool cordless combo kit. The drill is the DCD771, the previous generation “special buy.” The circular saw and reciprocating saw are a little lower-featured than the “premium” models, but that’s true for almost any kid that features both brushed motor saws.
They’re not “sneaky,” models, they’re just… compromised.
“Special buy” deals sometimes have lower capacity battery packs, but that tends to be most true for the $99 cordless drill deals. In larger combos, there might be compromises, but you most often get everyday battery packs. Sometimes you might get a slower charger. Some of Makita’s combos come with their typical rapid charger, others come with a “standard” charger that’s actually about as fast as other brands standard combo kit chargers.
With a pro-brand lineup, expansion tools might be pricey.
Ridgid might be worth considering. They offer a lot of value for the money, and are reasonably well featured and capable. Their selection doesn’t match other brands’, but sometimes they offer something different and appealing.
It’s hard deciding which cordless platform to buy into. I bet that’s why brands make their “gateway” combo kits so enticing. Once you’re in, you’re more likely to buy a compatible tool or accessory than venture off into a different brand.
Daniel
Stuart, Thanks again for the help and your work on this site. I ended up getting the HD Makita 3 pc brushless kit (drill, impact, 6-1/2in saw)+ the multi-tool and router (the router + battery option was sold out).
I found that Amazon had the (2) 3.0 Ah battery deal for the same price. So, I was able to use my credit there.
Amazon also had the Milwaukee 50-Piece Shockwave Impact Drill and Drive Set for the same price as HD. More “free” tools with my Amazon credits.
They didn’t have the 23-piece drill bit set though. So, I added that onto the HD order.
I figured I was going to need a solid work surface for my new projects. So, I snagged the Keter Folding Workbench for what seemed like a good deal – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CWX26Y
I’m planning to build a backyard playground and a desk in the next month or two.
TonyT
I would recommend thinking about what non core tools you need, how good they need to be (for example do you need a plunge router or is a trim router OK), and what they will cost before picking a system (or two or …)
Also try to get a feel for the tools’ ergonomics, weight, fit, finish, etc. For example in 12V max tools some prefer stem battery while others like slide packs
ToolJunkie
You said that your “struggling to understand the differences ” between the various offers.
The difference is in a lot of the small things. Most of the kids are comprised of “older” models. For example, X brand had a new impact driver model two years ago. The next year they came out with a newer, smaller, faster, more powerful model. Maybe it was brushless or more torque or faster cutting or whatever. They produced 100k units. They still had 25k units when the new one came out. They bundled them together into a “deal”. Maybe they threw in an extra battery or case or “bare tool”. If you are the average DIYer, about any decent kit will work, if it has the tools you think you’ll need. A great starter kit would be an impact driver & circular saw, maybe a Sawzall.
Do you need to pay for the newer model? It’s up to you, but the latest & greatest will cost you more.
I personally would pay more to get a “brushless” model, as it won’t burn out the brushes and they generally have about 50 percent more run time on a particular battery as their brushed counterpart. But if you only use the tool once in a blue moon, (like a rotozip) then don’t worry about it.
Stuart
It doesn’t work out that way. Maybe it’s true sometimes, but not with the bulk of these deals. These holiday season bundles aren’t remnant inventory that brands are looking to dump on the market. When in doubt, you can check manufacturing dates.
Brian A
Sometimes the best time to buy the holiday combos is in January, because they are usually discounted $50-100 still with the freebies. They want them gone before the next promo cycle starts.
Salah
I agree with John buy it if you need when you need it that way you don’t end up buying tools that sit on the shelf and collect dust
ktash
If you want to buy a single tool, camelcamelcamel.com is your friend. If you look at the history and find the lowest price it’s been and then give them a price that you’re willing to pay, they’ll email you when it reaches that price. I’ve had good luck with some single tools doing this. Of course check some other retailers to see if the Amazon deal is overpriced compared to them. This is not only for the holidays, but year round.
If I buy it at a price set by me, that takes some of the hysteria away from getting deals.
The other strategy for single tools is to use coupons, often multiple coupons. I wanted the Ryobi crown nailer (cordless) and it never seemed to go on sale or was a part of kits where I didn’t need the other stuff. My Home Depot credit card sent me a 10% off coupon. I was able to stack that with a $25 off Ryobi Nation coupon and get a better price, though it involved buying another cheaper item, which includes batteries. I just didn’t need it enough to pay full price, but the coupons made it worth while.
Once you have a starter kit, filling in with other bare tools may take some other strategies.
Toolfreak
It’s tough generally to get the “best” deal unless you know for sure when a particular tool or kit only goes as low as a certain price, then you buy when it’s that price or lower with another coupon or discount offers that makes it the “best” deal.
I would say when it comes to power tools, get what you need, but also what you want. If you have your heart set on a Makita kit, get a Makita kit so you aren’t grumbling for years about some other brand if it doesn’t meet your expectations. But, you also don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a kit of tools you’ll never need. Drills and drivers and saws, sure, but beware of “free tool” offers if they don’t include any of the tools you will actually use.
david
Just a heads up to anyone that wants to know. The home depot black friday ad is up on the website couponingcouple.com . not sure how long it will be up as the depot always sends out letters to take it down. Also Meijer stores will have a 50% off tekton tools on black friday.
MT_Noob
‘It’s too easy to get caught up in a “I want the maximum value” mindset, because it can be in conflict with what you’re actually looking to buy.’
I need to print that out and paste it on my monitor… It can lead to analysis paralysis and endless second guessing. I know I can get swept up in trying to find the perfect deal instead of being ok with a good enough deal and using the time I just freed up to working on something in the shop.
ToolOfTheTrade
As far as quality and specs go, most of the bundle promos that are going on aren’t the brands top of the line tools. Holiday deals range from the worst grade of tools to the low mid range of tools. Latest and greatest are not available for holiday deals or for sale. 2nd or 3rd best are not available either. That’s the catch about every one of these black Friday tool deals. And as others have said buy what you need and if it’s only offered through a combo kit, you will be better off buying the tools separately. It’s pointless to spend $600 on a combo kit when you only want 3 out of the 7 tools that come with it and it only comes with 1 or 2 batteries. Purchase them separately with their own battery and charger. That’s what I’ve always done.
Stuart
That’s untrue.
https://toolguyd.com/milwaukee-m18-cordless-power-tool-packout-special-bundle-deals-holiday-2018/
https://toolguyd.com/makita-newest-promo-brushless-cordless-power-tool-combo-kit-xt333x1-h2018/
https://toolguyd.com/home-depot-pro-black-friday-2018-tool-deals/#makita
https://toolguyd.com/home-depot-free-bonus-cordless-power-tools-sales-event-holiday-2018/
This year, even more so than last year, there are combo kits all across the spectrum, from a focus on “the most tools for the lowest pricing” to solid-performing and latest-generation brushless tools.
Sometimes there’s a catch, and often there are compromises.
Shopping carefully is key, which is why I emphasize the importance of research.
JP
There’s a lot of meat in this post, so I read through all but most of the comments. I just bought one of these pack deals after having my eye on the Kobalt line for a year now and waiting for this deal to come around. I’m a very light DIYer but I’ve invested some in the Kobalt brand already and my mind was pretty much made up coming into this month looking for the Kobalt 24V max sales…
Do you think it’s still wise to buy into Kobalt 24V power tools now? Their instagram page is constantly reminding people that new tools are in the plan for 2019 and that Kobalt isn’t going anywhere. The Kobalt hand tools, toolbags & boxes, and other misc items are certainly replaced now by Craftsman. Maybe the Kobalt power tool line will be the only thing they keep?
Redcastle
A kit from anyone of the producers who regularly feature on this website will be adequate for anyone who is not an everyday user. So the decision points are price and the components of the kit, the price on a like for like basis as in similar components will also not be vastly different which means the tools in the kit and whether they are needed becomes a lead factor.
If this is a starter kit I would advise once you have decided which kit you want to contact one of two local/specialist tool retailers (not big box) and ask them to price match. Any of them worth their salt will do so and you have a relationship which means you can talk to real people about pros, cons and problems.
Unless you are very unlucky a local/specialist tool retailer will have staff who are both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their products and the definition of customer service goes beyond a binary return/no return conversation with general online retailers including Amazon and this may even be worth a premium over the “cheapest” price.