I feel bad for being so negative, but today’s Makita 18V brushless drill/driver kit deal that’s featured as Amazon’s deal of the day? – it kind of sucks.
This same Makita XFD061 drill kit, reviewed here, was $99 during the height of the Winter holiday shopping season, and for a bit earlier than that, too.
Father’s Day is 2 months out, and there are guaranteed to be some good drill kit deals in May and June, even if this particular kit isn’t discounted at that time.
Before I come across as being overly pessimistic, I should emphasize that this does look to be the best deal, right now.
I always feel like the off-season pricing on this and other promo kits might be artificially high, to help balance out the seasonal ultra-low price of $99.
This is a really nice drill, by the way. I bought one, and like it. I meant to compare it against Milwaukee and Dewalt models, but had a really hard time trying to determine which is “better.”
Anyway, let’s talk about this deal. Today only, 4/11/2018, the Makita 18V XFD061 drill kit is being bundled with a “contractor-grade” 70pc drill and screwdriver bit set, for $135.74.
The drill kit is $140 by itself, and the bit set normally retails for $22. So, in theory, you’re getting $162 worth of stuff for $135.74.
BUT, the drill kit was released last Fall and dropped to $99 for the holiday shopping season. So with this current deal, assuming the price will drop back down to $99 again, either for Father’s Day or the next Winter holiday shopping season, you’re paying $135.74 for a $99 drill kit and $22 bit set.
Is this the same as what we talked about yesterday, where the choice is take advantage of a good deal now even if a better one might come along, or to wait for a better deal and risk losing out on any savings? Maybe, but I can’t explain why I feel so strongly against this deal. I suppose it has something to do with my knowing it will most likely drop to $99 again. And if not, other brands’ offerings will continue to hit the $99 price point, as they do every year.
Some promo drill kits go on sale during the Winter and again for Father’s Day. I mentioned the Dewalt DCD777 in last year’s Father’s Day gift guide. It will almost certainly hit the $99 price point again this year.
There are typically other drill/driver deals as well. Last year there was a deal on a Milwaukee M12 drill and impact driver kit and bonus battery bundle.
The Makita drill featured in today’s deal is good. But I can’t shake the strong feeling that the deal isn’t a very good value.
Still, if you need a new compact drill kit NOW, and can use a small but varied assortment of drill bits and screwdrivers, this could be a good deal. But if you can wait, there are better bargains to come.
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Deal ends at 3am ET 4/12/2018, unless supplies sell out sooner.