Here are some general Black Friday tool deal shopping tips we picked up over the years. These tips are aimed more at Black Friday tool deal shopping novices, such as beginner DIYers, new homeowners, or someone picking up a hobby for the first time.
There are of course exceptions.
Do you have any other Black Friday and Holiday deal shopping tips to share?
Hand Tool Deal Tips
A lot of what you see in stores are designed to appeal to gift givers, who will be buying them up in large quantities. Such tools are designed to sell, but might not provide you with any benefits.
Wrenches might be shorter, small tool sets or assortments might lack important sizes, warranties and guarantees mean less when replacement tools are only sold a couple of months during the year.
There are great deals to be had, if you’re careful.
Some of the “stocking stuffers” are worth considering, even for those with well stocked tool boxes.
Power Tool Deal Tips
As with hand tools, there are plenty of good deals out there. But… as with hand tools, some of the lowest priced “special buy” power tools are cheapened in some way to achieve the lowest pricing possible. They might have less features, weaker motors, smaller batteries, slower chargers.
So when you see a cordless power tool kit with a price that’s too good to be true, look for the tradeoff. Maybe the saw works with a smaller circular blade size, which limits cutting capacity and might require a bit of searching for replacement blades. Or maybe the drill has just 1 speed setting and low max torque rating.
Power Tool Accessory Set Deal Tips
Don’t look at bit or blade count to determine whether an accessory set is a worthy buy. “Special Buy” screwdriver bit sets sometimes offer very little size or style selection, and drill bit sets are sometimes cheapened versions of a brand’s regular sets.
For bit sets, look at how many different sizes and styles of bits there are, and for drill bits make sure that the packaging says something about how the bits can be used on wood, plastic, or metal – except if you’re buying wood-specific or other specialty drill bits.
Be careful when looking at online stores to compare in-store prices. Resellers buy promo accessory sets at retail and sell them online at a hefty markup.