Troy wrote in with a question about when to look for the next round of tool sales. We posted a LOT of tool deals in November and December, but stores do have sales year-round.
I should point out that the above banner is from an EXPIRED Holiday promo.
There’s a short answer to this, and a long answer.
I’m probably one of the many people out there who didn’t get what they wanted for the holiday (boo hoo, I know.) My question is, when is the next time I can expect to find decent tool sales? If memory serves me right, it seems Father’s Day is my best bet. Just seems to bad I have to wait six months to find some sale pricing. Any insights on the cycle if tool pricing?
Hmm, what did you want for the holiday season that you didn’t get? And you’re right in that you’re definitely not alone.
Yes, Father’s Day is your next best bet for certain deals. But that also depends on what you’re looking for. This year there was a $50 off $200+ Bosch promo, $20 off $100+ Dewalt and Makita promos, and a couple of seasonal specials.
I tend to be sparing with tool deals, but go into “if it’s interesting it gets posts” mode during the winter holiday season and Father’s Day shopping season. Here are lists of tool deal posts that I “tagged” to their respective holiday seasons:
ToolGuyd Father’s Day 2015 Tool Deal Posts
ToolGuyd Holiday 2015 Tool Deal Posts
There were some Father’s Day deals, but very many more during the holiday season.
During Father’s Day, you’re bound to see more giftable tools, and during the winter holiday shopping season, there’s more of a mix of giftable tools and tools you’d want to buy for yourself.
If you’re looking for a socket set, you can find decent deals on Craftsman, Husky, and Kobalt almost year-round.
If you’re looking for a Milwaukee M12 promo, pick an authorized retailer or two and follow their seasonal deals which change unpredictably.
If you’re looking to buy new Dewalt/Bosch/Makita combo kit, or a bare tool, or something that doesn’t often go on sale, your best bet for a discount is in May/June or November/December. But there are discounts year-round, just not $X of $Y deals like you can expect during the holiday seasons.
There are year-round promos, but a lot of the time the discounts are good but not extraordinary.
I just checked the tool coupons page at Acme Tools, and here are their current promos:
- 10% off all Freud
- Free Milwaukee M12 speaker, spotlight, or battery with qualifying heated gear purchase
- 2 Free Makita batteries with select 18V kit purchases
- 10% off Bosch lasers and accessories
- Skilsaw tool sale – up to $50 off and free t-shirt
- 15% off all tool belts
- 15% off all tool storage
I also remembering seeing a new Milwaukee M12 promo at Home Depot, where you could get a free M12 heated hoodie with the purchase of select M12 cordless tool kits.
Over at ToolNut, there are other offers, such as:
- Free Milwaukee M12 battery with purchase of select heated gear
- Free Milwaukee m12 flood light, spot light, or speaker with purchase of select heated gear
There are other online dealers, such as ToolBarn, CPO Tools, and industrial suppliers (such as Enco), and of course chains such as Home Depot and Lowes, which all have different promos at different times.
In general, Bosch sometimes drops prices on certain tools, Dewalt sometimes has free bonus tool offers, Milwaukee often has free bonus tool or battery offers, Makita sometimes has free bonus battery offers.
Father’s Day and Winter Holiday promos are sometimes predictable. Next June, there will likely be another round of $20 off $100+ promos, or maybe $50 off $200+ Bosch again.
Certain tools don’t go on sale, such as Estwing framing hammers. To save money on one, you’ll have to wait for a good Enco or Zoro Tools coupon.
Without knowing what types of tools you’re shopping for, I can’t offer much more advice than what’s here.
I buy tools throughout the year. I might wait a few weeks to save $10-25, on tools or supplies I won’t use immediately. And I definitely wait until a holiday season to order quantities of Dewalt or Bosch tool boxes. But is it worth waiting months to save $20 on a pricier tools? Sometimes yes, many times no, depending on the tool and circumstances.
So yes, a lot of great tool sales have just finished up, and you won’t see anything of the like until May or even June. But that’s no reason not to spend money over the next few months.
There are still some deals to be had.
Also, retail stores will typically have more holiday promotions, such as President’s Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day sales.
I plan to follow up this post with a “when’s the best time to buy tools?” post. If anyone has a request, I’ll add it to that post for readers to share their experiences and opinions about.
If anyone feels they have a better answer to Troy’s question, please chime in with a comment!