The Best Cordless Drill Deals for Black Friday 2021

10 Comments

1. Dave P

   Nov 24, 2021

   I have every single Milwaukee item on your list and they have all been great when used in a commercial/professional setting. I wouldn’t use a Craftsman cordless drill if given to me; I’d throw it right in the trash….

   On drill bits- any of your recommendations are fine if someone is drilling plastic or wood or an occasional piece of aluminum. If you’re going to be drilling steel, just pony up and spend some real money and buy a set of GOOD bits like Norseman or similar. In the end you’ll be way ahead, and during that big project you can keep on working rather than stopping and buying more cheapie bits. Pick up some cutting oil/lubricant while you’re at it-my favorite is Mistic Metal Mover and use it when drilling steel with those good bits and you’ll be set for a very long time.

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   • DAVID

     Nov 24, 2021

     In my mind, the Craftsman name is now a misnomer. I think of their stuff primarily as tools for the DIYers. I don’t think many craftsman use Craftsman anymore.

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     • fred

       Nov 24, 2021

       I always thought that other than for its mechanics tools – the brand was always promoted mostly for home (and possibly farm) use. I don’t recall buying any Craftsman tools for our businesses – and I was familiar with our tool purchasing from the 1970’s onward. Maybe if a crew was stuck needing a small tool in the middle of a job – they might have visited a local Sears – but more likely drove to the closest hardware store or lumber yard. That changed when Home Depot appeared on the scene in a big way.

       I do know that the brand sponsored auto racing – and did promote their tools for use by mechanics – but I wonder what their market share was compared to the truck brands like SnapOn. When I became involved with a more industrial business – what I saw in the tool room – was mostly brands like Williams, Martin and Proto – no Craftsman.

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       • MM

         Nov 24, 2021

         Agreed, at least as long as I’ve been familiar with Craftsman. They were a go-to homeowner oriented brand. The tools were sold at Sears department stores which were usually attached to a shopping mall and then later Sears Hardware stores. They advertised heavily in newspaper sale flyers. They didn’t really seem to target the business or industrial customer.

         I’m sure some professionals did use Craftsman but I doubt it was for any sort of serious work. I can only recall purchasing Craftsman tools for work purposes two times. Once I put together a toolkit for PC repair with screwdrivers, nutdrivers, and pliers though I had to source the “mac cracker” and a zip tie gun from elsewhere; the other was a basic mechanic’s set with sockets, wrenches, etc, in a blow-molded case which I wanted to have on hand when taking our lab equipment to trade shows in the event I needed to perform emergency repairs away from the office. Both were light-duty applications that I felt Craftsman was perfectly suited for.

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         • Dave P

           Nov 24, 2021

           I have frequented the shops of Deere, Cat, plus private truck shops for about 50 years now. The mechanics who aren’t indented servants to the tool trucks almost to a man used Craftsman hand tools almost exclusively until Sears cheapened them up.

           Those over 40 or so still have their old Craftsman hand tools in daily use.

           Many, many—probably most— mechanics who started before 1990 or so still have mostly craftsman hand tools if they don’t owe their souls to the SnapOn man…..

           They were definitely used by professionals for decades.

       • DAVID

         Nov 24, 2021

         You’re likely correct here. But, while they may have been sold through a “department store” next to women’s casual wear, they were still good — often American made — tools that offered value and good durability. Not top quality, but not necessarily something to avoid. Since the spin-off and ownership changes, they are now, to me, products being built to a low-value/high-profit price point by the lowest Chinese bidder. I’m just an above average weekend warrior, but I actively avoid Craftsman tools now.

         I know the Craftsman saga has been beaten to death here… Sorry to derail the topic.

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2. Badger 12345

   Nov 24, 2021

   Please allow me to share some observations, from my own experience, that may help new tool buyers who are considering these deals.

   1. There is some advantage to buying a brand that is available at more than one retailer or in other words not a dedicated house brand. Take Dewalt, for example, you can buy a combo kit from Home Depot, a bare tool from OPT, and maybe a spare battery from Acme. This time of the year you can shop around for the best deals such as what Stuart noted and combine them to build out a nice set. You’re not limited to one retailer.

   2. In my experience, paper specs don’t say it all. For example, the Milwaukee M12 3.0 AH compact battery does not perform the same as the M12 3.0 AH full size battery. In my M12 Fuel impact wrench the compact battery will not loosen lug nuts on my Honda, but the full size battery with the same AH rating will zip them right off. That performance difference is not obvious in the marketing materials or packaging.

   3. In the Milwaukee line, there are multiple flavors of 12 and 18 volt products (e.g. brushed, brushless, and Fuel.) In my experience, with practical fastening work (e.g. deck screws, construction screws) that the M12 Fuel is approximately equivalent to the M18 compact brushless (for the drill and impact driver.) During the holidays, they cost the same with promotions. Therefore, size, ergonomics, and compatibility with other tools in your set (now or future) may be a bigger consideration than usable power.

   4. The Milwaukee M18 Fuel drill is a beast compared to all holiday promotion products in terms of raw power. Likewise, the Dewalt Flexvolt high end drill is a beast that will smoke all of these promo deals. However, these really don’t have much for promotions (other than an occasional free tool bundle.) If you’re shopping for maximum power look at these though.

   5. Whether you favor red, yellow, green, blue, orange, or all, cordless power tools are an addition for some. Be careful.

   I’m sure others will have other practical suggestions to offer to new tool buyers.

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   • Stuart

     Nov 24, 2021

     Thank you, these are all some great points!

     I was a Home Depot earlier this month, and a customer picked up the M18 compact brushless kit. His old Craftsman drill finally failed, and he said his spouse sent him to the store and OKed him to get a new one. “I just need a drill, I don’t know anything about these, I haven’t bought a drill in years.”

     He asked the Home Depot associate for a price scan, and then scoffed at the $99 price. He then threw it down and walked away.

     Some users know exactly what they want or need. Others aren’t quite sure, and the same goes for gift-givers.

     I figure that most casual users just need to be pointed in the right general direction, while more seasoned users will know what they’re looking for. In the case of the latter, I hope the organization helps them find what they’re looking for, but most if not all of these drill deals are also neatly organized in my other coverage of brand and retailer deals.

     In other words, it pained me to only touch the surface about all these cordless drill kit options, but I had reasons for the simplicity of the post and recommendations.

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     • Dave P

       Nov 25, 2021

       The day I need ok from my spouse to buy something in a Home Depot will NEVER come. The day my spouse needs OK from me to buy something in a store will NEVER come.

       I don’t treat her like a child, nor her, me.

       We are adults.

       Reply

3. Joellikestools

   Nov 24, 2021

   I like the format of this post concise, honest and great deals. There are some great drill offerings this year.

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