We see the best cordless drill kit deals during the Holiday shopping, especially right around Black Friday. Cordless drill kits might not be as glamorous as some of the other things you might be buying this time of year, but they make for great gifts and provide for inexpensive entry into pro brands’ cordless power tool platforms.
Many of these cordless drill deals are repeats from last year, but some of them are new and even unprecedented.
For this year’s Black Friday 2016 cordless drills roundup, I’ve focused on 18V-class drills, adding in just one notable 12V-class offering.
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Which of these are the best of the best? Well, that depends on what you’re looking for.
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If I were in the market for a new cordless drill and wanted to maximize the bang for the buck, my money would go towards the Bosch kit. Milwaukee’s kit is also particularly enticing, but I wish the pricing were a little lower.
But if you’re not looking at the cordless platform as a whole, take a serious look at the Metabo 18V model – a personal favorite.
See Also:
Home Depot Holiday 2016 Hand Tool Deals
Home Depot Holiday 2016 Tool Storage Deals
Home Depot Holiday 2016 Cordless Power Tool Promo
More Holiday 2016 Tool Deals
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HD Tool Deals center
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Note: 20V Max and 18V Are the Same Thing
For those of you that might be visiting ToolGuyd for the first time, know this – 20V Max and 18V are the same thing. The “Max” part of 20V Max means that a fully charged and unloaded battery will have a measured output of 0f 20V, but its operating voltage will be 18V just the same.
Also, you’ll see a few brushless drills mentioned. Why go brushless? In a nutshell, greater efficiency, longer runtime. Read More: Brushless Power Tool Motors 101.
Milwaukee M18 2606 Cordless Drill Bundle
I don’t know why, but Milwaukee’s offering for the 2016 holiday season is their M18 2606 drill, plus an LED flashlight, for $119. There’s also a similar impact driver combo kit.
Last year’s offering was just a drill kit, for $99, and it came with a hardshell case. It was a great deal, and I bought one for my dad.
This kit isn’t bad at all, and the price is actually very good when you look at the prices of its components. I’m hoping that the price relaxes a little bit, perhaps to the magic number of $99.
Update: The price has dropped down to $99.
Buy Now(via HD)
Milwaukee M12 Drill/Driver Kit – Compact and Capable
This Milwaukee M12 drill kit is a great way to burst into their excellent compact cordless drill lineup. At $99 it’s not the greatest deal, but there are usually some great added incentives, such as free bonus batteries or a free Bluetooth speaker.
For the best Milwaukee M12 drill, some patience is required.
Buy Now(via HD)
See Also(More M12 Drill Kits)
See Also(M12 Drill and Speaker Bundle)
Dewalt DCD771 – a Basic Brushed Motor Drill
The Dewalt DCD771 is a very popular starter drill kit, and it’s easy to see why. It’s got strong pro-grade branding, and it’s bundled with (2) Li-ion battery packs, albeit low capacity ones.
You can find this deal at nearly every retailer that sells power tools.
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Dewalt DCD777 – Step up to Brushless for Less
Dewalt tried something different for this year – they put together a more compact brushless drill promo kit together, DCD777C2.
At least one retailer will be selling this Dewalt brushless drill kit for $119 as part of their Black Friday 2016 sales. Maybe they all will?
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Buy Now(via Acme)
Makita XPH102 18V Hammer Drill – Entry into a Strong System
This Makita XPH102 18V hammer drill kit looks to be a new offering for the 2016 holiday season. It has decent specs (480 in-lbs max torque), and faster speeds than competing models.
It’s also the only promo drill kit in those roundup to be bundled with a high capacity battery pack. This means that the kit has everything you need to get into Makita’s full 18V lineup. With the other promo drill kits, the bundled compact batteries won’t last long with heavier duty tools, such as a cordless saw.
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Hitachi 18V DS18DGL – Unsightly, But Who Cares?
Hitachi has come out with some stellar 18V drills and drivers in recent years. This model, DS18DGL, has decent specs and is bundled with two battery packs, for just under $100.
I have exhausted my politeness with Hitachi’s older tools. It’s ugly, but so what – I’ve had nothing but stellar experiences with Hitachi cordless power tools.
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Bosch 18V DDB181 – Cheaper Than Ever, Still Decent
When Bosch came out with the DDB181 drill/driver kit, they described it as being as compact as a typical 12V model, and it is.
But in the years since, they’ve proven that the B stands for Basic, as this has been priced at or around $99 every single holiday season.
It’s a capable cordless drill, and every bit as compact as Bosch claims. It’s actually a pleasure to use.
At its current (but probably temporary) price of $92 for the 2-battery kit, this is probably the best deal of the bunch.
If I were just shopping for a nice 18V drill, this one would probably be the winner.
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Metabo 18V LT Quick – Our Favorite Has Dropped in Price
Metabo’s 18V Quick drill driver goes against a lot of what I used to believe. It has a 3/8″ chuck, and I’m okay with that, despite typically only seeing 3/8″ chucks on 12V-class or entry-level 18V models. The chuck on this drill is special too. It removes quickly, to reveal a 1/4″ hex chuck, allowing you quickly swap between drilling and driving with the same tool.
This was my editor’s choice pick in our 2016 Best Cordless Drills roundup.
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Ridgid 18V Brushless – At Crazy Pricing
Ridgid came out with a new 18V Gen5X brushless drill kit, and it’s just… $99. Whoa.
It (model R860053SB) only comes with a single battery pack, but the price point is almost unbelievable. The specs are pretty competitive, too.
Buy Now(via HD)
Ridgid 18V Brushed – Proven and With 2 Batteries
If you don’t quite care about brushless advantages, consider the Ridgid R860052K kit. It features an ordinary drill/driver, but comes with 2 Li-ion battery packs, which you might find more helpful, especially if you plan on buying additional Ridgid power tools, such as a cordless impact driver.
At $99, this is a good deal.
Buy Now(via HD)
Porter Cable 20V Max- 1 Battery But Looooow Price
With this kit you get a very good Porter Cable 20V Max cordless drill, and a single 1.5Ah battery. There’s another version with 2 batteries, but at nearly double the price, and an in-between model that’s bundled with 2 lower capacities. This kit, PCC606LA, with a price of $70, seems to be a good choice for tighter budgets.
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Porter Cable 20V Max Brushless – But the Basic Version
Porter Cable has come out with 2 new brushless drill/drivers – PCCK607LB, and PCC608LB. This model, the later, has slightly lower than competitive specs, in my opinion, but it comes with 2 low capacity battery packs (1.3Ah), and is the only other cordless drill that gives you brushless benefits for under $100.
Buy Now(via Amazon)
DIYer Brands?
It’s not clear which Ryobi or Craftsman cordless drill kits will be on sale this year, but I’ll try to add them in when we hear more. Usually though, Ryobi, Craftsman, and other DIYer brands focus on combo kits, not standalone cordless drill kits.
fred
I would guess that these deals are meant to entice holiday gift shoppers and the folks who are hinting about gifting opportunities or making up their wish lists. That’s not to say that some folks don’t buy Christmas presents for themselves especially if the deals are good or their gift-giver would have it that way.
If the drill kit will be the only cordless tool bought for an occasional do-it-yourselfer then the battery platform might not matter and the Bosch Kit is a good deal. If the gift is meant to be the starting point for someone beginning their collection of cordless tools – then the prospective buyer might want to look at Dewalt, Makita and Milwaukee (or as a Second Tier Metabo, Ridgid, Hitachi and Porter Cable – see what else they have in their lineups at what price-points and then see how that compares to Bosch (here in the USA anyway. )
The manufactures would naturally like it if the purchase of a drill kit – engendered brand/platform loyalty and started the owner down the path of buying more. I’m, therefore, a bit surprise that Metabo has not found a way to offer a drill package closer to the $100 mark – to stimulate greater interest in their brand among first-time buyers.
Stuart
I think the intent for some is to provide a gateway to a brand and their deeper offerings, others are aimed at gift givers.
I don’t think Metabo is interested in competing on the pricing floor.
The big brands could even take a hit on pricing, if it means greater brand awareness and permeating. Metabo might not have the budget to give their tools away like that, or to scale production to lessen the hit.
I kbow with hand tools, a lot of these deals are about brand awareness. Get one tool in someone’s hand, and they might buy more. The same I guess with consumables.
If you ask me, HD has been excelling at Q4 holiday season promode planning. Lowes is trying to get there. Sears has all but given up, but I recently read they’ve been having supplier issues.
firefly
I have the Rigid Gen5 brushless hammer drill and that thing is noticeably louder than my dewalt 20v regular drill even in non hammer mode. There is some metal squeal? It doesn’t sound like it’s broken but it’s noticeably louder. I wonder if anyone else notice the same thing.
Matt
That’s the Bosch drill I have. I bought it for the same reason listed, it’s nice and compact. The feel is excellent and it fits my hand like a glove. I much preferred it to Bosch’s other offerings because of the size and feel. Once you hold this in your hand, the others just seemed to bulky. While I don’t get into the power numbers war, I can say that this has plenty of power for anything I’ve ever needed. Driving in deck screws through 2×6’s into 4×4 beams and even running a hole saw through sheet metal was no problem. That’s plenty for me. The only drill I’ve held that had that compact yet high quality feel about it is the new brushless DeWalt also shown above. It’s Very nice…
I wish Craftsman would do deals with Bosch like they did Skil years back on saws. I’d love a black and red Craftsman version of this drill… Their C3 stuff is too bulky feeling as well.
Cr8on
True Value Hardware is selling the DCD777 $119 for black Friday.
Shah
I have not owned a proper BOSCH brand rotary tool in years.
I have always used “other brands” thinking they must be as good but i was seriously wrong. it comes with some good stuff. I would definitely order from the seller again.
Peter Lindstrom
True Value’s deal on the DCD777C2 is sweetened by the $10 off $75 (online-only) coupon…use code SAVINGS10 at checkout.
Kyle
I scored a deal at HD for a Ridged brushless 18V Gen5 Drill, battery and charger. It was $99 and they were giving a FREE additional 4ah battery with it ($99value). They talked me into signing up for a second HD card and got another $50 off. Ended up paying $50 for the brushless drill with the bonus high cap battery.
Brian
I desperately need to replace my Craftsman NiCad drill and then start building up my tool kit (multi-tool, jig, etc). It’s looking like this or the Milwaukee Drill & Impact Driver combo is the best deal so far?
Stuart
In my opinion, yes.
But keep in mind that Milwaukee cordless tools and batteries will cost considerably more than Craftsman’s. You do get more for your money though.
Kevin
I found the Bosch kit you mentioned at Menards for 79.00 and bought it. I am wondering if I should keep it or buy the Milwaukee drill kit with the light instead.
Stuart
Well do you just want a drill, or might you want to upgrade to more tools in the future?
I’d you’re 50:50, but the Milwaukee kit and then think things over at home. If you’re very careful at opening packages, see which ergonomics you like better. Then return the kit you don’t want, of gift it to someone.
Kevin
I will go to Home Depot and try all of the Black Friday kits. I know they have the 119 Dewalt kit, 99 Dewalt kit, and the 149 Milwaukee kit in stock. They all seem to be pretty good deals and it will be hard to decide. The new 119 brushless Dewalt is interesting but I’m a little leery about the quality since it is so new. Of those kits which is your first pick?