Today is Day 2 of Amazon’s October 2023 Prime Big Deal Days sales event, which has turned into a “like Black Friday but not really” industry-wide promo period.
In my roundups (I’ll link to them at the end of the post), I shared all of the tool deals I’d consider and thought readers would be interested in.
Here’s what I’d buy again, in an instant. Consider this a list of the top 5 editor’s choice tool deals.
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Metabo HPT 18V Cordless Triple Hammer BOLT Impact Driver Kit WH18DC
The Metabo HPT Triple Hammer impact driver is by far my favorite 18V-class impact. The BOLT is the newest iteration.
With today’s deal, the 2-battery kit is $129 and also eligible for added 15% off $149+ savings. So, pick out something else for $20 or more, and the itemized price of this kit drops down to $109.65, which is fantastic considering it comes with not one but two 2.0Ah batteries.
Amazon’s 15% off $149+ promo is unusual in how it’s not limited to Metabo HPT products. There’s a Dewalt impact screwdriver bit set, Streamlight USB rechargeable flashlights, Dremel accessories, Bosch impact bits, Dewalt tool boxes, and all kinds of other products eligible for the promo.
Bosch 1617EVSPK Wood Router Tool Combo
Despite being an older design – this same router was on my shopping list at least 16 years ago – Bosch’s 1617 series router is a fantastic and reliable performer.
The price is very good right now.
It seems that Amazon sold out of the router combo kit, but Acme Tools has it for the same price. Ground shipping is a flat $6.49 or free with a $199+ order.
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Dewalt 20V Max XR Oscillating Multi-Tool Kit DCS356C1
This kit comes with Dewalt’s flagship 3-speed and variable speed trigger oscillating multi-tool, a small selection of starter tools, a charger, and compact battery.
It’s a great starter kit for anyone looking to buy a premium OMT on a budget. In my opinion, this is always the best OMT kit promo at the $99 budget.
If you want a kit with more accessories and a higher capacity battery, keep an eye on the DCS356D1 kit which has the same tool. That kit configuration was on sale last month.
rOtring 600 0.7mm Mechanical Pencil in Silver
The rOtring 600 is a fine writing instrument. If you’re a mechanical pencil fan, you might want to give this one a try. I did, and it’s one of my favorites.
I prefer the 0.5mm pencil – which I last posted about here. It was also on sale, but sold out. Thicker pencil leads are more resistant to breakage.
Want something less expensive or more pocket friendly? Try the Pentel GraphGear 1000 for less than $9.
Need a pen instead? The Parker Jotter in stainless steel is also on sale, for $10.12.
Fluke ST120+ GFCI Socket Tester
Is your outlet working? Wired correctly? Is the GFCI functioning properly? An outlet tester can help answer a lot of these types of questions.
Fluke is a top-tier brand in the electrical test and measurement industry. This is a good tester at the lowest price I’ve ever seen it. I bought mine in July for ~$11 when it was on sale for Prime Day.
Update: the price has started to fluctuate between ~$9.50 and $11.50. It’s regularly $15-16.
Need a voltage tester too? Amazon has a Fluke on sale for $23.99. The always-on model is also on sale, for $32.29.
More Prime Day Tool Deals
Best October Prime Day Tool Deals 2023
Prime Day Tool Deals on Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, Ryobi, More (10/10/23)
New Milwaukee Tool Deals – 20% off Select Tools (10/11/23)
More Dewalt Tool Deals & What Readers are Buying (10/11/23)
Tim B.
Ugh… You had to show me that the Rotring 600 is on sale…..
Stuart
If you’re on the fence, skip it and wait for the next promo. Amazon has put it on sale in December in the past, but the promos can be difficult to catch, and sometimes they’re limited to a particular lead size or color.
hmm. I’m not sure if this helps or makes things worse.
Koko The Talking Ape
I used to use these as for actual drafting, on actual paper. Since nobody does that anymore, I usually steer people away from these pencils. Why? Because they are fragile. The exposed lead sleeve which lets them follow straightedges so well also can bend easily, ruining the pencil. It can also poke into your thigh if you try to carry the pencil in your pocket. And the pencil is too heavy (IMO) for ordinary writing.
Instead, I’d suggest the Rotring 800. It has a clever mechanism where the lead sleeve and its support retract entirely into the pencil body, where it is protected from you and you are protected from it. And it’s just as good for drafting as the 600. The downside is that it’s more expensive. But right now it’s 30% off.
https://www.amazon.com/rOtring-Retractable-Mechanical-Pencil-1904447/dp/B00AZWNS84/
Robert
Kook, wow. $50. What’s your experience on the longevity of the overall Rotring?
Aram
Mine broke internally within two months of buying it; the internal tube had a spiral fracture. Never dropped it on the floor, always kept it safely on a shelf except when in use.
However, I was able to have it repaired under warranty (keep your proof of purchase!!), so I’m still using it and the replacement hasn’t fractured (yet) after six months, so maybe my first one was a lemon?
Koko The Talking Ape
Rotring has been around for decades and generally has a strong reputation for quality, but I can’t say much about this particular pencil. I’ve had mine for only a few years, but so far it’s been great. I would suppose the added mechanical complexity (the retracting sleeve and all) would mean a greater potential for breakdowns, but I haven’t seen any.
Steve L
I have 1, 2, and 3 hp routers. The Bosh, handheld or mounted, is what I use the most
fred
I have this Bosch mounted in my router table lift. I had heard that some folks find that it’s on/off switch can fail because of dust infiltration – but mine is always in the on position since I use an auxiliary switch to power it up. In the 23 years that I’ve been using it – I’ve had nary a hiccup.
MoogleMan3
Same here Fred. I love that router. Probably the smoothest running router I’ve used.
Stuart
I have a Bosch-made Craftsman Pro in my router table, and after way too long I bought this Bosch for handheld use.
fred
I have quite a stable of routers to choose from. When I’m working tasks that are amenable to handheld routing, I will often mount different bits in my routers (or laminate trimmers.) I do the same with drills/drill bits to save time and improve workflow. My favorite corded router is still an old Porter Cable 690 with a D-Handle. For hogging out dados, deck trimming or other heavy-duty tasks – I’m still using a PC 7539. At the other end of the spectrum, I use a Bosch 12V cordless (GKF12V-25N) for inlay work.
Tim
The triple hammer also gets you a free 3ah battery through their rebate promotion.
itsgalf
Yes. I was just about to comment this as well. Tempting, but I really don’t need another impact driver. But for anyone in the market the triple hammer kit along with the free battery promo is a solid choice.
MoogleMan3
That’s a great price on that router kit and I couldn’t resist the deal on the fluke tester.
MT
Had that Bosch router combo in my cart for a while. The sale price on it and the $38 coupon on the RA1181 router table made finally ordering both a no-brainer.
Chris I
$28…..for a pencil?
Come on now. Aren’t carpenter pencils like $.08?
(**And why don’t I get notify follow-up emails when I check the box?!?)
Stuart
It’s not $28.
I’m still working on getting to the bottom of that.
The service provider removed visibility to the comment subscriber list, and when I asked why they kept pointing me to answers to a different question. But at that time it was working because nobody suggested otherwise.
When I removed the option, a few people complained and said they were still using it.
I opened a ticket and am still trying to determine whether this issue is specific to you (and why?) or if it’s a systematic issue.
If it only affects you, that should be easy to remedy. If it’s a service-wide issue, the service provider will have to fix it. If the service has been halted, there’s nothing I can do, but I don’t see any evidence that this happened.
It’s not something on my control, nor do I even have visibility anymore, and so all I can do is open a ticket and wait for an answer.
One person asked about this a few months ago but never followed up and didn’t answer my questions.
Chris I
OK fine, $27.58. At least that’s what it shows me when I click on your blue button for it.
Cool thanks!! I can send screenshots of anything if needed. It saves my name and email address and both boxes are checked. I’d love for that to work because I know sometimes I dialogue with another poster and ask a ? but then forget to go back and see if they replied.
Stuart
I still see it’s available for $20.92; I’m not sure why it’s showing you a much higher price while the sale is still ongoing.
Can you tell approximately when the comment subscriptions stopped working for you?
Chris I
Subs have never worked for me AFAIK. Is there a site setting or a Gmail setting I need to look into?
Nate
Amazon’s dynamic pricing? They are notorious for adjusting pricing based on your identity, demographic, location, and the time of day.
Stuart
@Nate
Not anymore. On rare occasion I’ve seen coupons that display for some but not others.
For everything else, aside from Prime-only pricing, everyone should the same price no matter who or where they are.
The same isn’t true for retail stores that often show location-based store pricing.
Amazon DOES have a very active pricing algorithm that tweaks a lot of prices constantly, especially for slow-selling items. But it has to do that in a universal sense.
Sometimes they’ll show different listings for whatever reasons, but the price at any particular seller is always the same.
Business pricing is another exception to this, where they sometimes have special pricing or quantity discounts.
I greatly dislike mentioning prices with Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday deals, as they’ll play around with the price unless it’s a fixed-price promotion, and it’s a huge hassle to constantly update or correct for it.
jake
It is interesting that different people see different pricing. I see $27.58 as well
MM
I just checked and it shows 27.58 for me, on a browser where I am logged in as a Prime member. It claims to be on sale for 43% off.
Stuart
@MM
The deal/sales event ended last night.
jake
@Stuart and @Chris I, I just noticed that the price is different if I open the link in a browser compared to opening with the Amazon app. I am not currently subscribed to Prime and wonder if they hide the Prime savings in the app if your are not subscribed. Curious…
Stuart
I checked it via private browser tab as well.
If not the app, maybe different regions see listings with faster shipping times? That usually doesn’t happen though.
I don’t have the app and can’t test that. I see the same deal price on mobile though.
Sometimes I will notice pages loading the wrong default seller listing, and I have to manually add different code to force the page to show Amazon as the seller.
There’s no reason for Amazon to show a higher pricing though, when they still have the deal active and in stock.
Robert
I’ve read theories that Amazon’s algorithm’s will price differently depending on where your IP shows you living, and supposedly on your buying history. But I have no idea if that is true, and even less ideas how to prove the theory. It may just be anti-Amazon agitating.
Brick and mortar stores are certainly allowed to charge differently at different locations.
Stuart
They used to offer “gold box deals” based on the user, but that hasn’t been true for a very long time.
In recent memory, the price from any particular seller for a product is the price.
Chris I
Got it, yeah possible. I’m not Prime and I was using my Chrome phone browser.
Stuart
That should still have worked – I checked it via chrome incongnito tab. Maybe it was different because you are signed in and not Prime?
Koko The Talking Ape
The right tool for the job. This $20-28 pencil is designed for a job you don’t have, apparently. It’s designed for scale drawings where accuracy matters. Carpenter pencils are not.
And for drafting, that pencil is expensive but not exorbitant. Years ago, I spent $200 for a set of three ruby-tipped (!) drafting pens. And that was a bargain, because I knew they would last for decades. Who know that computers would eliminate the need for drafting!
So nowadays people buy these drafting pencils just to have a neat (heavy, fragile) writing or drawing implement. IMO it’s too heavy for writing, not having been designed for that. But hey, it’s still cool.
JR Ramos
God knows where it ended up but I had I think that exact same Rotring…ended up replacing with with this Staedtler model and actually like it more than the Rotring. I got the larger 2mm version later – very nice and one of the few 2mm I could find with an actual lead advance rather than the “slip clutch” retention. Half the price or less, too, and the knurling and general build quality is excellent. Cap indicates lead size (handy for draftsmen with a lot of pencils in reach I suppose) and the rotating lead grade ring. Made in Japan. The Uni field pencils are great, too, and usually cheap.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BIEZ54/
Koko The Talking Ape
I got the same Staedler in silver, and like it a lot. I use it to jot down ideas or thoughts I have in bed. I wanted something that would be always ready to write, but wouldn’t stain my sheets or mattress. Hence a sturdy 2mm pencil.
For actual writing and making design drawings, I usually use Pentel Twist-erase GTs. They work fine, they have big erasers, and they’re cheap, so I don’t cry when I lose them. The lead sleeve retracts so I can carry them in my pocket.
Jack D
That is a sweet pencil. In my illustration days, I used a couple of Charvoz 38-0022, and while they had the clutch mechanism, they are still my go-tos. I love the idea of a mechanical lead advance, so someone’s stocking may be happy this year …thanks for sharing!
Koko The Talking Ape
I have that DeWalt OMT from a previous deal, and let me just say, it is powerful and smooth. I love it.