It seems that something weird is happening at Home Depot with Dewalt Atomic series cordless power tools.
Every so often I get emails from readers who are concerned about Dewalt being booted from Home Depot shelves. I usually assure them that this isn’t happening and that what they’re seeing are just seasonal promotional resets.
Well, this time it’s me who is raising an eyebrow.
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Home Depot has thousands of this Dewalt Atomic 20V Max cordless drill and impact driver combo kit in stock, with 34 units at my local store. It’s advertised as part of their “4th of July savings” event, although the current price of $249 is anything but a good bargain.
I visited my local Home Depot store, and I found the combo kit in a locked endcap cage, on the floor.
There’s plenty of space for a floor display. It’s not even at eye level. It’s on the literal floor where no one will see it, not that anyone should be buying this set at its current price.
Today, as part of their tool deals of the day, Home Depot has a very different Dewalt 20V Max cordless power tool combo kit on sale.
This other Dewalt combo kit features an old model brushless hammer drill, old model brushless impact driver, 2x PowerStack batteries, charger, and tool bag for $169.
Lowe’s has similar pricing on a different Dewalt 20V Max brushless combo kit, and it features a newer brushless drill/driver (non-hammer), newer brushless impact driver, 2x 2Ah batteries, charger, and tool bag.
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I found it strange that Home Depot hasn’t had promotional pricing on the newest Dewalt Atomic series cordless drill the entire spring, and has instead been selling this kit with a 13 year old brushed motor model.
Home Depot has their Dewalt Atomic series impact driver kit for $179.
Meanwhile, you can find Dewalt impact driver kits for $99 at various retailers, including this same one.
Lowe’s has a kit with the Dewalt DCF840 impact driver priced at $99, which is usual for this seasonal “special buy” kit.
It’s very strange for Home Depot to not be matching a Lowe’s Dewalt cordless power tool promo with special buy pricing on their own Atomic series kit.
We can’t even say that it’s not in stock, as Home Depot reports having over 2,000 online and 7 at my local store. Maybe I missed it at my store, and it’s at a different floor-level endcap.
But then for today’s deal of the day, they have this Dewalt DCF787 cordless impact driver kit, which features a PowerStack battery.
Why are they featuring a kit with this 9 year old non-XR and non-Atomic impact driver rather than the many Dewalt Atomic series impact driver kits they already have in stock?
Dewalt removed Atomic Compact Series branding from their hand tools at Home Depot and elsewhere. (See Dewalt Pulls Atomic Branding from Home Depot Hand Tools.)
There’s no indication that what’s happening at Home Depot is related.
But there’s definitely something weird going on at Home Depot, or maybe between Home Depot and Dewalt.
I didn’t see any Dewalt 20V Max or Atomic series cordless power tool promotions at Home Depot stores throughout the spring deal seasons – not for Memorial Day, not for Father’s Day, and not now as part of the retailer’s July 4th savings event.
Home Depot has the tools in stock at their stores and online.
Dewalt Atomic Drill Kit ($179) – 7 each at my local store, over 2400 online
Dewalt Atomic Impact Driver Kit ($179) – 9 at my local store, over 2000 online
Dewalt Atomic Combo Kit ($249) – 34 at my local store, over 4300 online
The standalone kits are typically $99 – and you can find them at that price at other retailers right now. The combo kit is typically $149 – such as last winter holiday season – and was $169 for a short stretch recently online.
Acme Tools has the Atomic series combo kit for $169 right now, and the same is true at some other retailers such as Ace Hardware and Northern Tool.
It seems to me that Home Depot is deliberately not selling these Atomic series cordless power tool kits, or that they have specific reasons for avoiding what has until now been very consistent deal pricing.
Home Depot used to have floor displays for Dewalt Atomic series tools. Shown here is their setup from mid-June 2021, with additional Atomic standalone kits at the side.
And now, this “Home Depot exclusive” combo kit is priced at “we don’t really want to sell this to you” levels even though it’s discounted as usual elsewhere.
This is all very irregular. Something weird is going on.
It’s not just that Home Depot isn’t featuring or discounting Dewalt Atomic series cordless power tools as they usually do, but that they’re also promoting other kits in the meantime, at least online.
They do have the Atomic series tool kits in stock, with inventory numbers confirming in-store and online availability.
I cannot imagine Home Depot is happy to see much better pricing at Lowe’s stores and online.
There are no reassurances this time, I am convinced something is amiss. The only question is why, and whether it’s temporary.
The quick answer would be “tariffs,” but it seems – as per the inventory counts – that Home Depot has the tools on-hand. From what I’ve seen, the uncertain tariffs situation has led to higher prices or inventory shortages due to orders and shipments being halted.
That also wouldn’t explain the changes we’ve seen to Atomic series hand tools, which could be unrelated to what’s going on with Home Depot and the Atomic series 20V Max product family.
Dewalt has also moved their XTREME branding beyond the perpetually paused 12V Max line and into 20V Max for select tools sold at other retailers.
Are big changes coming to the Atomic 20V Max line?
Home Depot would not let Lowe’s Dewalt cordless power deals and promos go unmatched without good reason.
Perhaps Home Depot is hoarding inventory for the holiday 2025 deals season. This seems to be the best-case-scenario type of answer for what we’re seeing here, although I’m not sure if that makes sense.
Maybe there are other reasons that will become apparent over time. The only thing certain to me is that it’s not “business as usual” for Home Depot’s Dewalt Atomic series offerings right now.
Robert
The holiday 2025 deals season seems too far away to save inventory to support that. Plus, wouldn’t SBD be glad to ship additional stock to make profit then?
But I can’t think of an alternate conspiracy theory to account for all this.
Jared
Could it be part of negotiations between SBD and Home Depot? Perhaps Home Depot demonstrating they might cool sales of Dewalt tools, or could even lose them entirely, if SBD doesn’t give them good terms?
Also, combining next-gen batteries with last-gen tools seems like a weird combination to me. You could just start out with a higher-power tool instead of boosting an old one with high-output batteries.
Stuart
The average buyer is unlikely to know the difference between DCF787, DCF850, DCF809, DCF860, and DVF845, and so forth, but they might recognize the XR PowerStack battery.
Sales rep
Long story short, there is nothing nefarious going on. The Atomic is simply not on promo. There are other reasons for many things on this topic but nothing to be concerned about
Stuart
Isn’t that what corporate would tell sales reps to say, regardless?
These Atomic kits, and their predecessors, have been seasonal promos for the past 6 years since the label debuted at Home Depot.
That they’re taking a break is unusual and noteworthy.
Hon Cho
I think the sales reps are often clueless about anything other than the current promotions and sometimes not even that. Home Depot and other big retailers have plenty of data to share (or not share) with their suppliers. I suspect timing of promotions is data driven when the promotions will have the most impact. Yes, Independence Day sales events exist but I’ll give Home Depot and SBD the benefit of knowing what is best for them to maximize their sales with the products they have available to sell.
Stuart
They skipped Fathers Day, which is not an insignificant time of year for high volume cordless power tool sales, especially drills and drivers.
It’s like a pizza and wings shop taking a vacation on Super Bowl Sunday.
John Morris
Could they be holding on to the cheap stock they have so they can offer lower pricing against Amazon during prime days coming up?
Stuart
Home Depot tends to do “Prime Day” with online-only tool deals of the day.
Jason
New CEO got announced maybe he knows
eddiesky
OT: So my Atomic driver is a 12V (sad). And I’m worried I will need to scoop up a few 12V batteries to hold on to (rotate in for my older ones).
When I visit Dewalt’s site looking for a replacement model driver (none compare to the lightweight DCF601) and could only find the multihead non-included battery version DCD803(B).
I’d like to see a kit with (1) multihead driver, (1) 1/2″ brushless drill/hammerdrill, (1)impact driver, (2) batteries in a low Ah and high Ah rating, even flexpack, charger, and Tough System case like the Deep Pro organizer or Small toolbox for all the above.
Also, anyone else see how s l o w Dewalt’s website loads? My work is on 10Gb pipe and I find the Dewalt site slow.
Note: DCD806B is a 1/2″ drill/hammerdrill brushless with antirotation tech. Is this why it no longer includes a side handle for two-handed use when using an auger or hammerdrill masonary bit?
Matt_T
I wouldn’t worry too much about scooping up 12V batteries. Dewalt will probably continue to make the batteries for a while. IIRC the 18V packs were available for years after the tools were discontinued. Might still be available??
That said if you find some on clearance grab them. Obsolete batteries do tend to be more expensive than current ones.
Stuart
I would assume the same, but I regularly hear from irate Craftsman V60 users who cannot get replacement batteries anywhere.
Jason
As a former 60v Craftsman mower owner I’m glad I sold it
Nathan
Atomic is going away and hd hasn’t figured how to rid of it but they didn’t promo them.
I’ve told people for years to avoid the atomic stuff anyway. Not surprised. Curious what they will do with it
Stuart
Some of the tools are forgettable, most are very good and definitely worth it. “Atomic” is just a label.
eddiesky
I dunno, my Atomic driver weighs absolutely nothing and I can use all day long with assembly, and disassembly. And those vertically challenged and with small grip, these are perfect.
However, at the time, I didn’t know about M12 Milwaukee drivers (those smaller models) that I see more and more on Youtube mechanical vids and likely would switch up to that model. Same with Bosch but I avoid Bosch electronics as … well, I’ve owned and leased German cars and Bosch electronics tend to fail and aren’t cheap (points a shame finger at VW and their coilpack fiasco).
Rog
I have the Atomic driver paired with a 1.7 PS battery for around the house (non-shop things) and its perfect for the job, love it.
Mark S
Im wondering if SBD is going to stop the Atomic line from being an “HD exclusive”, and HD didn’t necessarily want it to be that way….maybe they are purposely not advertising it or doing promos on it just to be spiteful? Maybe SBD doesn’t want them to discount it? This is weird. Wondering if they finally chop the 12V line and move the Atomic stuff to Lowe’s?
You have valid points on all of this!
tjb
Is it possible Home Depot does not like the Atomic line? Are they buying the line from DeWalt per a contractual obligation, then purposefully hampering their sales to try to “prove” to DeWalt that the product line is no good, doesn’t sell well?
I don’t really know why they would do this. Trying to get out of a contract they don’t like? Trying to get DeWalt to reimburse or buy them back? Trying to force a price point change?
It is certainly weird, though – you’re right.
fred
As Oscar Hammerstein I – had the king of Siam say, “it’s a puzzlement”.
Even if their margins on the Atomic Line are not as good as on other products …
Even if their preference is to sell other products …
Maintaining inventory normally comes with carrying charges – so usually you want to move inventory from the warehouse to the customer expeditiously. We are here at the end of the second quarter – would they really be hoarding stock against some sale that may materialize late in Q4?.
Frank D
Living in a quiet rural state, I hate those lock cages with a passion … can’t review the boxes and compare on the spot any more.
Everybody gets treated like a criminal, you have to wait for an assoiciate, point to exactly the box you want to buy, then for simplicity and store efficiency be escorted to the register to buy it right then and there; go put it in your car … then come back for your other shopping. God forbid you want to buy a few locked up items from different aisles.
Jim Felt
Like you said: “criminals”. It’s the world we seem to have fallen into.
The Bell Curve of contemporary “morality”?
Or just a passing thing?
Nathan
But when you buy online they don’t ship them signature on delivery. Why is that?
David
These tools and kits are likely near the top for items most likely to be stolen. It’s definitely inconvenient for the vast majority of shoppers who are not criminals, but I completely understand why they have to do it.
We all pay for stolen products and it’s worth some inconvenience to avoid another reason to raise prices.
Reserve your disdain for the %@$!&# thieves.
Roger
Maybe.. just maybe.. “Atomic” is too close to “Nuclear”???
OldDominionDIYer
In an attempt to prevent price shopping Dewalt offers substantially different yet similar products for Lowes and HD. Strangely other companies do not, it seems unnecessarily complicated and confusing, which does in fact fall in line with how SBD conveys it performance specs differently than the rest of the industry to avoid direct comparisons. I view these wholistically as unscrupulous and underhanded even though technically it is not wrong, it is perhaps morally dishonest. Can’t grasp what is going on with the Atomic line but it would seem something is a miss, time will certainly reveal the truth, looking forward to reading about it Stuart!
Stuart
This has nothing to do about price shopping, it’s about offering exclusives to competing retailers at the same time. They do this with power tool accessories as well.
Home Depot and Lowe’s are huge customers for Stanley Black & Decker. Dewalt is at HD, but Lowe’s has Dewalt, Craftsman, Irwin, and Lenox. Lowe’s wants Dewalt exclusives, so they get some exclusives.
Patrick Johnson
This feels like an effort to get Milwaukee’s Compact and Subcompact SKUs some relief from competition. Home Depots are Red and puke green these days and less teal and yellow. Forget about blue.
Stuart
Explain?
Frankly, I highly doubt Milwaukee’s compact and subcompact SKUs need any “relief from competition.”
HD doesn’t care if you buy red or yellow, as long as you buy something there rather than going to Lowe’s. That’s why this is strange, as it strips Dewalt of a competitive advantage over Lowe’s.
Larry
I read about a month ago they are coming out with a power unit with various heads and the ad showed a plastic storage to hold 4 units for a new 20V series.
Stuart
Yes: https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/dewalt-20v-multi-head-drill-driver-dcd803/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Ray
They are made in China. With everything going on between the US and China… Maybe this is why…
Stuart
No. HD has thousands in stock. Tariffs issues would have resulted in a shortage.
Jon E. Boscariol
It seems like there’s a rift between DeWalt and Home Depot. Home Depot is proving a point by clearing out all of TTI’s inventory versus DeWalt’s. They’re showing them what kind of power the retailer has in their overall sales and Quarter to Quarter earnings.
What I believe Home Depot’s end game might be that they know they sell more of DeWalt’s product than any other retailer so they want better pricing for specials exclusive to them. Since they can’t get the product exclusivity like they have with TTI.
This seems like the most common sense and business sense answer that can be assumed without any further information.
Stuart
Home Depot is the customer, and they have loads of sales data. My thoughts are that Home Depot sees more in-store interest and sales volume in Milwaukee and Ryobi than Dewalt Atomic. There could be incentives that push the floor space preference further towards Milwaukee, Ridgid, Ryobi.
As a major customer for SBD, yes, this could be a leverage or punitive move, or responsive to current market factors and conditions.
There are only a handful of execs at both brands who can explain what we’re seeing and why, and they are unlikely to open up to us about it.
TomD
Sub-brands are also hard, I only really know what Milwaukee “Fuel” is because I’m deep into the Red Army. I don’t know at a glance if “Atomic” is good, bad, value, premium.
Tom Smith
7 tool kit and se evaluation other larger kits were and maybe still are on sale. Js, I’ve got a 500 dollar setup. Came with the packout on rollers too….disappointed it was an atomic series set of tools and am probably returning it….I prefer the more heavy duty xr stuff
Stuart
Those combo kits typically tell you exactly what they come with.
I don’t recall seeing any XR ones – they’re almost always Atomic at Home Depot or non-XR brushless at Lowe’s. Lowe’s doesn’t get ToughSystem, so the Dewalt cordless combos with storage bundles come with tool bags.
Matt_T
Premium kits do exist but I doubt you’d find one in a box store. They’ll be too expensive for the majority of box store customers. They’re mostly available thru’ industrial channels where the buyer ain’t spending their money. DCK694P2 is one Dewalt XR kit I found with a quick search on zoro.