Covering cordless power tools during Black Friday is surprisingly fascinating. Of the Black Friday deals I’ve covered so far this year, both Black Friday cordless drill deals and Black Friday power tool deals have been included included in my retinue, alongside a host of similar articles for our “brother” site The Manual.
There’s one deal bundle among them all, however, that I’ve been utterly fascinated by this whole time. It’s what I’m calling Home Depot’s “build your own” power tool deal. This intriguing offering, which feels under advertised by Home Depot, seemingly inverts what we think of when we think of power tool deals. Instead of feeling stuck buying buying batteries separately — with a drill, with a big bundle, or with the lucky random battery — you’re able (now) to build our deal and get everything you need, at a flat price. This means you can get the exact tool you want, and all the batteries you want with it, for as low as $99. Check it out yourself by tapping the button below, or keep reading to see what makes this deal so unique, how to shop it, and a few suggestions as to what you should buy.
How to shop Home Depot’s Black Friday build your own power tool deal
Shopping Home Depot’s special Black Friday power tool deals is slightly different than what you might expect, so you can follow along from the Home Depot Black Friday tool deals page as you make your purchase.
To get to the tools, you’ll start out by selecting the batteries. If you know what brand you like you can go ahead and choose now. Otherwise, skip down to see what each brand is offering and which we feel are the best choices. Note that the battery itself is listed in big letters, not the brand, so you might feel you’re in the wrong spot. Tap whichever pair of batteries that matches the tool you’ll be getting.
Once you’ve selected an initial battery (brand), you’ll be presented with more choices. We’re talking about the two to four boxes at the top with a solid color background and the mentions of a free tool. You might see different power levels of battery or even batteries with tools, depending on your initial choice. This is where you choose your base package. You’ll be adding your free tool later. This is also your first chance to see the price. As this will be your final price for the purchase (the tool you select later on will add no additional charges) it is also your last time having to think about the price. Take your time to make a selection before going on.
Note that, when we checked, the base packages here tended to be slightly more costly than their equivalent on Amazon right now (for example, Ryobi’s $99 battery package was $79 on Amazon), but the Amazon version does not come with an extra tool at no charge — this is the better deal.
With a base package selected, you’ll be presented with a screen similar to the one above. From here, click the dashed square labelled “FREE” and choose your free tool. Again, you can ignore the price on the tools listed, you’ve already “locked in” your price with the base package. Just choose a tool and purchase. If you know what you’re doing, you can purchase your tool now, otherwise keep on reading for our analysis of what each brand has to offer.
Why is the build your own power tool deal such a big deal?
During every event we cover cordless power tool deals, there are always a host of drill/driver deals (one for each brand) that come with the works. They have a battery, charger, bag, and more. It’s not uncommon knowledge that the most common tool to start with is a drill/driver, they’re pretty accessible tools. These deals, which are always pretty great, are an excellent way to get you hooked to a brand.
And that’s because getting any other tool besides the drill can come with a few hassles built in, as a result of “bare tool” or “tool only” deals. Let’s say you want to get a jigsaw or circular saw. You might be able to find them with the batteries, charger, and the works, but it is less likely (or it will be a part of a huge bundle of 5+ tools). But, since most customers will have already bought a drill/driver, they’ll typically go find a bare tool saw deal from the same company and battery line as the drill they bought. Those that really, really don’t want a drill/driver will have to purchase batteries separately.
As a result, I have the drill/driver deal pegged as a sort of lure to get you into the system. Once you buy your first DeWalt battery, you’ll probably stick with DeWalt, after all. And that’s why Home Depot’s build your own deal system is so special. It’s not that they’ve necessarily done something entirely unique — selling non-drill tools with a battery bundle — but just how easy and accessible they’ve made getting the exact tool you want and not anything else. There’s no search, there’s no hunt, it’s just all there.
The best way to build a Milwaukee power tool deal
The most important thing for you to know, at the get go, is that these deals are on the M18 line. Whereas most power tool providers have just one battery line, Milwaukee has an M18 and M12 line. Next, note that the power tools available are all brushless, at least at this time, making them of superior quality. Of the tools available, the tire inflator is the most popular, but goes on sale often enough to pick it up for an affordable price on Amazon .
Base packages: Milwaukee’s base packages range from $199 to $399, and include some with drills and impact drivers. However, if you’re after this deal to get a particular tool you want, we recommend the leftmost $199 two-battery deal.
Free items available: Tire Inflator, Reciprocating Saw, extra M18 5.0 Ah battery, Rotary Hammer, Jig Saw, Triple-Panel Flood & Area Light, Circular Saw, Leaf Blower, Jobsite Radio, 1/4 in. Hex Impact Driver, Oscillating Multi-Tool, Compact Router, 4-1/2in./5 in. Grinder
The best way to build a Ryobi power tool deal
Ryobi offers the best way to build the most affordable deal at just $99. They’ve got some rarer tool offerings, too, like the corner sander and power scrubber, but none are advertised as brushless.
Base packages: You can get a $99 two battery deal or a $199 two battery with drill and driver deal. This one is really no contest. Just go with the $99 deal and if you want, you can pick up a simple Ryobi 18V drill/driver under $100 on Amazon later.
Free items available: Angle Grinder, Workshop Blower, Oscillating Multi-Tool, Circular Saw, LED Spotlight, Reciprocating Saw, additional 2.0 Ah battery, Corner Cat Finish Sander, Multi-Surface Handheld Vacuum Cleaner, Power Scrubber
The best way to build a DeWalt power tool deal
DeWalt is one of the overall best power tool brands around, and their base packages come with the overall most powerful batteries of the sets available. All of the power tools offered by DeWalt in this sale are brushless at the time of this writing. Of the items available, the best one will always be the one you need, but the drywall cut out tool provides the best value as there are no relevant DeWalt deals on a similar item.
Base packages: You can start with a simple battery and charger collection for just $199, or add more tools to your base kit for $299 or $399. While we recommend the $199 kit to anyone looking for one tool in particular, it is worth noting the $399 package comes with intensely powerful 9.0Ah and 6.0Ah batteries, so feel free to get it if you like those tools.
Free items available: Fixed Base Compact Router, Jigsaw, additional 6.0Ah battery, Small Angle Grinder, 5/8in. SDS Plus Hammer Drill, Sidewinder Style Circular Saw, Reciprocating Saw, Leaf Blower, 3-1/4 in. Planer, Impact Driver, Rotary Drywall Cut-Out Tool, Screw Gun
The best way to build a Makita power tool deal
Makita is a great brand if you are a DIYer, and they have more outdoorsy tools like saws and power shears available. That being said, we mainly recommend Makita if you’re looking for a drive ratchet, as others aren’t offering that at this time. Note that some of Makita’s power tools are labelled as brushless while others are not.
Base packages: You can get just the batteries for $199 or the batteries and drill/drivers for $399. If you go with Makita, we recommend the $199 deal and just getting a tool you want.
Free items available: Sheet Finishing Sander, Leaf Blower, Circular Saw, Square Drive Ratchet, Impact Driver, Angle Grinder with AFT, Jigsaw, Reciprocating Saw, additional 5.0Ah battery, Oscillating Multi-Tool
