I was just wondering what everybody’s favorite tool buys have been so far for Black Friday or in years past.
I have wanted an M12 Surge for quite awhile now. I ended up buying the M18 this year. It was a great deal and I haven’t seen many Surge deals.
It is my first M18 tool. (I have had M12 for years and used them at my last three jobs.) The collar assembly seems less tight and robust as my M12 tools. The batteries also have a lot more play than expected. The terminals stay connected but there is a good bit of wiggle. I think my Kobalt hammer drill feels a little more snug and finished. I was skeptical I wanted to buy into a new battery pack. After using the surge I was sold on it. Gosh it is quiet and smooth. I have only used it a few times so far but it is sweet. I used it to install some metal drywall anchors and the low speed setting was real handy. What a fun tool.
Last year I got th M12 5 pack for $199 (which is back this year). It has seen daily use at work and the other techs love borrowing the power ratchet.
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My favorite from this year, so far, is the Dewalt Atomic compact 3/8" impact wrench which Home Depot gave a free 5ah battery with. It’s not really the best deal out there, but I didn’t buy all that much this year, and I love the wrench, it is seriously powerful for its size, and a 5ah batt is a nice freebie. There are a number of really good power tool specials out there that I’ve seen, both for Dewalt and Milwaukee, alas I can’t take advantage of them as they are either for tools I don’t need or tools I already have. I could use some more 20V max batteries so a couple of the deals were realllly tempting but I’m holding out until the Power Stacks come out later in the month.
I snapped up the full set of Wera Joker self-setting wrenches today. I haven’t taken delivery yet so I’m not sure I can call them a favorite buy or not, but they’ve been on my wish list for a long time and the pricing is great right now.
DeWalt and Milwaukee had some great deals. I ended up buying thethe 3/8" ratchet and m12 screwdriver tonight. I really wanted to replace my work set and $99 was to good to pass up. There were some Dewalt extreme deals that were pretty sweet. The Wera deals were tempting. I really like my insulated screwdrivers from them.
I forgot to mention the Metabo HPT combo kit with the triple hammer impact driver was an unusually good deal too, though I didn’t buy one as I’m not on that platform.
One thing I’m disappointed with though: last year Home Depot had the Milwaukee Hole Dozer 28-pc hole saw set for 50% off and I missed out on it. I was hoping it would come back on sale this year but it did not, which is a shame since my hole saw assortment really needs freshening up. They did have a fantastic deal on the “Big Hawg” carbide tipped hole saw set, but that’s not so useful for me since I use these in metal quite often, and the low tooth count of the Big Hawg design isn’t suitable for that. They are fantastic in just about any other material though, and that set is a really good price so I might still pick one up, the price is good through tomorrow at midnight.
For me it was the DeWalt cordless trim router, in that deal that gives you a free tool with a purchase of two batteries and charger. Awesome deal!
I read and watched lots of reviews, and it has better torque than the others, so it still cuts fast even with a slightly lower top RPM. It also has a near-instant brake. People liked the bit illumination and the D-shaped base plate. It is fatter than the competition, but that seems warranted given the higher torque, though people with small hands might not enjoy it. There were a few comments about the height adjustment, which relies into a spiral groove machined entirely around the body, so to raise and lower it, you twist a collar with pins that mate with that groove, that rests on the lower assembly. Some people thought it was slower than the rack-and-pinion system that others use, but it’s very solid and accurate. A few people also complained that the lock wasn’t secure, but I have to wonder if they were using it properly. Mine is rock solid. When locked, the collar can’t move more than 1/8 of a turn, probably just taking up lashback in the groove and not actually moving the motor.
Anyway, it’s my first router, and I know people usually recommend something more versatile (like a larger plunge router.) But most of my router use would be rounding over edges or making small joints, so I’m not too worried.
I also picked up that Gorilla work platform for $35. Super handy!
Nice! That Gorilla platform looked neat. I think a cordless trim router is a good buy. I have east access to a nice Bosch corded router but not enough time to play with it at the moment.
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