Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year in the United States. But not all Black Friday deals are what they first appear to be. That’s true in the case of tools. But if you know what you’re getting, they can still be fine for what they are. It’s not necessarily a case of whether Black Friday tools are any good, but rather, if they are suitable for your intended use case.
Building to a price point
The first thing to keep in mind about Black Friday doorbusters is that they tend to be built to a price point, especially if the quantities aren’t especially limited.
A cynical take on quality is to say that you can buy professional grade, prosumer grade, consumer grade, or Black Friday grade.
An example from 2023
Here’s an example from my own experience. Every couple of years, I wished I had a cordless circular saw. But I’ve always been able to get by with the corded saw I’ve had since 2002, and the cheapest cordless circular saw I could find that uses the battery system the rest of my power tools use cost $80.
Then, on Black Friday 2023, I spied a combo deal. The combo deal featured a circular saw, a drill, a work light, two batteries, and a charger for $79. The packaging proclaimed it as a $300 value.
I bought one. I figured having a work light that used the same battery system as my power tools and yard tools would be useful, not just to get extra light when I’m working on a project, but also during power outages. The work light retails for $29. So if either the drill or the saw met expectations, it was a fair deal at $79.
The saw and the drill aren’t models that they sell the rest of the year, at least not in the United States. The drill wasn’t good for drilling, only driving in screws. I can see why they don’t sell it the rest of the year. The saw was fine for cutting some random whitewood I had laying around, even boards the drill couldn’t drill holes in.
I’m not mad. The tools in the set will do what I bought them to do. But if I’d bought them expecting the $129 drill and the $129 circular saw in the box, I’d be upset. Rather than being an incredible value, it’s a fair deal on lower-grade tools they don’t sell the rest of the year, much like a Black Friday TV.
An example of a better deal
On the other hand, about five years ago I noticed Home Depot had a Ryobi drill on sale for $50. It was about a $10 discount off its regular price, and it had reasonable reviews. I got one, and I still use that drill today. And they still put a similar drill on sale for that price just about every year. It doesn’t have the power of a Milwaukee or a DeWalt drill, but it does what I need it to do. The $99 DeWalt drill on sale next to it probably isn’t twice as powerful. The $99 DeWalt drill also isn’t equivalent in power to the $299 DeWalt drill that isn’t on sale.
When you see a special price on tools for Black Friday, I recommend looking at the model number, then check online to see if it’s available in stores and read some reviews to see what people are saying about it. If the consensus is it’s a good tool, go ahead and get it. If you can’t get any online reviews, it’s very likely you’re looking at something built to a price point for Black Friday, and it’s Black Friday-grade stuff.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.