What is worth buying on Black Friday
Eight picks across the categories below, from budget to premium. Each name links to Amazon, where you can see the current price.
- Budget: PULITUO 20V Cordless Drill/Driver, 2 Batteries, a first drill with two batteries.
- Budget: Skil 13-Amp 7-1/4 in Circular Saw, a starter circular saw.
- Mid-range: CRAFTSMAN 20V MAX Impact Driver Kit, an impact driver for long screws.
- Mid-range: Metabo HPT 10-Inch Compound Miter Saw, a value miter saw for trim and decking.
- Mid-range: Bosch ROS20VSC Random Orbital Sander, the sander most refinishing jobs need.
- Premium: DEWALT 20V MAX 6-Tool Cordless Combo Kit, a cordless combo kit that sets your battery platform.
- Premium: DEWALT 10-Inch Jobsite Table Saw with Rolling Stand, a jobsite table saw with a rolling stand.
- Premium: Graco Magnum X5 Airless Paint Sprayer, an airless sprayer for whole-house painting.
Black Friday cordless drill and combo kit deals
Cordless drills and combo kits are the category sale shoppers start with. The battery and charger are the expensive part of any cordless tool, so the real decision is which battery platform you want to live with for the next decade. A single drill is enough for shelves and furniture, and a combo kit adds the impact driver and saw that a deck, fence or shed build needs.
The PULITUO drill is the budget start, the CRAFTSMAN impact driver is the first upgrade, and the DEWALT 6-tool combo kit is the platform buy. See the DEWALT combo kit review and the DIY starter pack for the order to buy in.
Drills and combo kits worth watching
Budget: Under $1,000
A drill, impact driver, saw and more on one battery platform. Combo kits are where cordless sale shopping usually starts, because the batteries and charger are the expensive part.
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Budget: Under $100
Drives long deck and structural screws that stall a plain drill.
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Budget: Under $100
A well-known entry kit that bundles a drill with a bit and socket set.
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Budget: Under $50
A low-cost first drill with two batteries, enough for shelves, furniture and small repairs.
Check priceBlack Friday saw deals: circular, miter and table saws
Saws are the big-ticket tools of a first real build, and the ones where a deal is most noticeable. A circular saw handles framing and plywood, a miter saw makes accurate repeat cuts for trim and decking, and a table saw rips long boards and sheet goods. Decide which cut you make most before you decide which saw to watch.
The Skil circular saw is the starter, the Metabo HPT miter saw is the value miter saw, and the DEWALT jobsite table saw is the premium choice. Read the DEWALT table saw review, the DEWALT miter saw review and the table saw and miter saw buying guide.
Saws worth watching
Budget: Under $50
Straight cuts in framing lumber, plywood and deck boards at a starter price.
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Budget: Under $250
Accurate repeat cuts for trim, flooring and framing without the cost of a sliding saw.
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Budget: Under $1,000
A 15 amp jobsite saw with a rolling stand, the usual choice for ripping deck boards and sheet goods.
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A plunge-cut track saw for straight, clean cuts in sheet goods.
Check priceBlack Friday sander, paint sprayer and pressure washer deals
Finishing tools are where DIY projects save the most labor. A random orbital sander is the one almost every refinishing job needs, an airless sprayer turns a week of painting into a weekend, and an electric pressure washer cleans a deck or siding before you stain it. These are also tools you may only use a few times a year, so check whether renting makes more sense.
Compare the Bosch ROS20VSC sander, the Graco Magnum X5, the Westinghouse pressure washer and the WEN drywall sander. See the Graco Magnum X5 review, the Westinghouse pressure washer review and the WEN drywall sander review.
Finishing tools worth watching
Budget: Under $100
A 5 inch variable speed random orbit sander, the finishing tool most refinishing and trim projects need.
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Budget: Under $500
An airless sprayer for interior and exterior painting that saves days on a whole-house job.
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Budget: Under $250
An electric pressure washer for decks, siding and driveways, with no gas engine to maintain.
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Budget: Under $250
A drywall sander with a dust hose for finishing walls after patching or a remodel.
Check priceBlack Friday air compressor and shop vacuum deals
A quiet compressor runs nailers, inflators and spray guns, and it is the shop tool people regret buying too small. Dust control matters more than most beginners expect: a HEPA dust extractor catches the fine dust that sanding and cutting throw, which an ordinary shop vacuum recirculates. Size both to the tools you already own.
The California Air Tools 20 gallon compressor is the quiet option, and the DEWALT DWV010 dust extractor is the indoor sanding choice. Read the DEWALT dust extractor review and the garage workshop setup cost guide.
Compressors and dust control worth watching
Budget: Under $500
An oil-free quiet compressor, the kind you can run in an attached garage without hearing protection.
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Budget: Under $500
A HEPA dust extractor for sanding and cutting indoors, which a household shop vac cannot filter as well.
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Budget: Under $500
A wall-mount dust collector for a small workshop.
Check priceBlack Friday tool set, ladder and measuring deals
The small tools are the ones you use on every job, and they rarely cost much even at full price. A mechanics set covers anything bolted together, a stud finder and a level keep installs accurate, and a good step ladder is a safety item as much as a tool. A multimeter is worth owning for any fixture or outlet swap, with the power off at the breaker first.
Start from the DEWALT 108-piece set, the KINGRACK step ladder, the KAIWEETS multimeter and the DEWALT stud finder. The free beginner DIY tool kit lists the starter eight.
Hand tools and measuring worth watching
Budget: Under $100
Sockets, ratchets and wrenches for anything bolted together, in one case.
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Budget: Under $100
A lightweight step ladder for ceilings, lighting and upper cabinets.
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Budget: Under $50
Checks voltage and continuity before you touch a fixture or an outlet. Turn the power off at the breaker first.
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Budget: Under $25
Finds framing before you hang anything heavy or open a wall.
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Budget: Under $25
Checks that shelves, fixtures and trim sit level.
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Budget: Under $50
Holds work steady for accurate, safer cuts and glue-ups.
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Budget: Under $50
Carries the kit to the job so nothing is left behind.
Check priceIs Black Friday a good time to buy power tools?
It can be. Cordless kits, saws and compressors are the kind of big-ticket tools sale shoppers tend to watch, and last year's models are where deals most often show up. The tool is only part of the project, though. Before you buy, price the job both ways: use the cost calculators to see what a contractor would charge, then compare that with the tool, materials and your own time. The garage workshop setup cost guide and the DIY starter pack help you sequence the purchases.
Shop Amazon's Black Friday deals
Amazon's deals page shows what is live right now. These searches jump straight to each category:
