Bargain at the Big Orange Box

[Jim W. White]

My HD has their 2 peice 18volt Ridgid kits yellow tagged to $137 (was $249)

Multiple combos: HammerDrill/Circular Saw
HammerDrill/Sawzall
HammerDrill/Jigsaw

I've already blown my Christmas budget, so no gloat here; but I thought I'd pass on the tip.

Jim in Idaho

[Alfred Clem]

To borrow a phrase from Seinfeld, "not that there's anything wrong with that," such a flurry of markdowns can be a signal that there is about to be a flurry of model changes and "improvements." The latter, in many cases, is marketing camouflage for price increases. So, if you need such tools, this may -- or may not -- be a great opportunity.

[Allen Bookout]

There is never anything on sale at my Home Depot. No use in even going down there.

[Dave Lehnert]

Nothing ever had a price on it at my Depot so who knows if it’s on sale or not. They have gotten better.

I purchased a 14.4 volt Ryobi combo from them on Christmas for like $99 Drill and small saw. Right after that they came out with the one plus 18 volt system so now I know why it was such a deal. I know some people think Ryobi is not worth anything but I like the drill so much over my PC I have I will buy another when the time comes. I like the idea they now have with the one plus system buying tools as needed. Also the batteries do not cost an arm and a leg.

[Bob Smalser]

I can't post the link, but I'd be real careful of Big Box power tools.

You'll usually do better buying remanufactured power tools from the local jobber who services the contractors in your area, like DSC Industrial Supply or Tacoma Screw where I live. Remans have the same warranty as new and I've never had a bad one. They are also professional-grade tools.

...some of the tools the big box's sell might "look" like the same model as available elsewhere but the big box's have enough purchasing power to have proprietary specs with the manufacturers. (= cheaper) This jobber is primarily a repair and service center and they KNOW power tools. They said that they are currently seeing a run on repairs from tools bought at HD and Lowes and they claim that these tools are not built the same as tools you would get from elsewhere.

...This is true and I have spoken to a big box manager who did confirm this. Our local hardware guy bought a HD Weber grill with the same model # as what he sells, it did have a subcode. he showed his customers that the $14 difference in price was due to the internals being galvy and his were stainless. Not really any savings when it rots out in two years is it?

Another one I know of personally is ball valves. In 1" the big box is about a buck cheaper than the same at my wholesaler. The customer the big box valve was installed in complained of low flow. Even though the big box called the valve full port the ball used is a 3/4 ball. At my wholesaler A 1" valve still is a 1" valve.

SOOOOOOO true! I got burned myself some time back. I bought a set of fawcets for a bathroom remodel at Home Despot. It was, IIRC, a Delta product. It looked very nice and identical to the apparently same higher priced product at my local "top end" hardware and tool place.... so I grabbed it, thinking I was getting a good deal. When my plumber buddy was by the house sometime later, he asked where I'd gotten the plumbing fixtures. Ooops! THEN, the tells me he could have gotten them for less through his wholesale supplier AND that the Delta fawcets from HD have plastic valves, while the "professional" product that looks the same on the outside are metal.... I wonder if this rises to the level of "false advertising." You think you are buying the quality product, but the company is turning out lower quality products for the big box outlets.

I can't add a whole lot to the above, other than stress DO NOT buy your power tools at the local Borg. Go to a real contractor or industrial supply house. The other advantage, other than in the tool subcode, is you will most likely find knowledgable employees if you have questions regarding tool selection, rather than some teenager who will just give you a blank stare and maybe tell you what this week's special is.

[Matt Drewello]

I've heard this a lot. When I was looking at buying a Honda lawnmower a few years ago I called Honda to ask if there were any differences in the lawnmowers sold at HD vs. what was sold at my local dealer. They said that there were no differences whatsovever. I did buy the lawnmower at the local dealer anyway. Better CS and they made sure it was adjusted properly, and had gas and oil in it before I left. They even went over the entire machine before I left the store and asked if I had any questions.

All I can say is I bought a Makita 14.4v drill from HD a while back. When the gears went bad I opened it up to check it out. All the gears were plastic. I don't know if that is true for all Makitas but I didn't take anymore chances. I try things like plumbing fixtures, and tools from the local specialty store and not the big boxes. I may pay a little more but the better CS is usually worth it.

[Bryan Rocker]

I would have to disagree with the statement that the power tools at HD are poor quality. I picked up a Ridgid 18 V cordless drill set last year for less than $100. This was when a good 18V drill was running $180ish. IMHO it was the on the same level as the Makita in quality. I have really put that drill through its paces. Between working here at home and really giving it a workout doing everything imaginable at my Habitat worksite it has never failed me. The battery charges faster than I can run it out. My side kick at HFH who is a finish carpenter has a Makita with the Lithium ION batteries and the batteries are already not holding a charge as long as they used to. IN comparison, HFH have an 18V Dewalt drill gun and my Ridgid has more power than it does by quite a bit. When it comes to running deck screws my Ridgid is the one sinking the screws, the DeWalt just doesn't have the oomph to do it. As with all things you have to do your homework and ALL companies occasionaly have bad lots of stuff. I would buy another Ridgid gun in a heartbeat.