Black Friday 2026 cordless tool deals: how to judge them

Deal shape 1: a kit at a cut price

The most common holiday offer: a tool kit (tool, one or two batteries, charger, bag or case) at a lower price. The model number tells you what is inside. DEWALT kit suffixes such as P1, P2, D2 and E2 mean specific battery counts and sizes; Milwaukee's -21 and -22 mean one or two batteries. Our model-numbers guide decodes them.

Check: the kit's exact model number on the deal matches the page you read (a DCF845P1 is not a DCF845D1), the battery capacity in the box, and whether the case is a hard case or a bag. Each kit page here lists the maker's own box contents.

• How DEWALT and Milwaukee model numbers work
• Combo kits we cover

Deal shape 2: a free bare tool with a battery starter kit

Both makers run holiday promotions where buying a battery starter kit (batteries plus charger) lets you choose a bare tool at no extra cost. The value of the promo is the standalone price of the bare tool you pick, so the choice matters: a brushless tool from the XR, ATOMIC or FUEL lines is usually worth more than a brushed one.

Check: which starter kit qualifies (the exact model number), which bare tools are on the list, and whether the tool you want is a current model or a superseded one. These are the starter kits we cover; each page shows what is in the box.

• DEWALT DCB205-2CStarter Kit - 2x Batteries, Charger
• DEWALT DCB205CStarter Kit - Battery, Charger
• DEWALT DCBP034CStarter Kit - DCBP034 20V MAX XR Compact Battery, DCB1102 Charger
• DEWALT DCB606CStarter Kit - DCB606 20V/60V MAX FLEXVOLT 6Ah Battery, Charger
• Milwaukee 48-59-1850Starter Kit - M18 REDLITHIUM XC5.0 Extended Capacity Battery Pack [48-11-1850], M18 & M12 Multi-Voltage Charger [48-59-1812]
• Milwaukee 48-59-1881Starter Kit
• Milwaukee 48-59-2420Starter Kit - M12 Lithium-ion Battery Charger [48-59-2401], M12 REDLITHIUM CP2.0 Battery [48-11-2420]

Deal shape 3: a bare tool price drop

Bare tools (DEWALT model numbers ending in B, Milwaukee ending in -20) come with no battery and no charger. A bare-tool deal is only a deal if you already own that battery system, or you add the battery and charger cost. Every bare-tool page here says what is missing and links to the matching batteries and chargers; once retailer price feeds are live, the page adds the kit-versus-bare arithmetic in dollars.

Watch for superseded models sold as bargains: the maker's page sometimes names the replacement. Our pages carry that notice when the maker publishes one.

• Milwaukee 2853-20Bare Tool - discontinued by Milwaukee, 2953-20 named as the replacement
• Milwaukee 2732-20Bare Tool - discontinued by Milwaukee

• Batteries and chargers we cover

The five-second check before you pay

• Exact model number on the offer equals the model number on the page you read.
• Line name on the tool: XR, ATOMIC, FUEL or Compact Brushless tells you which generation and motor you are getting.
• Battery count and capacity in the box (for kits), or none at all (bare tools).
• Case, bag or nothing: the box list says which.
• Authorized dealer: makers publish their warranty terms; marketplace sellers vary, so check the seller.

Live offers

We show a price only from a permitted retailer feed and only while it is fresh; until our retailer feeds are approved, every model page's button opens the retailer's current listing or model search, and this page will list live Black Friday offers on the models we cover as soon as the feeds are in.

• Buying for someone else? Start with their battery
• Compare any two models