As a contractor or serious tradesman, one of the most crucial elements to success is to get quality tools (powerful drills, rotary tools & oscillating tools) that are available online in your hands at a good price and in a timely manner. Buying power tools online applies to business owners seeking the best hand tools, power tools, and air tools as well as landscapers & craft project tool users needing hand tools & outdoor tools such as leaf blowers and string trimmers for lawn and garden work. Fabrication shops and welders will be glad to know where to get the best deals on metalworking tools and angle grinders. Electricians, plumbers and other tool buyers who find themselves too busy to look up sometimes will benefit greatly to know where to get the best drill bit or drill bit set to drill holes as well as the best deals on cordless drills for hammer drilling & cordless power tools such as cordless impact drivers with a keyless chuck & brushless motor, driver kits, cordless screwdrivers, lithium-ion batteries & chargers. You’ll want to see pictures & videos as well as all the pertinent specs such as run time, speed setting, what size inch chucks, and what reward cards if any are being offered. 

Not to mention specialty tools like variable speed orbital sanders, belt sanders, circular saws, and tool belts as well as safety equipment. Whether you’re a professional cabinet maker or a guy doing cabinets from his garage it’s always a good idea to know the best sources for top name tool brands as well as discount tools, bare tools, and tool accessories. If you’re looking for the best deal on an air compressor or the latest avid power impact wrench to add to your tool collection. Yes, anything from a sliding miter saw to vacuum cleaners to air conditioners for small home centers can be found online, so why not take the time to educate yourself in this much-needed area of expertise.

We have put together this guide to help you know what to look out for when buying tools online. Knowing what to pay for quality products, tools and equipment not only saves you money but more importantly your precious time which can determine whether your business is successful or not.

Here is what we will cover to help you make the best decision buying tools & power tool accessories online:

1. The Benefits of buying tools online
2. What’s the best place to buy online tools?
3. What is the best time of year to buy power tools?
4. Which power tool brand is the best?

The Benefits of buying power tools online

The world has changed drastically in the last few decades, probably more than any of us ever imagined. Technology has put a lot of brick and mortar tool stores out of business. The certainty of whether or not this a good thing only time will tell. What is certain though is that the demand for tools and Jobsite equipment has never been greater. With over a million commercial projects underway and lots of competition out there, it is imperative for you to know how to shop online to get what you need for your project quickly and at the best price.

Obviously, a key benefit to buying tools online is that it saves you time and is quite easy to do from anywhere you’re at. All you need is a cell phone with the internet to find what you’re after. You can pretty well find anything for the industry online from Klein tools and Milwaukee tools to a sump pump to an air compressor to generator accessories to router accessories. Everything is there! This saves you the time it takes to drive to the local hardware store, park your car, find your item (if it’s in stock), stand in line, save the receipt for accounting purposes, etc. When time is a valuable commodity it just doesn’t make sense to spend it in a way that you don’t have to.

Another important factor to be considered is the fact that with so much competition online for say a lithium-ion cordless drill to a Black & Decker cordless tool it’s pretty easy to discern a good price for the item you’re looking for. Generally speaking, Amazon usually has the cheapest prices and they show up quite often just by typing in the name of the tool you’re looking for. This can be a pretty handy tool to compare prices quickly. There’s even a section at the bottom dedicated to reviews from customers like yourself. Before you buy that pressure washer or cordless impact driver you can read what users have to say about it first.

This can be very beneficial but as with anything opinions may vary. A good rule of thumb is to use common sense when reading the reviews. Does the user know what he’s talking about? Does it seem like a legitimate concern he has about the tool or does it seem like a hasty opinion? Are the praises based on actual use of the product and its functionality? A lot of buyers will give early praise to a product just because he got it quickly and cheaply. This can be fools’ gold for the professional contractor who will need to know that these cordless drills are durable as far as the drills power and that the drill accessories you bought to go with it actually fit and are the best ones out there for the material you’re drilling.

You can ascertain a lot of good information from others experience but it’s always a good idea for you to gather as much info as you can before making your final decision. What matters most is your experience with how that impact wrench feels in your hand and how smooth it takes off those lug nuts. Or how the weight of that nail gun feels after a full day’s use. Most times you’ll already know what it is you’re after but always keep an eye out for new and inventive technology. As stated earlier, there’s a lot of competition out there and all the big companies like Milwaukee, DeWalt, and Makita are working every day to make better more efficient tools and drills & drivers.

What’s the best place to buy online tools?

There’s an old saying that if you ask a thousand people a question, you’ll get a thousand different answers. We’re obviously not going to be stating that many individual answers here nor do we think it would be very helpful to do so. We will, however, try to shine a light on a few types of places that seem to score very well.
With most online shoppers Amazon is the first place that usually comes to mind and with good reason. They are the largest online store in the world and will often have the cheapest price as that is their niche. Saving money is always a good reason to shop somewhere. If you know exactly what it is you’re looking for and an idea of what it costs than Amazon is a good bet. This seems like a no brainer, however, there are a few key points you may want to consider.
First off, you’re going to want to know exactly what it is you’re looking for because there is no customer service to point you in the right direction or answer any questions you may have. You will never speak with anyone at Amazon and there is no number to call. They are so big that they don’t need to care about you or your business and that’s just fine with a lot of consumers. Quick, cheap, computerized, and completely devoid of any human interest and emotion to get between you and your online buy. I mean, after all, this is exactly what Cannibal Capitalism looks like.

Questions to Consider

This brings up some other sticking points in the minds of many online shoppers. What if, you need to return your item? What’s the exact process? How exactly do you go about it? Who do you contact? Do you need to go to the post office, Fed-ex or UPS? Who is paying for the return or the downtime it will cost you? Who do you call if you want to keep the impact drivers you purchased but are a little confused with the functionality of them because the Amazon distributor didn’t include the directions in the mad rush to get it out the door cheaply and super-fast.

What if all you have is a simple question to make sure that this is the best tile blade for that particular cut of old restaurant tile for that big renovation you’re doing. What hand warmers last the longest when you’re using them 10+ hours a day? Exactly which tool bags and belts will hold up to constant abuse day after day, year after year? What kind of heated jackets should you get for your guys to keep them warm during a Wisconsin sub-zero winter? Which hand saws are the most durable and cut the smoothest?

These are all valid questions that you’ll be responsible to find the answers for. Now we’re not discounting the benefits of easy, cheap shopping. For a lot of consumers that are buying a certain exact item, it’s a fast way to do it and that does make sense. All of the online stores that follow that same computerized business model seem to be fairly competitive with each other in regard to price.

When buying tools online there are some other key factors to consider. Obviously, saving money is important but not quite as important as who you’re saving that money with. Does the online vendor have any real interest in earning and retaining your business after the point of that initial sale? Will they have any reason to put in any effort into understanding and anticipating your needs? I think you know the answer to these questions. This brings up the issue of who to deal with that actually has a vested interest in making sure that you are well informed, get exactly what you want, and are happy with your purchase. You’ll need more than a computerized store for this. Human interaction will be needed. Let’s look at this squarely.

A lot of shoppers don’t like dealing with salespeople which are easily understandable. Many have given the industry a black eye by being too pushy or too arrogant. The simple fact is that no one wants to be pushed into a sale by some overly persistent salesman trying to hit his daily quota. This may have been the standard once but we don’t live in that world anymore. This is the information age with everything we want readily available. No one ever needs to be badgered.

Find a Good Partner Online

On the other hand, what business professional in the industry, as busy as he is, couldn’t use a trusted advisor to help him navigate the course? It goes without saying that trust is a virtue that must be earned. So make that vendor earn it. Check out their site. See if it offers a wide range of tools. Do they have top name brands? Are they competitively priced with what’s online? Are there good quality descriptions of the items you want to be accompanied by various pictures of those items? Most importantly is there anyone you can speak with that will have a vested interest in making sure that you are properly informed with all the information you need to make the right choice?

There’s no substitute for that type of human interaction because the person or company that really wants your repeat business is going to understand your needs and wants much more than a computerized corporate site ever could. It stands to reason.

So we feel that if you find a site that has all of that as well as a trusted advisor that will be honest with you on all levels and truly appreciates your business, as well as your concerns, will win hands down!

What’s the best time of the year to buy power tools?

There’s always a need to see when things are going on sale and usually that’s right after Thanksgiving right on thru until Christmas. It’s a great time to stock up on inventory and save money at the same time because every online vendor will be competing to have the best prices for the season. That’s a given. However, a really good and often overlooked time to buy is right after the holidays when everyone is exhausted from spending, spree shopping, buying gifts for friends and family as well as overeating. A lot of vendors will have their biggest specials at that time to make up for the lull in business that happens every year after the holidays.

These are commonplace observations and with good reason. Being that a smart company is always trying to gain revenue as well as a new business, you’ll want to keep your eyes open for online stores that regularly do specials and promotions for those reasons. Again, check the price, do the math, and always ask yourself if this makes sense for the future as well as the present. After all, a penny saved is a penny earned and those pennies can turn into a lot of money saved at the end of the year!

Which power tool brand is the best?

There’s a wide range of debate on this subject going back decades so we don’t want to prejudice anyone or cast any aspersions on any top name brands. It is always up to the professional contractor or craftsman to decide which brand best serves him. We can however share our experience on this subject to help you make a wise decision.

When it comes to power tools Milwaukee seems to have the best reputation for durability, but this is based on past as well as the present. When it comes to bandsaws and power-saws Milwaukee is hard to beat. They have always paid close attention to the bigger tools as well as the smaller ones. If you’re looking for a heat gun or say a good toolbox, you’ll find the same quality construction in these items as you would in say demolition hammers or rotary hammers.
They are definitely worth the money for bare tools as well as cordless tools!

However, the company that seems to have the biggest growth over the last decade is undoubtedly DeWalt. From their hammer drills to their cutout tools (oscillating multi-tools) and everything else they put on the market, they seem to hold up well and are made for rough use. They are also about the best-priced tools on the market for what you’re getting. Another key factor with DeWalt is their service. They have a service center in every major city as well as a lot of smaller towns and there’s never any hassle with their warranty if you have a receipt.

Another key factor with DeWalt is that they are always coming out with new and more powerful tools. Their 20-volt max series is a huge seller in combo kits or individually and their batteries and chargers seem to hold up very well. They have a good line of pneumatic tools as well that are fairly priced but if you’re doing a lot of maintenance and shop work, you’ll want to use Aircat.
They are the quietest air tools in the world with the highest torque. Never seen or heard of a negative review for any Aircat tools.

Of course, there are other categories that fall outside of these general suggestions such as vacuum accessories, test and measurement tools, perhaps say drain cleaning tools but there again, that’s where it pays to have a trusted advisor that has serious knowledge of not just one industry but of all industries related to construction, maintenance, etc. If you find a good online company that checks all of these boxes, we feel you’ll be a lot better off not just financially but in regard to the time you’ll save as well.

Conclusion

We hope that this guide has been helpful to you and hope that you can use this information to help you make the best online buying decisions going forward. You may even find that perfect partner to help you for years to come.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to message us and we would be happy to help.