12V Makita Drill at Home Depot

[xybertron]

Model is 6217DWDE

12V Drill with 2 batteries and charger
Free pair of gloves

Normal is $159-$169

Price - $99 and then $20 Rebate

$79 for a very nice drill

 

[Mike7]

I was at Home Depot just yesterday, trying to make use of that $50 gift certificate I got for "testdriving" a truck, a few months back, and noticed exactly this deal.

First, the Makita 6217 is a very good 12v drill. I know that Popular Woodworking magazine, Feb. 2003 issue, compared 16 12-volt drills, and this model seemed to rank slightly behind the two favorites. At $159, it would be considered a very reasonable choice.

At the sale price of $99, and with a $20 rebate on top of that, it's a great choice. (Rebate forms are available at Home Depot, probably sitting right next to the drill. Might be a little red, white, and blue flag next to the drill, too. Since I think the $50 off is some sort of 4th of July thing.)

I'd have bought it, except for the fact that the rebate is technically for the 6217DWDE, and my Home Depot only had the 6217DWDEX - which means the drill's packaged with a "free" pair of work gloves. Makita might honor the rebate anyway, but I didn't want to chance it, and will instead check the Home Depot down the road from my office, tomorrow, and see if they have the non-X version. If so, I'll buy. (If I can't find the non-X version, I'll probably buy it anyway. Since the rebate may very possibly still be honored, and even if it isn't, this professional quality drill is still a bargain.)

Oh, about the rebate's terms - You've got to buy by 31 July 2003. Send original UPC and sales receipt by 31 August 2003 to Makita USA. Limit one per customer. And there are also rebates ranging from $30 to $50 on a 14.4v and two 18v Makitas. (As for these other Makita drills, while I understand the "More Power = Better" attitude, the fact is that for the overwhelming majority of people who don't work in the construction trades - and even some who do - a good 12v drill is more than tough enough to get the job done.)

Porter Cable's still my favorite drill company, but Dewalt, Milwaukee, and Makita follow closely. And at the price, this Makita's a serious deal.

Nice catch, xybertron.

 

[MrCoffee]

Thanks! I've been looking for a drill. I'll be heading to HD to check this out! :sun:

Oh - Lowe's has a Black & Decker Firestorm 18V combo kit for $199, with a $40 GC Rebate. This includes drill, circular saw, reciprocating saw, worklight, screwdriver & 2 batteries. Seems to be a decent deal for a kit, if B&D is any good. I recall Consumer Reports rated their drills as OK but not great. Not sure if I really need all this stuff, but I'm in a house with no tools... I thought Home Depot had a similar deal, but that was a few months ago.

 

[marklp77]

I got a 12V Makita drill from costco for about the same price awhile back and it's a
GREAT tool; although I don't know if it's the exact same one listed here.

I highly recommend this deal!

 

[Mike7]

Just came back from Home Depot, and the drill is back up to $159. Seems the sale was for one week only, and yesterday was the last day.

Guess I should have bought it yesterday.

 

[MrCoffee]

DOH! :Q

 

[Mike7]

Yes, very DOH.

Well, maybe there will be a 4th of July sale on a 12v Porter Cable 9866 drill next week. That'd make me just as happy.

I'm not a regular Home Depot shopper. Anyone know how often the store runs big sales? Is it one of those situations where 3 weeks out of 4, some top quality drill is on sale for 1/3 off? Or is it more like a twice a year thing?

I did see a couple of drills on sale for $10 off, but gimme a break - $10 off a $189 drill is hardly worth noticing.

 

[Jugernot]

Originally posted by: MrCoffee
Thanks! I've been looking for a drill. I'll be heading to HD to check this out! :sun:

Oh - Lowe's has a Black & Decker Firestorm 18V combo kit for $199, with a $40 GC Rebate. This includes drill, circular saw, reciprocating saw, worklight, screwdriver & 2 batteries. Seems to be a decent deal for a kit, if B&D is any good. I recall Consumer Reports rated their drills as OK but not great. Not sure if I really need all this stuff, but I'm in a house with no tools... I thought Home Depot had a similar deal, but that was a few months ago.

Dewalt is the parents company to Black and Decker.... B&D makes pretty good tools.

 

[Mike7]

Black & Decker and Dewalt are two... divisions, if you will... of the same company. You know how GM is one company, but it makes both Chevy and Caddy? Well, Black & Decker is Chevy, and Dewalt is Caddy.

This doesn't mean that Black & Decker isn't any good; just that Dewalt is positioned somewhat above Black & Decker.

If you just need a drill for occasional light duties around the house, B&D is probably a perfectly fine choice. If you build homes for a living, you're more likely to choose Dewalt.

None of this is carved in stone, but as a general rule to which there are exceptions, the "First Tier" drills include Dewalt, Porter Cable, Milwaukee. The "Second Tier" would include Black & Decker, Skil, Craftsman, and Ryobi.

And as in so many other industries, many formerly independent tool manufacturers are now owned by other companies. In some cases they retain a great degree of independence. In other cases, they have become little more than a label, actually manufacturing nothing. (Consolidation is not inherently evil; sometimes it winds up benefiting everyone concerned, including the consumer. But it's always a little sad when a company with a long and proud heritage gives up its independent existence.)

 

[Lore]

If anyone catches any more Home Depot 12V drill deals, definitely update this post. I'm in the market for one too!

 

[carmann]

I was in Lowes last night and saw the B&D 85th Anniversary 14.4vt drill for $33.47. They also had a 7 1/4" circular saw for $24.97 and a 60pc drill/screwdriver bit set for $9.97.

Prices sound pretty reasonable to me but I'm no tool expert

 

[rasputinj]

Good deal on the Makita, my problem is now I have gone with the Dewalt 18volt drill , saw, I can not go back to 12 Volt.

 

[zippin44]

I'm a wood worker and have an 18v and a 9.6v cordless drill. I end up using the 9.6v much more than the 18v because it's so much lighter, more comfotable to hold, and plenty powerful for all but the largest tasks. I only use the 18v for big construction projects, which are few and far between. BTW, the torque that the drill produces is much more important than the voltage. My 18v puts out 450 in-lbs, while my 9.6v can produce 320 in-lbs. For comparison, the standard Black and Decker 14v achieves a paltry 125 in-lbs, which isn't even enough to screw in a lightbulb. Their top o' the line 14.4v Firestarter can wind it up to 235 in-lbs before it spontaneously combusts! This Makita 12v gets up to 310 in-lbs which is about average for a good 12v these days. Plus, from a quality standpoint, you cannot compare a Makita to either a B&D, a Skill, or even the new Delta Chinese drills. Makita makes a solid product!

 

[Doggiedog]

For $159, wouldn't it be better to spend $20 more and get an 18V Dewalt instead?

 

[Mike7]

Dewalt isn't necessarily any better than the Makita, and being 18v it's going to be at least a couple of pounds heavier than a 12v. Given that a good 12v is all most people will ever need, going to a heavier 18v isn't automatically a good thing.

It's better to have the right tool, than to have the most powerful tool.

Now, choosing between a 12v Dewalt, like the DW980K-2, and a 12v Makita, like the 6317DWDE, would be a tough call. At least for me, it'd be pretty much a coin toss.

 

[Lanik]

Just a heads up on B+D drills:
The 14V FireStorm was recalled last year. I'm not sure why, but maybe that will help some choose between them.

I have a 12V, have used for tons of stuff over the last year and am very happy with it.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: Lanik
Just a heads up on B+D drills:
The 14V FireStorm was recalled last year. I'm not sure why, but maybe that will help some choose between them.

I have a 12V, have used for tons of stuff over the last year and am very happy with it.

the 12v was recalled as well. both were for faulty triggers that can overheat and cause a fire.

 

[snowairg]

I was in Fry's Electronics (Fremont, CA) today and saw several Makita 12V and 18V drills on clearance. I'm pretty sure they had the 12V one mentioned here for $79 straight up, no rebates required. I didn't have the time nor a pen to note the model number, but they only had like one drill (not sure if it was the same one) left out of all the drills on the shelf anyway. Just an FYI if you are in Fry's you may want to check out the Makita drills.

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: Lanik
Just a heads up on B+D drills:
The 14V FireStorm was recalled last year. I'm not sure why, but maybe that will help some choose between them.

I have a 12V, have used for tons of stuff over the last year and am very happy with it.

the 12v was recalled as well. both were for faulty triggers that can overheat and cause a fire.

LOL! That drill can literally cause a Firestorm.

 

[Mike7]

I guess it would've been difficult to have convincingly argued that the drill's tendency to burst into flame was a sensible design feature.

 

[carmann]

Originally posted by: Lanik
Just a heads up on B+D drills:
The 14V FireStorm was recalled last year. I'm not sure why, but maybe that will help some choose between them.

It wasn't every 14vt Firestorm drill. Only the one's listed below

Description - Model Number - Date Code Ranges

14.4 volt Firestorm CD632 990852 thru 20005052

14.4 volt Firestorm HP532 990152 thru 20001652

14.4 volt Firestorm FS1442 20002252 thru 20011852

14.4 volt Quantum Pro Q145 990252 thru 20001152

15.6 volt Firestorm FS1560 993752 thru 20000752

18 volt Firestorm FS1802 20002452 thru 20010652

18 volt Firestorm HP932 990152 thru 20012452

18 volt Quantum Pro Q185 990252 thru 20011052

The model numbers are located on the name plate on the side of the drill and the dates codes are located on the bottom of the handle where the battery is inserted (remove battery to locate date code). These drill/drivers were manufactured in China.

 

[xybertron]

Yeah this combo was $69 at Frys if they have it in stock. Grr!

 

[MrCoffee]

Thanks snowairg!

I scored the last one at the Sacto Fry's last night. This was the display model, but it looked to be new. How much can you use the display drill when there's no battery? Everything was included, except the screwdriver bit, but I have those. This was $69.90, but they gave me a $15 discount because it was the display model. So, it was $54.90.

I don't know if I can get the $20 rebate, but my receipt does have model # 6217DWDE as well as 6217DWDEX. I'm going for it.

The drill charged quickly and worked great!

 

[snowairg]

Originally posted by: MrCoffee
Thanks snowairg!

I scored the last one at the Sacto Fry's last night. This was the display model, but it looked to be new. How much can you use the display drill when there's no battery? Everything was included, except the screwdriver bit, but I have those. This was $69.90, but they gave me a $15 discount because it was the display model. So, it was $54.90.

I don't know if I can get the $20 rebate, but my receipt does have model # 6217DWDE as well as 6217DWDEX. I'm going for it.

The drill charged quickly and worked great!

No problem. Nice buy! Glad I could help!