Ace Black Friday Tool Deals Worth a Look: Six Picks We'd Actually Buy

Introduction

Black Friday at Ace is a different animal from the big box chains. Ace is a co-op of mostly locally owned stores, so the pricing rarely reaches the aggressive lows you see elsewhere. That said, there are still deals worth picking up, especially on tools you need right now rather than items you are hunting for at rock-bottom prices.

This guide walks through the standout offers, the deals we would skip, and a handful of smaller wins that add up nicely. The overall theme: Ace’s sale prices are only meh compared to big box stores, so spend your big money elsewhere and use Ace for immediate needs and genuine stock-ups.

Milwaukee M18 Fuel Combo Kit

The headline deal goes straight to Milwaukee. The M18 Fuel drill driver and impact driver combo kit, with two batteries, a charger, and a case, sits at $400. That is essentially the normal full price, so the real value comes from the free tool you can add: your choice of a grinder, multi-tool, jigsaw, reciprocating saw, or an extra battery.

If you are building out the platform, the extra battery is a sensible pick since Milwaukee batteries are expensive. Otherwise, the reciprocating saw is arguably the most useful free tool of the bunch.

One note on the brand itself: if you are a professional, Milwaukee Fuel is the line to buy. If you are not a pro, it is worth pausing to consider whether a prosumer brand gives you everything you need for less.

The PACKOUT Deal We’d Skip

The classic three-box PACKOUT stack has been hard to find for a couple of years, and this year the promotion changed completely. Instead of the stack at a sale price, there is a BOGO-style offer: buy the bottom box and the three-drawer center box, and get the large impact-resistant toolbox free, a $90 value. The catch is that the two boxes you must buy run around $140 and $170, bringing the total to roughly $310. For the deal to feel real, it needed to land at $200. There is also a second offer where buying a compact toolbox, tool bag, and toolbox earns you a free 10-bin organizer, but you have to buy all three. PACKOUT is a great system, but unless you are a serious pro, other systems give you more for your money.

EGO Two-Stage Snow Blower

EGO rules the roost in electric snow clearing right now, and the two-stage model is the one worth understanding. Single-stage throwers do a good job pulling snow up and shooting it forward, but angle the chute too far left or right and they clog unless the snow is light, fluffy, and dry. A two-stage design fixes that: the first stage pulls the snow in, the second kicks it out, so you can throw snow wherever you want.

The catch is price. The EGO two-stage sits at $1,500, with a comparable gas two-stage from Toro around $50 less. For most homeowners, though, the electric wins: you walk out, slap in a battery, and go, without fussing with gas in freezing weather. If you are clearing epic parking lots, gas still makes sense. For the average driveway, electric is simply simpler.

DeWalt 20V Max Atomic Compact Combo Kit

Black and yellow gets a lot of shelf space at Ace, but most of it is not worth your money. The older $139 combo kit uses a drill design from over a decade ago that was great then and is no longer great; the chuck feels like it could snap if you twist too hard when chucking up a bit. Skip it. The $150 compact drill and impact driver kit is decent, and the $279 Max Fordu combo kit is a big no.

The one that makes sense is the 20V Max Atomic series. Atomic is DeWalt’s compact brushless line, and at $100 you get the drill driver, two batteries, a charger, and a bag. It is not an amazing deal, but it is not a terrible one, and it is the DeWalt offering here we would actually consider.

The same caution applies across the board: if you are not a pro, think hard before buying into a pro-tier battery platform, because the batteries, chargers, and accessories stay expensive no matter which tier of tool you start with.

Smaller Wins That Add Up

The Werner 8-foot Type 1 step ladder is rated for 250 pounds and covers the basics well. It is a straightforward household ladder and a solid pick if yours is due for replacement. There is no standout discount here, just a dependable product at a fair price.

The Craftsman Versa-Stack three-drawer unit lists at $129, which is ten dollars more than the same unit at Lowe’s, so comparison shop before buying. More encouraging is the Craftsman V20 243-piece or 140-piece mechanics tool set at $100 with the box. That box is genuinely useful for workbench storage of small bits and small tools.

Finally, the Rayovac AA or AAA 30-pack at $9 is exactly the kind of mundane item Black Friday is made for. With the holidays around the corner, extra batteries disappear fast, and nine dollars is an easy yes.

Deals We Passed On

A few offers earned a shake of the head. The Milwaukee M18 compact drill and impact combo at $150 is brushed, and comparable brushless prosumer kits with solid warranties cost the same or less. The Milwaukee saw blades are decent but not premium-tier, and the bits are fine without being exceptional. On the grill side, a $1,359 three-burner gas Weber is hard to justify when a less expensive grill with a $40 cover, well cared for, lasts just as long, and the $1,000 ceramic kamado-style cooker only makes sense if you are serious about that specific style of barbecue. The $300 smokeless fire pit is clever, and it does cut smoke dramatically, but it also radiates noticeably less heat than a regular campfire. The Milwaukee and DeWalt accessory bits, screwdrivers, and knives are all serviceable but nothing to write home about.

Buying Advice

Two habits make shopping this sale easier. First, get an Ace Rewards membership if you shop there at all, since it pays you back and unlocks extra deals. Second, keep perspective: Ace’s Black Friday prices are usually just okay because locally owned stores cannot compete dollar-for-dollar with the big boxes. Buy your immediate needs and consumables here, and save the big purchases for the deepest sales at larger chains.

Conclusion

Nothing here felt like an absolute jaw-dropper, but several deals earn their place: the Milwaukee Fuel kit with a free tool, the EGO two-stage for homeowners who want effortless electric snow clearing, the DeWalt Atomic combo as the one sensible black-and-yellow entry, and the smaller wins like the mechanics tool set and battery packs. Match the deal to a real need, and this sale can still work in your favor.