{"id":5149,"date":"2025-11-28T13:21:59","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T19:21:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garagejournal.com\/?p=5149"},"modified":"2025-11-28T13:22:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T19:22:02","slug":"a-cynics-guide-to-black-friday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.garagejournal.com\/a-cynics-guide-to-black-friday\/","title":{"rendered":"A Cynic\u2019s Guide to Black Friday"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is it really a sale if you don\u2019t need a damn thing? And what\u2019s Black Friday supposed to be if you\u2019re not actually in the market for anything? You can probably guess how I\u2019d answer both of those. I\u2019ve never been much of a coupon hound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, the last few months of this internet economy have absolutely kicked my ass. Mix together our apparent moral mismatch with the folks controlling the ad dollars, add a shitty economy on top of it, and Q4 would be a bloodbath if revenue was the thing steering this ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And even though it\u2019s not, everybody still has to eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I asked a few trusted forum pals what the hell I should be doing. The overwhelming answer? Lean harder into affiliate links. Apparently I have \u201caccess\u201d the average Joe doesn\u2019t, and I should be putting it to use. The problem is that pushing affiliate links makes me feel like I should be selling used Tauruses on a gravel lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot if you\u2019re honest about it,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fine. I\u2019ll give it a shot. Let\u2019s start with Amazon, since they actually send me a list of what they claim are the best deals. Whether you, me, or the next guy agrees\u2026 who cares? Let\u2019s just dive in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/td><\/td>DEWALT 20V MAX Cordless Drill and Impact Driver, Power Tool Combo Kit<\/a><\/strong>. (42% off)
Editor’s note: I’m a Milwaukee guy, but what’s the difference… really?<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>_<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td><\/td>DEWALT 20V MAX Cordless Drill and Impact Driver, Power Drill Brushless 2-Tool Power Tool<\/a><\/strong>. (40% off)<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>_<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td><\/td>DEWALT Miter Saw, 12-inch Double Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw<\/a><\/strong>. (25% off) <\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>_<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td><\/td>Fluke 117 Digital Multimeter<\/a><\/strong>. (31% off)<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>_<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td><\/td>Dremel 4300-5\/40 High Performance Rotary Tool Kit<\/a><\/strong>. (30% off)<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>_<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td><\/td>DEWALT 20V MAX Power Tool Combo Kit<\/a><\/strong>. (35% off)<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>_<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td><\/td>Bosch 1617EVSPK 2.25 HP Combination Plunge- and Fixed-Base Router<\/a><\/strong>. (17% off)
Editor’s Note: I own this… It’s solid and this price is pretty damned good.<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>_<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td><\/td>DEWALT 15 Amp 8-1\/4 in. Compact Portable Jobsite Table Saw<\/a><\/strong>. (22% off)
Editor’s Note: I own this as well. It’s tiny, but works well as a job site saw for small projects. <\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>_<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td><\/td>Dremel 8250-5 12V Lithium-Ion Variable Speed Cordless Rotary Tool<\/a><\/strong>. (40% off)<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>_<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td><\/td>BOSCH PR20EVS Colt 1.0 HP Variable-Speed Palm Router<\/a><\/strong>. (35% off)
Editor’s Note: I own three of these. They are considered classics… And I love them. Just set each of yours up for a specific bit and make it dedicated to that bit for life.<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>_<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td><\/td>Bosch RA1181 Benchtop Router Table<\/a><\/strong>. (20% off)<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>_<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td><\/td>DEWALT 20V MAX Lithium Ion Battery, 2 Ah and 4 Ah, 4-Pack<\/a><\/strong>. (53% off)<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>_<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td><\/td>Fluke 115<\/a><\/strong>. (25% off)
Editor’s Note: Everyone owns this. You might as well join the club.<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>_<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td><\/td>Bosch GSR12V-300FCB22 12V Max Drill\/Driver with 5-In-1 Flexiclick\u00ae System<\/a><\/strong>. (40% off)<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>_<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td><\/td>Bosch GWS8-45 4-1\/2 In. Angle Grinder<\/a><\/strong>. (37% off)<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s where I\u2019m at for now – Essentially, the first page of the “best deals” Amazon Associates has to offer. They update this stuff throughout the whole Black Friday circus, so I\u2019ll try to keep up as long as my dignity holds. And if you stumble on a deal that\u2019s worth a damn at Amazon or anywhere else for that matter, throw it here as a reply or drop it in one of the Hot Deals<\/a> threads. My dignity would appreciate the help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is it really a sale if you don\u2019t need a damn thing? And what\u2019s Black Friday supposed to be if you\u2019re not actually in the market for anything? You can probably guess how I\u2019d answer both of those. I\u2019ve never been much of a coupon hound. That said, the last few months of this internet … <\/p>\n

Read more\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":5181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garagejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5149"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garagejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garagejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garagejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garagejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5149"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.garagejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5182,"href":"https:\/\/www.garagejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5149\/revisions\/5182"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garagejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garagejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garagejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garagejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}