Power tool idea - what do you think?

Robbie wrote: 1. do you own this type of power tool? 2. where do you generally buy them? 3. would you be opposed to buying them online? 4. how important is it to you to get only what you need? Thanks!!

1. Yes.
2. Lowes, Home Depot, online if I can get a better price.
3. No.
4. Very. I have never bought a kit because they invariably include something I already have and don't want to pay for again. Also, there are some tools that are just better (for me) corded than cordless. For example, I've got Dewalt cordless drill and 1/4" impact, but my Sawzall is a corded Dewalt.

In reply to Robbie:

Your contractor statistic fails to separate companies from tradesmen. The age of HGTV and the big box stores have blurred the lines.

The B2B construction relationships are in a tailspin, and "contractor" sales are most likely tradesmen employees. Retail/ wholesale pricing differentials are virtually non-existent, which has led to companies passing expenses (like tools) down to their employees because they can, and tradesmen have stepped into this role because they have to (or lose their job).

30 years ago, I supplied all tools (and tricks) for all of my employees, and I could reliably count on 25% or better trade discounts when I bought materials or tools. Now "wholesale" discounts for contractors are more like 2%, and as an employee of another company, I carry with me about $20K in tools I personally own (excluding my truck, which I use daily for company use).

If you are looking for a great opportunity with tool sales, work on something that begins to reconstruct those B2B relationships- make it worthwhile for the companies to buy instead of the employees.

SVreX wrote: There is 1 form of kit I would be interested in that is not readily available (which might work for you)- it's the opposite of what you are thinking.... Bulk packs. 6 identical drills (or drivers, etc) in a kit with dual fast chargers and high output batteries. Screw diversity- I want to outfit crews. I want discounts on volume purchases of the SAME thing. Put them in a waterproof lockable case designed to lock in the bed of a pickup truck with a charging cord that plugged into a standard trailer connector capable of charging all 6 tools at once, and you've got a sale. There has been too much emphasis on homeowner consumers, and not enough on tradesman productivity.

I think this is very much where I have started thinking.

Honestly, the charger thing is one of the things that bothers me most. I am a diyer, (and a cheap one at that), and I bet I have 6!! copies of the same exact craftsman battery charger that I have acquired through the purchasing of tools. That was what kind of sparked this idea in fact. But I bet that would be infuriating to me if I never even charged the tools in the house.... If I charged my tools through a car charger in the truck or van all the extra wall chargers would be less than useless.

The other idea to promote tradesman productivity is to 'remember' tool purchases from each customer, and offer a really easy way to order replacement blades/bits/consumables that are guaranteed to work with the tool ordered in the past, and are clearly classified as such. It would be like setting up the amazon button (for toilet paper and paper towels), but it would be for sawzall blades. When you grab the last package of blades from the truck, hit the button and 5/10/whatever more packages show up automatically in 2 days.

I could offer a button specifically for ordering another rail of 10mm sockets.....

You can buy "bare" tools (no battery, no charger) from some manufacturers to prevent buying more batteries and chargers than you need.

This thread got me to googling and I just discovered that Dewalt has come out with an adapter to allow some of their 18v Nicad tools to use the new 20V max LiOn batteries. That's fantastic-- it allows me to cut down on the number of chargers and batteries I've got lying around AND take advantage of the new battery technology without buying new tools!

In reply to Basil Exposition:

Yes, "bare" tools exist, but they are almost always without batteries. That's not a savings to a contractor- we will ALWAYS kill the batteries before we kill the tools.

Sometimes I buy kits just to get extra batteries.

SVreX, have you ever looked into the Ridgid lifetime warranty battery thing? (Register your cordless tool within 90 days of purchase and get a lifetime warranty on the battery.) I wonder how that would work out for a contractor? I've been reasonably satisfied with the couple of Ridgid tools I've owned. Very satisfied with my corded Ridgid worm drive saw. But I am not using them every day. (Advanced home DIY / light duty commercial use.)

In reply to dculberson:

Nope. Never heard of it.

I'm not much of a fan of Rigid, but I might try them for that.

The problem for someone like me is that tool purchase is not a 1 time thing. It's thousands and thousands of dollars spent over the extended period. Proprietary batteries mean I don't switch gears- I commit to a brand for a decade or more at a time, mostly so I can swap batteries among tools.

My current brand pissed me off by making their batteries not fully swappable among their tools.

I don't want 1 Rigid tool on my truck, plus a Makita, and a DeWalt, and a PC, and a Milwaukee. That's just more chargers, and no swap ability.