fm2176

I use the Ridgid or ToughSystem boxes (haven't loaded the Packout system yet), though sometimes a couple of tools will go in a backpack or bag for smaller projects. I find the DS130 ideal for battery storage.

It's risky, but you can sometimes find holiday promos marked down after New Year's. I picked up my two compact M18 brushless drills earlier this year for $60 each ($99 holiday buy), or less than the batteries themselves sell for; similarly, I got my first DeWalt kit for about $220 ($299 holiday buy, IIRC).

I concur with the others here: go DeWalt. I have a large number of their tools, to include their last and current generation compact and heavy duty brushless drills and impact drivers. As stated above, the larger batteries are mostly nice to have with higher draw tools such as saws and grinders, while the compact batteries will serve more than adequately on drills and impact drivers.

I kind of splurged yesterday. Found the DeWalt inflator at a local Home Depot but the display was all that was left. The tool section guy offered to knock 10% off it and I stacked my military discount to bring the price down to $81. Amazon has it for $79 right now, but the display still had a DCB201 battery on it, increasing the value of the deal. Afterward, I stopped by another HD and found the M12 display with a $69 price tag still showing for the 2-pack 3.0 Ah batteries. One pack was left, which rang up at $89 (the price I've seen them elsewhere for the past week or two, despite the $69 sticker showing the sale going through early January [if I'm reading it correctly]). I also bought the M12 bandsaw to take advantage of the free 2.0 Ah battery promo and I'm sorely tempted to get the M12 Fuel 1/2" ratchet soon to add to the truck kit.

Damn, sounds almost lawless over there. Here in the US, theft is common but nowhere near as blatant or rampant as it seems to be over there. Then again, police tend to be a bit proactive and (only time I'll bring this up) gun ownership is fairly common, especially among working class types, making it entirely possible that an attempted theft could be a criminal's last action in life. My house was burglarized six years ago, but the thief had cased it for a while and knew that my neighbors and I were gone. Insurance only does so much...perhaps paint everything hot pink to both make it stand out and to decrease its immediate resale value?

YMMV, especially since the 2-packs of 4.0Ah batteries are still $99 ($90.10 w/10% discount). Anyway, the Lithium+ batteries are half off right now. I picked up a P107 for $24.30 two days ago. The P102 and I believe a slightly larger battery is also at clearance pricing ($20 for the P102) but the stores I've visited haven't had any left.

This...my DeWalt addiction started with a holiday promo consisting of a DCD795 and DCF886 in ToughSystem case. Since then I've added the DCD790, DCD791, DCD796, DCD995, DCF887, and two DCD996's. Oh, and the Gen 2 Milwaukee One Key combo, an extra Gen 2 One Key impact driver, and two brushless compact drills. It's a vicious cycle.

Some twenty years ago I bought a set of Sunex metric deep well sockets to complement the Snap-On SAE set I already owned. The finish wasn't quite as good as the SO but they've held up every bit as well otherwise.

I bought the Ridgid MS-UV stand for my FlexVolt SCMS. Was considering the DeWalt but couldn't pass up the Ridgid for $90.10 + tax.

It sure is. Around 2014 I was frequenting GJ and made note of the DeWalt SCMS penny deals others were scoring. That kicked off my HD aisle combing but I never scored anything better than an $.02 deal (usually about 75% off) in that area (Savannah, Georgia) Since then I've gotten two penny deals--3 cheap calipers on one occasion and a weed puller on another.

I own three of the 3-piece stacks, four milk-crate style boxes, two newly acquired organizers, and a few miscellaneous medium and small boxes. They are all great and if anything have held up better than my ToughSystem boxes so far. The only issue I've had is with one or two of the open-top boxes warping slightly after resting at an odd angle for a while (they were haphazardly stored and fell).

Went to Home Depot with plans to buy the M12 1/4" ratchet with free 2.0 battery. That doesn't qualify for the promo (3/8" and Fuel 3/8" and 1/2" do, however), so I ended up with the Packout combo I never planned to buy. Also added the low profile organizer. Here are a few pics next to the ToughSystem and Ridgid combos with organizers, to include the layout of each organizer: Note the height of the Packout handle compared to the other two, allowing for an extra box if needed; overall not too bad, but we'll see if it's worth twice the holiday price of the other two.

A quick Google search on the subject pulls up a number of similar questions on this very site (not sure if Google results are skewed by the fact I'm a daily visitor). One such thread is here: The consensus is that the types are based on minor internal differences, though a thread on the DW715 miter saw a few years ago reveals that the Type 3 removed the ability to add the LED light and some believe that later types might indicated cost cutting features to meet price points. If the latter is true, I could see the saw-bundled DCD996 cutting a few corners to save a few dollars.

As the title states, what is your favorite and/or most used level? This thread is intended to primarily discuss spirit levels, but feel free to bring up any other style if you use that kind almost exclusively. Length, brand, type; I'm interested to hear what you use and/or prefer. I have a number of levels but find myself using 24" and 48" box or beam levels most of the time. Lowe's decision to clear out Fatmax levels a couple of years ago resulted in my acquisition of lengths up to 96", but to be honest I've yet to use any of those. As for brand, I like Empire's US manufacture at an outstanding price (particularly during the holiday sales), but my Fatmax levels tend to be my standbys. Finally, as an aside, I just bought another 2 pack of the Empire torpedo levels. At $5 apiece you can't go wrong, and I find them to be perfect for versatile magnets to stick on the fridge, entry doors, or elsewhere.

Also completed. First saw this a few minutes after you posted it but the survey wasn't yet up. One suggestion would be to add a "sometimes" to the question about going for another socket. As a former mechanic I'm generally pretty good about estimating socket sizes, but if working blindly or with unfamiliar hardware I occasionally have to try a few different SAE and metric sockets before getting it right.

Welcome!

I wrote the lengthy post above on this very subject, but can't blame anyone for missing the link in the wall of text. ☺ We can only hope that this is a proactive business move that is designed to streamline Lowe's operations, as opposed to the reactive measures taken by Sears in recent years. Unlike the latter chain, Lowe's seems to stay fairly busy, well stocked, and with newer stores, technology, and more helpful associates. On the contrary, Sears mostly stuck with anchor locations in malls built 30-50 years ago, has archaic ('90's?) checkouts in most locations, and hard to find associates that are often unhelpful.

I'm not surprised, as SBD and Lowe's probably want to maximize Craftsman sales. After seeing some of Craftsman's newer tools, it seems that they will be covering the gamut between lower-tier Stanley and Fatmax tools.

I just wanted to add a few more pictures of the newest addition to my Ridgid modular toolbox assortment... Side by side with the 4 or 5 year old small box/organizer: Looks similar to the older box besides the lid: Inside as originally configured: As predicted in the "What Tools Did You Buy Today", the new organizer's bins fit in the older box: Unfortunately, the older box's black dividers don't fit well in the slots of the new box; they'll probably work but a piece of plywood would be sturdier. Notice the bend in each divider: The smaller divider boxes are the same size, though the newer ones can be discerned by the corner notches (on right in picture).

I could see this as having potential. Perhaps eliminate the contractor packs in the regular stores (or keep them but reduce the associated discount) and have bulk building materials, hardware, and expendable/wearable items such as bits and blades.

This is an interesting concept, but would likely only work in the largest of metropolitan areas. Lowe's isn't exactly a small store, so HD would have a hard time filling it only with premium tools and materials. Factor in too the fact that losses are high enough in regular stores--about four years ago it seemed like butane torches were being stolen from every greater Savannah-area store. I know I found packages missing only the torch both hidden around various stores or sharply reduced on the clearance shelf. This is from Savannah to Vidalia to Brunswick to Americus, basically all of Eastern Georgia and over 200 miles in-state. I've seen too many open boxes and, while losses are probably insignificant in the grand scheme of things, they impact both costs and profits. I wouldn't think that Home Depot would want to assume the risk of having large footprint stores with multiple blind spots and entrances/exits, all filled with only the highest quality (yet still mass-marketable) tools, equipment, and materials. If I were a thief, I'd definitely choose the "Pro" store over the standard one. In my mind, likely driven by different experiences than you, I could see a similar concept working, should HD's largest competitor (at least in the Eastern U.S.) go under. That would be to buy the stores where Lowe's has dominant market share. Most of the aforementioned towns have basically two choices for tools or hardware nowadays. Lowe's, Ace, or maybe a smaller chain like True Value or Do It Best. Many will have builder's supply stores and maybe even a small tool store. Still, if Lowe's were to just disappear (not likely at the moment, though I'm sure people said the same of Sears 10-15 years ago), then Ace or the largest local competitor would be the go-to place for everyone in the area. Home Depot would establish a more compact store format in many of the newly vacated building (small-town Lowe's stores are dwarfed by stores in more built-up areas). I like your concept, but feel as though it would be better served in a store the size of, say, Dollar Tree, though building materials and lumber would naturally increase the size.

I went to Lowe's for the first time in a month or so and then rediscovered this thread. A quick search reveals that the timing is near-perfect: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/these-lowes-stores-are-closing-in-the-next-three-months-2018-11-05 So, 51 stores are closing (30 in Canada and 21 in the U.S.). I mentioned above how the Southeast seems mostly locked down by Lowe's in smaller or more rural cities and towns, and sure enough, only three southern stores seem to be closing (for now), in Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas. I also mentioned above how "bland" I used to find the store. Things are much more colorful now, however, with all of the seasonal Craftsman displays. There's red all over the place, contrasting nicely with the aforementioned relative drabness of most of their brands. Anyway, the Northern Virginia store I went into this morning was well stocked and organized, with probably around ten employees restocking or organizing shelves. Tool World was well-laid out and comprised perhaps 10-15% of the store (not counting Lumber and the outside portion of Lawn and Garden).

Stopped into a local store this morning and found the DeWalt DC385 reciprocating saw on clearance for $50. I got excited at first because a DCS387 kit was in its place, but no such luck. YMMV, but this isn't bad for someone still on the 18v XRP system, or who is budget-minded and already owns the DBA1820 adapter.

I've yet to get any dust collection, outside of my cordless wet/dry vacuum (let a friend of my wife's borrow the noisy BF special Ridgid and don't expect to see it again). While the plan is to get inexpensive stationary equipment for the shop, I'd love to be able to eventually get a portable Festool. They're tools are far too rich for my blood, but I hear their dust extraction is hard to match (and admittedly, I like the look).

I don't know about now, but I used to always hear good things about Rock Auto. Also, the major chains usually have good discounts on online orders. I've gotten to the point where I order online for in-store pickup, since they seem to reward such actions with 15%-25% discounts (not to mention the lines often suck in-store).