Day two of a multi-brand sales event brought a different lineup than day one. Bora, Craftsman, Bosch, and Flex took the four daily slots on March 11, 2025, and the prices included some of the lowest seen on those brands in months. One-day events like this rotate brands by design, which means a buyer has a single day to compare a work stand against its normal street price and decide whether a mechanics set at half price is worth the money.
The brands in these rotations carry long histories that shape the deals. Craftsman changed hands in 2017 when Stanley Black & Decker closed on the $900 million sale of Craftsman, a deal that reshaped where the brand sells and who backs its warranty. A buyer who knows that background can read a deep discount as inventory movement rather than a brand in trouble.
Work Supports: Sawhorses, Stands, and Clamps
The Bora group of deals shows how much work support pricing varies. The Centipede expanding work support with accessory kit was $69.99, below the $109.99 the same package commands on Amazon. A pair of Portamate Speedhorses ran $104.98, a six-shelf wood storage rack was $34, and a 4-piece parallel clamp set was $119.99. Single sawhorses were $29.99 each. Folding sawhorses in that class typically sell between $40 and $55 each, so the $29.99 price clears a meaningful hurdle for anyone outfitting a first shop.
Why the Centipede Deal Stands Out
The Centipede’s expanding frame replaces several sawhorses in a small shop. At $69.99 with the accessory kit, the package cost less than the 2 by 4 foot stand alone normally sells for, which is the kind of inversion that makes a one-day price worth acting on. Compare that with the Speedhorse pair at $104.98, a solid but ordinary price for two folding steel horses.
Clamps and Racks Complete the Setup
Parallel clamps hold long glue-ups flat, and the $119.99 four-piece set prices out at about $30 per clamp. A six-shelf storage rack at $34 gives sheet goods and lumber a home. The pattern across these deals is that work supports rarely go on sale together, so a single event with stands, clamps, and racks is the time to buy the whole category.
The space where these tools live matters as much as the gear. A dedicated shop room changes how much support equipment you need, which is why homeowners planning a build study floor plans such as this four-bedroom Craftsman home with coffered ceilings for a spot that can double as a workshop.
Mechanics Tool Sets: Count the Pieces That Matter
Craftsman’s deals illustrate how to price a mechanics set. The VersaStack 71-piece set was $37.49, about half of what Lowe’s and Amazon charge for the same kit. The contents: 2 ratchets, 40 sockets, 1 adapter, and 28 hex keys. The V-Series 1/4 inch drive mechanics set was $59, but Lowe’s still listed it at $39, a $20 gap that matters even before delivery fees. The V-Series XXL double-ended ratcheting wrench set in metric ran $119. The XXL pattern earns its price on reach: a longer wrench reaches fasteners that a standard length tool cannot, which is why the wrench set holds its price while the socket sets drop hard.
The Value Per Piece Test
A 71-piece set at $37.49 works out to about $0.53 per piece, but that math overstates value because sockets and hex keys are not equal. The right test is the count of sockets and ratchets, since those carry most of the cost. Forty sockets and two ratchets for $37.49 is a strong ratio; a set that pads its piece count with screwdriver bits is less impressive.
| Set | Contents | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| VersaStack 71-piece mechanics set | 2 ratchets, 40 sockets, 1 adapter, 28 hex keys | $37.49 | About half of Lowe’s and Amazon pricing |
| V-Series 1/4 inch drive mechanics set | Mechanics sockets and ratchets | $59 | Lowe’s still lists it at $39 |
| V-Series XXL ratcheting wrench set, metric | Double-ended ratcheting wrenches | $119 | Long-pattern wrenches for extra reach |
Cross-retailer checks catch the outliers. Deal roundups such as this Craftsman tool deals list from Bob Vila track the same sets across retailers and flag when a sale price is still above another store’s regular price, the exact situation with the $59 V-Series set against Lowe’s $39.
Brushless Motors and New Battery Platforms
Craftsman’s V20 brushless hammer drill kit at $89 and Flex’s 24V cordless hammer drill kit at $179 bracket the price range for a first or second drill. Brushless motors swap the carbon brushes of older motors for electronic control, which improves runtime, torque, and durability. The extra cost shows up in the kit price, so a $90 brushless kit from a value brand competes directly with $180 kits from premium brands.
What the Voltage Numbers Hide
Flex sells a 24V drill kit at $99 and a 25V impact driver kit at $99 while also offering a 24V high-torque impact wrench at $299 and a 24V angle grinder at $199. The 24V and 25V labels are marketing ratings rather than measured battery output, and Flex’s stackable battery design lets packs snap together for more capacity. A new platform means new batteries, so the total cost of entry is the kit plus at least one spare pack.
Project fit matters when choosing between platforms. A hammer drill earns its place on concrete and masonry work, such as fastening shelving to slab floors in a single-story Craftsman ranch home design. If the projects on your list are mostly drywall and wood, a standard drill kit at $99 covers the work and a brushless hammer drill becomes a later upgrade.
Layout Tools: Lasers and Distance Measurers for Open Spaces
Bosch’s day included a green self-leveling cross-line laser at $69 with a bonus battery and a Blaze Connected 165 foot laser distance measurer at $99 with a bonus battery. Green lasers show up better in daylight than red ones, which matters for framing and layout work outside the shaded shop. A self-leveling cross-line laser projects a level line without manual bubble leveling, cutting setup time on every wall.
Open layouts raise the value of layout tools. Projects inside an open-concept farmhouse floor plan run long sight lines across combined living, dining, and kitchen zones, and a cross-line laser keeps cabinets and trim level across spans where a bubble level is too short. The 165 foot range of the connected measurer covers those same long distances with a one-person setup.
Reconditioned Tools: What Factory Refurb Means for You
Bosch also offered reconditioned gear: a 5 inch variable speed sander at $39 and a router kit at $139, alongside a new benchtop router table at $169.99. Factory-reconditioned tools are units returned under warranty, repaired, tested, and resold at a discount. The sander at $39 runs roughly half the price of a new unit, and the router kit at $139 undercuts new pricing by a similar margin.
What to Check on a Reconditioned Tool
- Confirm the listing says factory reconditioned or factory refurbished, not seller refurbished.
- Check whether the warranty covers the refurbished unit and for how long.
- Inspect for wear on the collet, chuck, or sanding pad, the parts that take abuse.
- Keep the box and receipt in case the unit needs a return.
Reconditioned gear fits big finish projects where the savings compound. Sanding and trimming a timber and stone Craftsman home design with an open great room consumes hours of sander time, and a $39 reconditioned sander brings that cost down without sacrificing results. The same budget logic applies to routers on door and casing work.
One-Day Sales and the Buying Checklist
A multi-brand day rewards the same routine every time. First, write the list of tools you need, not the list of tools on sale. Second, price each item at two retailers and note the shipping. Third, check the piece counts on sets and the kit contents on cordless bundles. Fourth, compare the battery platform against what you already own. Fifth, decide before the countdown ends and move on; a missed one-day deal reappears in the next seasonal cycle.
The final check is fit with the projects you actually have queued. A buyer planning a modern Craftsman floor plan with a sunroom will spend money differently than a buyer doing cabinet work, and the sale price only matters relative to that plan. When the price, the pieces, and the platform all line up, a one-day sale is simply a good purchase that happened to be time-limited.