Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Cheaper than most DIY barns, Dependable name behind them |
| Disadvantages: |
Reconditioned items not to everyone's taste |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
At last, *real* power tools online and on the high street.
You may have seen BMJDirect on the high street, well, they are online as well. BMJDirect, for those that haven't heard of them before, were formed from a management buyout of Black & Decker's service department. As such, you can still expect to find a wide range of warranty return B&D products for sale.
But that's just where things start. Alongside the revitalised (and fully guaranteed) B&D products selling for a fraction of their new price, you will find new products from De Walt (the professional side of B&D), Makita, Bosch, Trend, Flymo, Kress, Draper etc. In fact, most of the big names you would expect to find in any DIY/tool store.
In the past year alone, I have bought the following through BMJDirect:
- DeWalt Jigsaw
- DeWalt Electric Planer
- DeWalt Router
- B&D Garden Vac (reconditioned) x2 (one for my dad)
In each case, I saved at least 30% on the price at the local B&Q warehouse.
Additionally, although I had originally purchased a Makita jigsaw from one of their stores, I decided that I would prefer the DeWalt model - the manager at their Reading store happily exchanged the (used once) Makita for the DeWalt, giving me full credit for the price I paid on the Makita.
I couldn't be happier with their prices and customer service (both
online and in person) and will certainly look there first when I next need a new power tool. Knowing that they have a lot of B&D history behind them makes me confident they will be around for a while longer, meeting their customers needs.
Finally - even if you plan to buy tools or accessories in person, check the web page first as they quite often have printable money off vouchers.
