The Best Black Friday Deals

[Lyte]

I'm after the printer!

The Best Black Friday Deals
Nick Mokey, DigitalTrends.com

Fill up the Thermos, dig out an old blanket and stock up on reading material: Black Friday is almost here.

Black Friday is that all-out shopping spree triggered on the day after Thanksgiving, marking the start of the holiday shopping season for retailers and often the best deals of the year for consumers. While some will scorn the money-fueled madness and stay home in PJs, savvy consumers will plan ahead of time, camp out, and snag high-end items they've been eying all year at deep discounts.

There are certainly bargains to be had, but before you head out into the maelstrom for that plasma TV, laptop or digital camera, a quick stop on the Web can help you scope out the best deals and draw up a plan. Retailer lawsuits have put the brakes on leaking circular ads early through the Internet in recent years, but the trend has also pushed retailers to release ads earlier. BFAds.net is a respected central repository for Black Friday ads that can help consumers get a lay of the land without plastering the coffee table in fliers. The site makes it possible to browse by store, search by item, and discuss different deals on the message boards with other shoppers. Another smart stop is FatWallet.com, a year-round deal-spotting site with active forums and a helpful user base. Although it doesn't specialize in Black Friday, the site becomes extremely active this time of year, and checking in on the forums can help ensure that products aren't cheaper or easier online.

Of course, if the thrill of the hunt isn't your thing, we've rounded up five of the best Black Friday deals, along with some helpful tips on nabbing them.

1. Samsung CLP300 Color Laser Printer, $99.99, Staples
Not only have the prices on consumer-level color laser printers fallen drastically in recent years, Samsung's entry-level model sheds more than half its regular $249.99 MSRP for this deal. You can finally afford to kiss that jammed up, streaking ink-jet printer goodbye without paying a fortune for the upgrade. Staples opens at 6 a.m., an hour later than many other stores, so it may be possible to make it a second stop if you're quick.

2. Sylvania 42" Full HD 1080p LCD TV, $899, Sears
If you've been waiting for an affordable opportunity to dive into HDTV, you won't find one much better than this. Sylvania isn't typically considered a top brand in televisions, but with full 1080p resolution, you won't find anything comparable in the price range. Sears has some deals that will last through Friday and Saturday, but this particular one is only good from 5 a.m. through noon on Friday, so stop in first if you hope to pick one up.

3.Mio C220 DigiWalker GPS , $79.99, PepBoys
GPS is fast becoming a standard feature on smart phones and PDAs, but at this price, you can afford to pick up a dedicated unit to stash in the glove box - and maybe one for a gift, too. A number of other retailers are pushing low-price GPS units this holiday season, but PepBoys has significantly undercut them all. The store opens at 5 a.m.

4. Westinghouse LCM22W3 22-Inch LCD Monitor, $167, Target Americans love big cars, big houses, big open spaces, and lately, big monitors. While 17 inch-monitors used to be the de facto standard, that modest size has become less popular with the rise of LCD monitors, and king-size wide screens now reign. Target has dropped the price on these behemoths, which are sure to sell quickly. Getting to the head of the line at 5 a.m. will be key to getting your hands on one at this price.

5. Sony Vaio VGN-NR110E/S Laptop, $399, Best Buy
Last year every retailer was pushing bargain-basement laptops for $100 less than this, but notebook buyers who wanted anything more than a platform to type and browse were out of luck - the next step up usually ran for twice as much. Not any more. Best Buy netted some of Sony's newer budget laptops, which actually have respectable specs, and then shaved the price nearly in half. Eager buyers beware: Best Buy is perennially one of the hottest Black Friday destinations, so crowds will be fierce. Plan on camping out.