9 of my favorite Black Friday deals on rugged phones - these are the phones I recommend based on my rigorous shock, drop, and performance tests

With winter weather about to remind everyone that a phone that can handle an extreme environment could be a necessity, this might be the perfect time of year to purchase a rugged phone.

From the wide selection on offer, I’ve burrowed out nine phones that you can get for less than they typically sell in the Black Friday sales, to make your dollars go that bit further.

Starting with the cheaper end of the market, we have the Doogee Fire 3 and Oukitel G3, simple but effective designs that are being offered at bargain basement prices. These are so cheap it's worth picking up one of these merely to have an emergency handset.

The mid-tier offerings have a wider range of features, but the Oukitel WP300 and Doogee Fire 6 are both decent designs that look like a better deal with a significant price reduction. But, if you are tempted to spend a little extra, the Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro delivers a unique combination of easy portability and thermal imaging at a modest price.

My final four phones offer more features, but are priced accordingly. The most expensive phone is the Ulefone Armor 29 Pro Thermal, which has a base price of $799.99 and has been reduced by 20%. For that outlay is has a massive 21200mAh battery, thermal imaging and a modern performance SoC.

With even more battery capacity and an inbuilt projector, the 8849 Tank 2 Pro is a huge phone with a 23800mAh battery and dual SIMs that has been reduced to under $400.

Another monster phone is the Doogee S200 Max, a much larger design than the other S200 series devices. It has a 22000mAh battery, 108MP primary camera and night vision. And, the largest 44% reduction over its list price.

And finally, the Ulefone Armour 30 Pro is more practical than the other high-end designs, and you can spread the word about its usefulness thanks to its 118dB Infinite Halo speaker, all for 13% off.

My top Black Friday rugged phone deals

• Save on rugged phones this Black Friday at Amazon

Black Friday rugged phone deals - buying advice

What rugged phone should I choose during Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

As I detailed at the start, these devices roughly fall into three price bands, so starting with your budget is the most obvious starting point.

From there, I’d decide what the most important feature of the phone is. Is it the camera, battery life, or are you looking for something special, like thermal imaging?

Also, if you want 5G, then not every phone offers this, and that assumes your provider has this technology where you live or work. Answering these questions will reduce the possible options significantly, and then you can reduce that to probably one device based on personal preferences.

What features should I check when selecting the right rugged phone deal?

For phones in particular, there is one issue that makes a phone deal either the perfect choice or a non-starter, and that’s if the phone works with your carrier. All the big providers have tools on their websites where you can check if a phone model works with them, so make sure to use that before investing.

If you're unsure or get conflicting information, check the maker's site as to what frequencies the phone supports.

Beyond that critical hurdle, the next thing to assess is whether this is a phone you can practically use. Some rugged phones are heavy and large, making them too large to fit in a jacket pocket, or even containing too much battery capacity to take on some airlines.

Not all rugged phones are massive and heavy, but check the size and weight, and the size of the battery, and make sure you are happy with those specifications.