Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Pub Talk). This thread is read-only.
I honestly agree that HD is better, but I live in SC, and I have to drive thirty minutes to get there, vs about five for Lowes. I have never really had a bad experience at my blue flavored store, so I’m genuinely curious- what makes TIA/some of you dislike it? I know that TIA has had some issues with Lowes in the past, but what happened?
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I have no beef with Lowe’s……comparing HD to Lowes, HD has a better selection of tools I buy and its 5 minutes from my home but other than that there very simular regarding everything else. One thing that does erk me about HD is every morning the I don’t give a crap contractors picking up materials seem to make a mess in the lumber dept…..they go through every piece of lumber finding what they need but the stuff they don’t want is just thrown back where ever, makes it tough for the next person trying to find stuff…..the plumbing dept is the same way, always a bitch trying to find different fittings as there all mixed together. People just don’t give a shit. Honestly I think HD has more issues but HD has more of what I shop for so I put up with the BS…..My beef for this morning if that’s what this thread is regarding 🙂
Ha. I don’t like driving out to the HD, but I do like TTI! On the bright side, I have friends at the local true value, so I at least have Milwaukee.jbw55 wrote:
I have no beef with Lowe’s……comparing HD to Lowes, HD has a better selection of tools I buy and its 5 minutes from my home but other than that there very simular regarding everything else. One thing that does erk me about HD is every morning the I don’t give a crap contractors picking up materials seem to make a mess in the lumber dept…..they go through every piece of lumber finding what they need but the stuff they don’t want is just thrown back where ever, makes it tough for the next person trying to find stuff…..the plumbing dept is the same way, always a bitch trying to find different fittings as there all mixed together. People just don’t give a shit. Honestly I think HD has more issues but HD has more of what I shop for so I put up with the BS…..My beef for this morning if that’s what this thread is regarding 🙂
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I was born and raised on Builders Square. HD has the same feel to it for me, I believe they bought several BS locations when they went under. HD has the products and brands I prefer. Other than that I don’t know why I don’t prefer Lowes, I guess it’s a blonde vs brunette vs redhead kinda thing.
I’ve had online orders on deals disappear to only find the product stashed…though I haven’t always found them. I’ve had online orders disappear, get charged for the item. Sometimes the online order gets cancelled but with no notification or reason. Ask for help locating something, look in computer and go to the aisle I was looking in…10 minutes later they get someone else, who does the same process, 10 mins later someone else…at this point I start wondering and find a display for hand tools myself in the lumber section or something where it does make sense. Complain to corporate about any issue and they tell me to contact the store manager because “it’s not our problem.” contact store manager and they basically tell me to screw off. BTW, these are from just THIS YEAR.
If Home Depot had a greeter that punched me in the face every time I walked in the front door, I’d still prefer Home Depot to Lowe’s. I ONLY buy items at Lowe’s if they are at least 50% off.
About a month ago I did have a little faith restored in Lowe’s. I was looking at some sale items and noticed two employees messing with wrenches that were on sale. They pulled all of the remaining sets off the rack and opened them, started moving wrenches around. After a few mins one pulls out a cell phone and calls someone. They called the customer and explained that they didn’t have a complete set left but they could offer a further discount on the item because one piece was missing. That’s above and beyond in my book, that was the first time in over 10 years that I’ve seen anyone at Lowe’s try to be helpful. We have several stores in our area, more than HD so it’s not like one bad apple spoiling the bunch.
There isn’t much difference between the two if you ask me. Many times I’ve had to go between the two of them to find what I needed. Sometimes it was HD and sometimes it was Lowe’s, nice to have both to chose from.
BMack37 wrote:
I’ve had online orders on deals disappear to only find the product stashed…though I haven’t always found them. I’ve had online orders disappear, get charged for the item. Sometimes the online order gets cancelled but with no notification or reason. Ask for help locating something, look in computer and go to the aisle I was looking in…10 minutes later they get someone else, who does the same process, 10 mins later someone else…at this point I start wondering and find a display for hand tools myself in the lumber section or something where it does make sense. Complain to corporate about any issue and they tell me to contact the store manager because “it’s not our problem.” contact store manager and they basically tell me to screw off. BTW, these are from just THIS YEAR.
If Home Depot had a greeter that punched me in the face every time I walked in the front door, I’d still prefer Home Depot to Lowe’s. I ONLY buy items at Lowe’s if they are at least 50% off.
About a month ago I did have a little faith restored in Lowe’s. I was looking at some sale items and noticed two employees messing with wrenches that were on sale. They pulled all of the remaining sets off the rack and opened them, started moving wrenches around. After a few mins one pulls out a cell phone and calls someone. They called the customer and explained that they didn’t have a complete set left but they could offer a further discount on the item because one piece was missing. That’s above and beyond in my book, that was the first time in over 10 years that I’ve seen anyone at Lowe’s try to be helpful. We have several stores in our area, more than HD so it’s not like one bad apple spoiling the bunch.
Kruton recently had that happen to him, they cancelled his order for the $40 Bosch power boxes, that’s just bad customer service.
It depends for me sometimes I do better at lowes sometimes better at HD. The HD close to my fiancée shouldn’t even exist, they piss me off consistently with horrible service and never stocking properly. Other HDs around me are great though.
Jimbo
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Really comes down to how well the managers run thier stores and who they hire…..I was buying some tile last month and they needed to get a fork lift and the idiot fork lift dude decided to use the front wheels of the fork lift to move boxes of tile out the way, unfortunately it was what I was planning to buy before he smashed the shit out of it, got the manager over and told him WTF you should fire this guy as he didn’t care that he ruined the tile, both just stood there and laughed and went on there merry way…..Went to another HD and bought the same tile, got the fork lift dude and he got the tile and loaded it my truck, he pointed out a few broken one’s and went back and got me replacements….this guy gave a shit!!
I just feel that the peeps at HD give more attention to there customers and really give some good advice if u ask them as to where on the other hand lowes is just ghost town when I walk in there it took me about 15-20 min for someone to come help me one time.
Better lumber at Lowes. Customer service…….meh.
Bigmikez wrote:
I just feel that the peeps at HD give more attention to there customers and really give some good advice if u ask them as to where on the other hand lowes is just ghost town when I walk in there it took me about 15-20 min for someone to come help me one time.
I was in HD last night and was probably approached by 5 different people if I needed help or anything.
Jimbo
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chrisk wrote:
Better lumber at Lowes. Customer service…….meh.
I do like lowes lumber selection, they have a very nice selection of smaller cut panels for projects where I don’t need a large sheet.
Jimbo
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Lowes has some good stuff (Bosch). I’ve bought a lot from them. I think HD has more of the stuff I buy (Milwaukee and Ridgid).
I like that lowes allows you to search products at the locations in your area and the prices online matched the price in store. I have ordered a discounted item online only to have the order cancelled when they couldn’t find it. I did find the item at a store nearby but the online inventory showed out of stock. Outside of those instances, the inventory has been spot on and saved me some drive around time.
What I don’t like about lowes is the online order pickup can take a long time. Their response to people in line is slower than I’d like. A lot of times people will come in and out of the service area with people in line >3 deep and nobody addresses it. I would rather have a hybrid Sears/Lowes system where you could go to the self check lanes have a feature allowing you to request your online order and that signals the self checkout watcher to retrieve your online purchase. No more signing papers. And while we are on it, quit calling me after every purchase to know if the process went okay (HD I’m looking at you on this one).
I recently saw that Lowes is ending its partnership with Realtors and investing in SoloPro so that may ruffle some feathers.
I have noticed that the cycle for old product appears to be longer for Lowes. They have models that don’t discount as quickly as they do at HD. Also, the HD special buys seem to come along just when I have extra cash laying around.
Other then tools.Menards has them all beat.
Have no beef. I have a Lowes, HD, and Menard’s all within a mile of each other. I hop back and forth knowing what each one has a better selection in.
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Lowes is more of a designer store that also sells hardware,lumber and tools. Just compare the appliance as well as the lawn and garden section and there is no comparison. However, go into the plumbing and electrical aisle and good luck finding what you need.
Only real difference besides the brands they carry, contractors go to HD, weekend warriors go to Lows. At least around my neck of the woods. I think it’s all about branding, meaning Lows puts more effort into being approachable to the common folk.
i can usually relate my experiences at lowes to my walmart visits, while going to HD is more like going to Target. they both get the job done, but damn it’s nice when people actually smile and are interested in helping you or just saying hi, which happens consistently at HD and rarely at lowes. price wise there’s hardly a difference, and both are eager to price match to keep your business. i will say that even if HD wasn’t a nicer place to visit, I would still choose them over lowes simply because their tool selection is way superior to lowes.
I should add, can’t buy Milwaukee @ lows and I’m red team.
Back home in Wisconsin, it was always Menards. Now, Lowes only for lumber, Home Depot, various other locally owned stores, and on-line retailers.
-Steven
I’m 20 minutes from HD versus 25-30 from Lowe’s, so it isn’t a big difference. My problem with Lowe’s is that they either don’t carry or stopped carrying all my preferred brands.
I loved the original Kobalt line made by Williams, but the degraded it and eventually off shored it. That’s a no go for my hand tools.
They no longer carry Milwaukee
The dropped Klein and Greenlee and decided to go with the Southwire house brand
The don’t carry Frued blades
The pretty much dropped Channellock in favor of shitty Kobalt equivalents
They just don’t have anything I like
Conductor562 wrote:
I’m 20 minutes from HD versus 25-30 from Lowe’s, so it isn’t a big difference. My problem with Lowe’s is that they either don’t carry or stopped carrying all my preferred brands.
I loved the original Kobalt line made by Williams, but the degraded it and eventually off shored it. That’s a no go for my hand tools.
They no longer carry Milwaukee
The dropped Klein and Greenlee and decided to go with the Southwire house brand
The don’t carry Frued blades
The pretty much dropped Channellock in favor of shitty Kobalt equivalents
They just don’t have anything I like
They most likely have plenty of parking though 😆 😆
Yea, I can always park close to the door.
In 2003 or so when they switched Kobalt from J.H. Williams to Danher made tools, I was disappointed. The original Kobalt line was the best value in tools bar none. The sockets were Snap-On, ratchets and wrenches were Blue Point, all from the Snap-On family. After the Danher switch, most items were genetically identical to Craftsman or Allen tools. Kobalt lost the unique identity and the tools were continually cheapened to meet price point. They lost me around 2006 and by the end of the Danaher run around 2012, the Taiwan made stuff they have now is actually an improvement.
Shit happens I guess. I still preferred Lowe’s at that point. Then in a short few months they lost or dropped Milwaukee, dropped Klein and bought the rights to use the Southwire name on an exclusive electrical/telecom line, and then dropped both Channellock and Knipex in favor of their Kobalt shit, again an exclusively grab.
My experience is that anything available exclusively at either HD or Lowe’s automatically translates to pure, unfiltered, SHIT.
HD has exclusive brands too, but at least they give me a higher quality option on all but mechanics tools.
Fuck Lowe’s and their shitty tools
Channelock is still available at my Lowes.Conductor562 wrote:
Yea, I can always park close to the door.
In 2003 or so when they switched Kobalt from J.H. Williams to Danher made tools, I was disappointed. The original Kobalt line was the best value in tools bar none. The sockets were Snap-On, ratchets and wrenches were Blue Point, all from the Snap-On family. After the Danher switch, most items were genetically identical to Craftsman or Allen tools. Kobalt lost the unique identity and the tools were continually cheapened to meet price point. They lost me around 2006 and by the end of the Danaher run around 2012, the Taiwan made stuff they have now is actually an improvement.
Shit happens I guess. I still preferred Lowe’s at that point. Then in a short few months they lost or dropped Milwaukee, dropped Klein and bought the rights to use the Southwire name on an exclusive electrical/telecom line, and then dropped both Channellock and Knipex in favor of their Kobalt shit, again an exclusively grab.
My experience is that anything available exclusively at either HD or Lowe’s automatically translates to pure, unfiltered, SHIT.
HD has exclusive brands too, but at least they give me a higher quality option on all but mechanics tools.
Fuck Lowe’s and their shitty tools
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I don’t mind Lowe’s too much. They pissed me off though when they cancelled my $40 Bosch 360 radio though. Sumbitches!
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Conductor562 wrote:
Yea, I can always park close to the door.
In 2003 or so when they switched Kobalt from J.H. Williams to Danher made tools, I was disappointed. The original Kobalt line was the best value in tools bar none. The sockets were Snap-On, ratchets and wrenches were Blue Point, all from the Snap-On family. After the Danher switch, most items were genetically identical to Craftsman or Allen tools. Kobalt lost the unique identity and the tools were continually cheapened to meet price point. They lost me around 2006 and by the end of the Danaher run around 2012, the Taiwan made stuff they have now is actually an improvement.
Shit happens I guess. I still preferred Lowe’s at that point. Then in a short few months they lost or dropped Milwaukee, dropped Klein and bought the rights to use the Southwire name on an exclusive electrical/telecom line, and then dropped both Channellock and Knipex in favor of their Kobalt shit, again an exclusively grab.
My experience is that anything available exclusively at either HD or Lowe’s automatically translates to pure, unfiltered, SHIT.
HD has exclusive brands too, but at least they give me a higher quality option on all but mechanics tools.
Fuck Lowe’s and their shitty tools
Those Kobalt ratchet/socket sets were labeled as “Made by Williams” not Blue Point(Obviously sister companies soo really a moot point). I have a set and it’s the nicest ratchet and socket set I’ve ever used. I wish I would have bought a couple of 1/4″ sets and a 1/2″ set, hindsight is a b*tch…but I was just a poor kid in high school at the time.
Conductor562 wrote:
Yea, I can always park close to the door.
In 2003 or so when they switched Kobalt from J.H. Williams to Danher made tools, I was disappointed. The original Kobalt line was the best value in tools bar none. The sockets were Snap-On, ratchets and wrenches were Blue Point, all from the Snap-On family. After the Danher switch, most items were genetically identical to Craftsman or Allen tools. Kobalt lost the unique identity and the tools were continually cheapened to meet price point. They lost me around 2006 and by the end of the Danaher run around 2012, the Taiwan made stuff they have now is actually an improvement.
Shit happens I guess. I still preferred Lowe’s at that point. Then in a short few months they lost or dropped Milwaukee, dropped Klein and bought the rights to use the Southwire name on an exclusive electrical/telecom line, and then dropped both Channellock and Knipex in favor of their Kobalt shit, again an exclusively grab.
My experience is that anything available exclusively at either HD or Lowe’s automatically translates to pure, unfiltered, SHIT.
HD has exclusive brands too, but at least they give me a higher quality option on all but mechanics tools.
Fuck Lowe’s and their shitty tools
The loss of Milwaukee after TTI bought Milwaukee out and Klein really hurt Lowe’s offerings when it comes to high end tool brands. I have heard Metabo might start showing up at some Lowe’s stores but I’m not betting the farm on it. It would be a big help and get tool buyers from HD. Home Depot having exclusives on Makita Milwaukee and Ryobi just kills Lowes. Makita and Milwaukee with the pro grade tools and Ryobi just kills it with the value and crazy lineup of tools you can get a freaking cordless nailer to a hedge trimmer that uses the same battery. It’s a great option for a home owner or even a moderate DIY person.
BMack37 wrote:
Those Kobalt ratchet/socket sets were labeled as “Made by Williams” not Blue Point(Obviously sister companies soo really a moot point). I have a set and it’s the nicest ratchet and socket set I’ve ever used. I wish I would have bought a couple of 1/4″ sets and a 1/2″ set, hindsight is a b*tch…but I was just a poor kid in high school at the time.
This isn’t my first Kobalt conversation. Yes, those ratchets, like about all of the first generation Kobalt tools made between 1998 and late 2002-ish, were labeled “J.H. Williams: A Division of Snap-On” or something to that effect. Now here’s how that shook out in reality.
Lowe’s, seeking a bonafide house brand of tools to compete in the premium homeowner mechanics tools market, didn’t do a lot of searching for an OEM. They pretty much had Snap-On in mind from the start. They wanted to make a big entrance into the market and knew that a known association with Snap-On would provide just that. Snap-On was willing to provide that, though somewhat indirectly through their J.H. Williams industrial brand.
While the J.H. Williams Div. was the contract holder, Snap-On supplied Kobalt from across their existing product lines. Much of the hard line stuff (including the ratchets) was actually sourced from the Blue Point mechanics line rather than Williams. To this day you can buy an “evolved” form of these ratchets from Blue Point, though they have more teeth and are made in Taiwan. The sockets were Snap-On. People can argue otherwise until they turn blue in the face, but they are unmistakable in every detail, right down to the flank drive, the font of the number stampings, and even the date code.
The original Kobalt line was undoubtedly the best value in tools. For Christmas in 1998 I got a big socket set, a wrench set, and a screwdriver set. To this day I still have all but the wrench set and use them as part of my everyday lineup. They were great tools and had they remained under Williams contract, my toolbox would look drastically different today.
That being said, I wasn’t overly crazy about the ratchets. They were 36 tooth (a course count by today’s standards), not overly smooth, and had a fairly rough back drag. They’re kinda like an old F-150 with a 300 6 Cylinder, durable and dependable, but not really a performance machine.
When the original 5 year production contract ran out, the Snap-On association was over, but here are different theories as to why. One theory is that Snap-On was unhappy with the extent to which Lowe’s had thrown their name around as evidenced by the claims on the packaging and in advertising often showing Kobalt besting all but Snap-On in various tests and the consumer perception that Kobalt was simply Snap-On brands at a cheaper price (even if it was largely true).
The other popular theory is that Lowe’s walked away from the partnership simply because of money. You will hear that Snap-On wanted much more money the second time around, and you will also hear conspiracy theories that Lowe’s planned a bait and switch from the start and always intended to go with a cheaper OEM in the 2nd generation. I don’t know the truth and without testimony from an upper management type from the time, we’ll probably never know the official account, but the truth is probably somewhere in between.
In any event, 2003 saw the 2nd generation production go to Danaher. With the Snap-On association gone and a noticeable drop in overall quality, Kobalt quietly faded into the realm of nothing special. These days with the Rotar made ratchets and nearly the entire line imported by JS Products, Kobalt has become an afterthought to most tool enthusiast.
Mine too, but the offering has dwindled to 4 or 5 models rather than a full line.rrich1 wrote:
Channelock is still available at my Lowes.
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Knipex is gone completely though. The only good to come of it is that I got the $50 mini-bolt cutters for a rediculous $15 on clearance when it happened. If I could only own 1 pair of cutting pliers those would be it.
Wouldn’t take $150 for them if I couldn’t get another pair
http://www.pmmag.com/ext/resources/PM/2015/May/products/PM0515_Prod_Knipex.jpg?1433356365
Conductor562 wrote:
This isn’t my first Kobalt conversation. Yes, those ratchets, like about all of the first generation Kobalt tools made between 1998 and late 2002-ish, were labeled “J.H. Williams: A Division of Snap-On” or something to that effect. Now here’s how that shook out in reality.
Lowe’s, seeking a bonafide house brand of tools to compete in the premium homeowner mechanics tools market, didn’t do a lot of searching for an OEM. They pretty much had Snap-On in mind from the start. They wanted to make a big entrance into the market and knew that a known association with Snap-On would provide just that. Snap-On was willing to provide that, though somewhat indirectly through their J.H. Williams industrial brand.
While the J.H. Williams Div. was the contract holder, Snap-On supplied Kobalt from across their existing product lines. Much of the hard line stuff (including the ratchets) was actually sourced from the Blue Point mechanics line rather than Williams. To this day you can buy an “evolved” form of these ratchets from Blue Point, though they have more teeth and are made in Taiwan. The sockets were Snap-On. People can argue otherwise until they turn blue in the face, but they are unmistakable in every detail, right down to the flank drive, the font of the number stampings, and even the date code.
The original Kobalt line was undoubtedly the best value in tools. For Christmas in 1998 I got a big socket set, a wrench set, and a screwdriver set. To this day I still have all but the wrench set and use them as part of my everyday lineup. They were great tools and had they remained under Williams contract, my toolbox would look drastically different today.
That being said, I wasn’t overly crazy about the ratchets. They were 36 tooth (a course count by today’s standards), not overly smooth, and had a fairly rough back drag. They’re kinda like an old F-150 with a 300 6 Cylinder, durable and dependable, but not really a performance machine.
When the original 5 year production contract ran out, the Snap-On association was over, but here are different theories as to why. One theory is that Snap-On was unhappy with the extent to which Lowe’s had thrown their name around as evidenced by the claims on the packaging and in advertising often showing Kobalt besting all but Snap-On in various tests and the consumer perception that Kobalt was simply Snap-On brands at a cheaper price (even if it was largely true).
The other popular theory is that Lowe’s walked away from the partnership simply because of money. You will hear that Snap-On wanted much more money the second time around, and you will also hear conspiracy theories that Lowe’s planned a bait and switch from the start and always intended to go with a cheaper OEM in the 2nd generation. I don’t know the truth and without testimony from an upper management type from the time, we’ll probably never know the official account, but the truth is probably somewhere in between.
In any event, 2003 saw the 2nd generation production go to Danaher. With the Snap-On association gone and a noticeable drop in overall quality, Kobalt quietly faded into the realm of nothing special. These days with the Rotar made ratchets and nearly the entire line imported by JS Products, Kobalt has become an afterthought to most tool enthusiast.
I’m not saying any of this is wrong(because I do NOT think you are wrong) but you can still buy the Williams ratchet of the same design also. These particular Blue Point and Williams ratchets are identical and are both made in Taiwan…that being said, neither is the same quality as the original Kobalt(Which was made in the US).
I’ve heard the current Taiwan Kobalt is made by Gearwrench, it’s actually very nice quality…you just need to be careful to not get the Chinese Kobalt sockets, the Chinese sockets don’t have a COO stamped on the socket, the Taiwan says “Taiwan” on the side. Right now they’re a steal at 50% off, IMO…but again, as we both know it’s not NEARLY as nice as the original Kobalt sets.
The current Kobalt line isn’t made by Danaher’s Gearwrench. It is sourced through a company called JS Products out of Las Vegas.
They’re a huge importer and also own the Steelman name. They’re also the source of most damn near all the Taiwan made bit sockets being sold by professional brands including Carlyle and even Mac. At the tool shows I’ve been to JSP always has one of the biggest booths.
Conductor562 wrote:
The current Kobalt line isn’t made by Danaher’s Gearwrench. It is sourced through a company called JS Products out of Las Vegas.
They’re a huge importer and also own the Steelman name. They’re also the source of most damn near all the Taiwan made bit sockets being sold by professional brands including Carlyle and even Mac. At the tool shows I’ve been to JSP always has one of the biggest booths.
Thanks for this info, I guess people just assumed it was Gearwrench based on the previous relationship with Danaher.
What’s your preferred ratchet/socket right now? As far as value(Best product for the money, not just cheapest usable set)
BMack37 wrote:
Thanks for this info, I guess people just assumed it was Gearwrench based on the previous relationship with Danaher.
What’s your preferred ratchet/socket right now? As far as value(Best product for the money, not just cheapest usable set)
I believe the 90T Mac Axis Series ratchets are the nicest on the market, but they aren’t a “value” type item.
I’m a Proto guy. I have a ton of tools and 75% of them are Proto. It depends heavily on the particular item, but you really can’t go wrong with any of the industrial brands. In most cases you’re getting truck quality tools at a fraction of the price. I like a lot of Blackhawk stuff and here recently I’ve had my eye on Bonney tools.
I have a favorite everything, it just depends on the tool.
Thanks, love to hear people who actually know their stuff’s opinion. Sorry for taking the thread slightly off topic.
BMack37 wrote:
If Home Depot had a greeter that punched me in the face every time I walked in the front door, I’d still prefer Home Depot to Lowe’s. I ONLY buy items at Lowe’s if they are at least 50% off.
Me too.
My family and I preferred and recommended to others Lowe’s for many years. Slowly we’ve all switched and that really says something considering we had a strong bias towards Lowe’s.
Every store is managed differently but I believe HD has a strong focus on hiring those knowledgeable in the trades, and this is borne out through experience. The guys seem happier to help, and many will truly engage in problem solving with you. This has been my experience at multiple locations, so there’s something there at a corporate level.
Lowe’s simply pisses me off when I go in there. Three times I’ve been hassled as a suspected shoplifter. I’m in my mid-thirties, own a business and dress and conduct myself accordingly. Little things too, they lock power tools up against the wall, so there’s no getting a feel for the ergonomics. When they have clearance items with very significant issues, like three wrenches missing from a ten piece set, you’ll see discounts of 5-10%. They don’t carry competing brands to the house brand in many categories, and the house brand is utter garbage. HD pushes Husky, sure, but it’s generally decent and you’ll find the Channellock, Klein, or whatever the case may be right alongside it.
Lowe’s has the mylowes card, which I’ve depended on to save my receipt and been let down. If you forget to present the card first, most cashiers will not apply it, so you must save the receipt. I do not have this issue with the HD system, it works without fail.
I wish I had a link to it, but I recently read an excerpt from a talk a Lowe’s executive gave at a shareholders meeting. In it, he didn’t mince words when he assured the audience that Lowe’s would sell ANYTHING (not my emphasis), to make a profit, disregard for quality was in the subtext.
I’m trying to bring this response to a close but I could go on and on. HD is far from perfect but of the two major big box stores it’s the clear winner for a professional, hardcore DIY’er, and saavy shopper.
In fairness, Lowe’s has a better selection and better inventory levels of hardware than HD, but if it’s hardware I’m after a big box is my last stop, I’ll take a mom and pop selection any day, which I’ve only recently discovered to generally have a vast selection of hardware.
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I just think the HD staff near me are more knowledgable than the staff at my local Lowes. And the HD layout is wayyy better than any lowes ive ever been in. Can never seem to find what im looking for as easily.
But it sure is nice to have a choice isn’t it? Sometimes one has something and the other doesn’t so I am just glad to have a choice. I have a “Do it Best” near me too and that is another option.
I don’t like any of Lowe’s brands, the store is to clean, theres nobody there its like a ghost town. Its more for women I think. Instead of having a big tool aisle they have like 20 tiny bookcases..lol I really don’t know how they make any money the shelves are full and even on the weekend its not busy.
Justin Hernandez wrote:
I don’t like any of Lowe’s brands, the store is to clean, theres nobody there its like a ghost town. Its more for women I think. Instead of having a big tool aisle they have like 20 tiny bookcases..lol I really don’t know how they make any money the shelves are full and even on the weekend its not busy.
Yea I agree I bought some lowes generic tack cloth and it was barely sticky compared to HDs HDX brand.
Jimbo
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jimboslice wrote:
Yea I agree I bought some lowes generic tack cloth and it was barely sticky compared to HDs HDX brand.
Jimbo
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HD has recently got rid of HDX and is now using Everbilt which I don’t understand. For example if you buy a bag of copper fittings the bag is branded Everbilt but the copper is stamped with Nibco brand. Everything that is Everbilt is two companies, is that even legal..lol
Justin Hernandez wrote:
HD has recently got rid of HDX and is now using Everbilt which I don’t understand. For example if you buy a bag of copper fittings the bag is branded Everbilt but the copper is stamped with Nibco brand. Everything that is Everbilt is two companies, is that even legal..lol
they must be clearing out their HDX stock then I haven’t seen much in the everbilt brand yet.
Jimbo
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jimboslice wrote:
they must be clearing out their HDX stock then I haven’t seen much in the everbilt brand yet.
Jimbo
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It seems like the whole store is Everbilt here there was only a little bit of HDX stuff back in day. They might start putting the Everbilt name on Dewalt tools soon..lol
Justin Hernandez wrote:
It seems like the whole store is Everbilt here there was only a little bit of HDX stuff back in day. They might start putting the Everbilt name on Dewalt tools soon..lol
My closest HD is always behind the other ones for whatever reason lol so in a year maybe they’ll be where they are supposed to be now.
Jimbo
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jimboslice wrote:
My closest HD is always behind the other ones for whatever reason lol so in a year maybe they’ll be where they are supposed to be now.
Jimbo
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Haha, there just being lazy
I honestly prefer Lowes stores. Mostly because of their double points on fuel rewards and availability of coupons online.
I have also developed a great relationship with my closest store and they’ll bend over backwards for me. I recently asked for one of their displays when they change their planogram and as soon as they change it, it’s mine. [emoji16]
RickyMcGrath wrote:
I honestly prefer Lowes stores. Mostly because of their double points on fuel rewards and availability of coupons online.
I have also developed a great relationship with my closest store and they’ll bend over backwards for me. I recently asked for one of their displays when they change their planogram and as soon as they change it, it’s mine. [emoji16]
Thats awesome!
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I got it faster than I thought.
For consumables (wood, hardware, etc.), they are about the same for me. When it comes to tools I have found that HD has a better selection and price. I often go to both (they are across the street from each other by me) and have found if I buy a hand tool at Lowes, I usually end up returning it cause I came across a comparable model in HD that was cheaper. They weren’t “identical” cause of a part number change, so the price match doesn’t work.