3 Lowe’s Finds That Outshine Home Depot In Price And Quality

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Home Depot and Lowe’s are some of the largest hardware stores in the U.S. In fact, the two claim to be the largest and second-largest home improvement retailers in the world, respectively. It’s only natural that they would develop a rivalry, but what does that mean for the consumer? And when does Lowe’s manage to one-up Home Depot, in terms of quality, price, or both?

We’ve already looked at how the two compare in terms of power tools and who has the best warranty. As with most questions of this kind, the answer is a resounding “it depends.” This time, we’ll highlight specific products that you can find at Lowe’s right now that outshine any alternative found at Home Depot. Sure, Home Depot might have an exclusivity deal with Ryobi, and Lowe’s doesn’t carry Milwaukee tools, but the blue hardware store has its own in-house brands and unique deals to compete with its red rival.

Small and cheap: This is the area where Lowe’s has a bit of an edge over Home Depot, thanks to its in-house toolmaker, Kobalt. The Kobalt 4-volt Cordless Screwdriver has very similar torque and speed to the Ryobi 4V screwdriver sold by Home Depot. As the YouTube channel Test Mode Tools shows in its comparison, the two tools are quite similar. Kobalt has more LED lights, but the Ryobi driver lights stay on for longer. Kobalt is charged via USB-C, which is much more convenient than Ryobi’s mini USB, but that only makes finding a compatible cable easier, nothing else. Even the user reviews look similar: The Ryobi driver has more of them, but both products get an average score of 4.5 out of five.

Where Kobalt takes the lead is in the included bits. Ryobi only gives you two 1/4-inch bits with the screwdriver for the price of $24.97, while the Kobalt one comes with 20 bits and costs $27.98. Some of these bits are repeats, with two Philips 0 and four Philips 1 bits, but you still get significant coverage for the price, with lots of slotted bits, star bits, and two square bits. It also comes with an extender, which narrows the front end of the driver and makes it much easier to work in cramped spaces, arguably the best use case for this kind of small, underpowered driver.

Sure, Home Depot has quite a few highly regarded work benches with integrated drawers, but even the cheapest among them doesn’t come cheap. Lowe’s Craftsman 37-in x 36.5-in Portable Work Bench is still expensive, at $399, but right now, when both this and Home Depot’s Husky Mobile Workbench are on sale, the difference is a whole $149. That’s enough to buy a tool or three from Lowe’s budget-friendly catalog. The size of the two work benches is similar, the Husky being a little larger (46 inches against the 40 of the Craftsman). Home Depot’s model also has five drawers, but since both are about 37 inches high, the Craftsman’s fewer drawers are slightly larger.

The two workbenches are rated for the same work load — 1,500 pounds — and have a woodworking surface. They are both well-known, reputable work bench brands, but only Lowe’s model comes with a 10-year limited warranty. The other lists a manufacturer’s limited warranty of three years, which is not bad, but it’s seven years short of Lowe’s. Both products have mostly positive reviews — though, as usual, Home Depot has a higher number of reviews. Unless you really need the six extra inches of the Husky, Craftsman seems like the best choice for the money. Finally, it’s worth noting that Lowe’s has more workbenches on offer, many of which are quite affordable.

For price and portability, nothing in Home Depot’s inventory beats Kobalt’s 10-in-1 Multi-Bit Screwdriver Set. What makes this find special is that the bits fit directly inside the tool. It’s not a ratcheting screwdriver, but that’s unlikely to be useful in precision work, anyway. It doesn’t come with a lot of bits, but it has all the essentials: three slotted, three Philips, and four star-shaped bits. And it costs less than $8.

The closest Home Depot gets is with the “Best Value” branded 16-Piece Precision Screwdriver and Bits Set, which comes with six more bits and a carrying case. Home Depot doesn’t specify the dimensions of the case, but it’s hard to imagine it’s pocket-sized, unless you have really large pockets. Meanwhile, the Kobalt screwdriver is four inches long, making it very portable. Plus, Kobalt might not be a titan among toolmakers, but it is certainly more of a household name than “Best Value.”

A word of advice on both these screwdrivers (and most cheap multi-bit screwdrivers): Neither the Best Quality nor the Kobalt has replaceable bit heads. Users asked if the bits could be purchased separately, and while Best Quality has not answered the question, Kobalt stated that the bits are not replaceable. This is not surprising, as a bit set probably wouldn’t be significantly cheaper than the full kit.

We compiled this list by manually comparing Lowe’s products in various categories to Home Depot alternatives. We focused on products where Lowe’s offering was cheaper and of comparable quality, about as expensive and more powerful or versatile, or when Home Depot simply didn’t have a comparable product. We considered user reviews, brand recognition, and listed specifications to build our list. Professional reviews were also taken into consideration, when available.