# Lowes or Home Depot, who carries the better stuff? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 19, 2019, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369 "2019-03-19T14:38:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/21 "2019-03-19T17:43:46Z")
I prefer Lowes. The stores look nicer, it’s a better experience. Products-wise, they are about the same. I usually shop at Home Depot, because it’s closer. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/22 "2019-03-19T18:41:11Z")
I prefer Lowes for their service, they still do things like cutting glass that the local HD’s have stopped doing, keep appliances in stock and seem to have more employees on the floor at any given time. I have not seen much difference in the products themselves. Tractor Supply Co or Ace have become my go-to stores for hardware. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/23 "2019-03-19T19:26:37Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Lowes carries Craftsman tools now. That’s a big plus. > .But that’s very recent. Is Craftsman still very high quality? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/24 "2019-03-19T19:32:07Z")
Missed edit. Lowe’s and Home Depot are across the street from each other in North Little Rock. I don’t see how they make any money. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/25 "2019-03-19T19:41:24Z")
[Not this place???](https://youtu.be/aZbPSSuskAc?t=11) Strange. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/26 "2019-03-19T19:53:56Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Lowe’s and Home Depot are across the street from each other in North Little Rock. I don’t see how they make any money. It’s pretty rare to find a Lowes and a Home Depot that aren’t in close proximity to each other. Both companies are still in business after years of competition, so it seems to be working out for both of them. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/27 "2019-03-19T20:02:18Z")
Here we have a HD almost literally across the street from the Lowes. I used to like Lowes better, but lately I tend to go to HD. The quality at both is just barely good enough. Obviously a lot of work goes into making sure the supplies at each are right at the edge of acceptable. But they do work. The tools at both are throw-away. They work, but rarely well or for long. Good enough is the best I can say. As for Lowes Craftsman-they bought the name. I haven’t bothered checking but I doubt the quality is better than any other global Chinese tool/part. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/28 "2019-03-19T20:17:50Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > It’s pretty rare to find a Lowes and a Home Depot that aren’t in close proximity to each other. Both companies are still in business after years of competition, so it seems to be working out for both of them. There is also a CVS across from Walgreen’s. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/29 "2019-03-19T20:30:20Z")
Home Depot for basic construction. Lowe’s for finishing. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/30 "2019-03-19T20:34:19Z")
I take Lowes as geared to the homeowner and HD (or THD) to be contractor/handyman geared. I just assume that Lowes and HD stuff come out of the same factory, just getting different stamps on it in the end. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/31 "2019-03-19T20:52:19Z")
Don’t remember which came from where but our major kitchen appliances are from both Lowes & HD; all are Frigidaire but neither carried all three in the same style. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/32 "2019-03-19T21:08:10Z")
Lowe’s is much better for finding fasteners (screws, washers, & nuts). The drawers are nicely sorted, and they have sections for oddball types. Home Depot is a crapshoot in that area, sometimes sold out of the one I want. I like them for other things, and I find it easier to find stuff, but maybe because I’m more used to HD’s standard layout. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/33 "2019-03-19T21:10:57Z")
I voted Lowe’s and my cite is having worked at both places. One notable exception is I prefer Makita power tools which Depot carries. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/34 "2019-03-19T21:36:25Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > One is Blue. The other, Orange. Not in College Station, TX, home of Texas A&M (whose identity is based on “We’re NOT the university of texas!”). In College Station, you will find the awning on the outside of the HD building to be maroon, not orange. Those little orange aprons the goons that know nothing about what they sell, well in College Station, they’re maroon. A slightly different take on “what a bunch of maroons.” There is also a well-known hamburger chain called What-A-Burger that has has an iconic A-Frame building with orange and white painted roof panels, except, in College Station, one of the orange panels is maroon. There was a Howard Johnson Motel in College Station, but it had a maroon roof. I say “was” because a quick check with Google shows that it is “closed permanently.” Apparently, their iconic image was too much to cover up with a few gallons of paint. There is a Hooters that has just opened in the area, but it is located in neighboring Bryan, TX, the county seat. From what I understand, they display orange in all its glory, but they’ve been there less than a year, so time will tell if they will last. To bring it back to the topic of the OP, when I lived in College Station, I would almost always go the Lowes and avoid the HD. It was my impression that the Lowes merchandise was of better quality, but it could have been merely the fact that the HD parking lot was a nightmare to get around in. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/35 "2019-03-20T00:31:00Z")
Home Depot carries a lot of crap. Products cheapened down to undersell competition but rarely lasts. They are like Walmart in this respect. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/36 "2019-03-20T00:54:24Z")
Lowes and home depot are roughly equidistant from me. Locally we have ace hardware that has partnered with a local grocery chain. Those bastards drove the True Value that had been in the same too small store forever out of business. Customer service doesn’t exist at ace (helpful hardware man my ass) Lowe’s and hd have shit customer service, more focused on selling you stuff you don’t need by telling things about local building codes that aren’t true or even correct let alone applicable to your project. A pox on all three. I go to ace for generic fasteners nuts bolts, or if my toilet need repairs. At least there I can find what I actually need for what I actually have in my house. Lowes or home depot, i comparison shop. The only real, important difference is the name and color scheme. I miss my undersized tru value. Of they didn’t have it, they knew where to get it and wouldn’t hesitate to send you to a competitor if they were out of something. And they actually knew what they were talking about if you had a question. If I have a question about plumbing fixtures or lighting/electrical I make a long trip to Grovers ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/37 "2019-03-20T01:31:01Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Is Craftsman still very high quality? Nope, Craftsman has been mediocre for about 20 years or so, just coasting along on their reputation. They’re actually never really been very high quality - just backed up with that lifetime guarantee. They’re “good enough” for the typical homeowner who can tolerate having to take time to drive somewhere for a replacement, but the pros have moved on to Snap-On, Mac, etc. as their tools are far less likely to break to begin with and they’ll come to your shop to deliver the replacement. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/38 "2019-03-20T02:38:41Z")
Mr.Wrekker says the same guys own both places. He has a lot of strange ideas about big business. He only buys lumber at a joint he knows and has shopped at since he was a wee lad. I personally like Home Depot. Not sure why. ---
**Author:** ![Lubricious\_Integument](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lubricious\_Integument](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lubricious_Integument)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/39 "2019-03-20T03:41:46Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > My local hardware store often has hard to find items. I needed a stainless steel kick plate for a 32" door. No luck at the big box. My local Tru Value had them in stock. I make my stainless steel kick plates better and cheaper at home. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2019, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369/40 "2019-03-23T12:44:59Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Harbor Freight Tools are awesome if you need something for one job, and any usability going forward is gravy. This was always my opinion also. Maintenance mechanics at work have mentioned that most of their tools have a “lifetime” warranty now. That is if the model number hasn’t changed since you left the store yesterday. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowes-or-home-depot-who-carries-the-better-stuff/831369.md?page=3)