Here's Why You Won't Find Ryobi At Northern Tool

There are literally dozens of hardware stores and home improvement retail chains for the DIYers of the world to choose from these days. The likes of Lowe's, The Home Depot, Ace Hardware, and the family-owned Harbor Freight Tools are, perhaps, the ones most often mentioned by those in need of home improvement gear, but Northern Tools has been gaining ground on those factions of late.

The company started in 1981 before rebranding as the Northern Tool + Equipment we know today in 1998. These days, it operates some 120 brick-and-mortar stores throughout the United States, along with a web store that puts more than 100,000 tools a click away from consumers in need. If you've ever visited Northern Tool's website, or walked into one of its stores, you know that it offers hand tools, power tools, and gear fit for use in even the biggest of DIY projects. However, none of them bear the branding of Ryobi Tools.

Northern Tool is not the only major retailer that does not carry Ryobi-branded devices, as you will not find them in stock at Ace Hardware, Harbor Freight, or even Lowe's. In fact, the only retail chain that sells Ryobi Tools is The Home Depot, which became the exclusive retailer for Ryobi tools in 2000. 

Given how popular the Ryobi brand has become in the U.S. and beyond, it's no doubt frustrating to retail operations like Northern Tool that they cannot add its wares to their own array of offerings. But that doesn't mean you won't find high-quality tools stocked on the shelves of the company's brick and mortar stores or in its online operation. Quite the opposite is true, in fact, as Northern Tools carries devices from some of the major players in the modern power tool arena.

Among those brands you will find the likes of legit tool icons like Milwaukee, with Northern Tool carrying everything from the kits included in its Packout system to various devices in its M12 and M18 lines of Lithium-Ion powered tools. Northern Tool also carries devices from Milwaukee competitor DeWalt, including powered tools from its cordless 20V lineup, among various other products. The chain also offers pressure washers, skid sprayers, compressors, and stump grinders from NorthStar.

If you're in need of a generator for your home, you can purchase options from Generac and Powerhorse through Northern Tool, with the latter outfit also selling stump grinders, wood chippers, and walk-behind tillers through the retail chain. Along with those options, you'll also find a full array of power tools from Bosch, as well as multiple tools and devices from Klutch. If you're in need of towing upgrades, you can even score trailers, trailer hitches, and various other gear from Ultra-Tow through Northern Tool. With options like those, the addition of Ryobi gear hardly seems necessary.