Are Craftsman Tools Usually Cheaper At Lowe's Compared To Other Retailers?

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When it comes to hardware stores, there are two unquestionable behemoths on the scene: Lowe's and The Home Depot. They are the two megastores where you can buy everything from planks of wood to fertilizer to barbecues. While much of what the two stores sell is the same, there are key differences, particularly in terms of brand exclusivity. For example, Lowe's is the only one of the two stores that sells tools produced by Craftsman. This brand is among the best power tool brands, but it, of course, offers much more than just power tools, including hand tools, lawn mowers, generators, storage cabinets, and more.

Between those two stores, Craftsman products are available only at Lowe's — but that doesn't mean Lowe's is the only place that sells them. You can also purchase Craftsman tools at various retailers like Ace Hardware and Amazon. Plus, regional and local hardware stores — such as the Blain's Farm and Fleet chain in the Upper Midwest — also sell them. The question then becomes whether Lowe's is the place to get the best deal on Craftsman tools. As one might expect, sometimes Lowe's is the best deal. Sometimes, it isn't. 

By examining the prices of certain tools from various categories in Craftsman's offerings from different retailers, you can see where Lowe's is the best place to save you a bit of cash, where other retailers actually provide the better deals, and where the prices remain consistent across the board.

No one's set of power tools is complete without a cordless drill. It is one of the most versatile and useful tools a person can have, and no matter which retailer you look at, it ranks among the most popular Craftsman power tools, though it doesn't rank highly in our ranking of cordless power drills. Because it's so necessary for so many people, it would be very nice to get a good deal on Craftsman's V20 battery-powered half-inch cordless drill. At Lowe's, you can purchase one of these for $99. This price includes not only the drill but also a battery and charger, both of which are required for the drill to work.

That is a very good price for all of this, but you can get the exact same product from other retailers at the same price. Ace Hardware also sells the Craftsman drill (with the battery and charger included) for $99. The price on Amazon is essentially identical as well, retailing for $99.99. Even regional hardware stores like Blain's Farm and Fleet keep this particular tool at that $99 price. It seems quite clear that retailers of all sizes recognize the importance and popularity of a tool like the Craftsman half-inch drill, and jacking up the price by even a few dollars would just cause people to turn to another store. So, Lowe's does offer the best deal on this Craftsman tool, but you don't have to go there to get it; it will most likely cost the same no matter where you shop.

Rather surprisingly, some of the best-selling Craftsman products on the Lowe's website are air compressors, as of this writing. Among those compressors, the one at the very top is the Craftsman six-gallon portable electric 150 PSI pancake air compressor. Despite the rise of cordless, battery-operated power tools, people still seem very keen on pneumatic power tools, especially with these compressors. Currently, Lowe's sells this particular pancake air compressor for just $99, marked down from $169 in a deal that lasts through January 21, 2026. While this is a great deal, if it weren't for the deal that began only recently, Lowe's wouldn't actually be the best place to get this compressor.

If you look at Ace Hardware's website, where the same air compressor ranks highly among the best-selling items for Craftsman, you can get it for $139.99. That is a nearly 18% price drop compared to Lowe's standard pricing, which would normally make this the better deal on the air compressor for most of the year. Currently, the only way you can get it from Amazon is in a combo kit with a Craftsman Brad Nailer that costs $149, but it takes one to three weeks for it to ship. Also, Amazon's availability of this compressor has varied wildly. Currently, Lowe's is the best place to get it; otherwise, Ace Hardware is the best if there's no sale on Lowe's.

Power tools are not the only things Craftsman produces. The company also offers a wide range of hand tools, including hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, and pliers. While Lowe's did not emerge as the obvious choice for Craftsman power tools at the best prices, the same cannot be said for its hand tools. Generally, Lowe's is where you'll get good deals on Craftsman hand tools. These discount sizes can range from minimal to fairly substantial. Let's look at two different examples to illustrate this.

One of the most popular Craftsman hand tools is the 16-ounce fiberglass claw hammer. As of this article's publication, Lowe's has this particular hammer on sale for $12.98. That is marked down from the standard price of $16.98 and will remain on sale until November 12, 2025. Whether you are looking at the standard or sale price, it is cheaper than the $17.99 you have to spend at Ace Hardware for the same hammer. Amazon sells it for even more at $21.94. So, overall, Lowe's gets you some serious savings.

Another popular Craftsman hand tool is the 6-inch cutting pliers. Currently, it is priced at $12.98 on Lowe's. That is a good discount compared to the $15.99 Ace Hardware charges for these particular pliers. But for this product, you'll get the best deal at Amazon, where it's priced at $10.15.

Craftsman makes many other products besides tools. One of the most important is its tool cabinets, chests, and boxes. Storing and organizing your tools in your garage or tool shed is key to having a functional workspace. It can also be an incredibly costly endeavor, so finding the best deals on this equipment is paramount. Luckily, if you are looking for Craftsman tool storage at Lowe's, you are looking at the place where you are almost guaranteed to find the best deal on these cabinets.

The best-selling Craftsman storage unit at Lowe's is the 1000 Series four-drawer rolling storage cabinet, measuring 27 inches wide by 32 inches tall. Lowe's sells this for a respectable $159. Meanwhile, a similar model of 27 inches by 32.5 inches is available at Ace Hardware for $189. This is not a product you can get directly from Amazon.

That level of savings at Lowe's compared to Ace stretches across all of Craftsman's product line. The 52-inch wide 2000 Series rolling storage cabinet retails for $539 at Lowe's, whereas a similar cabinet costs $549.99 at Ace Hardware. The 27-inch wide version of the 2000 Series is $329 at Lowe's, but it goes up to $366 at Ace. There are some models where Ace Hardware can match Lowe's prices on these Craftsman tool cabinets, but by and large, Lowe's is the place to go for these products.

To determine whether Lowe's was the place where you could purchase Craftsman tools for the cheapest price, a number of different elements were taken into consideration. First, only authorized Craftsman tool retailers were considered. There are stores where one can purchase new, refurbished, or used Craftsman tools, but because they do not come directly from Craftsman, they may not be trustworthy. Primarily, these authorized retailers were Lowe's, Ace Hardware, and Amazon.

Once these retailers were selected, examples were chosen to be representative of a variety of similar products produced by Craftsman. The company makes hundreds of tools, and individually comparing the price of each one across retailers wouldn't be practical for an article like this. That is why some of the most popular and best-selling tools from each category — including power tools, hand tools, and tool storage units — were used as comparison points. They were also chosen because they represent the general pricing of their respective categories. Once the products were chosen, we could account for the retail price at each store. It should also be noted that these prices reflect the time of this article's publication and may change over time.