12 Handy Lowe's Gadgets To Upgrade Your Garage

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The garage is an easy space to forget about in your home, whether you rent or own. It may be directly connected to the rest of your living area, but it's one you don't see nearly as often as your bedroom or your kitchen. For many, the garage becomes a dumping ground for camping gear, childhood memorabilia, and holiday decorations that didn't quite make their way to the attic. There could even be a few garage safety hazards you're ignoring that deserve your attention, but hey, consider this your sign to finally give your garage the upgrades it needs.

Lowe's is a great place to start shopping for handy gadgets to upgrade your garage. This hardware giant has a vast array of power tools, equipment, smart home tech, and other nifty gadgets, including some fun "As Seen on TV" kitchen gadgets. The best items to upgrade your own garage with will vary based on how you tend to use this bonus space on a regular basis, what needs are missing in your life currently, and which ones you already own. That said, let's jump into the first of 12 helpful gadgets for your garage.

Upgrading your garage doesn't always translate to spending a ton of money. An affordable, easy upgrade that instantly adds functionality to your garage is a smart opener for your garage door. Priced at only $30, the Chamberlain Smart Garage Door Opener connects your existing door opener with the myQ mobile app to make it smarter in a super simple way.

Inside the box there's a door sensor, a compact Wi-Fi hub, a wall power adapter, a mounting plate, and all the hardware needed to install everything in your garage. The Wi-Fi hub and door sensor are white, as are most garages, so they should blend in well. Once it's all properly installed and set up, you can start controlling it via the myQ app on your smartphone. Through the app, you can open and close your garage door, create a schedule to automate your door's operation at specific times, check remotely at any time to see whether it's been left open, and get notifications whenever someone comes or goes through your garage.

Chamberlain's smart system is designed to work with most garage door openers manufactured after 1993 that are equipped with always-on photoelectric sensors. The brand does note that this unit will only work on sectional garage doors and requires you to have a wireless router situated within 50 feet of the included hub. Many of the negative reviews left for the device on the Lowe's website involve compatibility issues, but overall, Chamberlain's smart opener has a 4.1-star average rating across over 1,200 users.

Most modern electric garage door openers come with a built-in light source, and they generally aren't that bright. If you plan to spend a lot of time working in your garage, it's worth upgrading to a dedicated overhead light like the Utilitech Garage Shop Light. You can either install this unit flush with the ceiling. If you need your illumination to be closer to your work area or simply want a more decorative look, you can also suspend it from your garage ceiling with the two included 6-inch hanging wire harnesses.

Inside, this light features cool white (4000K) LEDs capable of evenly distributing 4000 lumens and lasting up to 50,000 hours. For context, that's more than 45 years if you use the lights for around three hours every day. Despite its long estimated life, this shop light is affordably priced at $25. Add in its 4.7-star average rating with over 650 total reviews and this gadget could easily make our next list of top-rated finds under $50 at Lowe's.

One surprisingly useful garage upgrade homeowners wouldn't think to add is an audio speaker. Whether you're building a piece of furniture, cleaning out old junk to make space, or prepping materials for your next home renovation project, working in the garage can quickly become mundane when you're working in silence. Of course, you can drag one of your indoor Bluetooth speakers out to the garage, but many of these aren't built to withstand the often rough conditions of a workshop. If you frequent your garage often, it's worth investing in a durable speaker like the $139 Kobalt Bluetooth Jobsite Radio.

This speaker is designed for rugged conditions. It features water resistance, handles on each side that double as a protective roll cage in case it's dropped, and great portability, thanks to its compatibility with any of Kobalt's 24-volt rechargeable batteries. You can play content via Bluetooth, an aux cable, or its integrated AM/FM radio with up to five presets, control audio playback via physical buttons, and charge devices via its built-in USB-C and USB-A ports. This Kobalt speaker also provides plenty of audio range, with an internal combination of woofers, high-range tweeters, and passive radiators. Overall, over 180 customers awarded this jobsite speaker a 4.3-star average.

If you've gotten tired of endlessly sweeping your garage and mopping up spills with a sad wad of paper towels, you might need a shop vac. DeWalt's Stealthsonic Shop Vacuum, a $95 gadget, might fit the bill; it aims to make cleaning up much easier and less backbreaking. This particular model has a six-gallon plastic tank that can hold both wet and dry material, a 4 horsepower motor, and technology that helps it run at around 65 dB, a fact that DeWalt says is quieter than other shop vacs.

This little shop vac is quite portable thanks to a 10-foot power cord, swiveling casters, and a convenient top handle, which also doubles as a storage spot for the power cable. It also comes with a locking vacuum port, a seven-foot primary hose, and a slew of accessories including a disposable dust bag, a washable cartridge filter, two extension wands, a floor brush, a utility nozzle, a crevice nozzle, and a convenient bag to store all those accessories in. This is one of the most popular gadgets we've spotted at Lowe's with nearly 1,250 reviews at the time of writing, and it's managed to earn an impressive 4.6-star average rating from buyers.

Having bright overhead light is essential in a garage, but if you're often managing small pieces or working on intricate projects, you may find a smaller, targeted light to be more useful. This $38 wet-rated Craftsman Portable Work Light is designed with a durable steel body, can fold flat for easier storage, and provides 2000 lumens with its integrated LEDs powered via a 5-foot cord with a three-prong grounded plug. It doesn't run on batteries at all, so it's only portable within that 5-foot range from an outlet, but that still gives you plenty of flexibility in a smaller space like a garage.

It has a 360-degree rotating head so you can conveniently focus its light wherever you need it, making this an easy gadget recommendation for DIY enthusiasts. If you need your light to be higher, you can mount it to a Craftsman tripod, sold separately. Customers often report that the light is brighter than expected (a welcome surprise), and that it's helpful in tight spaces as as it uses LEDs, which don't generate much heat in comparison to incandescent bulbs. With almost 500 reviews, this portable work light currently sits at a 4.7-star average user rating.

If your garage is older or disorganized, you might have trouble locating an outlet when you need one. For anyone facing this struggle, it's worth checking out this $72 Kobalt Cord Reel, equipped with four three-prong, grounded outlets, two USB-A ports, and 80 feet of heavy-duty extension cord. For reference, a typical two-car garage measures anywhere between 20 x 20 feet and 24 x 30 feet, so this cord reel's 80-foot length can stretch away from an outlet to just about any spot inside your workspace.

This cord reel is constructed with a metal frame that lets you set it upright on the floor or a table. You also have the option of mounting it to a wall in your garage if you prefer. There's a power indicator light and a 13-amp circuit breaker to prevent electrical overloads. When you're done using the extension cord and it's time to tidy up, all you have to do is turn the built-in crank to spin the cord back around the reel. Some think in-house brands aren't as reliable, but this gadget from Lowe's-owned Kobalt has earned a 4.6-star average with over 130 reviews.

On especially sweltering summer days, a powerful floor fan is an essential gadget for an otherwise stuffy garage, making it an easy recommendation as an upgrade. At Lowe's, the $65 Utilitech High Velocity Floor Fan is one of the most popular picks, with over 1,800 customer reviews and an average rating of 4.5 stars. It's capable of blowing air at up to 6,100 cubic feet per minute (CFM) at its highest speed, and there are three different speeds to choose from.

It features both a trio of metal fan blades and a metal base fitted with rubber pads to secure the fan and prevent it from accidentally tipping over or skidding. There's a handle built into the base as well; that feature, along with its 6-foot power cord, makes it easier to move the unit around the garage as you flit between projects. Additionally, thanks to its 360-degree adjustable fan head, you can tilt it to provide ventilation to just about any corner of your garage. However, if you tend to stick to one spot in your workshop, you can use the sold-separately mounting hardware to fix the fan in position more permanently.

It goes without saying that an air inflator is a useful gadget to have in your car on road trips, but it's just as helpful to stash an extra in your garage. By upgrading your space with one of these devices, you can help eliminate the chances that you misplace the inflator you keep in your vehicle. Plus, you can use your dedicated garage inflator to air up bike tires, air mattresses, pool toys, and more in addition to vehicle tires.

This Craftsman Air Inflator is a bit pricey at $99, but its promised features, positive customer reviews, and 4.2-star average rating across 584 users help justify the cost. With its automatic shutoff feature, you can enter a PSI setting for whatever it is you're inflating, walk away, and it'll automatically turn itself off once it reaches your setting. You can power it three different ways: a 12-volt car adapter plug, an AC wall plug, or one of Craftsman's 20-volt rechargeable battery packs, though these are sold separately. That said, here's what is included with the inflator: A needle for inflating sports balls, a Presta valve adapter used for bicycle tires, an adapter for small inflatables like pool toys, and a large volume hose.

A leaf blower is a surprisingly versatile tool to have in your garage. There are quite a few practical uses for your leaf blower that aren't just blowing leaves, making its relatively high price tag easier to swallow. It's not just for cleaning up your landscaping during autumn; you can use a leaf blower for clearing freshly mowed lawn clippings from your sidewalk, removing dirt and debris from your gutters, and much more. 

This $179 Battery-Powered Leaf Blower by Kobalt features a brushless motor capable of reaching air speeds up to 120 mph and an air volume up to 520 CFM, along with a variable speed trigger that lets you control air flow. Or, if you know the level of air you need for the task at hand, you can use the device's built-in Cruise Control setting for added comfort. Kobalt's Leaf Blower comes with a 40-volt battery and a charger; most customers report it lasting about 30 to 45 minutes on a single charge. All in all, this garage-friendly gadget has amassed a 4.5-star average rating with over 1,450 reviews.

It's likely you might already have a reliable drill in your tool box. After all, it's considered by many to be a must-have tool for any home garage. But what about a right angle drill? This small power tool can be a blessing when you're working in hard-to-reach areas. There are right angle attachments for traditional drills, but sometimes this combo isn't small enough to fit in tight spots or compete with the power and versatility of a dedicated right angle drill.

A Lowe's that we put our money on is DeWalt's Right Angle Cordless Drill, with its $179 price tag and a 4-star average rating across more than 200 reviews. It has a ⅜-inch ratcheting chuck with a deep hex pocket that allows 2-inch bits to be fully inserted as well as a multi-grip trigger that offers easier operation no matter how awkwardly you need to position the drill in tight spaces. Users can choose from two speed ranges, either a 650 rpm setting or a 2000 rpm one. This particular listing doesn't come with a battery or a charger, but if you already own one of DeWalt's 20-volt batteries, those will work with this power tool.

Hardware stores are obviously go-to places to shop for power tools, equipment, and any necessary materials for DIY projects, but it's easy to forget retailers like Lowe's are also stocked with cool smart home gadgets. One such tool that could help your garage feel more secure is the Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Plus security camera, a gadget with nearly 750 reviews and a 4.7-star average rating at Lowe's. Users say it's a popular choice for center-mounting above the garage door to get a good view of the driveway. To set it up, this camera requires hardwired installation, a Wi-Fi connection, and the Ring mobile app.

Ring's Floodlight Cam is equipped with motion-activated LED lights, a built-in security siren that'll sound when you tell it to, and a camera capable of 1080p resolution and night vision with a range of 15 to 60 feet. Via the Ring mobile app, there's a lot more you can do than simply see what's going on in your driveway at any given moment. The app can send you motion-activated alerts, let you speak with people through the Two-Way Talk feature, and help you customize motion zones to prioritize the most important areas you want monitored.

When you think about upgrading your garage, your mind likely goes to tools, equipment, and other gadgets that will make it easier to work on projects for your vehicle or your home. But here's a gadget you probably haven't thought of yet even though it's a brilliant idea: a mini fridge. Imagine working in your garage on a hot summer weekend and not needing to interrupt your flow by going inside to grab a cold water, a soda, or an ice cream; it sounds like nothing short of bliss.

At Lowe's, one of your best options is the Hisense Mini Fridge. It's a retailer exclusive that sells for $269 and offers a fridge capacity of 2.2 cubic feet and freezer capacity of 0.9 cubic feet. It has a stainless steel door with a reversible design, adjustable legs so you can customize its height, two movable shelves in the fridge, and a relatively quiet motor according to user feedback. With nearly 500 total reviews, this mini fridge maintains a very respectable 4.3-star average.

To find these 12 handy Lowe's gadgets to upgrade your garage, we compiled the SlashGear team's personal experiences with some of these products along with user reviews via the Lowe's online store. For a gadget to be eligible for this list, it needed to have an average rating of at least four stars with a minimum of 100 customer reviews. We browsed roughly 50 products that met these requirements, ultimately narrowing it down to the 12 listed here. Most finalists we selected far surpass the minimum requirements we set, either with hundreds more reviews, a higher average rating, or both.