5 Lowe's Yard Tools That Outshine DeWalt's In Price And Quality

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

It's called Lowe's Home Improvement, not Lowe's House Improvement, so you can expect plenty of products meant for your yard and surrounding property. That includes Lowe's tools useful for yard projects as well as those to help maintain everything once you've finished. You can find several major yard tool brands on Lowe's shelves, including Craftsman, Husqvarna, Worx, and, of course, Kobalt, the retailer's in-house label.

DeWalt is another popular tool brand with outdoor equipment available at Lowe's. The name might be more associated with hardware used indoors or on job sites, but its 12V, 20V, and 60V battery platforms for cordless drills and saws can also be used with machines like string trimmers and mowers. DeWalt's tools can be pricey, though, perhaps too much so if you're on a budget. And, while many of its tools are about as good as they get, not all of its products are winners. Some DeWalt tools either perform worse or have lower customer satisfaction than equivalents from other brands that are even cheaper.

These include some of DeWalt's yard tools and other outdoor equipment, as well. That means you might be paying more for something that isn't even as good as the bargain option. Here are five Lowe's yard tools that outshine DeWalt's in price and quality, based on professional reviews, user feedback, and expert testing. More information on how these tools were evaluated and selected can be found at the end of this list.

The most powerful Kobalt tools come from its 80V line, which includes the Kobalt 80V 17-inch Straight Shaft String Trimmer. The shaft is 40 inches long and constructed from carbon fiber, which makes it lighter and easier to maneuver overhead. The motor weighs a little over 11 pounds, which is a full 4-½ lbs lighter than the DeWalt Flexvolt 60V Max 17-inch Trimmer, which is also $60 more than Kobalt's list price.

Not only that, but testing by Project Farm found that the Kobalt tool outshines DeWalt's when it comes to speed — maxing out at 5,876 rpm compared to DeWalt's 5,100 rpm. Kobalt's trimmer also runs with less operational noise, humming over 15 decibels quieter. Another part of the tool where Kobalt beats out DeWalt is the battery itself, providing 5 minutes extra runtime per charge. Despite being a slightly larger battery, Kobalt's unit recharged quicker than DeWalt's by over an hour in Project Farm's testing.

Kobalt's newer USB-C batteries also offer more convenient charging, though a battery fire risk led to a big Kobalt recall earlier this year — something to definitely be aware of. DeWalt edges out (pun intended) Kobalt's trimmer in some areas, including a cut swath that's a half-inch wider. The difference in spool capacity is larger, with DeWalt having 30 feet of string versus Kobalt's 20-foot spools. Perhaps most importantly, DeWalt managed to cut an 8 x 24-foot area 50 seconds quicker than Kobalt, which took nearly two minutes to finish the job. The Kobalt 80V 17-inch Straight Shaft String Trimmer (model KST1780-06) is available from Lowe's for $219, though it is currently on sale for $159 until fall.

According to Consumer Reports, one of the best hedge trimmers you can buy is the Ego Power+ 56V 24-inch Hedge Trimmer, which is cheaper than the similarly-sized DeWalt 60V Max 26-inch Hedge Trimmer. Not only is Ego's trimmer less expensive, but it's also one of the two best hedge trimmers you can buy, according to Consumer Reports. Based on consumer surveys and lab testing, CR found Ego's trimmer to excel when it comes to power and battery life. It also gave high (though not perfect) marks for handling, but did find it to be a bit noisy for an electric trimmer. Then again, it scored the same as DeWalt's in this category, and higher overall.

Ego makes its 56V hedge trimmer in a few different sizes, including a larger 26-inch option that matches DeWalt's length. It has an innovative carbon fiber rail that delivers a 1.2-inch cut capacity, which is suitable for thicker shrubs, while remaining relatively lightweight. The handle rotates 180 degrees and has five different positions for easier control. The trimmer is capable of up to 3,400 strokes per minute, and its brushless motor enables lower vibrations and a full hour of runtime on a single charge. The Ego Power+ 56V 26-inch Hedge Trimmer (model HT2600) sells at Lowe's for $199.

Both Kobalt and DeWalt make the cut when it comes to the best cordless yard tool brands, and the leaf blowers from both are more alike than they are different. When it comes to airspeed, the DeWalt 20V Max 450-CFM 125-MPH is a bit faster than the Kobalt 24V 500-CFM 120-MPH Handheld Leaf Blower, but the Lowe's blower has superior airflow, meaning it covers a wider spread of leaves at once.

But more importantly, the Kobalt tool outshines DeWalt when it comes to owner satisfaction. The 4.2 out of 5 average customer score earned by DeWalt's blower is pretty solid, but the Kobalt 24V 500-CFM 120-MPH Handheld Leaf Blower has a strong 4.5 out of 5, based on over 1,600 user ratings. The strong volume of airflow is cited multiple times as a big plus, as is the tool's compact and lightweight design.

Also mentioned in positive reviews is the variable-speed trigger of the Kobalt blower, which allows users to apply the right amount of power for the job without overdoing it. This helps conserve battery life, though a Turbo mode is also available for those willing to burn through their juice to move wetter leaves or particularly stubborn debris. The Kobalt 24V 500-CFM 120-MPH Handheld Leaf Blower (model KHB4224A-03) is available from Lowe's for $149.

If you're comparing the most powerful pressure washers made by every major tool brand, Greenworks and DeWalt are both limited to 3,000 psi. That's not weak by any standards, though some brands make more powerful options. Despite offering the same amount of force, the Greenworks tool is much cheaper than DeWalt's. On top of that, users find it to be a superior pressure washer by far.

The DeWalt 3,000-psi 1.1-gpm 15-amp Cold Water Electric Pressure Washer has a discouraging 3.6 out of 5 based on over 260 customer ratings, compared to the 4.3 out of 5 that over 4,000 Lowe's customers have scored the Greenworks 3000-psi 2-gpm Cold Water Electric Pressure Washer. In particular, users find DeWalt's tool to have subpar durability and inconsistent performance, while the Greenworks washer has a lot going for it. 

That includes a lightweight design and long cord and hose that make it easy to use around the yard, the ability to store it vertically, a powerful turbo option, and five different spray tips that come with the tool. The Greenworks 3000-psi 2-gpm Cold Water Electric Pressure Washer Kit (model GPW3000) is available from Lowe's for $449.00.

Not every homeowner needs a chainsaw in their yard tool setup, but a pruning chainsaw (which is essentially just a smaller chainsaw that can be used one-handed) has more widespread appeal. But which brand makes the best battery-powered model? Project Farm sought to answer that question by putting several different tools to the test, including options from DeWalt and Lowe's house label, Kobalt.

While both brands are essentially tied when it comes to operational noise, DeWalt proved to have higher dyno torque and rpm than Kobalt. You'd think this would equate to better performance, but that's not what Project Farm's tests showed. The Kobalt 24V 6-inch Pruning Chainsaw was able to cut through 2x8 softwood more than a half-second faster than the larger DeWalt 20V Max 8-inch Pruning Mini Chainsaw. Those half-seconds could add up over an afternoon of yardwork, but that's nothing compared to the nearly four-second difference in cutting time for hardwood — DeWalt took just over 7 seconds to cut through the same amount that Kobalt could do in 3.39 seconds.

Despite being the less expensive product, Kobalt's pruning chainsaw also beat DeWalt's in runtime. In fact, DeWalt's battery life even underperformed compared to a knockoff DeWalt tool. Comparing the knockoff DeWalt mini chainsaw with the real thing in the performance test overall was even closer than DeWalt would probably want to admit. The Kobalt 24V 6-inch Pruning Chainsaw Kit (model KMCS1024A-03), which includes a 2-Ah battery and charger, is available from Lowe's for $149.

The prices used to compare tools for this list were taken from major retailers (including Lowe's) at the time of this writing. To compare quality, feedback from firsthand experience from various sources was used, including professional publications like Consumer Reports and average customer scores aggregated from at least 100 user ratings. Additionally, tool tests performed and recorded by YouTube channels such as Project Farm were also sourced. Specific qualities were compared for the list that consumers, prosumers, and professionals would find most relevant for power tool usage, including performance, power, build quality, and battery life, among others.