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DroolingSlothCarpet t1_j6anhw3 wrote

LPT: If a LPT tells you don't do something it usually means OP has an axe to grind.

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tuctrohs t1_j6apr8t wrote

OP should tell us where to buy a good axe that comes sharp and stays sharp.

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imuniqueaf t1_j6d1dqq wrote

I'm a big fan of local Hardware stores. Nowadays, they probably have an affiliation like ACE or True Value, but the local stores have much more flexibility on their inventory and are usually locally owned, whereas big box stores rely more on the home office.

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TheLit420 t1_j6cz4ds wrote

There are Swedish brand that makes really good axes and they made in Sweden.

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Mitka01 t1_j6dn65t wrote

Gransford bruks or some such. Had the Scandinavian Forrest axe, fine axe indeed. Spent 180$ on it but still can't spell it. Hickory handle and good heat treated head.. since we're talkin axes

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TheLit420 t1_j6dpnga wrote

Nice. I love Swedish axes, when made right. They just feel so...like you're Thor.

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Diremustang94 t1_j6bbk8m wrote

Don't have an axe to grind here. Even have some social connections with the blank family. Home depot is Walmart for home improvement. They actively discourage customer service so that you'll wander around looking and potentially buy something you didn't come looking for. This isn't even a closely guarded secret

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harley9779 t1_j6aohr4 wrote

This isn't an LPT. Its your personal issue with Home Depot.

Where would you suggest purchasing these various items. That would have been a better tip. " item x is better quality when purchased through x establishment.

All of the items you list come from several different manufacturers and are sold through Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Some brands are cheaper quality, some are better.

It also seems that you have an issue with parts being plastic instead of metal, which I agree with, but is the world we live in. Plastic is cheaper. Also, when it fails, the manufacturer has a repeat customer. We mostly don't repair things like we used to. Even when it is a simple repair.

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Smallios t1_j6ax9zl wrote

>All of the items you list come from several different manufacturers and are sold through Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Some brands are cheaper quality, some are better.

No dude, OP is correct. HD and Lowe's have the same exact faucet from the same manufacturer but built with inferior internals; the local plumbing supply house has the same thing but with the internals that were originally engineered for that unit.

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harley9779 t1_j6az4m1 wrote

Same manufacturer, different part number.

You're not wrong, just lacking context. Most people can't afford, or don't want to pay for quality items. They want what they need for the lowest price possible.

Big box stores cater to these people. They stock the lower quality items. They also stock higher quality items, but either in lesser quantities or by special order.

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DroolingSlothCarpet t1_j6b3mwv wrote

This is correct. One can purchase high-quality tools at both of those stores and one can purchase budget tools.

Just like a car at a Chevy dealership.

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GoodAsUsual t1_j6caoyg wrote

I have definitely found this to be true at both Walmart and Costco, and heard lots of logical reasoning for it. I recently started shopping at a big local / non chain hardware store in my area and hand down same brand / selection of products seem to be better quality 10/10 times. Anecdotal for sure, but between the lousy quality of stuff and the lousy / nonexistent help I get, I don’t shop there unless I have to.

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scottreds2k t1_j6cx5lc wrote

Worked for a plumbing supply house as vp of purchasing for 20 years. Been retired for a year+. Faucets from major brands can have plastic traps, stoppers and more. The complete part numbers are different. Other items have consumer grade specs. Stainless sinks are thinner 22g vs 18g where they have different versions for price. I don't think toilets and china are different. Flush valves and flappers might be, but again, full part numbers are not the same. The AO Smith water heaters are the same, but sold with a different warranty. We didn't do much in tools so I can't comment there.

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Crazyeyes3567 t1_j6ayhwv wrote

Idk about this. I work on homes pretty often and HD is pretty solid and they have a Costco like return policy. If you buy their cheap flooring it is cheap flooring. If you paid the same price elsewhere it would prob be the same quailty

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myfavoriteflame t1_j6an46f wrote

So where should I shop for these things?

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oooriole09 t1_j6aqzjk wrote

Hardware store at 30% more.

I also find it really difficult to believe that name brand tools compromise with plastic gears solely to sell a SKU at HD. Not only does it not make logistical sense, it doesn’t make branding sense.

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RichDAiLLesT1 t1_j6awjac wrote

Plot twist OP owns a B&M hardware store and a HD opened up right next to them.

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SomehowGonkReturned t1_j6asdoi wrote

If you can find a better quality product at a hardware store then definitely get it, even if it costs 30% more.

The best case scenario of a tool failing is that you lose time having to replace a tool. My uncle lost an eye because his cheap Lowes nailgun backfired and passed right through his cheap Lowes safety goggles

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Stryker2279 t1_j6d3yib wrote

I kinda feel like thats more an indictment of his shit safety glasses than the tool. Tools fail all the time (at least, drill bits fail) and send shit flying, but the glasses need to be able to stop it.

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sharlaton t1_j6dne68 wrote

Holy shit, that’s terrifying. Lowes should pay him in damages.

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Smallios t1_j6ax0xz wrote

Locally our ACE is much better. Even their customer service is better.

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AlJameson64 t1_j6bags1 wrote

It's interesting to me to see people hating on Behr paint. Four of Consumer Reports' five top-rated interior paints and three of their top five exterior paints are Behr. I've painted most of the interior of my house with Behr in a variety of colors and found it very good.

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teeksquad t1_j6bf9yx wrote

Used plenty of brands and find Behr to be as good as any I’ve used

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Wdrussell1 t1_j6cfkxp wrote

Gonna second Behr paint. I have the 'anti-kid' paint on my daughters room and that stuff is great. Its been like 3 years and the room still looks great and even sharpie wipes off with very little effort.

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itsjustoldluke1 t1_j6c9xx3 wrote

Consumer reports will take into account price. Behr paint may be more highly rated than Benjamin Moore for example, but that could be because it’s almost as good but costs less. Behr paints may be very good, but another company’s product is better, but your paying more.

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Such-Track5369 OP t1_j6d44ob wrote

It can work decent with a roller. Good luck with a brush though

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CallMePatch3s t1_j6ctcio wrote

Uh, contractor grade is the shit of the shit. Educate yourself man!

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diebytheblade15 t1_j6apd7e wrote

Can confirm Behr and Glidden are garbage and do not cover. Get what you pay for. Benjamin Moore Regal Select is top notch but you can find a middle ground with a decent Sherwin Williams Promar 200 or Superpaint and a good wall sanding.

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Wdrussell1 t1_j6cfxfq wrote

This logically breaks down 100%.

No company on the planet would make inferior products just to sell them at home Depot. This would make their better products just perform worse. As you would see a failure rate of tools increase dramatically from just one shop (which is honestly the most popular) giving them a bad record. On top of that even if you consider they 'bin' these devices, they would still not logically want the bad ones at one store while also selling the good ones at other stored. It goes back to the same 'Image' problem.

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Additional_Listen_15 t1_j6anzam wrote

Totally agree! The Kohler faucet I purchased from Home Depot is Kohler in name only .

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TJWP t1_j6c3ref wrote

100%! I had issues installing a sink drain so I called their support (it wouldn’t stop leaking no matter what I did). A very candid employee told me that it was my fault for buying it from Home Depot. The drain portion is plastic in the Home Depot box and all metal if I bought directly from Kohler. I eventually ordered the proper metal one directly from them and it immediately attached (I could easily tighten it down) and it never leaked…I installed the plastic one 4-5 times and I couldn’t get it to not leak.

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thewolfman2010 t1_j6aum3i wrote

This is not a life pro tip and has almost zero bearing. They have multiple brands of almost everything including national name brands. Yes, Home Depot has in house brands, but they sell so much more than that.

Would love to know what Home Depot did to you to make you rage post on LPT… weird.

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Sapphire580 t1_j6d410h wrote

Read some of the other comments, e.g. HD sells a Kohler brand faucet that has plastic internals, the valves are plastic, a higher quality store sells the Kohler faucet that looks identical to it but has an all metal construction with a slightly different part number. Lower grade lumber is definitely a thing, as is lower grade paint, and these local stores don’t have the ability to risk their name and reputation on stocking this cheaper stuff.

I’m not sure about the tools, but given that I know Walmart’s Black Friday deals are cheaper quality with different SKU’s it doesn’t surprise me that tool brands would sell cheaper made tools with less warranty to stores that want the lowest price over quality.

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thewolfman2010 t1_j6dkpfm wrote

Mhm, so tell me about my lawnmower that’s been running for almost a decade? My washer and dryer are also to the point where they are rusting out for lasting so long. What about paint? They also sell other brands like Glidden, Rustoleum, etc. are you saying all of these mfgs are in cahoots with Home Depot to sell lower quality items? LOL

My point is that this is not a LPT. It says buy nothing but nails and screws.

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thewolfman2010 t1_j6dl2dv wrote

Also, MANY contractors shop at Home Depot to get spare parts. I literally just had an electrician come by and stop at HD on the way to pick up an outlet. Somehow the metal outlets and breakers and copper romex are also somehow lower quality?? Make it make sense

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CommissionOk6682 t1_j6cfg9n wrote

So where should a person purchase items for their home?

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HungryLikeTheWolf99 t1_j6ar9sl wrote

It's kind of true, though - HD and Lowe's are like the WalMart of building materials. Some things (e.g. nails and screws) are standard. For other things (windows, doors, flooring, siding), they sell a narrow variety of stuff that's around or below the bottom end of what's available at businesses that specialize in those things (e.g. Anderson, Pella, Marvin, etc. for windows; Lowe's carries the bottom of the line of Pella, as HD does for Jeld Wen).

The point OP makes about faucets is the most clear-cut difference: HD and Lowe's have the same exact faucet from the same manufacturer but built with inferior internals; the local plumbing supply house has the same thing but with the internals that were originally engineered for that unit. And of course, it will cost more.

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tacocat978 t1_j6bafz4 wrote

A friend of mine who’s a contractor said the same thing to me. Specifically warning about toilets because they don’t use the same finish for the Home Depot toilets and they end up scratching inside and always looking stained.

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Such-Track5369 OP t1_j6d401x wrote

I knew I forgot something. That's another one, many of the toilets there have an unglazed trapway which clogs more frequently.

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imhereforthevotes t1_j6brhvs wrote

>Behr is just terrible

I'm locked in on this stuff (sorta) on my back deck, which I inherited from the previous owners. I'm not saying I'm gods gift to deck stainers, or anything, but I thought I did an okay job and that stuff is already coming off (again).

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Such-Track5369 OP t1_j6d4e17 wrote

Was it solid stain?

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imhereforthevotes t1_j6dl11t wrote

Yeah, it's essentially orange (barf) outdoor paint. Within a year of buying the house, the deck was peeling. I scrubbed and cleaned and put on more stain (not perfect, I wasn't going to sand down the whole thing) and on the flat surfaces it's already up again.

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pomdudes t1_j6dwqra wrote

OP is wrong on so many levels.

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DMChuck t1_j6axnhe wrote

The same can be said of Lowes & Menards. You're better off at a contractor supply house or a commercial dealer.

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sirfreerunner t1_j6c1guy wrote

I work for HD and I don’t shop there

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LongDraw1 t1_j6d0pg3 wrote

I am a Seeds reviewer for Home Depot since May 2013. I will agree that there have been some products that I gave a 1 star due to poor quality construction/poor programming. But there have also been an equal number of products where the manufacturer went above and beyond what I have observed on previous versions of the same type of product installed by professional contractors.

It's luck and biased opinion quite frequently, and in many cases, just a consumer improperly caring/using the product causing failure. Don't blame your car's construction when you're drunk driving and get injured in a crash.

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BeBackInASchmeck t1_j6dgj7g wrote

Then where should you buy this stuff? Lowe's? Mom and pop shops?

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keepthetips t1_j6amwgi wrote

Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips!

Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment.

If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.

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fistedtaco t1_j6d8cdn wrote

I’d like to know OP’s experience w/ Home Depot and what the alternative is. It’s a shitty tip if you’re just telling me not to do something. I’ll probably do it now just because you said not to.

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Bongos-Not-Bombs t1_j6ddntg wrote

Just bought a washer/dryer pair from HD and couldn't be happier.

Have also bought Husky-branded sockets and combo wrenches in various sizes, sure, they're not as good as Snap-On or Wright, but if you need a particular socket to do a job, they work just fine. And HD carries Estwing hammers, made in the US and some of the best hammers you can buy.

Not sure where this is coming from.

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vinnbot t1_j6djtdr wrote

Buy Benjamin moore paint for quality. Behr rally is crap - coloured milk

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Chris_Moyn t1_j6dmwfp wrote

It's fine for builder grade product, which is exactly it's target market.

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landob t1_j6do2dr wrote

Eh. I haven't had a single problem with anything I have purchased from Home Depot.

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Smallios t1_j6awv1c wrote

Agreed. We go there because it’s the only place within an hour of our town that sells lumber. Behr paint is absolute trash. The Ace Hardware at least has Sherwin Williams. Our HD does have a good selection of indoor plants, only local place we can get them 🤷‍♀️

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GoTime81 t1_j6b9du3 wrote

This is a bit of a blanketed opinion.

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Prestigious-Step-213 t1_j6d095o wrote

The faucet I bought at HD broke one year, leaked all over the hardwood floors, making it buckle, Thank goodness I have insurance.

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Broomstick73 t1_j6dws36 wrote

“Consumer grade” is higher quality than “contractor grade”.

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clhamala t1_j6aohto wrote

yes! I will only buy soils and birdhouses from HD!

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imhereforthevotes t1_j6brvsk wrote

good lord don't buy their birdhouses. Make your own or go to Wildbird Unlimited or order from Audubon or something.

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