Who makes Kobalt hand tools for Lowe’s?

Last Updated on December 4, 2022 by Dave Farquhar

Kobalt is Lowe’s house brand for power tools and hand tools. As a house brand, they are less expensive than the big name brands. But are Kobalt hand tools good? And who makes Kobalt hand tools for Lowe’s? I did some digging to find out.

Kobalt hand tools are made by Apex Tool Group, a company owned by Bain Capital. Apex also makes several brands you may have heard of, including Wiss, Allen, Gearwrench, and Weller.

Who makes Kobalt hand tools?

Who makes Kobalt hand tools
Apex tool group makes Kobalt hand tools for Lowe’s. Although Lowe’s de-emphasized Kobalt power tools in recent years, in 2020, Lowe’s dedicated a page and a half of its Black Friday ad to Kobalt tools, mostly hand tools.

Lowe’s doesn’t make the Kobalt products themselves. The OEM for Kobalt hand tools is a company called Apex Tool Group. While you may not have heard of them, they aren’t a newcomer to the marketplace by any stretch. Apex owns and makes several storied brands with good reputations. Wiss is famous for metal shears. Weller is the leading brand of soldering tools. Allen’s name is synonymous with hex wrenches. And Gearwrench is a popular brand of mechanics tools.

Apex also makes hand tools for other stores, including Menards, and has made various Craftsman tools for Sears. Remember, of course, that the Craftsman tools at stores like Lowe’s aren’t the same as the ones at Sears anymore. Not that that’s super important when it comes to hand tools. The important thing with hand tools is the quality you get for the money.

Are Kobalt hand tools good?

Kobalt hand tools are good tools for the money, and I’ve certainly seen professionals use them. I know for a fact that professional construction workers will recommend Kobalt to their apprentices, and they don’t do that for just any brand. And I can tell you as an IT professional that I won’t wear out Kobalt screwdrivers taking computers apart with them. If I needed to re-buy the tools I need to work on computers, Kobalt is a brand I would consider.

Don’t get me wrong. Kobalt tools aren’t tool truck quality. They’re not meant to compete with Snap-On, and they usually won’t. They’re prosumer grade tools. But that’s good enough for do-it-yourselfers, and for many professionals, it’s good enough too. If not more than good enough. Kobalt screwdrivers stand up better to abuse (like being used as a pry tool) better than no-name tools or inexpensive house brands such as Harbor Freight’s Pittsburgh brand or Walmart’s Hyper Tough. And Kobalt sockets are much less likely to rust than cheaper brands. Perhaps the biggest danger with cheaper hand tools is that they’ll rust due to being stored in a toolbox in a garage. Kobalt tools have a heavy enough plating on them that they’re less prone to do that. And let’s face it, you’re going to keep a lot of your tools in the garage, because that’s where you use them most.

Most importantly, Lowe’s backs Kobalt hand tools with a lifetime warranty. Like days of yore, when you could take a broken or rusty Craftsman tool to Sears to get a replacement, you can take a damaged Kobalt tool to Lowe’s and they’ll replace it, as long as you didn’t do something totally ridiculous with it.

If you find a good deal on Kobalt hand tools, there’s no reason not to buy them. The quality is fine, and you don’t have to worry about the battery system. If it’s a tool you need and the price is right, get it.

Craftsman vs Kobalt at Lowe’s

For a while, there were rumors that the Kobalt brand might go away, because in the 2018-2019 timeframe, Lowe’s reallocated a lot of shelf space to Craftsman. And for a while, Lowe’s was blowing out Kobalt inventory at liquidation prices. I know a couple of professionals who told me about the deals they scored in 2018. But that was a temporary situation. In the 2020 Black Friday ad, Lowe’s dedicated a page and a half to Kobalt hand tools. And that practice of promoting its own Kobalt brand held in subsequent years.

In one example in 2022 Black Friday, Lowe’s offered a 20-piece Kobalt screwdriver set for $20. Right next to it was a $17 Craftsman set, but the Craftsman set only was an 8-piece.

Decisions like this always come down to money. In 2020 at least, it seems Apex is giving Lowe’s better margins than Stanley Black and Decker does on hand tools. Of course, what matters to you is what tools give you the quality you need at the best price when you need them. If you need hand tools and Kobalt gives you the best price, go with it.

Getting a good deal on Kobalt hand tools at Lowe’s

On any given day, Kobalt tools are supposed to be competitive with national brands. They may or may not be a scorching deal. If you’re after bargains, they tend to be on sale in the November-December timeframe because of Christmas and the other 13 holidays in December. If you see a nice deal on something you need in a Black Friday or pre-Black Friday sales flier, go get it. They also tend to be on sale in May and June because of Memorial Day and Father’s Day.

For blowout prices, shop in early January, and to a lesser degree, in June after Father’s Day. Selection will be limited, depending on how well the corporate buyers anticipated demand. But these are good times to look for opportunities to fill in the gaps in your hand tool collection at rock bottom prices, or to build up some stock for future gift giving.

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