Walmart Getting Serious About Tools in 2026?
- Thread starter Outahere
- Start date
jsaw
Well-known member
They definitely have more tools than they used to have, and the quality seems much better
BlakeTheCarGuy
ALLIANCE MEMBER
They used to have really good tools too back in the late 90s and early 2000s called Popular Mechanics and I think that’s probably the best line they had. These new ones definitely look promising though but I haven’t tried any out yet. I’ve got some of the regular Hyper Tough tools from before though.
I've got a few Popular Mechanics end wrenches, they have held up well.
Walmart has always been iffy about keeping automotive/mechanic stuff in stock, at least in my area. I went a few months ago and the ENTIRE oil filter section was almost bare.
Walmart has always been iffy about keeping automotive/mechanic stuff in stock, at least in my area. I went a few months ago and the ENTIRE oil filter section was almost bare.
Might have been because they were clearancing a lot of Fram filters, at least in my local store. There were way more filters in the clearance section than in automotive.
bwringer
Well-known member
Tools at Wally World have always been highly variable, and they hop around suppliers every five minutes. I've gotten some outstanding stuff there, and of course there's a lot of garbage. But some of their stuff can be pretty darn decent, and overall seems to be improving.
I sort of keep a vague knowledge of what's available at Wally World, farm stores, etc. mainly in case I need to undertake an unexpected repair in a remote village with no other options. I've spent $50-$100 on tools I have at home a few times, and still saved quite a bit of money over towing and having a small town "perfeshunal" screw it up, additional hotel nights, etc.
Afterwards, I've given the tools to a relative or friend, and once, outside Albuquerque, just donated them at the local thrift shop.
One fine evening on another motorcycle trip in Kentucky, we noticed that the filter on a friend's Triumph was damaged and leaking oil. After a flurry of cross-referencing, we found that a filter at Walmart would work. A short time later, we had procured the filter, a cheap oil filter wrench, a disposable baking pan, a small bag of kitty litter, some shop towels and a few quarts of acceptable oil. We pushed the bike out of view of the front desk and handled the problem.
Improvise, adapt, overcome...
I sort of keep a vague knowledge of what's available at Wally World, farm stores, etc. mainly in case I need to undertake an unexpected repair in a remote village with no other options. I've spent $50-$100 on tools I have at home a few times, and still saved quite a bit of money over towing and having a small town "perfeshunal" screw it up, additional hotel nights, etc.
Afterwards, I've given the tools to a relative or friend, and once, outside Albuquerque, just donated them at the local thrift shop.
One fine evening on another motorcycle trip in Kentucky, we noticed that the filter on a friend's Triumph was damaged and leaking oil. After a flurry of cross-referencing, we found that a filter at Walmart would work. A short time later, we had procured the filter, a cheap oil filter wrench, a disposable baking pan, a small bag of kitty litter, some shop towels and a few quarts of acceptable oil. We pushed the bike out of view of the front desk and handled the problem.
Improvise, adapt, overcome...
After all the testing of 6 different manufacturers, the $52 made-in-India HyperTough set was ranked overall at 4th place, ahead of Amazon Basics and Toolant, and just behind the 3rd place WorkPro set.
I have not watched the entire impact wrench video yet, but the Walmart Greenworks Pro 5yr warranty and 65W USB-C charging of the 24V battery is interesting
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I didn't expect the new green stuff to have this much juice. I'm sorry for misjudging you, strange lawnmower company.
Curious to see if the Hyper Tough power tools can peacefully coexist with the Greenworks Pro line or if one will have to follow Hart to the island of misfit tools. I like my HT impacts but they're the only 20V pieces I bothered getting.
The hand tool refresh has been pretty interesting at least.
And I can vouch for the Hyper Tough prybars with the striking caps. I have the 25" and 36" and I'll definitely break before they ever do. Wilde makes them and it's a little cheaper than buying direct from them.
Curious to see if the Hyper Tough power tools can peacefully coexist with the Greenworks Pro line or if one will have to follow Hart to the island of misfit tools. I like my HT impacts but they're the only 20V pieces I bothered getting.
The hand tool refresh has been pretty interesting at least.
And I can vouch for the Hyper Tough prybars with the striking caps. I have the 25" and 36" and I'll definitely break before they ever do. Wilde makes them and it's a little cheaper than buying direct from them.
four.cycle
Well-known member
Interesting.
I did not watch the videos in the first post.
We've established that the "Hyper Tough" prybars and the 10-inch angle-jawed slip-joint ("water pump") pliers are both sourced from Wilde, which is a step in the right direction.
TTI (Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd., Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, China) is the parent company of:
Milwaukee Tool, Ryobi, AEG, Empire, Imperial Blades, Stileto, Kango, Hart, Hoover, Oreck, VAX, Dirt Devil
(emphasis added)
The difference between Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, ACE, Menards, and "Do it Best" is that Walmart tends more to beat their suppliers into submission, demanding lower prices every year. (Google: "The Man Who Said NO to Walmart")
I'd posit it remains to be seen whether or not Walmart has the willingness to retain any suppliers of quality products while still allowing them to make a profit margin that meets their expectations.
Or will we just be seeing another repeat of the same "introduce quality product line, water down quality content of product line, increase prices on product line, drop product line and replace with different brand, wash, rinse, repeat."
I did not watch the videos in the first post.
We've established that the "Hyper Tough" prybars and the 10-inch angle-jawed slip-joint ("water pump") pliers are both sourced from Wilde, which is a step in the right direction.
TTI (Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd., Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, China) is the parent company of:
Milwaukee Tool, Ryobi, AEG, Empire, Imperial Blades, Stileto, Kango, Hart, Hoover, Oreck, VAX, Dirt Devil
(emphasis added)
The difference between Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, ACE, Menards, and "Do it Best" is that Walmart tends more to beat their suppliers into submission, demanding lower prices every year. (Google: "The Man Who Said NO to Walmart")
I'd posit it remains to be seen whether or not Walmart has the willingness to retain any suppliers of quality products while still allowing them to make a profit margin that meets their expectations.
Or will we just be seeing another repeat of the same "introduce quality product line, water down quality content of product line, increase prices on product line, drop product line and replace with different brand, wash, rinse, repeat."
Aaron_W
Well-known member
Yep, I see people comment on the fleeting nature of Harbor Freight brands, but I've not witnessed it happening.
Walmart on the other hand adds and drops brands like people change underwear.
Walmart on the other hand adds and drops brands like people change underwear.
I have bought the pocket pry bars and the smaller 3 piece set from Walmart. Their tool line is expanding and their 90 tooth ratchets seem nice for the money.
I think I’ll stick to their pry bars though. They were American made and I only bought the smaller ones to fill in a Mahew set I have.
I suspect in typical Walmart fashion they will dump anything American made in their race to lower prices and increase profit.
They certainly are expanding their tool inventory though
I think I’ll stick to their pry bars though. They were American made and I only bought the smaller ones to fill in a Mahew set I have.
I suspect in typical Walmart fashion they will dump anything American made in their race to lower prices and increase profit.
They certainly are expanding their tool inventory though
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That’s kind of like ranking your favorite STDs.
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I think Walleyworld tries to meet the needs of their customers and offering tools is part of this. I don't think any tool offering from Wal Mart would make someone give up the tools they currently own but, if you don't have something and need it, Wal mart might be an option.
four.cycle
Well-known member
They ARE in the tool market. They do stock hand tools and power tools.
Question is: will they still be selling the same brand next year? Next week?
Will there be any sort of product support for yet another proprietary battery-operated line of hand-held power tools?
I think the consumers are finally wising up to the fact that these systems are not compatible with each other, and battery replacement can get real spendy in a hurry.
See below:
And how tempted were you to pay money for battery-operated tools for which no support network any longer exists?
Which begs the question:
How's "FLEX" doin' this week?
You DON'T want those to last a lifetime though
wafrederick
Well-known member
Their warranty, receipt needed to warranty them at the store. Youtube subscriber Pete's Custom Shop found out this, dropped a prybar and the handle broke. Took it back to his local Walmart to get it warrantied, told him receipt needed to get it replaced under warranty. Said it in one of his livestreams including saying he will not buy another Hyper Tough tool after that happened
four.cycle
Well-known member
^ Well... they're not going to sell a "lifetime warranty" on a hand tool that requires a receipt. That is a non-starter right there.
Reason for their doing it is more than understandable considering how much they lose to shoplifting, but any person considering making an investment in tools will take warranty terms into consideration.
On the flip side:
When I was waiting in line at ACE about an hour ago, the young man in front of me purchased: one 1/4 slotted screwdriver, one P1 phillips screwdriver, one 12-ounce claw hammer, one pair of 6-inch slip-point pliers, and one pair of 6-inch diagonal cutters. Total ticket was about $23 and change.
So there's a whole world of consumers out there who simply don't even give consideration to "product quality" or "warranty" - they just want to spend the least amount possible to complete the task, and the tools will be relegated to the back of the junk drawer and ultimately end up being peddled off at a garage sale.
The lions share of the money for battery-powered hand-held tools is still going to Milwaukee and Dewalt - Ryobi, Bosch, and Makita leading the rest of the pack.
Certainly Walmart has deep enough pockets to play the "just change vendors" game as long as they like, but sooner or later they'll run out of vendors.
If they're serious about stealing market share from Milwaukee and Dewalt, they need to go back to the drawing board on warranty terms.
Reason for their doing it is more than understandable considering how much they lose to shoplifting, but any person considering making an investment in tools will take warranty terms into consideration.
On the flip side:
When I was waiting in line at ACE about an hour ago, the young man in front of me purchased: one 1/4 slotted screwdriver, one P1 phillips screwdriver, one 12-ounce claw hammer, one pair of 6-inch slip-point pliers, and one pair of 6-inch diagonal cutters. Total ticket was about $23 and change.
So there's a whole world of consumers out there who simply don't even give consideration to "product quality" or "warranty" - they just want to spend the least amount possible to complete the task, and the tools will be relegated to the back of the junk drawer and ultimately end up being peddled off at a garage sale.
The lions share of the money for battery-powered hand-held tools is still going to Milwaukee and Dewalt - Ryobi, Bosch, and Makita leading the rest of the pack.
Certainly Walmart has deep enough pockets to play the "just change vendors" game as long as they like, but sooner or later they'll run out of vendors.
If they're serious about stealing market share from Milwaukee and Dewalt, they need to go back to the drawing board on warranty terms.
Lorydr
Well-known member
Years ago I bought a small powered screwgun for like $3 from wallyworld. After that I got a similar one from there for about $4 or 5. Hypertough. They performed well for my working needs.
2 years ago I got the hypertough 20v blower. It was ok enough. Last year I got the same brand of string trimmer. The battery on that went south in a hurry.
I got nothing but the run-a-round from the local WM store. Eventually I had WM corporate backing me up about the brand warranty. The store had to accept return and EAT-IT. Small win for me!
Then I bought the same device from another WM today. It hopefully will hang in there for a few years. It has now a 3 year warranty based on the hypertough brand..
2 years ago I got the hypertough 20v blower. It was ok enough. Last year I got the same brand of string trimmer. The battery on that went south in a hurry.
I got nothing but the run-a-round from the local WM store. Eventually I had WM corporate backing me up about the brand warranty. The store had to accept return and EAT-IT. Small win for me!
Then I bought the same device from another WM today. It hopefully will hang in there for a few years. It has now a 3 year warranty based on the hypertough brand..
If you bought one and just had a ton of issues, why would you buy another one?
BlakeTheCarGuy
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I was around for the tail end of Popular Mechanics not that I’m old enough to remember them being new but I have a lot that my dad gave me and I got at the pawn shop that are amazing lol.You weren't even born yet Blake....WTF?
Lorydr
Well-known member
I got a crappy one. The next one might be just as crappy. It was about the low price for something I don't love doing.
I usually hate doing tasks with cheap, inefficient tools too
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
I have checked at a few Walmart in Ohio and Michigan with no luck.Mini pry bars MiUSA for <$8.
They have added a 45” pry bar with striking cap to their lineup too. It’s <$35 MiUSA.
four.cycle
Well-known member
^ well... apparently the trade-off of not having to deal with snarled greasy air hoses and not going completely deaf before age 40 has been something of an incentive for power hand tool buyers.
southalabama
Well-known member
We used to own a custom picture frame shop and garden center. We had a long term nursery plant supplier (20 years) abruptly cut us off along with all the other mom and pops. Some plants are booked (and grown) for you to peak at a certain time, ie Easter lilies, mums etc. Getting a new supplier on short notice hurt our business but dad went and made new relationships with different nurseries. Couple years later old nursery on verge of bankruptcy. Walmart had lowered prices and killed his business. Dad stood firm and declined to change nurseries. He was out of business a couple years later.
Y00PER
Well-known member
Something tells me that at least some of the hart and hypertough stuff come from the same factory
@four.cycle
I can agree with you on most, if not everything you stated.
Unfortunately, it's Walmart. They are a world-wide behemoth. They don't have to be serious about market share for anything, much less tools.
I think the ACE customer is a good example. Someone is grabbing some milk, and they pickup a hammer or a wrench so they don't have to make another stop.
BTW: I vaguely remember seeing some reviews on either an Impact gun or something similar about a year ago that Walmart sold, it was supposed to be competitive with the big boys at a fraction of the price.
But, it's Walmart. Do they even still sell whatever brand that was??