Menards and Masterforce Tools

[Garcky]

I was spoiled in my old house. There was a Harbor Freight less than five minutes away. Where I'm living now, not so much. Lowes and Home Depot's tool selections are pretty limited, really. However, there's a big Menards store nearby. I dropped in there the other day for something and naturally visited the tool area. Turns out that their Masterforce line-up is pretty extensive. I was surprised. I actually found a couple of things I needed.

For those who don't live in the Midwestern states, Menards might not be a familiar name, but if you do, I think their tool section is worth checking out. It looks like the tools are about equivalent in quality to Harbor Freight's mid-priced, "better" stuff, but they have a very good selection of tools. Worth checking out, I think.

 

[Jtels85]

Menard’s Masterforce dark green dipped handle pliers are a real gem for the price! I love mine and the finish and quality is better than…. dare I say… Channellock.

 

[Garcky]

Menard’s Masterforce dark green dipped handle pliers are a real gem for the price! I love mine and the finish and quality is better than…. dare I say… Channellock.

Thanks. I'll check those out!

 

[sparky 1971]

The wrenches are are better than decent for the money. It's already been stated, but the green pliers are really nice, but stay away from the "comfort grip" pliers, those are junk. The ratchets seem ok, but I don't like quick release so I don't have any. Also, the chrome sockets look ok, but they are only available in 12 point, so that's a fail in my eyes. I have some 3/4" drive impact sockets, those have performed flawlessly, but it's hard to have a 3/4 drive socket be junk. I've also been on a few jobsites where guys had Masterforce power tools. The seem to be equal or better than Ryobi. I have a Masterforce orbital sander and multitool in my wood shop, but those don't get used enough to warrant a review.

I have quite a few sockets and wrenches in my service truck from the old Masterforce line which was rebranded Allen. Those were real nice.

 

[Garcky]

The wrenches are are better than decent for the money. It's already been stated, but the green pliers are really nice, but stay away from the "comfort grip" pliers, those are junk. The ratchets seem ok, but I don't like quick release so I don't have any. Also, the chrome sockets look ok, but they are only available in 12 point, so that's a fail in my eyes. I have some 3/4" drive impact sockets, those have performed flawlessly, but it's hard to have a 3/4 drive socket be junk. I've also been on a few jobsites where guys had Masterforce power tools. The seem to be equal or better than Ryobi. I have a Masterforce orbital sander and multitool in my wood shop, but those don't get used enough to warrant a review.

I have quite a few sockets and wrenches in my service truck from the old Masterforce line which was rebranded Allen. Those were real nice.

Thanks for the information. I'm new to their tools, so it's good to hear from someone who has tried them. I did buy a 1/4" drive speed handle, and it seems pretty decent. I don't know what happened to the one I had. I know people don't think about speed handles much, but I I have used them all my adult life and reach for one often.

 

[sparky 1971]

Thanks for the information. I'm new to their tools, so it's good to hear from someone who has tried them. I did buy a 1/4" drive speed handle, and it seems pretty decent. I don't know what happened to the one I had. I know people don't think about speed handles much, but I I have used them all my adult life and reach for one often.

That reminds me, I have a Masterforce breaker bar, impact socket, and speed handle in each of the vehicles (3) for tire changes. Thankfully I haven't had to use one yet.

 

[Damon L.]

The warranty is like Craftsman used to be as well. If it says Masterforce on a hand tool, bring it in broken and leave with a new one. I am a former employee, that is how it worked in our store for sure.

I started buying them when some of them were still made in the US.

 

[matthew]

Lowe’s and Home Depot often seem to me like they’re run by their purchasing departments. I can’t otherwise explain how they seem to perpetually rebrand, discontinue, run ‘special buys’, etc.

At least in my perception Menards seems to understand hardware a bit better. Keeping the variety, because the point of a hardware store is to have what you need not just to leverage high volumes to procurement negotiations.

My one bad thing to say about Menards is those mail-in rebates are a costumer un-friendly way to advertise prices.

 

[Bubba Fett]

They had a great selection of USA-made screwdrivers, mostly made by Pratt-Read, but I think they have switched to Chinese-sources drivers.

 

[sparky 1971]

They had a great selection of USA-made screwdrivers, mostly made by Pratt-Read, but I think they have switched to Chinese-sources drivers.

I don't know if the new drivers are Chinese or Taiwan, but they are a whole lot better than those slick handled Pratt-Read's. When the P-R's were on clearance, I bought one of every style of the extra longs. That was a mistake. I also bought a set of the PR metric nut drivers becasue I needed one size, 9mm? I had to put my Channellocks on the handle to turn it. I have a new style Masterforce #2 square drive that I use almost daily. It's getting worn down, but I think I've gotten use out of it for a longer time than the Kleins I'd been using.

 

[JeepYJ]

The Masterforce prybars are really nice and made in the USA.
Menards has great prices on Knipex and get a rebate or bag sale to make it better.

 

[danski0224]

Lowe’s and Home Depot often seem to me like they’re run by their purchasing departments. I can’t otherwise explain how they seem to perpetually rebrand, discontinue, run ‘special buys’, etc.

At least in my perception Menards seems to understand hardware a bit better. Keeping the variety, because the point of a hardware store is to have what you need not just to leverage high volumes to procurement negotiations.

My one bad thing to say about Menards is those mail-in rebates are a costumer un-friendly way to advertise prices.

Menards is privately held, unlike Blue and Orange.

Probably makes a big difference in what's on the shelf.

Unfortunately, it seems that Menards is also going more into contract Chinese private label stuff for other items in the store.

I bought their hand tools when they were made in the USA, and have bought more since the switch.

They have been way more consistent with what they stock in the hand tool department compared to the other boxes.

Agree on the rebate.

 

[Junkdrawer Dog]

Lived in central Indiana for many years. Menards was always the first stop before big Blue and big Orange!

 

[vssjim]

Menards is privately held, unlike Blue and Orange.

Probably makes a big difference in what's on the shelf.

Unfortunately, it seems that Menards is also going more into contract Chinese private label stuff for other items in the store.

I bought their hand tools when they were made in the USA, and have bought more since the switch.

They have been way more consistent with what they stock in the hand tool department compared to the other boxes.

Agree on the rebate.

They had US made when Danher/ Apex was US made and they discontinued US production and there was no replacement at the price level they could purchase from same as Pratt and Reed when Ideal sold tool line to chinese company and close the rest no longer had their supplier so what could they do.

 

[ptabatcher]

I’ve gotten some great deals on Knipex at Menards. Their everyday prices seem pretty fair. Then, you add on the 11% rebate or, wait until they have one of their “bag” promos. I think you get something like 15% off anything you can fit in a special bag.

Our Menards has some Halder hammers and Wilde punches and chisels. They also have a pretty large selection of SPAX fasteners.

 

[Bent Wrench]

Mamma bought me their 56” toolbox and side cabinet last year and it is actually a pretty nice box.

 

[engineer2]

15% off bag sale is usually in January. Good time to buy Knipex and Halder.
Menards doesn't sell many brand name tools. I heard this was because they won't agree to stick to MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) policies. Plus Chinese companies will make you your own line of power tools if you sell sufficient volume.

I don't know anybody who uses Masterforce power tools, nor have I ever seen anyone purchase them.
I buy Masterforce 10mm wrenches and 10mm sockets, but you already know why that is.

 

[AA/FC]

I was told the big difference bewteen Menards, and the other home improvement stores is: John Menard buys (pay for, in full) all of his stores inventory, He OWNS everything that is on the shelf in his stores. Unlike the other big home improvement stores where the individual manufacturers put their inventory on the shelves in retail stores and only get paid when an item sells. (HD and Lowes doesn't BUY anything for their shelves) So, if you're a manufacturer, and John Menard calls your sales department and says "I want to buy 20 truck loads of X product"..... he has FAR more bargaining power on price than the Orange or Blue stores, who don't BUY anything. He owns is own lumber mill, he owns his own fiberglass factory (shower stalls, bathtubs, etc) He owns his own concrete block plant for concrete landscape products, he owns a custom cabinet and door shop. Menards is a retail store that happens to manufacturer a bunch of their own products, in their own factories. The guy has his hands in everything and has made himself a billionaire.

 

[visionguru]

...
They have been way more consistent with what they stock in the hand tool department compared to the other boxes.
...

Also, the automobile sections of Home Depot and Lowes look pathetic comparing with that of Menards.

 

[ecotec]

I do not particularly like Menards, but I go on occasion. They carry my furnace filter.

Their assortment of punches, of all types, is terrific… Wilde even… that was just bad…

 

[JeepYJ]

I don't know anybody who uses Masterforce power tools, nor have I ever seen anyone purchase them.
I buy Masterforce 10mm wrenches and 10mm sockets, but you already know why that is.

I have an angle grinder that is Masterforce branded. Works just fine and was a good value for the cost.

 

[danski0224]

Also, the automobile sections of Home Depot and Lowes look pathetic comparing with that of Menards.

In their defense, I'd bet that Orange and Blue never really intended to have much of an "automotive section". There really wasn't much at Orange way back when I worked there, and the selection is much bigger and broader now.

If anything, Menards forced changes in that department onto the competition.

Menards probably compares more to a Farm and Fleet with a lumberyard instead of a vehicle service center.

Menards has a little bit of everything. Groceries, pet food, work oriented clothing, books, beauty products/personal hygiene stuff in addition to what the competition has.

Menards has milk, but not bread.

Home Desperate had no shortage of people trying to sell installed services and no regular employees in many departments, none of that at Menards. Same goes for self checkout. More often than not, the only thing open at HD is the self checkout.

For the stuff I buy at the box hardware stores, Menards has way more on the shelf than the other two.

 

[danski0224]

I don't know anybody who uses Masterforce power tools, nor have I ever seen anyone purchase them.
I buy Masterforce 10mm wrenches and 10mm sockets, but you already know why that is.

If they had something that I needed, I'd give their stuff a shot. Most of it seems to be pretty well made.

I did try a Masterforce tabletop tile cutter, and while it functioned fine, the sight lines were horrible. I took it back and got a refund after using it.

It was replaced with one from Lowes with a sliding table.

The Menards one had a black plastic blade cover, which sucked. The sliding guide was cheesy too.

 

[Maddog1337]

I'm a pretty big fan of Menards. I'll echo some of the same sentiments above - it seems like they at least try to stock a lot of MiUSA items. Particularly I have my entire stock of Spax fasteners from Menards, they even stock some Maze nails made in Peru, IL. The available Maze nail selection is primarily roofing focused, wish they stocked more bright commons. Other MiUSA items I frequent are the Wilde chisels/punches, Quantum Storage Solutions part bins, Viewtainer part storage, etc. Their hand tool department took a hit losing Pratt & Read screwdrivers and Apex sockets. Lumber is where Menards truly shines. I do a lot of projects with their red oak and maple selections. Now as far as your post goes the Masterforce pry bars are still MiUSA and great value.

Finally - agreed, the rebate is super annoying. At bare minimum, you should be able to submit them online.

 

[sparky 1971]

I buy a ton of stuff at Menards. Not only stuff for the business, which is for the most part, the same brands as the local supply house, but I'm there often enough that toilet paper, dog food, laundry detergent, etc. come from there. You name it, if Menards has it and I need it, I'm probably getting it there.

As far as the rebates, I don't mind. Every two weeks I send a stack in that needs to have two stamps on the envelope. Between the 11% and my contractor account, I get about $4,000.00 a year in rebates. Washing machine leaks, or we need a larger freezer, I give the wife a stack of rebate slips and tell her to go to Menards and get another. Same with the range, the refrigerator, my 60 gallon air compressor, 800 square feet of cedar decking, two dishwashers, my 56" tool box (top, bottom, and 18" side cabinet), and I added 12" of insulation to my 1700 square foot house, all with rebates. The greatest thing about when they are running the rebates is that when purchasing something with rebates, you still get the 11% back even though there is no actual money changing hands. And there is no sales tax when purchasing with rebates. And, they don't expire as far as I know.

 

[engineer2]

You should have seen the look on my B-I-L's face when I told him Menards rebates don't ever expire. He was tossing them after a month.

 

[AA/FC]

Also, the automobile sections of Home Depot and Lowes look pathetic comparing with that of Menards.

I remember when the was NO automotive department at HD...... That is a relatively new thing.

.

 

[bdbecker]

There are some solid brands beyond Masterforce sold at Menards as well. Knipex as some have already mentioned, but also brands like Wilde, Kreg, Vaughn, Fiskars, Eklind, and more. Definitely nice to be able to take advantage of that 11% rebate on those brands, often making them a better deal than you can get anywhere else.

My favorite is when I used rebates I'd saved up to buy my Evolution track saw (on clearance) and then sent in that receipt for an additional rebate.

 

[Under_Pressure]

As a lifelong Wisconsinite, Menards has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid and we would make the trip to Green Bay (which was a relatively rare event), the two places you could 100% count on stopping with dad were Menards and Fleet Farm. There was no Home Depot around here then, and there still isn't a Lowes. Menards was THE big hardware/building supply store- anything else was local hardware stores and lumber yards. And as I recall, they didn't have any food or household goods then- the expansion there has been a relatively recent thing.

As for the mail in rebates, I think the difficulty is part of the point- they know that some percentage of people will forget/lose their receipts/lose their rebate voucher/etc. That's how they can afford to offer 11% off all the time- if they just marked the prices down, or the rebates were automatic, it wouldn't be sustainable. Essentially, the people who don't send them in are subsidizing those of us who do, and I'm OK with that.

Without getting too much into controversial subjects, I will say that one major black mark on their record for me- at least at my local store- was the shopping experience during covid. From the start, they had the about the most draconian policies and enforcement of anywhere. Every single employee was like a security officer and would literally hunt people down in the store. It was clear during covid that big box retail employees in general could not and would not be expected to confront shoppers about these kinds of things, but at Menards they genuinely seemed to believe they would lose their jobs if they did not actively seek out and physically remove non-compliant customers- it was really bizarre and off-putting.

 

[Damon L.]

I have most of the MasterForce cordless tools, purchased by my handyman business. Why? Cost, warranty, and because I had an inside line on batteries (department manager would sell me the batteries out of warranty returns when that was allowed, AKA if you warranty a drill, they open a box to give you the new drill and toss the rest). I went through an impact driver (replaced on warranty), the rest of it has been fine. If I were still running that business full-time, I would have replaced them with Milwaukee, but they work more than fine for my current needs (I still contract part-time and do more than average around my current house).

FWIW, the Bostitch siding nailer just fits in the 15% off bags. You will need manager approval, but it was $60 off when I bought it with the bag.

 

[NUTTSGT]

My local Menards has bread, not all the time but they do have it until it's bought out.

A little bit of everything, not related to lumber/hardware. What other big box store can the wife go to while you are getting the supplies you need ? It's just shopping for when the shoe is on the other foot.

 

[R.Bolte.Jr]

Last January, I used the 15% bag sale to buy a full set of MidWest brand snips, and they had several sizes of Vaughn American made ball peens at the time. I think they closed the Vaughns out, they were like 50% off or something.

 

[Garcky]

Last January, I used the 15% bag sale to buy a full set of MidWest brand snips, and they had several sizes of Vaughn American made ball peens at the time. I think they closed the Vaughns out, they were like 50% off or something.

Nice.

 

[matthew]

As for the mail in rebates, I think the difficulty is part of the point- they know that some percentage of people will forget/lose their receipts/lose their rebate voucher/etc.

Without a doubt. And I don’t entirely take exception with that. What I do take exception with is the way they show prices with the rebate taken into account. I’m fine if they say $10, and have another line saying plus get $1.11 mail in rebate. But not saying $8.89. You can’t ever pay just $8.89. And it is annoying when you’re comparison shopping.

Giving store credit also brings people back. That builds loyalty. Not dumb. But if that’s the objective, a points card to accumulate that credit is more consumer friendly…

 

[finn]

Without a doubt. And I don’t entirely take exception with that. What I do take exception with is the way they show prices with the rebate taken into account. I’m fine if they say $10, and have another line saying plus get $1.11 mail in rebate. But not saying $8.89. You can’t ever pay just $8.89. And it is annoying when you’re comparison shopping.

Giving store credit also brings people back. That builds loyalty. Not dumb. But if that’s the objective, a points card to accumulate that credit is more consumer friendly…

The ad price clearly states “after $x.** rebate”, and also shows the price before rebate, in relatively large print, so I don’t see what the issue is.

It’s not like there’s some microscopic print hiding something.

 

[RPH]

Menards around me has the higher quality lumber that the others. They could improve the mapping of where it’s stored. You end up wandering around with others trying to locate it. They people working there just point and run.
Merchandise wise our stores are well stocked from food to tools to building supplies. They do size the store for the market. Store in Port Huron is much smaller than the one by Flint. The one in Kokomo, In was always really well stocked and was one of the larger ones.

 

[powertrip]

As a lifelong Wisconsinite, Menards has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid and we would make the trip to Green Bay (which was a relatively rare event), the two places you could 100% count on stopping with dad were Menards and Fleet Farm. There was no Home Depot around here then, and there still isn't a Lowes. Menards was THE big hardware/building supply store- anything else was local hardware stores and lumber yards. And as I recall, they didn't have any food or household goods then- the expansion there has been a relatively recent thing.

As for the mail in rebates, I think the difficulty is part of the point- they know that some percentage of people will forget/lose their receipts/lose their rebate voucher/etc. That's how they can afford to offer 11% off all the time- if they just marked the prices down, or the rebates were automatic, it wouldn't be sustainable. Essentially, the people who don't send them in are subsidizing those of us who do, and I'm OK with that.

Without getting too much into controversial subjects, I will say that one major black mark on their record for me- at least at my local store- was the shopping experience during covid. From the start, they had the about the most draconian policies and enforcement of anywhere. Every single employee was like a security officer and would literally hunt people down in the store. It was clear during covid that big box retail employees in general could not and would not be expected to confront shoppers about these kinds of things, but at Menards they genuinely seemed to believe they would lose their jobs if they did not actively seek out and physically remove non-compliant customers- it was really bizarre and off-putting.

Love Menards but their Covid policy really pissed me off. Here in central Ohio they had a rule that people under 16 yrs of age could not enter at all. Not even with a parent. The most insane thing I've ever seen. It took me over a year to set foot back into a Menards store.

 

[Garcky]

Love Menards but their Covid policy really pissed me off. Here in central Ohio they had a rule that people under 16 yrs of age could not enter at all. Not even with a parent. The most insane thing I've ever seen. It took me over a year to set foot back into a Menards store.

Well, I did not set foot in Menards during 2020 and 2021. In fact, I didn't go in any stores, other than the supermarket, during that time. I simply bought everything online. So, I wasn't really aware of Menard's policies with regard to COVID. Despite being fully vaccinated, and boosted (got my fifth show two weeks ago), I simply did not go to places, even with a mask, where there were lots of people. That could explain why I never got COVID at all.

 

[Semi-hole mechanic]

We used to joke that the only reason my FIL shopped anywhere but Menards is because they didn’t sell underwear. A couple of years ago we laughed and sent him a pic of underwear in the clothing dept, Menards now carries everything he needs.

 

[Garcky]

We used to joke that the only reason my FIL shopped anywhere but Menards is because they didn’t sell underwear. A couple of years ago we laughed and sent him a pic of underwear in the clothing dept, Menards now carries everything he needs.

Well, Menards is a nice place to shop, for sure. However, I miss my old family-owned and operated ACE. It's gone now. It was a real, old-fashioned hardware store. It stocked all sorts of hardware, including stuff you will never see in a Menards, Home Depot, or Lowes. How about stainless steel lag screws? I like those. That old Ace had them in all sizes and lengtht.

Also, when my garage door spring broke, the Ace had all the stuff I needed to replace it, plus a guy who knew how to do the job and who gave me some valuable tips that saved me time and helped make the job a safer one. He, and a couple of YouTube videos.

That store closed a couple of years ago, and I miss it.