I Finally Found Klein Tools at Lowe’s – WOW!

I have been visiting nearby Lowe’s stores, hoping to see what their eventual Klein Tools setup looked like, and was not disappointed!

As you might have heard, Lowe’s and Klein announced a new partnership earlier this year, with Lowe’s promising to offer the largest selection of Klein Tools.

More specifically, Lowe’s promised that they would “offer the widest selection of Klein Tools products anywhere in the home improvement retail channel.”

Not long after that announcement, Klein Tools announced their new ModBox tool storage system. With Home Depot’s shelves already quite full with storage products from Dewalt, Milwaukee, Husky, Ridgid, and Ryobi, it started to make sense why Klein Tools would partner with Lowe’s.

Up until I finally saw the Klein Tools display at a Lowe’s store, I had been habitually checking their typical electrical tool aisle. Confused, I kept seeing pegs full of Ideal electrical hand tools with clearance stickers. Some Kobalt electrical tools also look to be clearance-priced.

It seemed strange to me that Lowe’s hadn’t completed their reset yet. I also hadn’t seen any Klein Tools boxes in the overhead racks.

I walked the tool aisles as usual, looking for anything that might be new and worth exploring, before finding myself at the Pro Center, with a huge Klein Tools display practically hiding in plain sight.

Wow.

I don’t think I have ever seen Lowe’s give this type of star treatment to any tool brand – not Craftsman, not Dewalt, and certainly not even their own Kobalt brand.

This is nothing short of impressive.

Did you hear? Lowe’s has the LARGEST SELECTION of Klein Tools. There’s fine print, but I was too dazzled by everything else I was seeing to notice.

Right in the center of the Pro Center, they had nonmetallic cable (Romex) and popular sizes of electrical junction boxes. Smart.

They had well… everything – pliers, wire strippers, wire cutters, fish tapes, an IR thermometer, electrical testers, magnetic torpedo level, and measuring tapes.

I’m sure I missed something, but it doesn’t look like Klein or Lowe’s did!

The next bay had screwdrivers, hex keys, precisions screwdrivers, backpacks, safety glasses, work gloves, knee pads, and hard hats.

Hey Lowe’s – please the tool bags and soft goods in plastic bags, as the Pro Center products are always coated in a layer of what looks and feels to be fine concrete dust.

Then there’s the Klein Tools ModBox tool storage setup.

THIS is how Lowe’s should sell their modular tool storage systems.

Not to mince words, I feel that they’ve been terrible partners for Craftsman and Flex. Have you ever seen compelling Craftsman VersaStack, Craftsman TradeStack, Flex Stack Pack, or Kobalt Case Stack tool storage systems at any Lowe’s stores before?

What they’re doing here for the Klein ModBox system is spot-on. This is how you showcase a modular tool storage system.

But wait…

There’s MORE! They had more ModBox tool boxes, accessories, more testers, more workwear, and a display of screwdriver bundles.

Here you can see what I mean about everything being covered in fine dust.

This is the case at every Lowe’s Pro Center, every time I scout out the tools there.

They also had promo floor displays, featuring a lineman’s pliers and diagonal cutters bundle, an electrical test and measurement bundle with a manual ranging multimeter (really?) and outlet tester, and another test kit with voltage detector and outlet tester.

Next to it, there were more electrical tool promos – an 8-in-1 insulated electronics screwdriver set, a digital angle gauge and level, and a non-contact voltage tester.

If there’s something to nitpick about, aside from most of the products already being covered in dust, it’s the signage.

Here’s what the sign says on every floor display:

Klein Tools. Klein Tools Est. 1857. For Professionals… Since 1857. For Professionals… Since 1857.

That’s just one display, and there were 7 of them. I feel that there’s going to be test on this.

There are a couple of things I have been wondering about.

First, how much did all of this cost?! That’s a lot of SKUs, and Lowe’s has more than 1700 stores in the USA. This looks to be a huge deal for both brands.

Second, where’s all of this going to go the next time Lowe’s resets the Pro Center bays?

Overall, I am extremely impressed. Someone at Lowe’s deserves a pat on the back for this. This type of rollout takes considerable effort.

Maybe this will also set a precedent. If I were in charge of retail sales at a major tool brand, I’d point to what Lowe’s is doing here with Klein and say “let’s do that too!”

More than 14 years ago, Home Depot and Klein formed an exclusive partnership that stripped – pun partially intended – Klein Tools from Lowe’s stores.

That exclusivity is now over, and Lowe’s seems intent to not only tell but show everyone that they have the largest selection of Klein Tools.

What do you think about all this? Have you seen a huge Klein rollout at your Lowe’s stores?

You can now buy Klein Tools at Lowe’s online store as well.