5 Tools You Shouldn’t Buy From Ace Hardware, According To User Reviews

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There’s a lot to love about Ace Hardware. The home improvement retailer is a true institution, with most of its 5,000 product locations owned by local entrepreneurs. This is not the same corporate sales pitch that often dominates the area. But, as is the case with any shopping center, Ace doesn’t always hit the mark, as there are some products the store carries that just don’t meet the expectations of users.

Some of Ace Hardware’s most impressive finds and must-have additions to your garage are loved by customers, but others offer a wobble and lack functionality or quality control. These five tools from Ace Hardware are lacking in design thinking or features that wear out faster than they should. Not every tool will be a winner, and these five pieces of equipment are best left on the shelf, according to reviews and experiences shared by disgruntled Ace Hardware customers.

The Ace 10-Inch Bi-Metal Compact Hacksaw is an inexpensive hacksaw that promises to deliver efficient and easy multi-cutting capabilities. A hacksaw is a hand tool that provides a crossover with your angle grinder, so it’s an easy addition to throw in your toolbox for versatile support for all kinds of multitasking jobs. Ace notes that it combines tool-free blade replacement capabilities with durable construction throughout the body. It comes with a blade and features an ergonomic handle with a half-length frame to reduce the size of the tool while maintaining the necessary rigidity and cutting power.

The tool retails for $10, so it’s positioned as a good combination of quality and cost-effectiveness. Unfortunately, users don’t like the design. Many note that installing a blade is more difficult than expected, especially given its nature as a tool-less blade replacement solution. It also doesn’t come with any kind of instructions to help explain how to do this job. Some have noticed that they find the blade too long for their needs, making it an unusable tool. Many also report that the blade feels very wobbly when sitting on the tool, making the whole thing feel unstable. As a result, users gave this an average rating of 3.6 stars from 56 reviews.

The Suncast 24-by-56-Inch Poly Snow Pusher is a tool that users don’t like very much. It plays with the lowest rating among this list of devices, with an average rating of 3.0 stars out of 93 reviews. The tool has a D-grip handle, a long shaft, and a curved blade with a metal wear strip. It also features an angled rib pattern on the shovel head to help direct snow and prevent it from sticking as you push piles of material out of the way. The handle is also made of steel, promising a long life.

However, users have strong opinions about how these features fit together in practice. This tool has one star reviews rather than five stars, many buyers complain that this tool comes with a twisted shovel head, which allows the snow to pass underneath as it is pushed down. Many also note that it features a curve which means that proper use of the tool requires it to be installed at such a low angle that most will find it difficult to handle. Some users think that the metal strip at the end of the blade needs to be removed in order to use the tool effectively, while another decided to cut the edges to make it work, resulting in a very small shovel that lost important functionality in the process. With a list price of $30 and all these issues, the Suncast is a device you’ll want to avoid.

The Black+ Decker 17-Inch Electric Lawn Mower is powered by a 12 amp motor that allows it to cut even long grass. It features six height adjustments, from one to three inches, and a winged blade that the company says can improve clipping collection by 30% over a standard blade design. These blades may ultimately make maintaining and sharpening a lawnmower blade even more important.

The tool lists for $199, making it an affordable lawn mower and an attractive option for those who need a new tool to help with their lawn maintenance. It’s important to note that the power cord for this mower is about two meters long, so it will definitely need an extra cord. This means breaking out an extra accessory or buying one next to the cutter; On the other hand, maintaining the tool is easy.

As for why it’s an unpopular choice (consumers give it an average rating of 3.6 stars across 54 reviews), the 17-inch cutting board is difficult, as most users will want a larger tool. That said, on a small lawn this is unlikely to be a problem. Where the tool really fails its users is in the design. Many say the build quality is terrible, and one reviewer noted that almost every part placed under the device fell off at least once. Height adjustments are often difficult to make, and plastic parts seem to tear or break easily.

The Newborn Economy Steel Smooth Rod Caulking Gun looks like a regular caulking gun. Caulking guns are simple tools, using a lever-action lever to drive a plunger forward into a tube of caulk, adhesive, or sealant. The problems that users have had with this are listed in the product description on the Ace Hardware website, unfortunately. The tool’s product page notes that it is “recommended for flexible caulks and sealants,” and later provides another reference to its durability, suggesting that it “uses light adhesives, caulking compounds, lubricants, roofing materials.” The fact that it needs to state its power with simple mixtures twice in the actions of a brief overview of the product is a red flag.

Users have given this tool an average rating of 3.9 stars and 68 reviews. The main concern consumers have with the tool is that it cannot always handle the pressure requirements to effectively squeeze the material out of the tube. Others note that the plunger does not develop well under any kind of load, which makes the unit unable to do its job, even with simple combinations.

Users specifically notice that the smooth rod used to advance the pad at the end of the plunger does not produce enough force. Some reviews say that the whole process is smooth. Choosing an alternative seems absolutely necessary if you are looking for an application tool of this type.

The Ace Steel Dual-Wheeled Rotary Edger is a tale of two experiences. Many really like this tool and leave great praise for it on the product page. By all accounts, the editing blade is sharp and efficient, but this experience is short-lived. Many user reviews note that the blade and assembly head are made of steel, but they do not last as long as a tool of this type requires. As a result, the best performance an edger delivers when new quickly fades, and users are often left with a broken tool, with a dull head and dull blades that can no longer cut.

The result is a product with an average rating of 3.5 stars from 64 reviews. Even with its fiberglass handle, 48-inch length, and sharp, serrated blades that make editing easy without the need for a power tool, its $45 price tag is steep for a unit that seems likely to break in the near future. Although it promises a high quality cut, this value does not seem to last long, so you should avoid this tool.

Each of these tools has been reviewed by at least 50 consumers at Ace Hardware. None of them earned an average score above 4.0 stars. All of the tools feature poor quality or design flaws, according to user reviews, often requiring another trip to Ace (or elsewhere) to get the tool installed. The only exception to this is the edger, which receives poor marks due to the use of low-quality steel construction, which results in the tool failing much sooner than it would otherwise.