Skip to content
Shop Your Local Store ● Ship to Your Hometown Store
Pro & Contractor Accounts ● Apply for Net Terms
100,000+ Products ● Trusted Authentic Brands
FAQ Shipping & Returns Order Lookup Contact Account
The Workbench
Field notes from the hardware aisle.

Honest project guides. Brand explainers. Supply-chain straight talk. Stories from the local-first network. No upsells, no fluff, no "elevate your project."

Written by People who do the work
Updated When we have something to say
Best for DIYers & pros
Buying guides

Browse by department

Plain-English guides that help you buy the right thing the first time — sorted by the aisle you’d find it in.

Lawn, Garden & Farm

16
How to Choose a Chainsaw

How to Choose a Chainsaw

Choosing a chainsaw comes down to power source, bar length, and the safety gear you buy alongside it...

Read guide Lawn Fertilizer Basics: What the Numbers Mean

Lawn Fertilizer Basics: What the Numbers Mean

The three numbers on every fertilizer bag are the N-P-K ratio — nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium — and...

Read guide How to Choose a Wheelbarrow or Yard Cart

How to Choose a Wheelbarrow or Yard Cart

Steel or poly? One wheel or two? Air-filled or flat-free? This guide walks through every wheelbarrow and yard-cart...

Read guide How to Choose a Garden Hose That Lasts

How to Choose a Garden Hose That Lasts

Most garden hoses fail early because shoppers pick the wrong diameter, cheap vinyl, or crushable fittings. This guide...

Read guide How to Choose Pruning Shears

How to Choose Pruning Shears

Bypass, anvil, or ratchet? This guide breaks down the cutting action that keeps your plants healthy, matches the...

Read guide How to Choose a Lawn Mower

How to Choose a Lawn Mower

The right mower depends less on brand than on your yard’s size, slope, and how much maintenance you’ll...

Read guide How to Choose a String Trimmer

How to Choose a String Trimmer

Gas, battery, or corded? Straight or curved shaft? This guide breaks down every string-trimmer decision that matters, with...

Read guide How to Choose Grass Seed

How to Choose Grass Seed

The grass seed you pick matters more than the mower—choose the wrong species for your climate and you’ll...

Read guide How to Choose an Axe or Maul

How to Choose an Axe or Maul

The one question that decides your purchase—are you splitting wood or cutting it—plus a tool-by-tool spec table, handle...

Read guide How to Choose a Garden Tiller

How to Choose a Garden Tiller

Choosing a garden tiller comes down to your soil and plot size, not engine bragging rights. This guide...

Read guide How to Choose a Sprinkler

How to Choose a Sprinkler

The right sprinkler matches its spray pattern to the exact shape of your lawn — and that one...

Read guide How to Choose a Shovel or Spade

How to Choose a Shovel or Spade

Shovel or spade, forged or stamped steel, long handle or D-grip — the right choice decides whether a...

Read guide How to Choose a Pressure Washer

How to Choose a Pressure Washer

The biggest PSI number isn’t the best buy — the right pressure washer matches the surfaces you actually...

Read guide How to Choose a Leaf Blower

How to Choose a Leaf Blower

Choosing a leaf blower comes down to two numbers—CFM and MPH—and one big decision: battery, corded, or gas....

Read guide How to Choose a Lawn Spreader

How to Choose a Lawn Spreader

A clear buyer’s guide to lawn spreaders—broadcast, drop, handheld, and tow-behind—matched to your yard size, plus the hopper,...

Read guide How to Choose a Hedge Trimmer

How to Choose a Hedge Trimmer

Picking a hedge trimmer comes down to power source, blade length, and tooth gap — and getting them...

Read guide
The NHG promise

Honest answers, not content marketing.

If a post helped, that's the goal. If you've got a question we haven't covered — ask.

Ask a real person Why it's worth the trip →

Ask our counter. Or theirs.

Most hardware stores can do more than you think. If we can't help you, the folks down the street probably can — just ask at the counter.

What we offer
Shop Your Local Store Ship to your hometown store
Pro & Gov Accounts Net terms · tax-exempt
Ships Nationwide Direct to your door
Independent Network Real hardware stores
$0.68 of every dollar spent at a local independent business stays in the community. At a national chain, it's about fifteen cents. Civic Economics, multi-city retail studies
100% Authorized & Genuine — Our Guarantee →
Their Counter
Try local first · we'll wait

The stores we send you to are local and independently run — often for generations, the kind of place where someone behind the counter knows the regulars. We don't own them. We just think they deserve the foot traffic. They can put most of what we sell on their next truck. Ask there before you check out here.

Find a local store →
Mon–Fri 6–5 PST
Independent hardware retailer? Join the network →
About our directory. National Hardware Group is an independent retailer and directory. The local stores we list and link to are separately owned and operated — we have no ownership stake in any of them, and most pay us nothing to be included. That includes plenty of stores flying a familiar banner that people don't realize are locally owned and run, not operated by a corporation. Store owners can choose to upgrade their listing for an enhanced presence or pickup features, but the base directory is free, and inclusion is never a paid endorsement.

Compare products

{"one"=>"Select 2 or 3 items to compare", "other"=>"{{ count }} of 3 items selected"}

Select first item to compare

Select second item to compare

Select third item to compare

Compare