I have walked into an ACE, Lowe's, and previously Sears with nothing but a broken ratchet and left with a brand new one multiple times.

I've never tried that with a Kobalt tool at Lowes, but I should. I have two mechanics sets of hand tools, one Craftsman and one Kobalt. There are small things I like about both, or that I think about it.

For power tools, I have several Craftsman tools. Drill, impacts, circular saw, reciprocating, nail gun, staple gun, palm sander come to mind. I feel like they are plenty good enough for the DIY guy who will only use them a few times a year, but I get vibe they aren't meant for more than that.