a little Brake Cleaner price point comparison

[Gregski]

it may be more different in your neck of the woods, but where I hail from things have changed a bit post C O V Y D

for example gone are all the store brands for oil, brake cleaners, etc

anywho so I decided to do a little price comparison of what's out there today for brake cleaners so here they are in no particular order

$2.97 - Walmart (14.5 oz can)
$2.98 - Lowes
$3.48 - Home Depot (14 oz can)
$3.99 - O'Reilly's (14 oz can)
$4.47 - Amazon (only way to get the CRC red can in California)
$4.99 - NAPA
$4.99 - AutoZone
$8.99 - ACE

Pep Boys - went out of business I think

DISCLAIMER: now I am an IT Computer guy by day so I know we can do this on the InterWebs but too many times I have seen stuff on the web with a different price or have gone to the actual brick and mortar and seen additional products there not listed on the website, so this is why I just like to visit each store and do the research the old fashion way

[Gregski]

now up to this point I never shopped for any automotive needs at Walmart, but since I've been going through so much brake cleaner lately I decided to give them a shot (pun intended)

[Gregski]

NAPA was next, and let's just say I have a love hate relationship with these guys

"High Power" brake cleaner, that's cute Napa, but this is California there is no high power chemical anywhere here in the state, ha ha, can you imagine the kind of cancer that would cause here, so who are you kidding?

and I wonder if that's the same CRC that Walmart sells for half the price (wish they weren't sold out of it in the post above) so that we could compare as I know they make a red can and a green can product, and who knows what the different is there?

[57taskforce]

Originally Posted by Gregski

NAPA was next, and let's just say I have a love hate relationship with these guys

"High Power" brake cleaner, that's cute Napa, but this is California there is no high power chemical anywhere here in the state, ha ha, can you imagine the kind of cancer that would cause here, so who are you kidding?

and I wonder if that's the same CRC that Walmart sells for half the price (wish they weren't sold out of it in the post above) so that we could compare as I know they make a red can and a green can product, and who knows what the different is there?

I use a shiz ton of brakleen exclusively at work. 10-20 cases a month isn’t out of the question. Red is non flammable and chlorinated. It doesn’t evaporate quite as fast but it’s not as powerful in a lot of situations. It shines when you need something that will soak in and break stuff up before it evaporates.
Green is non chlorinated and flammable as heck. It’s my go to. Evaporates quick but does an excellent job cutting the crud. We buy pallets of cases monthly.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by 57taskforce

I use a shiz ton of brakleen exclusively at work. 10-20 cases a month isn’t out of the question. Red is non flammable and chlorinated. It doesn’t evaporate quite as fast but it’s not as powerful in a lot of situations. It shines when you need something that will soak in and break stuff up before it evaporates.
Green is non chlorinated and flammable as heck. It’s my go to. Evaporates quick but does an excellent job cutting the crud. We buy pallets of cases monthly.

-
Which one is it that produces the deadly Phosgene gas if you heat the parts with a torch or weld on them after spraying them...?

LockDoc
.

[weq92f]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

-
Which one is it that produces the deadly Phosgene gas if you heat the parts with a torch or weld on them after spraying them...?

LockDoc
.

According to the Internet, if the product contains Tetrachloroethylene, it will make Phosgene if heated beyond 315C.

-klb

[Steeveedee]

Any product with chlorine in it is a potential source of phosgene gas, when heated.

[57taskforce]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

-
Which one is it that produces the deadly Phosgene gas if you heat the parts with a torch or weld on them after spraying them...?

LockDoc
.

If im not mistaken that is the red. The green is more likely to be long long gone by the time any real heat is involved, keep that open flame or sparks away from green though. It’s stupid flammable.

[CG]

Another place that would be unexpected to have better prices than the chain auto parts places is Lowes. I grabbed a quart of oil at a chain place and later that week I was in the automotive aisle at Lowes when I worked there and was shocked to see the same oil was much cheaper there.

I need a few things automotive wise this week and Ill be going to Lowes. I dont get an employee 10% discount anymore, but I know its still going to be less expensive.

[fun in dirt]

Originally Posted by CG

Another place that would be unexpected to have better prices than the chain auto parts places is Lowes. I grabbed a quart of oil at a chain place and later that week I was in the automotive aisle at Lowes when I worked there and was shocked to see the same oil was much cheaper there.

I need a few things automotive wise this week and Ill be going to Lowes. I dont get an employee 10% discount anymore, but I know its still going to be less expensive.

We noticed this last week too - also found a 24 pc bag of microfiber towels for $9.99 in the area around carpet & tile!

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by CG

Another place that would be unexpected to have better prices than the chain auto parts places is Lowes. I grabbed a quart of oil at a chain place and later that week I was in the automotive aisle at Lowes when I worked there and was shocked to see the same oil was much cheaper there.

I need a few things automotive wise this week and Ill be going to Lowes. I dont get an employee 10% discount anymore, but I know its still going to be less expensive.

that's a great point, I used to get my red primer from AutoZone and now I buy it at LOWEs for half the price in a bigger can

[mongocanfly]

Greg, I know for a certain fact that oreillys brand brake cleaner at oreillys is about half price if you buy it in the case (12)
Before the coronas, single can on the shelf was nearly $4, a case of 12 was about $25..had no idea til a friend of mine got a job there and tipped me off..cases are in the back, not on the shelf
But here,now, I think the cases are near $40 now..

[mongocanfly]

CG, I've never seen a automotive isle at any of our lowes , is that a regional thing?

[CG]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

CG, I've never seen a automotive isle at any of our lowes , is that a regional thing?

Im not positive on that one. The store here in Monroe was built as a Lowes not another store that Lowes bought out and redid. Meaning that all actual Lowes stores should have pretty much the same layout.

In our Lowes its Aisle 17. Same Aisle as the nail gun and nail gun supplies. It also has all the trailer hitch stuff, ramps, oil drain, funnels, jacks ... you get the idea lol. I recommend checking them out, you might be surprised.

Like also mentioned ... shop rags, towels, spray paints, thinners etc. Thats all over on 2-4. Again thats if it was always a Lowes.

Now I went to the Lowes while in Maui once just to check it out. Not laid out the same. You might want to check that one out too ... worth the visit haha.

[richard2717]

Originally Posted by CG

Im not positive on that one. The store here in Monroe was built as a Lowes not another store that Lowes bought out and redid. Meaning that all actual Lowes stores should have pretty much the same layout.

In our Lowes its Aisle 17. Same Aisle as the nail gun and nail gun supplies. It also has all the trailer hitch stuff, ramps, oil drain, funnels, jacks ... you get the idea lol. I recommend checking them out, you might be surprised.

Like also mentioned ... shop rags, towels, spray paints, thinners etc. Thats all over on 2-4. Again thats if it was always a Lowes.

Now I went to the Lowes while in Maui once just to check it out. Not laid out the same. You might want to check that one out too ... worth the visit haha.

CG
our store in Salisbury MD is set up like yours Isle 17

.

[CG]

Originally Posted by richard2717

CG
our store in Salisbury MD is set up like yours Isle 17

.

Thank you for the confirmation my friend!

[truckster]

Supposedly, if you use the red (chlorinated) solvent you'll produce phosgene gas even if the solvent has evaporated.

I used to buy a ton of the Walmart Supertech brand, but they haven't had it in stock lately.

I didn't know about the case price at O'Reilly's. I'll have to ask the next time I'm in there. I thought about buying in bulk (gallon cans) and buying a sprayer, but the cost per gallon was more than buying the equivalent in spray cans.

[mongocanfly]

CG, I've got 3 lowes stores near me...all were built from ground up, they sure arnt laid out the same..
For example

Store 1
Contractor entrance on left
Lumber is on the left side
Plumbing in right front
Appliances in right back
Garden center on right side

Store 2
Contractor entrance on right
Lumber on right
Plumbing in left rear
Appliances center rear
Garden center on left side

Store 3
Contractor entrance on right
Lumber on right
Plumbing on right side in back
Appliances in center rear
Garden center on left side

But I'll have to see if I can find automotive, I've spent alot of time walking the aisles looking for stuff I cant find, just never seen automotive

[truckster]

I used to know where every item in my local Lowes was. I'd overhear customers asking employees where something was, and when the employee didn't know I would tell them. But the store recently decided to reset to the corporate layout. Now I can't find anything, and neither can the employees.

I did find Prestone antifreeze there, and it's significantly less expensive than at the auto parts stores and comparable to the Walmart store brand in price.

[mongocanfly]

The lowes employees are pretty knowledgeable on where stuff is..and most have those handhelds they use that helps.. but I talked to a guy that was on loan from one store to another during the outbreak that was frustrated because the stores were laid out so different, even he couldn't find anything

[CG]

I used to work for MST (merchandising service team, we wear the dark blue polo's) at Lowes it was almost always our job to do the resets, move products from this bay to that, move entire aisles etc. Personally I only did Lowes stuff while I was working, but others on our team did the Lowes MST facebook and other social media sites. I know people would come in to work and talk about the latest resets we would be doing and give us info from other folks in other stores and states that were already into the particular resets. So as far as all being exactly alike I guess its more like, pretty much alike. Some have drive through lumber, some dont. Ours doesnt and lumber/pro's side is on the right side. So "shrug" ask an associate or maybe truckster haha. Ill tell you though its very true what he says. Ive heard someone ask a red vest a question and before they could figure it out a near by customer has the answer, be it product info or where it is in the store.

My final take is, give the big box stores like Lowes a shot if they aren't to out of the way. My guess is you will be pleasantly surprised.

[Tom]

Our shop uses so much brake cleaner they just buy 55gal drums and use generic pump up to spray bottles they keep refilling. Oh and pep boys did not go out of business, they stop selling parts completely. They are just repair shops now.

[Sheepdip]

Case of 12 breaks down to $4.30 +/- a 14 oz. can and they bring it to you

https://www.amazon.com/CRC-05084-12P...+kleen%2Caps%2

[57taskforce]

4-5 day old chili dogs don’t help either I suppose??

[mongocanfly]

Haha, Paul's never gonna live that down..!!!!