The class actions of lowes have nearly been settled (granted probably 3 cents on the dollar)

In terms of having no brands they do...kobalt, taskforce, gatehouse, harbor breeze, bright effects etc.

I'd just shop at smaller chains...ace/ tru value/ do it best...it just makes more sense.

Pretty worthless post....you've done nearly no research on either company. Lowe's has a ton of brand 'affiliations' as you call them. They aren't affiliations (nor are Depot's), they are brands owned/produced by each. For example, Behr paint. Depot owns that brand. Kobalt tools, Lowe's owns that one. The information you have on the litigation is dated and frankly irrelevant.

Find some meaningful way to compare. And don't think Ace or True Value are any better - they're similar to franchises, but large nevertheless.

I do these "Corporate Clashes" fully aware that my research is incomplete. Admittedly, it's a handful of websites that I have found through web surfing. I would be grateful if you could point me to some resources to get more complete information.

The main point, though, is to start the process of gathering information. For the average consumer like me, it is very difficult to get good information. But working on incomplete info is better than working on nothing.