Best Early Black Friday Deals at Home Depot and Lowe's

A stand mixer like the KitchenAid Artisan Series KSM195PSBK is a prized possession on many bakers’ countertops, and this price makes it easier to add it to yours. This stand mixer earns an excellent score for whipping time in whipped-cream tests, and an excellent score in our mixing tests, where we observe how much a mixer labors when mixing thick chocolate-chip cookie dough. It comes with a stainless steel bowl with a handle, a whisk, and a dough hook. This model can also run attachments like a pasta maker or spiralizer, bought separately.

The Café Specialty Drip (C7CDAAS3PD3) offers WiFi connectivity, enabling control through Alexa and Google and making it a smart addition to a connected home. We found that this model was very good at brewing coffee for optimal taste, and it was also easy to clean. This is the best price we’ve seen on this coffee maker in the last several months.

The 500-watt KitchenAid KFP1318BM food processor masters our tests for chopping and shredding, and it’s one of the lower-priced options with a fairly large claimed capacity of 13 cups. Of the big guys, it’s the lightest, weighing just 8.3 pounds (less than half the weight of some of the other models we’ve tested). That makes it a compelling choice if you plan to store it in a cabinet and lift it out for each use. One downside: The parts and motor are covered by just a one-year warranty. We’ve seen better deals on this food processor in the past year, but this discount of over 20 percent makes it a worthy purchase right now.

When it comes to cleaning, the Dyson 360 vis nav is hard to beat, especially now that the sale price has dropped $100 compared to what we’ve seen in recent weeks. It’s stellar at capturing debris and dust from carpets, a task that many robot vacuums struggle with. It has strong suction power and is less likely to scatter trash around while cleaning than other bots we tested. Compared to other models, it has a quick charging time of under 2 hours. The Dyson 360 vis nav is typically priced around $1,000, so now’s a good time to snag this vacuum.

In our tests, the Shark CarpetXpert EX201 does a solid job cleaning stains from carpets and doesn’t leave much detergent residue behind. It’s convenient to use and comes with a hose, a crevice attachment, and a pet mess tool. 

The highest performer among the portable carpet cleaners we tested, the Shark StainStriker PX201 Carpet Cleaner is decent at cleaning stains and impressive at removing its cleaning solution from carpets. It comes with a 57-inch hose and other attachments, including pet tools.

The Shark Rocket HV301 offers impressive cleaning performance on bare floors and pet hair pickup. It also does a decent job of cleaning carpets. It comes with a 30-foot cord and can be converted into a hand vacuum, adding to its convenience. You can clip the hand vacuum to the bottom of the wand for easier storage. It was recently $100, so you may want to wait and watch for a better deal closer to Black Friday

The Ego LB7654 delivers all-star performance across the board, adept at loosening and sweeping, all in an easy-to-handle package despite weighing 9.9 pounds. In addition, this electric blower comes with a generous five-year warranty. As a brand, Ego battery handheld leaf blowers are very reliable and earn a top mark for owner satisfaction in our latest member surveys.

The snazzy Café CVM721M2NS5 has a recessed handle and hidden digital controls that run along the bottom. When you tap on the glass touchscreen, the options for time and cooking modes pop into view. In addition to looking good, it cooks well, earning an excellent rating in our heating evenness test. It’s also first-rate at defrosting, and it operates quietly. A sensor prevents you from overheating your food. In our member surveys, Café over-the-range microwaves earned middling scores for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction.

It was recently $200 less at Lowe’s so you may want to wait and see if it gets cheaper again for Black Friday.

The 36-inch, budget-friendly GE GSS25GYPFS is a strong performer in our tests, with a top score for thermostat performance and strong scores for temperature uniformity and ease of use. It also receives satisfactory scores for energy efficiency and noise output. This GE has a stainless steel finish and features an icemaker, a through-the-door water and ice dispenser, a built-in water filter, and digital temperature controls. In our latest member survey, GE side-by-sides received a very good rating for predicted reliability but a poor rating for owner satisfaction.

The GE GZS22IYNFS is a 36-inch-wide side-by-side stainless steel refrigerator that performs well in most of our tests. It receives a top-level score for thermostat performance and very good scores for ease of use and temperature uniformity. But it gets just satisfactory ratings in our energy efficiency and noise tests. As for features, it has a built-in water filter, a through-the-door ice and water dispenser, and digital temperature controls. It also has edge-to-edge shelves and full-coverage LED lighting.

The LG LT18S2100W delivers strong performance all-around. And it’s $50 less than it was last week. This refrigerator, 28 inches wide, garners stellar ratings for energy efficiency and thermostat control, and it’s also excellent when it comes to temperature uniformity and noise output, making it one of the quieter top-freezers we’ve tested. But this model receives our lowest rating for ease of use. In surveys of our members, LG top-freezers got a top-notch rating for predicted reliability and a middling score for owner satisfaction.

The budget-friendly 28-inch Frigidaire FFHT1425VV is a great top-freezer fridge for performance. The price right now is $50 more than the best we’ve seen, so it may be best to hold off and see if it gets cheaper closer to Veterans Day or Black Friday. It’s extremely energy-efficient, and it garners solid scores in all other tests except ease of use, where it receives an unsatisfactory rating (although that’s similar to many other top-freezers). According to our latest member survey, Frigidaire top-freezers are reliable but have poor owner satisfaction.

The Frigidaire FFHT2022AW, still at its best price at Abt, earns top-level ratings for thermostat control and energy efficiency, and a pleasing one for temperature uniformity. Though it has a poor rating for ease of use, the Frigidaire has features like an optional icemaker and gallon storage on the door. In member surveys, Frigidaire earned a very good predicted reliability rating but an abysmal owner satisfaction score.

The LG WM3400CW is already quite inexpensive even when it’s not discounted, so this is a great deal. Lowe’s did drop the price below $600 for Labor Day, so you may see a better discount during Black Friday sales. Especially given the quality of its performance, it’s a smart buy as well as an environmentally friendly choice. You still get exceptional washing performance along with water and energy efficiency. But this model isn’t particularly gentle on fabric, so you might want to try the delicate cycle for your best threads. This washer’s claimed capacity is 4.5 cubic feet, and its cycle time is 105 minutes.

Overall, the Electrolux ELFW4222AW, which is now $50 more at Best Buy than the best price we’ve seen, does very well across CR’s tests. Its washing performance and water efficiency are excellent, and its energy efficiency, gentleness on clothes, and vibration levels during its 65-minute operation earn very good ratings. Based on CR members’ responses from our most recent surveys, Electrolux got an excellent score for predicted reliability. (Electrolux and LG are the only companies with a compact washing machine that achieves this rating.) But its owner satisfaction score was only adequate.

One of the most budget-friendly top-load agitators in our tests, the LG WT7005CW is just $30 more than its best price at Home Depot. This eco-friendly Green Choice washer isn’t the gentlest on clothes, but it conserves energy and water. It’s among the quietest models in our tests and causes little to no vibration, meaning it won’t disturb you with rumbling. The cycle time is 70 minutes using the normal-wash, heavy-soil setting. Shorten it by using the normal-soil setting when you can.

The top-rated LG DLE3400W is a great deal at Lowe’s, though it was recently $70 less and may dip down again for Black Friday. We expect it to perform similarly to the CR-tested LG DLEX3700W (now discontinued). The tested model delivers solid performance across the board, nabbing an ace rating for noise and ratings near the top in our drying and convenience tests. This stackable Energy Star certified machine, with a claimed capacity of 7.4 cubic feet, is equipped with a moisture sensor, an extended tumble, custom programs, and an end-of-cycle signal, offering all these features at a fairly low price.

The LG DLGX5501W offers great performance and some nice extras at a moderate price. It scores admirably in our tests for drying performance, convenience, and noise, and offers a steam option, extended tumble, and WiFi capability—and it’s our top-rated dryer. Its stainless steel drum has a 7.4-cubic-foot capacity. In our surveys, CR members ranked LG gas dryers at the top for both reliability and owner satisfaction.

The self-defrosting GE FUF14DLRWW offers top performance at a good value, even if the price is $50 higher than its best price of the year. This small, upright freezer aces both the thermostat control and temperature uniformity tests, and it’s very good (though not the best) at keeping food frozen during a power outage. It earns a middling score for noise. It’s impressive in energy efficiency and has a bonus quick-freeze feature, which is a welcome addition at this price.

The budget-friendly LG LDFC2423V is now a dramatically lower price than normal at Lowe’s. The brand got dinged in our member surveys for its middling reliability and satisfaction scores, but this appliance has a lot going for it, starting with its stellar washing performance. It’s also considerably less expensive than the Bosch models that dominate this category. This model is also fairly quiet when running and has some of the design elements that make life a lot easier, like a soil sensor, an adjustable upper rack, adjustable tines, and a time-remaining display. That said, its drying performance is just okay.

The Whirlpool WDTA50SAKZ dishwasher is already one of the best options under $1,000. It’s a strong performer, with a third rack and an upscale look for the price, including integrated controls. Based on data from our reader surveys, Whirlpool also earned a very good rating for predicted reliability and a midlevel score for owner satisfaction. It’s similar to lower-end models from KitchenAid, which is also owned by Whirlpool.

The Whirlpool WRFF3136SZ is a sleek stainless steel French-door fridge with plenty of convenient features, including a built-in water filter, spillproof shelves, and digital temperature controls. This 36-inch-wide fridge notably lacks a water and ice dispenser, but that omission allows it to be priced lower than many competing French-doors. And it’s currently on sale at Best Buy for almost $1,000 off its list price. 

In our tests, it receives excellent scores for thermostat performance, temperature uniformity, and energy efficiency, plus a very good score for its low noise output. It also receives a decent score for ease of use, but subpar scores for crisper drawer and icemaker performance. In our latest member surveys, Whirlpool French-doors receive a midlevel score for predicted reliability, but an unfavorable score for owner satisfaction.

The 33-inch GE GNE25JYKFS is back down to its best price of the year. It’s a strong performer with a ton of useful features. It receives excellent scores for thermostat performance and temperature uniformity, great scores for energy efficiency and ease of use, and satisfactory scores for its noise output (it’s not the quietest fridge but also not the loudest), icemaker performance, and crisper drawer performance. Its many features include an internal water dispenser, a built-in water filter, spillproof shelves, uniquely adjustable shelves that you can raise and lower without removing food, split shelves for better organization, and digital temperature controls.

The 33-inch-wide LG LF25H6330S is $100 more than the best price we’ve seen this year. It does very well in our lab tests, receiving top scores for thermostat control and temperature uniformity, very good scores for low noise output and ease of use, and a midlevel score for energy efficiency. This WiFi-enabled fridge features a stainless steel finish, an icemaker, a through-the-door water/ice dispenser, a built-in water filter, split shelves for better organization, and digital temperature controls. In our latest member survey, LG French-doors received midrange scores for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction.

The LG LREL6321S single oven is an exceptionally strong performer at a great price—it’s fallen $100 in the last two weeks. It heats fast and simmers steadily on top of the stove, earning an excellent performance rating in our cooktop high and low tests. It also bakes and broils evenly. There’s no convection mode, but you’ll find a warming element, along with two high-powered burners on the cooktop. LG earned high reliability ratings for its electric ovens based on our member surveys.

The Samsung NE63A6751SS lands just behind the other double-oven ranges we’ve tested in overall performance but still has plenty to offer—and it’s reasonably priced, too. Abt sold it for $999 during Memorial Day weekend, but the price never dipped lower than that for July Fourth or Labor Day, so this may be as good as it gets this year. (But it can’t hurt to wait and see what happens around Black Friday.) This range scores admirably in just about every test, notably earning top ratings for low heat, baking, and oven capacity. Among other handy features, there’s a convertible oven that can be partitioned to work as either a single- or double-oven model, a convection mode in both ovens, and an air-fry setting.

The GE JGBS86SPSS is the least expensive model of the double-oven gas ranges recommended by CR, and the price is $100 lower than it was two weeks ago. But it doesn’t skimp on features. It’s equipped with continuous cast-iron grates, two high-power burners, and convection and air-frying modes. The ovens perform solidly in our baking and broiling tests, and the cooktop simmers very steadily, but its boiling speed is on the slower side of all the gas ranges we’ve tested. Based on our CR member surveys, GE gas ranges are top-notch for reliability and so-so for owner satisfaction.

The sleek slide-in GE Profile PGS930YPFS, which is $100 cheaper than it was two weeks ago, offers performance on a par with other top competitors. More importantly, GE gas ranges are among the most reliable of any brand in our member surveys. In addition, the top of the stove performance is admirable—heating fast and maintaining steady simmers—as is the oven performance, earning solid scores for both baking and broiling. This range comes with features like an integrated griddle burner, convection, and WiFi connectivity.

The top-rated GE Profile PGB965YPFS is back down to its lowest price of the year. In addition to convection and air-frying modes, this range has continuous grates, a griddle, two high-power burners, and WiFi connectivity. It’s also a stellar performer, holding steady simmers and baking beautifully, all while offering exceptional reliability. But broiling is just so-so, and the self-clean cycle isn’t as effective as it could be, so you’ll still need to do some scrubbing. If you want the sleek look of a slide-in, consider the GE Profile PGS960YPFS. It has front-mounted controls. We haven’t tested the PGS960YPFS but expect it to perform almost identically to the tested model.

The stainless steel LG WSEP4727F, now $100 less than it was two weeks ago, receives excellent ratings from our baking and broiling tests. It also has adequate capacity and self-cleans well. The model comes with a temperature probe, as well as convection and air-fry modes. You can control the oven from the glass touch panel or from your smartphone. In our member surveys, LG electric wall ovens received solid scores for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction.

We haven’t tested the Café CTD70DP2NS1 yet, but we expect it to perform as well as the previously tested Café CTD70DM2NS5. The top-performer earns stellar marks for baking and broiling. It has two large oven cavities and effective self-clean cycles in each. It comes with many features, including convection and air-fry modes, along with touch controls, a built-in temperature probe, and WiFi connectivity. It’s the model to get if you need two ovens and want top-of-the-line performance with all the key features.