I used to be a huge fan of Home Depot. Maybe I thought that all the dirty racks made it more man-like or something. But over time, my opinion has changed, and I am definitely more of a Lowe's fan these days. Even though Home Depot has cleaned up, I find that I really do find more of what I want at Lowe's.
The stores are certainly nicer - always have been. But even in the dark and dirty (relatively speaking) corners of the store where few dare to venture, the selection is not only better at Lowe's than at Home Depot, the prices are almost always better as well.
Probably the best part is that if you should find that hard-to-find item that probably only sells once or twice a year at Lowe's, it very likely will not be caked with dirt, dust or some other bizarre material. Just about everything at Home Depot looks that way, even if it is new - almost as if the whole place is soundly secured just behind a sawdust-generating device of some sort. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Just not what I am after these days.