At one time, dollar stores (former called “five and dime” stores) sold closeouts, leftovers, seconds and special deals. Increasingly, though, they’re selling purpose-made, second-rate, third world junk made just for that purpose. I would never trust any tool from such a store–they’re of pot metal and guaranteed to fail. They are not, in my opinion, “better than nothing”, because they cost money, give you a false sense of security, and don’t accomplish anything.
I would recommend finding both actual overstock and closeout stores, and thrift stores, as well as frequenting garage sales. At the latter two, older tools without the shine and modern high-tech shaping are perfectly functional, usually better made, and often available even cheaper than at dollar stores. You can often find kits missing one or two pieces, pick them up separately for a mismatched but complete kit, and have name brand quality for pennies on the dollar. – Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large)