There is a local Fastenal but they usually don't have what I want and they've gotten stupid with their walkin rules.
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McMaster-Carr, +1!
- Thread starter rabler
- Start date
- Joined
- May 3, 2020
- Messages
- 229
I have been cross-checking prices for a few years. Yesterday I bought a 5C collet rack. It was cheaper than the exact same product on Amazon.
There are some exceptions---when you want the light-duty variable-quality poorly-documented import version of something, McMaster isn't the place to look. But for standard products, prices are about right.
I could go on and on about the quality of the company and the service they provide. My only gripe is that I looked for thin nylon-reinforced neoprene on-and-off for years, with no success. One day I searched "fabric" and found it right away. So one search fail in a decade.
I only have one complaint with McMaster Carr and it's more of a complaint with my bank than them. McMaster Carr will not take Discover which is who my bank card is affiliated with. I'm going to go get a reloadable Visa just to use at McMaster Carr.
When I worked for a major manufacturer, we ordered a lot of items from McMaster Carr. They have quality items, you get them fast, and you can download 3D models into CAD programs. We would download and add the nuts, bolts, washers... into our design models of the fixtures we made. Then we could print off a materials list and get the # of items plus the part number. It always seemed the design engineers could have a dozen revs by the time a part went to production but when we finally got it, due to time of wanting to launch, we had one shot of getting the fixtures right. Even though we had accounts with other vendors, we would also buy measuring tools from them as well. If you call, they will tell you the brand and where the item is manufactured.
When I worked for a major manufacturer, we ordered a lot of items from McMaster Carr. They have quality items, you get them fast, and you can download 3D models into CAD programs. We would download and add the nuts, bolts, washers... into our design models of the fixtures we made. Then we could print off a materials list and get the # of items plus the part number. It always seemed the design engineers could have a dozen revs by the time a part went to production but when we finally got it, due to time of wanting to launch, we had one shot of getting the fixtures right. Even though we had accounts with other vendors, we would also buy measuring tools from them as well. If you call, they will tell you the brand and where the item is manufactured.
Haha, this is my second endorsement here for them (these love-fest threads seem to pop up every year or two):
Where I live, I get delivery within 24 hours, i.e. the next day with certainty or even typically the same day if I order early morning.
Their web-site is even more impressive. Everything is SO clean, clear, easy to sort through and yet so comprehensive, with drawings, specs and even CAD models provided. It's the polar opposite of Amazon's utter dumpster fire.
You do have to accept and trust their product curation (that took me a little while), and their prices might be a little higher, but so be it, McMaster is my go-to if they have what I'm looking for.
As a kid, my projects had to make do with whatever bent nails and scrap wood I could scrounge, and now practically every raw material and mechanical component known to man is available to me, including in hobbyist-friendly dimensions, all perfectly organized and documented, delivered the next day for a fair price with the mere push of a button. Is it a golden age for us? Feels like it!
Where I live, I get delivery within 24 hours, i.e. the next day with certainty or even typically the same day if I order early morning.
Their web-site is even more impressive. Everything is SO clean, clear, easy to sort through and yet so comprehensive, with drawings, specs and even CAD models provided. It's the polar opposite of Amazon's utter dumpster fire.
You do have to accept and trust their product curation (that took me a little while), and their prices might be a little higher, but so be it, McMaster is my go-to if they have what I'm looking for.
As a kid, my projects had to make do with whatever bent nails and scrap wood I could scrounge, and now practically every raw material and mechanical component known to man is available to me, including in hobbyist-friendly dimensions, all perfectly organized and documented, delivered the next day for a fair price with the mere push of a button. Is it a golden age for us? Feels like it!
I'll add a little story concerning my "hobbyist-friendly dimensions" point.
Some years ago, I needed about $2,000 worth of hard to find and expensive specialty cable (silicone-jacketed double-shielded twisted pair for a sensitive extreme-cold application). I called up a national supplier who looked like they had this in stock with a question about its specifications. The gentleman on the line attentively nodded along to my inquiry like he was taking notes and said he'd call me back within 15 minutes. But oddly, I could hear a little smirk in his tone, which I soon figured out:
There would never be a call back. Instead of politely telling me that they regrettably couldn't provide service over a mere $2,000 worth of product, he chose a mocking and humiliating way to blow me off. Grrr!!!
McMaster is professional enough that a hobbyist is served with the same attention as a vastly larger customer.
Some years ago, I needed about $2,000 worth of hard to find and expensive specialty cable (silicone-jacketed double-shielded twisted pair for a sensitive extreme-cold application). I called up a national supplier who looked like they had this in stock with a question about its specifications. The gentleman on the line attentively nodded along to my inquiry like he was taking notes and said he'd call me back within 15 minutes. But oddly, I could hear a little smirk in his tone, which I soon figured out:
There would never be a call back. Instead of politely telling me that they regrettably couldn't provide service over a mere $2,000 worth of product, he chose a mocking and humiliating way to blow me off. Grrr!!!
McMaster is professional enough that a hobbyist is served with the same attention as a vastly larger customer.
Exactly!
When my sister-in-law worked there, she said the owner made sure everyone knew their smallest customer was just as important as their largest. They had MBAs that tried to convince them to focus on growth, but they refused to compromise on their core values. They are one of the very few companies that have integrity, and a large part of the reason I send so much of my business their way.
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2015
- Messages
- 8,327
Rare to find a company like that these days. And you never know when a small company becomes a large company..
I recently had a bad dealing with a company I used to do business with. The sales person didn't really care about my business, until I told him that I was a customer back in the 80s and 90s and was interested in doing business again, then his response had changed to my earlier question.. I felt like he just wised up... But his poor response to me initially told me he didn't care about my business. I get so much of this today. It's frustrating.
That is something many salesmen need to learn, but rarely do. During my engineering career, I got blown off by many salesmen on small projects, I rarely went back to them when I was working on something larger that they may have been interested in. Their loss, I was always able to find someone willing to work with me.