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[verbotenwhisky]

There's a Metal Supermarkets not too far from where we're working on the battleship's guns. Their prices make McMaster look cheap so unless they have something I absolutely have to have that isn't available anywhere else, I'm not shopping there. When I was in college I built 2 street rods. I could buy drops and scraps pretty easily. These days, everyone I've talked to says they have contracts with scrap companies and won't sell. The metal scrapyard near me won't sell to individuals either. OTOH, after my last experience with mystery metal I may buy new from now on (probably making a story up here) so I'll know what I'm getting. More on that in projects once I'm finished.

If they are more expensive than McMasters they are not the same company. These guys have a drops pile or 2 and generally give me good deals on drops and if I need something cut there is a cut fee but its still, in most cases, reasonable. Last thing I bought from them was a piece of A2 1.125" diameter x 12" LG it actually came out a little longer by 0.25" with a cut fee I spent 64 bucks...

 

[David2011]

Nothing to do with metal stock but McMaster just ended up being the lowest priced seller on something by the time it was delivered. I wanted 4 each of 2.5mm and 3mm ball end hex wrenches and by a few cents they had the best price plus two day delivery.

 

[mmcmdl]

I wanted 4 each of 2.5mm and 3mm ball end hex wrenches and by a few cents they had the best price plus two day delivery.

And here I bury them .

 

[Ischgl99]

There's a Metal Supermarkets not too far from where we're working on the battleship's guns. Their prices make McMaster look cheap

A Metals Supermarket opened up about a half hour from me, anything from McMaster including shipping is still significantly cheaper. I was disappointed, I was hoping I could find a local company to go in and pick something up that day, but the savings with McMaster make it worth waiting a day to have it shipped.

I have bought from Midwest Metals several times, but checking today, their prices are much higher than in the past, so in most cases are no longer worth considering since it takes several weeks to get your order. I’m finding you need to check all your suppliers every time you order since it seems the economical supplier last time could be the highest supplier today.

 

[David2011]

If they are more expensive than McMasters they are not the same company. These guys have a drops pile or 2 and generally give me good deals on drops and if I need something cut there is a cut fee but its still, in most cases, reasonable. Last thing I bought from them was a piece of A2 1.125" diameter x 12" LG it actually came out a little longer by 0.25" with a cut fee I spent 64 bucks...

It's the same company. They have a location on Winkler sort of near Hobby Airport. I'll go by and ask about drops. I checked a couple of items that we use regularly and Metal Supermarket was marginally less expensive than McMaster. Not enough less to get excited about, though. On other items they were definitely higher.

 

[ChazzC]

As I mentioned in a previous post sometimes customers, and even home projects need metals of known quality. That’s where McMaster comes in. They aren’t cheap, but they do provide the certs. Sometimes quality supersedes price.

Online Metals also provides certs

 

[projectnut]

Online Metals also provides certs

That's good to hear. I'll add them to the list of potential sources.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

It's the same company. They have a location on Winkler sort of near Hobby Airport. I'll go by and ask about drops. I checked a couple of items that we use regularly and Metal Supermarket was marginally less expensive than McMaster. Not enough less to get excited about, though. On other items they were definitely higher.

The stuff I have found them to be expensive on is the stuff I thought would be cheap such as 1018 and 1214 but I usually have to pay a cut fee for these, The 4130, 4140 and 1045 along with Aluminum and 300 series stainless I usually find drops at a reasonable price. I scavenge their drops once a month or so, its something my wife and I do, she'll look around and get an idea of where the prices should be prior to going.

 

[projectnut]

Just did a little research comparing local steel suppliers prices to Online Metals. Last week I bought 12’ of 1/2” x 4” A36 flat stock for a project. The price from the local supplier was $75.00 which included 2 cuts and tax.

The price for the same material from Online Metals was $203.82 without the tax or shipping. Now you know why I prefer the local suppliers

 

[GeneT45]

Just did a little research comparing local steel suppliers prices to Online Metals. Last week I bought 12’ of 1/2” x 4” A36 flat stock for a project. The price from the local supplier was $75.00 which included 2 cuts and tax.

The price for the same material from Online Metals was $203.82 without the tax or shipping. Now you know why I prefer the local suppliers

It's a mixed bag. I came to the same conclusion some years ago (after using OM for a while), but now it's just another place to look and shop. Sometimes they're right in there with the local folks, other times they seem way out of line. Some of our locals (with the best selection in terms of alloys and the like) cater to hobby guys, but said catering isn't cheap and OM often beats their prices. For generic stuff (6061, 1018) you can almost always do better by going to a local vendor that deals with industry, but doesn't mind the small guy. And that's all without considering drops - cheap, but often up to you to figure out what it is.

GsT