What are the odds of getting two bad arbors?

[WobblyHand]

@WobblyHand

I think it's foolish not to refer the problem back to your supplier (McMaster).
Why? Because informing them of the second defective unit should elevate the problem and facilitate getting it fixed.
By not reporting it to McMaster, they only know of one bad part (from you) and they may dismiss the issue as random.
If McM becomes aware of repeated failures they should purge their stock and resolve it with their supplier.
McM is a top notch performer, with top notch systems in place to handle problems. However, they are not clairvoyant. You need to report the problem.
Once you modify the item, you own it. If you're short of projects, I can probable find some defective crap to sell you.

Similar story: I bought, from McMaster, an arbor for abrasive drums (3" IIRC). It was labeled "Made in USA" and it had unacceptable runout (.08" IIRC). I reported it and they refunded my cost. I didn't want to bother with another POS. I virtually begged them to give me a return label because I wanted some responsible person to see what junk they were passing on. McM didn't want it back. I presume they handled the problem without actually seeing my defective piece. They must have, otherwise they would be going the way of Sears, instead of growing stronger.

Plan to contact both McMaster and Sierra American.

No thanks on sending me defective crap, seem to be able to attract it all by myself!

McMaster probably would be overwhelmed with defective stuff coming back and would have to deal with the expense of disposal. It's far cheaper to let the buyer disposition the defective product. I wouldn't be surprised if McMaster claws back some, if not all the cost from their suppliers. This is common in the automotive industry. Don't meet your quality standards, then the supplier eats the cost. The supplier is economically motivated to improve.

 

[WobblyHand]

Sent emails to both McMaster and Sierra American this afternoon. Told them what I received, and I was disappointed in the quality of the products I received. I said I do not want money or material or replacements from them, but I did want the quality of the arbor product to improve.

So far, I have only heard back from McMaster. McMaster is a class act. They claimed to have found no other customer returns on my item, but will forward my feedback to Sierra American. They said, if I ever changed my mind on the arbors, that they would issue me a credit for the replacement. They hoped that I would continue to have confidence in purchasing from them, as "we do strive to provide quality products to our customers".

Don't know if I will hear from SA or not. If they do respond, I would be interested in their response.

 

[WobblyHand]

I did hear back from Sierra American. The email was cordial but didn't confirm or deny an issue. I didn't really expect that I'd get an email admitting fault, but, it was good to at least hear a response. They claimed they only have an average return rate of one of these arbors a year out of some number like 10K+ per year. I must of been that lucky guy. They did apologize that their product did not meet my expectations. Glad to have gotten this off my chest, consider the case closed. Not going to go out of my way to patronize them, but still don't wish them ill will.

Sometime, I will try to fix my poor arbor I tried to make over a year ago. From seeing the SA-1000 I have a better idea how to fix it.