Your Tool Vendor of Choice?

[burnrider]

KBC does well. Terrible website compared to Enco. they make an effort to keep the shipping down so you don't get a product price tacked on when the invoice arrives. They are currently updating the website. Like Enco, they have some product import choices. Good thread. Same experience with vendors as Allthumbz. Hardly pays to drive where I live. I pay shipping: my fuel, or UPS fuel costs anyway. We lost a lot of tool vendors in Portland over the years. Had to figure when the wood industry started selling raw logs overseas, the mills would have less business and tooling.

 

[Mak]

I recently started using RTJ Tool. They sell HTC carbide endmills which I have been using for years. They had the best prices on HTC stuff I have ever seen. I also use MSC and McMaster from time to time. Kind of don't like supporting the giants but I suppose we are all forced into it every now and then.

 

[goldenchips2]

Just keep in mind, You can't win all the time...even tool vendors have snafu days..

 

[Tom Griffin]

I mostly use McMaster Carr. Yes the prices are higher but everything they carry is good quality and only takes a day to receive, sometimes less. I once placed an order at work before 7:00AM and it showed up at shipping and receiving a 4:00 PM THAT AFTERNOON. I used to have an account with J&L but haven't used it much since they were bought out by MSC. I can never seem to find what I need on their website and the store is 1/4 the size it used to be. I also occasionally buy from Reid supply and Travers. I did recently receive an ENCO catalog but haven't got around to ordering anything, though I'm not a big fan of their website either (maybe it's just me. ).

Tom

 

[4GSR]

I buy from Ken's Surplus Sales....

 

[lockstocknbarrel]

Ebay Ebay Ebay EBay.
Is my favourite


If I could just find someone who would bid on my behalf, I Pay, they receive the goods then on sent to me I pay all freight bills.........................
Some eBay sellers just can't be bothered sending goods overseas.
Regards Beagles

 

[burnrider]

Depends: check on-line vendors for price, compare to ebay, weigh the risk of something used at a bid price and make a decision. Same issues for all of them. Shipping costs & returns, some like Enco have more sales than others.
Ebay items can be worse than my worn parts, lots of lathe bits are salted heavy with short bits- almost too short for a tool holder. And then you have to bid for it. Buy now can be a good deal, or the best offer sellers. Last it's the seller, most top rated are good, no promises but generally reliable.
OL vendors offer more tech data and choice for shopping. Sounds like they are limited for overseas sales. Same story everywhere- "the right tool for the right job"

 

[R.G.]

Let me enter a word for the POS vendors.

My abilities are a good match for considering the machine tools to be fungible. One of my favorite books was "The Sensuous Gadgeteer", in which you're encouraged to consider the finished goods to be the garbage of the work. It had a section on cutting cabochon gems by using up a hand grinding stone. My mistakes are likely to damage the tools. I'd rather not make them, but I don't see any way around it. So I'd rather damage or destroy a POS, considering that a price of the education.

 

[R.G.]

While I'm thinking of it, where is a good vendor for V-blocks?