McMaster-Carr

[Casey Futral]

Hey folks,
I was looking to purchase a couple Starrett products and stumbled upon McMaster-Carr. This is the first I have heard of them and they have a store really close to me in Atlanta. I was browsing the sight and it seems pretty cheap, almost like wholesale. So I was wondering if this place was open to the public. I sent an email but I was also wanting so opinions if anyone has any experience. Thanks,
casey

[Dave Wagner]

They have been around a long time....

[Casey Futral]

thanks?... I guess

[Jim O'Dell]

I've purchased a lot of my PVC duct fittings for my cyclone set up, as well as other things for the shop. Good prices, fair shipping for those of us not close to them. Jim.

[Phil Thien]

The only requirement to be a customer of McMaster is a credit card.

[Casey Futral]

Sweet thanks. That's what I wanted to hear. The Starrett stuff I was looking at are about $15-$20 cheaper there than most other places I have seen.
casey

[Matt Meiser]

Ive never been to one of their locations but it would have to be real convenient to be worth it because their shipping is lightning quick and dirt cheap.

[Will Overton]

I've only bought from them through the internet. Good stuff, good service.

In spite of what Phil said, if they have a store I'll bet they'll take cash. :)

[John Coloccia]

Grainger and Fastenal also happily take cash and cards from anyone willing to part with it :) I conveniently have a Grainger pretty close by. I don't get much from them, but for that one thing a year I can't get anywhere else, it's awfully convenient. I don't know what McMaster-Carr does, but Grainger has a will call desk, and they will happily order anything for you as well for pickup. It's convenient to not pay shipping, and they can get most items in a day or so.

[Bob Elliott]

If you work for a company that has any sort of need for material (even one that has a mantainance department) you may want to see if McMaster offers a discount to employees of your company. McMaster and Grainger both offer discounts for emplyees of my company which makes a sweet deal even sweeter.

Bob

[Steve knight]

I don't know about mcmaster being good on prices. overall they are slightly on the expensive side. but they have everything. I have noticed that shipping stops earlier in the day and they no longer get you the stuff the next day usually it is three days now. So i don't order as much as I used too.

[Dan Lee]

I have placed ~80 internet orders with them and cannot recall a problem with any. They are not the cheapest on some products but they have always had product in stock and arrive next day every time (there is one about 10 miles from me).

I went to their will call desk one time and could see the warehouse operations in the back very impressive automated picking, boxes rolling down conveyor systems.

They have shipped orders when my CC of record was expired a friendly email was sent and I updated the CC info.

I consider them in the Lee Valley class of merchants

[Logan William]

If I didn't have McMaster I would probably spend 10-15% more time looking for components and parts for work, If McMaster has it you can count on quick shipping, a fair price and great service. And IMO their website is one of the BEST in the world. Its incredibly fast, easy to navigate, has great descriptions and even has 2D and 3D prints/models to download for a good % of their items.

[Jarrett Vibert]

I don't know about mcmaster being good on prices. overall they are slightly on the expensive side. but they have everything.

agreed...

They're actually the last supplier my department (maintenance), is suppost to order from. We usually run down a short list and if no one else has it on the shelf we place the order with McMaster.

I will say their turn around on orders is lightening fast.

[Peter Quinn]

They are the first place I look for many items for my shop. The shipping is cheap, the delivery is very quick, basically over night on most items in my area. Are they the cheapest? For me, add up ALL the costs associated with sourcing an urgently needed item, then yes.

[Phil Thien]

McMaster's pricing is pretty aggressive compared to Grainger or Fastenal. Grainger/Fastenal want to negotiate pricing on everything. "Do you have an account? Let me look you up and see how much you spend with us." Give me a break.

Two weeks ago I needed bridle rings and Grainger wanted something like $2.50 each. I got 'em from Graybar for $1.10 each (same maker/part). (I haven't purchased a ton from Graybar but their pricing has been better than Grainger for me).

McMaster shows their best pricing online to everyone. No playing games. I don't want to order stuff from places like Grainger and have to wonder whether I got a good price or not.

Sure, the big boxes are often less expensive (especially factoring in pricing, which is also very good at McMaster but nonetheless...), but sometimes you just can't find what you need at the BORG.

[Anthony Whitesell]

Around here, Grainger will only sell to you if your last name is "Inc." The two locations nearest me will only deal business-to-business. Luckily I have "access" via a few companies and some nice customers.

[Walter Plummer]

[QUOTE=Anthony Whitesell;1552533]Around here, Grainger will only sell to you if your last name is "Inc." Same here in VA.

[Kent A Bathurst]

.........McMaster's pricing is pretty aggressive compared to Grainger or Fastenal.....

OTOH - I have often found the opposite. To be fair - I am not [usually] buying machine-shop stuff. And, it is not always the case, to be sure. I generally end up going to Grainger, though.

McMaster-Carr has a bigger selection - I swear you can find anything there. They have one of their regional dist centers in Atlanta [doesn't everbody?] and I have gone there twice for Cust Pick-up on a Sat morning. The scale of that place is staggering. There are also Grainger places around Atlanta, but their DC is up in NC, IIRC.

[Karl Brogger]

McMaster-Carr has everything.

I recently spent a bit over $2k on spiral pipe and fittings for DC for my new shop. (stuff from the old shop wasn't worth salvaging) When I was poking through the catalog online, Satan/my other half asked what I was looking at, so I told her, and that they have virtually everything. She said; "I bet they don't have tampons...." and they did.:D

Its a good source for just about anything you can think of, but you need to shop around. Some stuff is super reasonable, other stuff not so much.

If you're looking for Carbon Fibre sheets or tubes, they are really hard to beat.

[Matt Meiser]

I just made up a business name and bought from Grainger years ago. But now Michigan Farm Bureau has an arrangement with them where members get 10% off everything. Since we use them for our insurance, we are members.

[Rick Mellin]

Hey Casey,
I work on an Air Force Base and we purchase from them on a daily bases, and have never had a problem with them. Good people to deal with.
Good luck-Rick

[Matt Day]

MC is the first place I go for hard to find things such as raw material (they have all kinds of material in all shapes/sizes).

I agree their prices aren't the best, but they have everything in stock and you get it quickly from one source rather than multiple ones.

Great company for sure.

[Pat Turner]

McMaster has a will call desk at the Atlanta location on the south end of the facility. IIRC, if you don't have an account they want a credit card. They will give anyone an account. Price are often not the cheapest, but are rarely more then 10% higher, and it's not unusual for them to be cheaper or the same price as other dealers. McMaster's quality is usually the best available unless noted otherwise, so don't be supprised if their screws are a bit more. Likewise, on stuff like putty knives, expect better quality in the premimum line than available from the borg.

Grainger's DC is just down the road (thornton rood, behind the QT at camp creek).

[Jim Rimmer]

We used to have a maintenace supervisor whose credo was "If Mcmaster Carr doesn't have it, you don't need it."

[John Nesmith]

I buy from MC fairly often. Mostly things that are hard to find elsewhere. I usually get items in 2 days. (Atlanta to Tallahassee) My only complaint is they don't show the shipping cost at checkout. I asked about that one time, and they told me I could email them before ordering to get the shipping cost. That's too much of a hassle. The good news is they appear to just pass through their actual shipping cost, rather than setting flat rates. So, I tend to only order things that are cheap to ship.

[Logan William]

We used to have a maintenace supervisor whose credo was "If Mcmaster Carr doesn't have it, you don't need it."

I think I would've liked that guy! I've worked at a facility where maintenance wasn't allowed to use McMaster(anyone else could though)...only Grainger??? Why you ask....well the McMaster guy(because they don't exist) didn't bring donuts once a week and occassionally leave perks(mostly free event tickets) for the maintenance manager! Higher up's found out about that and it influenced their decision to "encourage" him to search for another job.....

[Andrew Gibson]

Last thing I ordered from McMaster Carr was a packet of mall bearings, I ordered it at about 8:15 and I got a shipping notice saying my package shipped at 7:30.
I sent them an email saying shipping before I order was going above and beyond.
turns out the system is set on central time, not eastern Which I assumed they would be on in Atlanta. still not to shabby.

[John Toigo]

MSC is usually a bit cheaper than Mcmaster but McMaster's online catalog is wayyyyyy better. There is a regional distribution center 40 miles from me so almost everything I buy is next day delivery.

[John Gustafson]

They are a major industrial supply house and have been around a long time. Their trademark is turnaround. Order it today and it's one or two day delivery at least for reasonably sized stuff. They have a reputation for being pricey and they frequently are but they will have it and they will deliver.

Yet, for small stuff like drills, drill bushings, small tools (off the wall stuff), Dremel tool bits, they have it where the locals do not and you don't have to spend a bunch of time searching. Cobalt drills, that I prefer, are half what they are at Lowes.
Looking for left handed drills, Left handed thread fasteners? They have it.
Might not buy a Delta Unisaw from them but they are always worth a look.

[Josh Rudolph]

Sweet thanks. That's what I wanted to hear. The Starrett stuff I was looking at are about $15-$20 cheaper there than most other places I have seen.
casey


I agree that McMaster is the cat's meow. I use them all of the time for work and occassionaly at home when I need something ASAP that can' be had at the hardware store. I order today and have my stuff tomorrow. Hard to beat that...but for most things you pay a little more.

For Starrett stuff, I have been buying my layout/measuring tools from ENCO. They seem to always have some sort of sale going on and a pretty good selection. When I bought my Starrett stuff, I casually looked around and at the time ENCO was the cheapest I had found that had everything I was wanting to order.

[Norman Hitt]

Around here, Grainger will only sell to you if your last name is "Inc." The two locations nearest me will only deal business-to-business. Luckily I have "access" via a few companies and some nice customers.

Same here in West Texas. Local store used to sell to everyone, but now only to business customers. Their pricing is not nearly as competitive as it was a few yrs ago either.

[Norm Lincoln Sr.]

McMaster's catalog and search engine are EXCELLENT.

Time is money. Time saved searching for something is time I can better spend making money. Did I always get best price - sometimes, but knowing what I ordered today would be here tomorrow has allot of value.

MSC/Grainger - those guys need to get a search engine that works - current contraption is terrible. You would probably find what you need faster in their print catalog than online - that bad!!

[Rick Fisher]

I love these threads, there is a group that say service is #1 to them.. and another group which is about price.

I suspect those making a living are more interested in service.

[Karl Brogger]

I suspect those making a living are more interested in service.

Bingo. When you need a widget or whatsit to finish something up yesterday, even tomorrow isn't soon enough.

[Steven Hsieh]

Has anyone tried their bandsaw blades?

http://www.mcmaster.com/#band-saw-blades/=9nuf2k

[Matt Meiser]

I ordered some for my 4x6 metal bandsaw and they came in a Starrett box. Can't complain about that.

They will not tell you the manufacturer of anything though pre-sale. I asked on the BS blades and was told it was "proprietary information." Sometimes it will be obvious when you get it--for example the BS blades I got and the Bayer Makrolon polycarbonate I got--but I've not had a quality concern with anything even unlabeled items.

[Van Huskey]

Cliff's notes of thread:

MC = good = has everything = ships quickly = not the cheapest

OP's answer: an individual can walk up to the counter

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

Cliff's notes of thread:

MC = good = has everything = ships quickly = not the cheapest

OP's answer: an individual can walk up to the counter

Their prices may not be the cheapest, but they are almost always in the very acceptable range. I can place an order at 5:00 pm and have the next day before noon (and I live 500 miles away). That more than makes up for not being the cheapest.