In case you weren't aware- McFeelys

[Brian Tillinghast]

Apparently, McFeelys is under new ownership. I tried to call yesterday to check on a small order I placed 12/30/13. Stayed on hold for a good 20 minutes only to be sent to voicemail. No return call, sent email - no reply. I got through today and was told, nicely, that it was under new ownship since Jan 1. No record of my order, will have to check credit card to be sure it wasn't charged. Today's guy was nice and sorry for the mix-up. What burns me is that the old McF took my order just to basically throw it in the trash.:mad:

[Steve Milito]

You operate your company until the new owner takes possession. The first order of business, in many acquisitions, is changing IT infrastructure. Seems silly, mayhem may ensue, but it happens. I doubt anything sinister happened, just a bad transition.

[George Bokros]

I think I heard somewhere that McFeelys was purchased by McMaster Carr or Grainger or one of those other huge hardware supply houses.

[Phil Thien]

So I wonder who bought them this time.

Grainger was the previous owner, right? I think they bought McFeely's a few years ago from the original owner. So now someone else bought it from Grainger?

[Ruhi Arslan]

It must be a fluke in the transition, mostly related to two different systems being integrated or the previous one migrated to the one used by the owner. Still yet, they would not dump it without verifying if all data is current. If no charges appear on your card, they simply did not process it before they turned the lights off.

[Matt Meiser]

If Grainger sold them I hope the new owner goes back to selling good quality hardware and not all the other stuff Grainger added at higher prices and slower service than anyone else. But if their new web site is any indication, they won't last long.

[Rollie Kelly]

They may have bought it from a previous owner but it wasn't from the original owner. Bill McFeely started the business in the 1970s in Lynchburg, Va. He sold hardwood lumber and did a little custom woodwork on the side. I bought some beautiful 16/4x 16" mahogany from him in the mid '70s.
Rollie

[Brian Tillinghast]

Well I don't know how "sinister" this was , but I got the impression there were "hundreds" per my phone call.

[Greg R Bradley]

You would think that a new owner other than Grainger could only be an improvement but who knows?

We thought Delta being bought from Stanley Black & Decker could only be an improvement and that seems to have only gone further downhill.

[Lloyd McKinlay]

Grainger is a publicly traded company and, as such, wouldn't they need to report a material change in operations to the SEC? I didn't look closely but I didn't see any filings to indicate an ownership change at McFeely's.

[Matt Meiser]

Two years ago they were trying to sell them: http://www.gazettextra.com/news/2012/jan/27/grainger-still-working-through-divesture-brands/

[Dennis McDonaugh]

We use Grainger at work, but man are they expensive.

[Douglas Williams]

Placed an order two weeks ago. Order never shipped. Stayed on hold for 30 minutes to speak to someone about the order. After the long wait on hold, I told them to just cancel the order. That was two weeks ago. They charged my credit card as soon as the order was placed. I have been calling every few days to have them credit my card. They said the manager is busy and will work on it soon. What kind of response is that!!!!! I have ordered from them for over 10 years. I done with them.

[Ernest Martin]

http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/115939/Grainger-Sells-Three-Brands

check this link out there is some info there of what is happening. I don't buy much from Grainger or Mcfeely's as there tend to be fairly expesive.

[Harry Hagan]

Placed an order two weeks ago. Order never shipped. Stayed on hold for 30 minutes to speak to someone about the order. After the long wait on hold, I told them to just cancel the order. That was two weeks ago. They charged my credit card as soon as the order was placed. I have been calling every few days to have them credit my card. They said the manager is busy and will work on it soon. What kind of response is that!!!!! I have ordered from them for over 10 years. I done with them.

It's time to contact your credit card company and file a complaint. Your card should not be charged until the order has shipped. Many companies apply a pending charge to your account to validate the card number. Either way I'd let the card company know that McFeely's is not following good business practices so that they can contact McFeely's and help you resolve this issue.

[Matt Meiser]

I don't think Ariens bought McFeely's. The three companies specifically mentioned in that article have the text "Ariens Specialty Brands LLC" at the bottom of their sites--McFeely's doesn't.

Also, the returns address for McFeely's is now 320 N. State St, Harrison, OH 45030 and the phone number is 513-845-4778 which shows as a Harrison, OH number. I found Atlas Dowel Works (http://www.atlasdowel.com/pages/home/) is at that location. Google street view shows a sign which says "A Puttmann Industries Company" which I searched for and found BBB (http://www.bbb.org/cincinnati/business-reviews/dowels/puttmann-industries-inc-in-harrison-oh-36001840/) has no rating for them. Maybe its time to give them one.

If they are moving everything from WI to OH, that's probably a colossal mess, but doesn't excuse charging people and not shipping.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Placed an order two weeks ago. Order never shipped. Stayed on hold for 30 minutes to speak to someone about the order. After the long wait on hold, I told them to just cancel the order. That was two weeks ago. They charged my credit card as soon as the order was placed. I have been calling every few days to have them credit my card. They said the manager is busy and will work on it soon. What kind of response is that!!!!! I have ordered from them for over 10 years. I done with them.

Contest the charge.

[Erik Christensen]

bummer - I used to buy a lot of stuff from them. I did not look at their prices much as they had everything I needed when it came to screws & fasteners - this is a hobby that I do for fun; not to make money. I'd rather buy everything from a single place with an easy-to-use website so I spend my fun time in the shop playing with tools vs trying to save 10% on low cost stuff they sold. I have spent more on a single trip to the hardwood store than an entire year buying screws. Went to the site earlier this week and found it to be useless. Oh well.

[Ronald Blue]

Ariens did acquire 3 companies from Grainger but unless I am missing something McFeely's isn't one of them unless they fell under an umbrella of one of the 3. As far as Grainger goes while they aren't always the cheapest source but they have always been equal to McMaster Carr in shipping speed. But if you are bargain shopping you won't use McMaster either. I order 2-3 times and sometimes more per week and almost without exception it is a next day delivery. We get huge discounts and sometimes it amazes me the prices we get but there are other things that are high.

[scott vroom]

Assuming McFeely's ain't what she used to be, are there alternatives out there that offer great service on great products and at reasonable prices?

Or are we.....

[Mark Wooden]

Wow- you weren't kidding about a downhill turn of the site and products. I haven't bought from them for a while (must be longer than I thought) because I bought bulk when I did and have been buying screws from my hardware supplier also. Too bad, the original company had a great selection of stuff I used. Can't find a damn thing on the site.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Assuming McFeely's ain't what she used to be, are there alternatives out there that offer great service on great products and at reasonable prices?

Or are we.....

Lee Valley

[Douglas Williams]

I was finally able to talk to the manager on Friday about the charges on my credit card. I think their billing/order system is a mess because they could not find my order in the system. He was very apologetic and sounded frustrated. He said the company was supposed to change hands last year but instead they were given 6 weeks to change the company over to the new owners including building a new website. He was able to locate the charges on my card and processed the credit. He said the hoped to have the company in order in the next few weeks. I will give them another chance but I will wait a month or two until they have their act together.

[Andy Pratt]

I made my own thread about my recent bad experience with them, then someone pointed me to this thread, guess I wasn't the only one. Suffice it to say my account and order history (which is pretty useful for reordering things you always keep in stock) are lost, I can't find anything I need on their site, and I'll be shopping anywhere else but there in the future. Good companies don't handle business like this, and the fact that this transition went so badly tells me a lot about what I can expect out of the company under the new ownership.

I bought woodcraft's high point brand of screws before switching to mcfeelys a few years ago, and now I'll go back to them. Their square/combo drive always fits the drivers I use (LV hardened tip) so perfectly that the screws usually stay on pointing straight down, which comes in handy all the time for me.

[Dave Lehnert]

always known them as Midwest Dowel Works.
http://www.midwestdowel.com/
Campbell Hausfeld is just down the street ??????



I don't think Ariens bought McFeely's. The three companies specifically mentioned in that article have the text "Ariens Specialty Brands LLC" at the bottom of their sites--McFeely's doesn't.

Also, the returns address for McFeely's is now 320 N. State St, Harrison, OH 45030 and the phone number is 513-845-4778 which shows as a Harrison, OH number. I found Atlas Dowel Works (http://www.atlasdowel.com/pages/home/) is at that location. Google street view shows a sign which says "A Puttmann Industries Company" which I searched for and found BBB (http://www.bbb.org/cincinnati/business-reviews/dowels/puttmann-industries-inc-in-harrison-oh-36001840/) has no rating for them. Maybe its time to give them one.

If they are moving everything from WI to OH, that's probably a colossal mess, but doesn't excuse charging people and not shipping.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Good companies don't handle business like this, and the fact that this transition went so badly tells me a lot about what I can expect out of the company under the new ownershipIt may very well be that Grainger left the place in a mess on their way out the door.

[thomas d evans]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/peterputtmann

President/CEO (http://www.linkedin.com/search?search=&title=President%2FCEO&sortCriteria=R&keepFacets=true&currentTitle=CP&trk=prof-exp-title)

McFeely's, Inc. (http://www.linkedin.com/search?search=&company=McFeely%27s%2C+Inc%2E&sortCriteria=R&keepFacets=true&trk=prof-exp-company-name)

January 2014 – Present (2 months)

President (http://www.linkedin.com/search?search=&title=President&sortCriteria=R&keepFacets=true&currentTitle=CP&trk=prof-exp-title)

WPMA Wood Products Manufacturing Association (http://www.linkedin.com/search?search=&company=WPMA+Wood+Products+Manufacturing+Associati on&sortCriteria=R&keepFacets=true&trk=prof-exp-company-name)

October 2011 – Present (2 years 5 months)Currently serve as President of WPMA, a manufacturing association that promotes growth through a plethera of programs and networking for the secondary wood manufacturers of north america.

[Phil Thien]

It may very well be that Grainger left the place in a mess on their way out the door.

Having observed business acquisitions before, I would give McFeely's at least a few months to get their act together before writing them off.

[Andy Pratt]

If a year from now I've been reading lots of threads about how great their customer service is, how much they have dropped their prices and how easy their website is to navigate then maybe I'll give them another shot. Until I hear about all three of those things, they are off my radar.

Even if the previous owner made a mess of the company, a transition deal should include stipulations that at least provide continuing account access to current customers. I extensively use my order history when re-ordering (since so many fasteners are junk these days, I want to re-order exactly what I had when I get something I liked), and now that is all gone. I have easily ordered hundreds of dollars of fasteners from them a year. This is what I expect if the mom & pop gas station down the corner gets bought out, not a large professional company.

[john bateman]

I had been looking thru their website in mid January. It wasn't working properly, and there was a notice that Internet Explorer 11 was causing difficulties. When I checked again Jan 29th, the message was gone, and I place an order.

Reading this thread made me quite nervous, especially when I didn't receive a shipping notice.
But my stuff arrived today, no harm done.

[Frederick Skelly]

While we wait a bit for things to settle out at McF's, who else is a good source for square drive screws and such?
Fred

[Matt Meiser]

The Woodcraft ones look pretty similar but I haven't tried them. I've been trying some GRK screws which are Torx and available from a couple local sources in limited sizes and have been pretty happy with them. SPAX gets good reviews but personally I don't like the heads.

[John M Wilson]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/peterputtmann


October 2011 – Present (2 years 5 months)Currently serve as President of WPMA, a manufacturing association that promotes growth through a plethera of programs and networking for the secondary wood manufacturers of north america.



You would think that a CEO would have someone doing spell check for him...:D

[Edward Oleen]

I just went to the McFeely's web site and looked for screws. Their "Select-a-screw" seems to be broken. When I ask for flat head, zinc plated, square drive screws, of "any size/threads", "any length", "any brand", I get a four pages of results, few of which are what I really want, which are #6-1".

As soon as I ask for #6, or 1", or both, OR anything that shows up in the "any-any-any" request, I get "No Matching Screws Found" "Please broaden your search criteria."

Now I know the function used to work - a while back - can't remember just when. (I've been laid up for quite a while.)

And they used to be nice to deal with, too.

What a shame.

[Steven Powell]

Had the same experience about a week ago. Select a screw choices were not all working. I eventually was able to narrow it down to 4 pages of zinc square heads through which I surfed till I found what I needed and could add to cart. Order was sent and acknowledged by e-mail. I got the screws 3-4 days later.

[John Coloccia]

While we wait a bit for things to settle out at McF's, who else is a good source for square drive screws and such?
Fred

I have the Woodcraft "kit", and I keep it stocked at all times, with spares on hand. I live 15 minutes away from a Woodcraft so I find it very convenient to stock what I can get locally. They're good quality, BTW I'm not sure that I've ever broken one or had one otherwise fail, and I've driven thousands of them at this point.

I was going to post a link to the assortment I have because the sizes are very usable, but I don't see it anymore. All I see is this tiny little sampler. Too bad. That assortment got me hooked on the Highpoint screws.

edit:
This was the assortment, anyway. I guess it was a poor seller, but that box of screws sees more use than just about anything else in my shop.
http://www.amazon.com/HighPoint-Lube-Screw-Assortment-Drivers/dp/B0032U8MMI/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

[Andy Pratt]

High point screws from woodcraft were my go-to before mcfeelys and I can confirm that they are pretty much identical (even down to the exact thread grooves etc) to the mcfeely's pro master line. They are excellent screws.

I had to order from rockler this week and ordered a box of 100 of their "recex" screws t try them out since they look like the highpoint/promasters from the photo. I'll let you guys know how they are when they come in.

I would switch to GRK from lee valley in a heartbeat if they just did square drive. Square drive works, no one has any complaints with it, I wish everyone could just standardize on it for screws and socket drive for anything it is too small for. I would love to use GRK screws but I am not carrying around yet another style of bits in my tool bag.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

High point screws from woodcraft were my go-to before mcfeelys and I can confirm that they are pretty much identical (even down to the exact thread grooves etc) to the mcfeely's pro master line. They are excellent screws.

I had to order from rockler this week and ordered a box of 100 of their "recex" screws t try them out since they look like the highpoint/promasters from the photo. I'll let you guys know how they are when they come in.

I would switch to GRK from lee valley in a heartbeat if they just did square drive. Square drive works, no one has any complaints with it, I wish everyone could just standardize on it for screws and socket drive for anything it is too small for. I would love to use GRK screws but I am not carrying around yet another style of bits in my tool bag.

Andy, square drive is ok, better then phillips and slotted for sure, BUT... do yourself a favor and try some torks drive grk. I'm a believer. Torks drive is better, imho.

[Mark Smith, too]

While we wait a bit for things to settle out at McF's, who else is a good source for square drive screws and such?
Fred

SPAX screws are great and most are square drive. They are stocked in quite a few sizes at my orange BORG.

[Denny Rice]

Its time for our gov't. to quit letting big corporations sallow up their competition…It was bad enough when it happened to a 100 year old company like Porter Cable but now when a giant like MacMaster Carr or Grainger buys a company like McFeely's. It's going to get to the point where there is going to be no competition between companies because a few corporations are going to own all the "nameplates" we have come to know….How sad.:(

[James White]

I just received my first email promo from them since the beginning of the year. Is this the same screw assortment they used to sell. My account history is gone. They used to tell you what you were getting in the assortment. But now it looks like they just threw a bunch of screws in a box. Rather than a variety of 25 screws per box.

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=e96ccfc7-57f9-4feb-bff0-f410f2023065&c=2c6bc780-9b40-11e3-a018-d4ae5275505f&ch=2e09c010-9b40-11e3-a083-d4ae5275505f

[James White]

Never mind. I found it on jpage seven of the I catalog. It is the 25-25-25. I think they had a promo for $19 the first time I got it.

http://www.mcfeelys.com/icatalog/p.aspx?page=7

[Justin Eversole]

Mcfeely tools was purchased by two friends and business partners. They also own Atlas Dowel in Harrison Ohio. Everyone is working 60-70 hours a week to get things going. We are on track, and everything is coming together quite well. We had to make a new website. It was not bought by a big corporation. Its a family run business. I started working for Atlas dowel in November to help them get the warehouse in order for mcfeely tools. The owners are two of the nicest people I have ever worked for. Atlas has a A plus rating with the bbb. I am sure once we have had a chance to settle in mcfeely tools will also. We have all the same products as before. Everyone there is dedicated to making this company work, and I truly believe they will be just as good, if not better than Grainger ever was. Please be patient and give them a chance.

[Matt Meiser]

I truly believe they will be just as good if not better than Grainger ever was.

I'd aim a little higher.

[Dave Zellers]

I truly believe they will be just as good if not better than Grainger ever was. Please be patient and give them a chance.

That's encouraging and good to hear. I think the focus here is more like, "Will they (You?) be as good as McFeeley's was?" Many of us go back to the beginning.

They certainly deserve a grace period.

[Justin Eversole]

That's the goal. I don't know much about Grainger, or their business practices. I know Dave and Pete are good guys, and will treat their customers fairly.

[Justin Eversole]

I will do my best to help them. I just do inventory. They have good people up front though. I'm just a grunt there. I believe in them though. They actually seem to care about people, and are not a greedy corporation.

[Matt Meiser]

That's the goal. I don't know much about Grainger, or their business practices. I know Dave and Pete are good guys, and will treat their customers fairly.

IMHO, Grainger cheapened the core product line and diluted it with a bunch of overpriced stuff there's no way I'd buy from McFeely's.

I never broke a McFeely's screw until Grainger took over. Now its not uncommon. Never saw one rust sitting in my hardware storage either. Now...

[Dave Zellers]

IMHO, Grainger cheapened the core product line and diluted it with a bunch of overpriced stuff there's no way I'd buy from McFeely's.

Where do you get your screws now?

[Matt Meiser]

Still working through my last (unless these guys really do turn it around) order from McFeely's but I've been trying GRK lately and like them. Home Depot and a local home store carry the basics.

[Justin Eversole]

Everyone has a right to their own opinion. I'm not sure about our products. I was a nutritionist, and personal trainer. I got injured and lost my job. They offered me a good paying job when I rehabbed. I was going to work there til I found another training job, but grew to like everyone there. Their wives, sons and daughters work there. They are all really nice down to earth people. Seems like a good fit.

[Paul Wunder]

Justin, It is good to hear that the new owners are trying hard. Also, It is good to hear that the new owners are treating you right. I for one will continue to buy from McFeely's as I have always been treated fairly.

It is good to see a family owned business trying to succeed. Many of the members here are in business for themselves and know how difficult it is to be successful. Keep your eye on product quality and fast shipping and people will buy.

[Denny Rice]

Mcfeely tools was purchased by two friends and business partners. They also own Atlas Dowel in Harrison Ohio. Everyone is working 60-70 hours a week to get things going. We are on track, and everything is coming together quite well. We had to make a new website. It was not bought by a big corporation. Its a family run business. I started working for Atlas dowel in November to help them get the warehouse in order for mcfeely tools. The owners are two of the nicest people I have ever worked for. Atlas has a A plus rating with the bbb. I am sure once we have had a chance to settle in mcfeely tools will also. We have all the same products as before. Everyone there is dedicated to making this company work, and I truly believe they will be just as good, if not better than Grainger ever was. Please be patient and give them a chance.

If it ain't broke, it probably didn't need "fixing"....something my grandfather taught me years ago......

[Jim German]

They've already got one strike against them for botching the transition. They've got another strike for not mentioning anything about it on the website. Hiding the fact that its under new ownership is not a good sign. The new site being pretty awful is the final strike for me. I won't be buying from them again.

[Denny Rice]

They've already got one strike against them for botching the transition. They've got another strike for not mentioning anything about it on the website. Hiding the fact that its under new ownership is not a good sign. The new site being pretty awful is the final strike for me. I won't be buying from them again.

Jim I have to agree with you..if they would of just made mention of this on their old webpage before they tried to create a new one things could of been a lot different. I almost feel this was done in a "sly" way where nobody the wiser where no one would have known the difference. I agree hiding new ownership is not ever a good thing, people want to know who they are dealing with and where they are spending their money...JMHO

[Robert LaPlaca]

Where do you get your screws now?

I get my fasteners at Jamestown Distributors..

[Bill Huber]

I got my order from them here about a month ago the only problem was finding what I wanted to order.

The web site is a big problem, the screw finder does not work and the only way I can find what I need is to look in the catalog and then put in the number. I was told that it was my browser but it does not work with IE, Chrome or Firefox.

To me if your customer base is from the web then you better have the web site working right. The web site has not work for over 2 months that I have tried to use it.

I have always like their products but if I can't find them then I will have to go someplace else.

[James White]

They've already got one strike against them for botching the transition. They've got another strike for not mentioning anything about it on the website. Hiding the fact that its under new ownership is not a good sign. The new site being pretty awful is the final strike for me. I won't be buying from them again.

I tend to agree with this. Perhaps it is not too late to put a notice on there web page stating that they are in transition. Why the covert operation?

[Sam Whit]

Jim I have to agree with you..if they would of just made mention of this on their old webpage before they tried to create a new one things could of been a lot different. I almost feel this was done in a "sly" way where nobody the wiser where no one would have known the difference. I agree hiding new ownership is not ever a good thing, people want to know who they are dealing with and where they are spending their money...JMHO

That is assuming they had any access to the old website. Their access was probably just like ours. Sign on and buy stuff.

when I sold my company which had a web presence, that's how our deal happened. New owners bought inventory and such, we kept the rights to the website(coding and domain), name and all artwork and such.

[Jim German]

That is assuming they had any access to the old website.
That might very well be, but its still their fault. They should have made it part of the deal with Grainger that they would have the full data behind the website.

[Matt Meiser]

Or just put up a page with a catalog PDF, a statement that the company was under new owners and a new (tested) site is coming soon, and phone number that someone actually answered.

[Andy Pratt]

Following these issues with mcfeely's I took a risk and tried some of the "recex" brand screws on rockler's website, since i had to order from them anyway.

Just got them in last week and they worked great: As a test I drilled a 3" screw through 6/4 jatoba with no pre-drill, and it worked fine. Removed the screw and it was fine, not bent at all and no cam-out on the head. Heads fit my drivers nicely like other brands I like (can hold a 3" screw horizontally without it falling with a square drive bit).

Recex from rockler and highpoint from woodcraft (i've already tested highpoint extensively over the last few years and really like them) will fill the mcfeely's gap for me now, depending on who I need to order from at the moment.

[Brad Adams]

Wow, this is a tough crowd. I just ordered some screws from McFeely's and it wasn't as bad as everyone says it is.

If you browse the online catalog you can add the items to the cart as you see them.

The old saying if you do something good for someone, they will tell one person, but if you do something bad, they will tell everyone applies here. No matter what you do you aren't going to please everyone.

The select-a-screw thing doesn't work, but you can very easily navigate the online catalog, and order what you need.

[Alan Schwabacher]

I have always had a good experience ordering from McFeely's, and intend to give the new owners a chance next time I order screws. But I do agree that a note on the website is in order, at least saying something to the effect that the select-a-screw finder is under construction, and if you have problems to try the online catalog.

[John Lifer]

Its time for our gov't. to quit letting big corporations sallow up their competition…It was bad enough when it happened to a 100 year old company like Porter Cable but now when a giant like MacMaster Carr or Grainger buys a company like McFeely's. It's going to get to the point where there is going to be no competition between companies because a few corporations are going to own all the "nameplates" we have come to know….How sad.:(
THIS ^ is the LAST thing we need to do. Gov'ment screws things up WAY more than private business. And it all started with the original owner selling his firm off. Just because a subsequent owner doesn't do a good job doesn't mean anything other than a poorly run company is doing a poor job.

[John Coloccia]

Denny doesn't remember when Rockwell came in and screwed up a 50 year old company like Porter Cable :)

I'm sure McFeely's will get their house in order. Too much competition not to. Transitions are always difficult.

[John Lifer]

I've been part of two takeovers in the past. Both had call centers, no web presence. Number remained the change, letters sent to our top 100 or so customers in advance of the sales. Nothing changed but the name. That is the way to do it, but in WWW world, it isn't always so easy. There SHOULD have been a transition of some sort.

[Justin Eversole]

I've been part of two takeovers in the past. Both had call centers, no web presence. Number remained the change, letters sent to our top 100 or so customers in advance of the sales. Nothing changed but the name. That is the way to do it, but in WWW world, it isn't always so easy. There SHOULD have been a transition of some sort. I will mention this to the tech guy. They said they are going to get the website right. My manager said today that he has done 4 start UPS and this is the smoothest so far. Grainger wouldn't give them their site. we had to get a different advance pro and had some system issues. they have a team of techs from new york and canada coming in. we got peggy from grainger. she made the catalog. shes a really smart lady.She had to get all the stuff in the system. We sell a lot of products. Took me a month and a half to get all the product on the shelves. I assume that's why the web sites a mess. We just got it all done. I'll mention your concerns and suggestions.

[Curt Harms]

Screw finder? Google, of course:). Enter this in a google search bar: 1 1/2" black oxide flat head wood screws site:mcfeelys.com. Boxes of 100, 1000 and 5000.

[Michael Mahan]

An Email sent Yesterday by McFeey's about 50% off some Festool drills has a whole mess of people upset over at Festool 's FOG forum
(I got one of the emails myself)

some sale orders on Sale drill's that got accepted in the McFeely's website cart system when there was no stock left , they got confirmation of order emails but are getting NO Drill ! CC's were charged as well
Bunch of Un-Happy Campers

seems there where only a few drills to be had & the site kept accepting orders anyway when they were sold out .

[Kelly Craig]

Crap. Never caught this thread until today. I had a lot of things in my cart to restock the shelves. Of course, it's all gone. Add to that, I checked the cart and the only thing that did show was a twenty dollar shipping charge, even though nothing was in the cart. That's a deal breaker for those little orders.

If they can't handle the little orders, do I want to trust the new owners with the big ones?

Finally, a bit more information letting me know a few whys and wherefores would have been smart, as others pointed out [over and again].

[Peter Quinn]

My only problem with McFeely's is the prices. Solid 3X the cost of the same products from Hafelle. I happened to be browsing the catalogue that just came in and nearly choked when I compared what I had just ordered for stock in the home shop. Ouch.....does anybody shop around? Deerwood ultimates are cheaper too for what they make, not the same range but great assembly screws. I have checked out the McFeelys site based on this post, not exactly a winner, hard to navigate and I'm pretty decent at finding what I want. Needs help. I'll pay a little extra if you make things easy, in the case of Hafelle they have both easy and cost effective going for them.

[Kelly Craig]

Didn't mind the cost as much when shipping was a buck. However, if I just need a few hundred two inchers, I'm better off staying local, even big box "local."

[Peter Quinn]

Didn't mind the cost as much when shipping was a buck. However, if I just need a few hundred two inchers, I'm better off staying local, even big box "local."


I can remember a time when it seemed like McFeelys was the only source for decent screws, the local building yard had sheet rock screw and sheet rock screws, the borg had cheap sheet rock screws. Now the local borg carries spax, the building yard stocks all the GRK line, fasten masters of various sorts, kreg screws and a few other interesting options. So my need to mail order has diminished to 1000-5000+ quantities of what I use most from whomever has the lowest price. I'm not paying $20 shipping on 100 screws. The market place has changed in my area. I can remember asking for stainless nails for guns in 18ga-15ga and being told they were not available, I remember asking them why I had to mail order everything I needed and why the premier local building yard in coastal New England couldn't manage to stock stainless fasteners......now they are stocked in every size and gauge I could want. Nail bleeds are a thing of the past. Guess if enough people request it they will carry it? Maybe stainless is cheaper now than 15 years ago?

[John Stankus]

I can remember a time when it seemed like McFeelys was the only source for decent screws, the local building yard had sheet rock screw and sheet rock screws, the borg had cheap sheet rock screws. Now the local borg carries spax, the building yard stocks all the GRK line, fasten masters of various sorts, kreg screws and a few other interesting options. So my need to mail order has diminished to 1000-5000+ quantities of what I use most from whomever has the lowest price. I'm not paying $20 shipping on 100 screws. The market place has changed in my area. I can remember asking for stainless nails for guns in 18ga-15ga and being told they were not available, I remember asking them why I had to mail order everything I needed and why the premier local building yard in coastal New England couldn't manage to stock stainless fasteners......now they are stocked in every size and gauge I could want. Nail bleeds are a thing of the past. Guess if enough people request it they will carry it? Maybe stainless is cheaper now than 15 years ago?

The shipping cost chart has $7 shipping for orders less than $20

[Matt Meiser]

Yes but the shipping for nothing is $19.75...try it.

[David Weaver]

I can remember a time when it seemed like McFeelys was the only source for decent screws, the local building yard had sheet rock screw and sheet rock screws, the borg had cheap sheet rock screws. Now the local borg carries spax, the building yard stocks all the GRK line, fasten masters of various sorts, kreg screws and a few other interesting options. So my need to mail order has diminished to 1000-5000+ quantities of what I use most from whomever has the lowest price. I'm not paying $20 shipping on 100 screws. The market place has changed in my area. I can remember asking for stainless nails for guns in 18ga-15ga and being told they were not available, I remember asking them why I had to mail order everything I needed and why the premier local building yard in coastal New England couldn't manage to stock stainless fasteners......now they are stocked in every size and gauge I could want. Nail bleeds are a thing of the past. Guess if enough people request it they will carry it? Maybe stainless is cheaper now than 15 years ago?

When I started woodworking, this seemed to be the case. McFeely's screws were generally US made, and most of the other square drive screws I could get locally were pretty lacking when you put them side by side. Now, McFeely's screws are generally not US made (but the price is the same) and the screws I can get locally are just as good and often cheaper. Things change, and the speed at which they change these days keeps me from being loyal to a given seller of what is now essentially commodity goods. It was different when the screws were more expensive but significantly better.

[John Stankus]

Yes but the shipping for nothing is $19.75...try it.

Yeah, but actually put a box of screws in the cart and the correct shipping shows up. It is not fair for them to lose sales on a mis-perception of their shipping costs. Yes they should fix the website. Yes, they should lose sales if the cost or quality are out of line. But since they really don't charge $20 to ship a $5 box of screws, we shouldn't perpetuate that rumor.

[Matt Meiser]

I wasn't perpetuating anything but the fact that they'll ship you nothing for $19.75. Technically I guess that isn't true though since you can't actually check out.

[Dan Hintz]

I wasn't perpetuating anything but the fact that they'll ship you nothing for $19.75. Technically I guess that isn't true though since you can't actually check out.

How would you know when (if?) it arrived? ;)

[Matt Meiser]

Maybe it already has?

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Maybe it already has?

Have you checked your mailbox? I would expect even a shipment of nothing would have an invoice, so you can claim it on your taxes.... :D

[Matt Meiser]

I had already gotten the mail but I checked again and there was nothing there!

[Bill Orbine]

I had already gotten the mail but I checked again and there was nothing there!

Nothing there? Then it finally came!!! Aren't you happy??

[Dan Hintz]

Nothing there? Then it finally came!!! Aren't you happy??

I wonder if he's happy with the nothing he received... and I hope he ordered enough nothing to satisfy his needs.