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Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

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Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#211

Post by genericone »

jbay808 wrote: post #179
Maarten88 wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> being able to buy a custom “off the shelf” part without making a special internal part number How does that work? I have been searching the internet for stainless steel M8 x 20 set screws with a torx socket, maybe uncommon but straightforward. I have yet to find these anywhere outside of having them manufactured in china by truckload - I need maybe 100.

Button head: https://us.misumi-ec.com/vona2/detail/221005020675/?Category... Cap screw: https://us.misumi-ec.com/vona2/detail/221005020664/?Category... Flat head: https://us.misumi-ec.com/vona2/detail/221005020686/?Category... These are just standard parts though. Misumi's real configuration flexibility comes from parts that are parametrically defined . For example you can basically design a shaft by specing the mate…

AND you can order that same part number again the next time! Configuration options are all built into the part number directly, so you can reference THAT exact number in your own internal documents if you choose to source from Misumi.

Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#212

Post by xwdv »

syntaxing wrote: post #49

MechE here as well. An alternative to McMaster is Misumi. Misumi is nice because you can order parts that are made to order (imagine a rod with the specific thread and length). No next day shipping like McMaster but being able to buy a custom “off the shelf” part without making a special internal part number is huge (so you don’t need drawings or anything). They’ll ship you a couple books like the signature yellow bo…

Good engineers design. Great engineers integrate. Legendary engineers iterate.

Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#213

Post by auscad »

monstertank wrote: post #194
fake-name wrote: post #5

McMaster is great. This article is also completely glossing over another reason to use them: Their shipping is somehow insanely fast. Almost everything is next-day delivery, even for standard shipping. They've somehow got their logistics COMPLETELY nailed. I believe they have their own agreements with USPS/FedEx/etc... McMaster is generally not the cheapest, but they're almost always the fastest and the easiest. Mach…

Do they ship to Australia? Any idea if that is also comparable to Amazon delivery speeds?

Probably not. They don’t ship to Canada. Don’t be fooled if you’re able to place an order with a non-US address. I was able to, before getting an email the next day when they realized their mistake.

Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#214

Post by exodust »

parker_mountain wrote: post #4

Great website. Great company. Can't find what you're looking for? Website failing you? Don't worry, just click the email link at the top of the page and they WILL get back to you - even over a 20 cent part.

> they WILL get back to you

Okay but responding to customer enquiries isn't uncommon.

Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#215

Post by seabird »

fmajid wrote: post #85

The counterpoint to this is that a site like Amazon can still succeed to dominate the industry despite being a horrendous mess with nonfunctional search, a horrendous counterfeiting problem, and widespread review fraud. Does take the wind out of the sails of IA/UX purists somewhat.

Amazon does not dominate the market that McMaster-Carr exists in. It's not even in the running. If you attempted to use Amazon for the type of project McMaster-Carr exists to support, you're going to get laughed at at best. MMC/Misumi/Grainger/etc. own industrial/mechanical, Digikey/Mouser/Arrow/etc. own electronics, RockAuto owns automotive aftermarket, etc. It's actually incredible how little fight Amazon has put up in these markets.

Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#216

Post by wlesieutre »

elil17 wrote: post #195
wlesieutre wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's a good place for well priced bolts if I'm not worried about next day shipping but need them to not be made of pot metal?

Where are you finding pot metal bolts? Your best option should be anything from Ace/Home Depot/Lowes. The matte finish ones are zinc galvanized, that’s just the protective coating. They are made of carbon steel and are graded according to standards set by organizations like SAE. Hardware stores will have grade 2 bolts for the most part (or the metric equivalents). These will be made with weaker steel and will be cut…

Haven't got pot metal bolts, just thinking of some machine screw assortments I've bought on Amazon. They've worked fine for 3d printing projects, but makes me wary of fasteners from unknown sources if strength could matter.

Hardware store has been my go to, is that the reference people are using for saying McMaster bolts are 4x overpriced?

Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#217

Post by steve_adams_86 »

deathanatos wrote: post #206
loonster wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have had an incorrect CAD model from them. (Which they fixed when I brought it to their notice). Once burned, twice shy.

This would be an immediate positive in my book. Most the bug reports I upstream to vendors go nowhere. Getting in contact with someone who can actually fix the problem, instead of just papering over it? Completely negates any downside from the original problem, in my book.

Really, I hear nothing back from a large majority of my bug reports. It must be around 3/4 are ignore or get a template response with no solution. Solving the problem is amazing. We all make mistakes, we don’t all fix them.

Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#218

Post by NavinF »

loeg wrote: post #176
morcheeba wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll second that. I ordered an 8-foot-long aluminum bar for $25, which, at the time, was too long to ship with traditional shippers. So, a semi trailer showed up at my door. Shipping cost $8.

My experience around their shipping was the opposite— surprise outrageous fee to get fedex to deliver a few feet of PVC. This was back before they showed you shipping prices up front.

Yeah their checkout experience used to be horrible. Shipping costs were never displayed until the order shipped and it was often 10x the item price.

Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#219

Post by modriano »

xen2xen1 wrote: post #78
ISL wrote: post #62

McMaster is a great choice when you can value your time. There is no comparison shipping. You need an industrial tricycle that gets the job done? Great. Add an industrial tricycle to your cart. Unless there is a meaningful difference between models, there will be only one choice. It will be curated and it will do what you generally expect it to do. You'll pay more than you can get it for elsewhere, but it will do the…

Please tell me there's a story behind an "industrial tricycle?"

There is! IIRC, the first item McM ever sold through its website was an industrial tricycle (I think it was to an engineer at CERN, which has very long tunnels).

Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#220

Post by elil17 »

wlesieutre wrote: post #216
elil17 wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where are you finding pot metal bolts? Your best option should be anything from Ace/Home Depot/Lowes. The matte finish ones are zinc galvanized, that’s just the protective coating. They are made of carbon steel and are graded according to standards set by organizations like SAE. Hardware stores will have grade 2 bolts for the most part (or the metric equivalents). These will be made with weaker steel and will be cut…

Haven't got pot metal bolts, just thinking of some machine screw assortments I've bought on Amazon. They've worked fine for 3d printing projects, but makes me wary of fasteners from unknown sources if strength could matter. Hardware store has been my go to, is that the reference people are using for saying McMaster bolts are 4x overpriced?

Yeah, it is. I wouldn’t worry about low grade bolts from unknown sources, really, unless it’s a safety critical application. The cost benefit to the manufacturer for cheaping out is almost nothing. To make it look like a bolt you’re going to have to make it correctly. You could use a cheaper metal but it doesn’t get much cheaper than low carbon steel which is already what they’re supposed to be made of.
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