Do you regularly buy fasteners online?

[Aaron_W]

Inspired by the earlier going metric thread, and the current Robertson screw thread there seems to be some disgruntlement over the fasteners that most US hardware suppliers carry.

I'm curious how many people do or at least will buy some fasteners online? Interested in hearing from those who refuse as well, but would like to know why if you won't.


I don't see too much resistance to buying tools online, so for those who want somewhat specialized fasteners, I'm kind of curious why you wouldn't be willing to order them, assuming you aren't.



I rarely do, but then I'm pretty satisfied with the standard fasteners carried in most hardware stores and am generally flexible in my plans to make slight alterations if my specified size / style isn't available locally.

I will look to online sources if I can't find what I need, and substitution isn't as option.


Just curious, I'm not judging anyone for their preferences.

 

[CJM8515]

yep. mcmaster and bolt depot a good bit. I have no luck finding the specialized ones for my atv except oem or online. Course I need metric stuff and bought tons of it. Ill also add that river city supply had a awesome deal where you got something like 1500 nuts/bolts/washers on ebay (all metric) for like 150 bucks; M6-M12

If i need it RTFN I got to lowes usually, home depot HAD stuff but the local one removed most of it.

 

[gnxtc2]

All the time. Mainly use McMaster and Albany County Fasteners.

If I need something quick, I go to the local truck/contractor supply place. Hardware stores by me are non-existent.

Billy T.
[email protected]

 

[James-W]

Around here we have Farm & Fleet stores and they sell hardware/fasteners by the pound. You can just go there and buy whatever sizes you want and since you are paying by the pound, the cost is VERY reasonable. Assuming you have a place to store the hardware/fasteners, you can get a nice selection to have on hand for not very much money.

 

[Blazinzuk]

Anything other than the most basic bolts yes.

We have a TSC so normal grade 8 and grade 5 I just get there. Anything other than your very basic fastner it's typically bolt Depot for me

 

[Wamsutta]

For GM fasteners yes. I'll get the GM number from one of the GM sites and then go to ebay to buy them. Sometimes I'll punch an Auveco number into Google.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

I too buy OEM fasteners online whenever I have the lead time. sometimes just gotta go to the dealer.

 

[cvairwerks]

All my AN/MS/NAS hardware gets ordered online. Few places around here keep it in stock and by the time I drive there and back, just the fuel and time expenses are way above the shipping cost.

 

[mailpup]

I've bought fasteners from various vendors online. Mostly metric and since most of the cars I work on are Asian, I also maintain a small stock of JIS fasteners. Most of the time I could get away with DIN fasteners but for consistency I like to match the original type of fasteners.

 

[MushCreek]

I buy most fasteners on-line- cheaper and better. When I built my house, I needed 500 lag screws. At the big box store, they were $1.47 each. From McMaster, they were $.27. That's a $600 savings! Nails for the guns were half the price, and the SS fasteners for the siding were even better.

 

[Aaron_W]

Wow I didn't expect to see so many say yes.

I will have to look into Bolt depot, and see what interesting discoveries I may find.

 

[Tonyuk]

I buy fasteners all the time online, much better selection and you can get pretty much anything next day now if you really need it.

 

[turbowoodworker]

I will often resupply by adding a box or two of fasteners to my Zoro order with the 20% off coupon. I did the same with MSC last night. That keeps my drawers stocked.

 

[WhiffySpark]

Has anyone brought a decent bin selection? We’ve always had fastenal at work and it spoiled me. I would rather buy assortments then individual and make my own

 

[heffneil]

I used to work for nut and bolt company in college for a summer. We found out that a competitor of theirs was hardening bolts in their oven in the warehouse. Absolutely horrible and not possible. Didn't get hot enough. Anyway they got in to some trouble. Funny thing is that they were local so buying online probably isn't worse?

When I was working there 20 years ago they were talking about providing lot numbers with each order. I don't know if this changed but there was going to be some regulation or requirement to keep track where each fastener or washer or nut came from. Seemed rather difficult considering when a case of bolts got low we would dump it in the new box and combine!

 

[nes999]

I buy everything I can from a local industrial supplier. They have beat online prices every time.

I dont use TSC because, while their bolts might say grade 8, there there is a night and day difference between their bolts and the ones we get from our supplier.

Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk

 

[bwringer]

I've bought fasteners from various vendors online. Mostly metric and since most of the cars I work on are Asian, I also maintain a small stock of JIS fasteners. Most of the time I could get away with DIN fasteners but for consistency I like to match the original type of fasteners.

Same here. Everything I work on is Japanese.

I live in a large city, but for some damn stupid reason, JIS or even SAE/DIN metric stuff is still very difficult to find locally. (I mean, Japanese cars and motorcycles have only been popular for 50 years or so... you'd think things would have caught up by now.)

Rows and rows of useless inch **** that never sells, and a few empty drawers of desperately pawed-through metric. There are some JIS assortments and fasteners available at auto parts stores at unholy prices.

Locally, I'll hit Ace or Do It Best hardware and pay through the nose if I need metric stuff immediately. The big box stores are utterly useless for metric, and the small selection of metric stuff at the farm stores is disturbingly low quality.

Online, McMaster-Carr, Bolt Depot, and Clipsandfasteners.com get a lot of my business.

I always order fairly large quantities, and I've built up quite a pretty good collection. It saves a LOT of time.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Small quantities (especially SS) from eBay. Large quantities from Albany County Fasteners. FREE shipping on order over $35 !

 

[heffneil]

It seems like Albany is a stainless steel specialist perhaps?

 

[plc268]

I use bolt depot a lot, and they have fair prices on small quantities. I'll order from mcmaster carr if the price is right and if I need a larger amount.

 

[Blazinzuk]

Alot of my purchases online are because of where I live. We just had a TSC open. But other than that we had Ace and Napa for fastners.

I built some utility racks for the power company here. Used countersunk screws just cause they are nice. Saved about 100 bucks per rack ordering online.

Online really is nice when your rural and any large stores are 2 hours away

 

[atthebeach]

When I need a large quantity, Albany County Fasteners has better pricing and as good or better quality than the big box stores.

 

[tdkkart]

Mcmaster, primarily because if I need a 1/4-20 bolt 1-3/4" long I know I can have a box of them tomorrow, as opposed to dicking away a couple hours stopping a 4 different places only to find out their bins are all empty. It doesn't help that I'm 18 miles from anywhere even remotely likely to have a bolt, and none of them are on my way to work.
So, I just order it today and it's usually on my doorstep tomorrow.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

I have ordered assortments of body panel retaining clips and small machine screws for computer repair, and will be ordering more similar assortments for toy train repairs

I ordered a larger Durham drawer with lid, filled with metric bolts and nuts. The issue here is I bought three times too many bolts of any given size. There are sites that allow ordering any quantity of each desired size.. There are so many variations on metric bolts with the standards, classes, torx and torx plus heads, and thread pitches that keeping even a few of these variants, multiplied by a good selection on lengths ??
That would be one pile of money ******* in bolts. The worse part is: it would be likely that You still wouldn't have the proper blasted bolt. I settle for what I commonly use, and try not to overbuy any more.

 

[vssjim]

I use to by Metric's from NAPA when they were Rockford but now dorman scrap. Now mostly buy from Metric Multi-standard Components corp.. I can get exactly what I want and they have great quality and choices. Dorman sells mostly scrap metal in a box ever since they were bought out.

 

[ChevyEFI]

Ace for the now stuff.
Auveco stuff for the OEM washer head metric stuff.
I used to use Copper State when specialty stuff is needed.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

I use to by Metric's from NAPA when they were Rockford but now dorman scrap. Now mostly buy from Metric Multi-standard Components corp.. I can get exactly what I want and they have great quality and choices. Dorman sells mostly scrap metal in a box ever since they were bought out.

Does that company have an option to order an assortment in a Durham steel drawer with lid? I would like to get more of the Durham drawers, as they are literally free with some bolt purchases..

The drawer full of bolts I bought from Imperial Supply was red. The color is ok, but there was no choice in the sizes or quantities of bolts. In the long run, it was a rather expensive free drawer.

 

[hasco]

I just bought 25 Pal nuts (10-24) With a Neoprene insert for trim on my '66 Mopar 13.00 shipped on Ebay.

 

[marshak]

I buy everything I can from a local industrial supplier. They have beat online prices every time.

I dont use TSC because, while their bolts might say grade 8, there there is a night and day difference between their bolts and the ones we get from our supplier.

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Which supplier? I'm in the same area

 

[6PTsocket]

Anything other than the most basic bolts yes.

We have a TSC so normal grade 8 and grade 5 I just get there. Anything other than your very basic fastner it's typically bolt Depot for me

After struggling to find the grade 5 and 8 sizes at HD and Lowes and then getting ripped off for a little bag. I discoverd TSC sold them by the pound, but then I found a metal and hardware distributor in Wall, NJ, called Fazio Steel, that had a much better selection and was cheaper. I still scrounge for metric at the big boxes, TSC, and Sears Hardware. Ocassionaly I find what I need in Fastenal. I would order online if I had to.

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[bmwpowere36m3]

Any sources for metric yellow-zinc 8.8 or 10.9 hardware? I've found Bel-Metric and Fastenal, but both are $$$.

 

[hautpot]

I've been using high strength titanium fasteners I get online when the application allows from Mettec. Mainly been using flange bolts because I hate the regular bolt and washer combo.

I have also used Boltdepot and Monsterbolts. Home depot for immediate household fixes.

Or if i need something that isn't off the shelf I have my friend make it in his garage.

 

[heffneil]

There is a place called Maryland metrics. You should check with them. Not sure if they have what you need but they have a big selection.

 

[dutchgray]

I buy most of what I need online, its 35 minutes to the nearest fastener place that has anything more than the basics, I do go there but I wont just to get a few bolts, they have a good selection of UNF/ UNC stuff which is hard to find here in an actual shop. They sell by the single and are quite cheap, but getting things online is easier.

 

[nbpt100]

It seems like Albany is a stainless steel specialist perhaps?

Yes. All they carry is Stainless steel fasteners. As someone earlier said if you are buying any kind of quantity it is a very good deal.

I have used them and I often use Ebay. You can find some good deals if you are lucky. You can also find assortments as some one asked that earlier.

I live near a number of boat yards so the stores around me carry a pretty good supply of Stainless hardware. There is also a Fastenal in town but they are not open on the weekends.

For metric I typically will buy on line unless I only need a small quantity or I can't find the size.

 

[gearhead1]

Tractor Supply for the generic stuff, by the pound is hard to beat. Occasionally Lowes, and seldom Home boy Depot. Will use McMaster for special stuff, but also have local Fastenals and an independent named Wilder’s.

https://foursquare.com/v/wilders-nuts-and-bolts/4e7371bc2271391c70575011

 

[crewchief888]

i havent run into a situation where i needed to search online for a fastener.

i can get what i need locally from a big box store, ace hardware, or out of the misc bolt bin where i work.

i sorta plan what i'm building around what hardware i have on hand, or know i can purchase local.

i guess if i needed 500 lag screws, and prices locally seemed a little "out of range", i'd be searching online for them.

 

[bwringer]

Any sources for metric yellow-zinc 8.8 or 10.9 hardware? I've found Bel-Metric and Fastenal, but both are $$$.

http://www.clipsandfasteners.com has some, but their internal search is gawdawful bad. Be persistent and creative.

 

[EdT]

I get a lot of fasteners from McMaster. I was amazed at the price difference on a bunch of HDG nuts and bolts compared to HD and other big box stores. IIR, they were only 20-25% of the hd price and they actually had enough for the job and I didn't have to sort through the stuff to be sure what it was. Next day delivery, reasonable shipping prices. My local ACE has a surprisingly good selection of odd stuff, so if I need one #3 taper pin on a Sunday afternoon, I go there and buy the second taper pin they ever sold (I also bought the first).

 

[drewsifer714]

I have been spoiled by McMaster Carr at work. Started ordering from there for home, just because I'm starting to get where my time is worth more than dickering around to save 5 bucks on a box of bolts.

Shows up next day, once the same day, from domestic suppliers, right here in Ohio actually. They have almost anything, and if the price is too much, as happens sometimes there, at least I know the proper name for the widget I want. Now I can search elsewhere.

But boxes of bolts, yeah, McMaster Carr, and if I need it "Right Now" I can always go to Fastenal and they won't have it, or they'll have a box of 5 of something close, but not right, that I might be able to make work, for the price of a box of 50 for McMaster.

But I'm not bitter or anything...