Warning about Fastenal

[MoparTrucks]

I recently ordered some bearings from Fastenal and in the process took a look at their on-line catalog and I was completely unaware that they carried such a diverse amount of products.

They even have machinist supplies and Holy smokes this is going to be an expensive find!

 

[kazlx]

McMaster is my go to. Fastenal always seems to be overpriced. I have picked up stuff locally in a pinch, but online, eh.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

I recently ordered some bearings from Fastenal and in the process took a look at their on-line catalog and I was completely unaware that they carried such a diverse amount of products.

They even have machinist supplies and Holy smokes this is going to be an expensive find!

Yes...the catalog is just the beginning...they have everything and then some.

The same people who *****/cry/complain about Tool Trucks went obsolete as a sales model in 1987 will be the ones who come and say Fastenal is expensive, Grainger *****, etc... IMHO they just don't know how to do business on Tool Trucks or Industrial Suppliers...Granted, like everything else in this world it all depends on the people behind the counter...be it your MAC Guy or the Fastenal Shop...Personally Fastenal is my GO TO place for all things industrial supply...best pricing, best service, nothing but good things to say.

 

[creativecars]

Yes they have a lot of stuff, but my local store has to order it in from the warehouse for most things beyond nuts and bolts.
Pricey... yes. I needed some 3/4x3" grade 5 bolts. At almost 3.00 each and I had to buy the bag of 5 I thought wow this is crazy.
Went to a place where I could by grade 5 in bulk.
4 bolts, 8 nuts, lock washers and flat washers.. for $3.50
They are not even in the ball park.

 

[Kevin54]

For most items, I find our Fastenal way over priced. And a lot of items like nuts and bolts, you have to buy a minimum of 10 and they won't bust a bag open. When it comes to machinist tools, Enco, MSC Direct, Travers, Penn Tool, carry a way better price. Then there are a few that just carry cutters (end mills, specialized end mills, lathe cutters, and so on.) My advice....shop around before you buy from Fastenal.

Now as a plus for Fastenal......On a few occasions I have bought their scrap barrel for scrap price and less. The last time I bought the barrels contents for $20. The time before that, I bought a Lista lookalike (Rousseau) cabinet, and the contents of the scrap barrel for $50. Inside of the barrel were 3/4" expansion bolts (quantity 10) and these were exactly what I needed to mount my lift. Regular price was right at $100 if I had to buy them, so I made my money back right there.

 

[Doug Arthurs]

I find there is almost always a better source then Fastenal for anything.

 

[kazlx]

Don't even get me started on Grainger. That place is a joke. It's like the Best Buy of industrial supply. Overpriced and all their employees typically have no idea wha you are taking about.

I have to say the times I've gone into Fastenal, the guys at the counter are knowledgable and helpful, even if it's way over priced or they can't get it.

 

[hautpot]

Once you get an industrial dealer or rep from places like fastenal, grainger, MSCdirect, McMaster they all end up being similar. I happen to have one from MSC even though I am a residential buyer now.

 

[thebeekeeper1]

Yes they have a lot of stuff, but my local store has to order it in from the warehouse for most things beyond nuts and bolts.
Pricey... yes. I needed some 3/4x3" grade 5 bolts. At almost 3.00 each and I had to buy the bag of 5 I thought wow this is crazy.
Went to a place where I could by grade 5 in bulk.
4 bolts, 8 nuts, lock washers and flat washers.. for $3.50
They are not even in the ball park.

That's been my experience. I needed a longer-than-standard bolt a few months ago, so I went (as usual) to my local Fastenal. They didn't have it in stock, offered to order it, but because it wasn't a normally stocked item, they wanted the cost of the bolt ($10+) plus shipping of $7+.

I went a few blocks to a local "nuts and bolts" place and picked it up for $3-something. The staff at this place tends to be "counter monkeys" ate up with tats and piercings, and a bad attitude, which is what drove me to Fastenal to begin with, but I'm thinking I'll put up with their insolence in order to not pay through the nose at Fastenal.

 

[warmpancakes]

once again Fastenal doesnt want Joe nobody off the street with his 3.00 purchase, They want people like me ordering for work, I make one call rattle off a list it appears here next day I sign the order and they bill us, companies 99% of the time dont price shop for daily use items they know what they want and they want it now.


Our production plant buys so much from them fastenal has a store in the building, they lease space from us, we dont have to keep inventory, they do it for us, they restock things automatically,

 

[03protege]

I recently ordered some bearings from Fastenal and in the process took a look at their on-line catalog and I was completely unaware that they carried such a diverse amount of products.

They even have machinist supplies and Holy smokes this is going to be an expensive find!

Check out their clearance section online and note what that store has. I bought a couple hundred dollars worth of bolts for about $20 in one trip.

 

[zmotorsports]

We've quit using Fastenal at work. They were awesome at first but then it got to where the prices would all of a sudden jump up when you weren't looking. usually when in the middle of a huge or emergency job and needed something fast and didn't price check prior.

They also got to where they would only sell fasteners in package quantities. When we first started using them they would allow us to purchase fasterners onesy, twosy at a time. Not any more. If you need one bolt you have to purchase a package or 25 or 50 depending on what they had in stock. Too wasteful for my taste.

We now use a local Bolt & Nut Supply that will allow us to purchase the exact quantity we need and for anything non-fasterer related we use Grainger. Grainger has been very responsive and consistant for us, even though I know not everyone has had the same experience.

For home I use either Bolt & Nut Supply if I just need a bolt or two and I need them quick, otherwise McMaster Carr is my one stop for everything else. Ordered and usually on my doorstep the next day, two days tops.

Mike.

 

[dnschmidt]

My choice is McMaster-Carr. If it exists they have it and it's in stock in LA.

 

[MoparTrucks]

Thanks for the perspective guys, the local store here doesn't have much in inventory but the on-line catalog is nicely laid out and for some things the prices are a lot cheaper than I can get locally.

I will have to give McMaster-Carr a try.

 

[firebox40dash5]

I dealt with a local Fastenal in Oregon that was pretty decent, until they switched to "full packages only" to avoid having several open packages. When I talked to the manager about it and asked why he didn't just ask people to take from open packages first so there was only one open per, he looked at me like I had a **** growing out of my forehead. It's not like their employee to off the street customer ratio isn't high enough there's an employee over your shoulder anyway.


I'm in Baltimore right now, and McMaster has always done right by me here. Base shipping seems to be just under $6, I don't think I've ever paid more than $12, and UPS ground shows up nex5 day. As much as I hate paying shipping (yes, I know I'm paying it one way or another), unless I just need 1 or 2 things, they're usually cheaper even with shipping. I've bought hardware that they sell in 10 packs when I needed 4 or 5, and it was more economical than buying 4 or 5 locally.

 

[Nor'Easter]

I used to be a huge Fastenal guy, only because I knew the branch manager and I'd tell him what I needed and he'd get it, wouldn't even ask for any info.

Now they need full contact info + CC number to order anything, plus it was always a few days before they got a shipment, then I'd have to get there before 5pm.

McMaster has always been to my door in 2 days.

 

[metaldad]

fastenal here, has a really good selection of dust on their shelves.
i utterly hate grainger. i do not want it tomorrow. i need it NOW
im lucky, i have a mcmaster 5 miles from me. they have had, in stock, 99.9% of everything i have ever ordered, and that aint chump change.

 

[ibedayank]

I use tractor supply or acehardware if they don't have it only then I will go to fastenalll

 

[jeffmoss26]

Fastenal ran the tool crib at my old job before I worked there...I've been in their store a few times and was not impressed by the prices or selection. McMaster is my choice.

 

[Skidonenko]

The times ive been to fastenal they have not had what i was looking for. Over to turner hardware (now ace, we will see how that goes) and there it was. 6mm all thread, no problem, long stainless hardware in a standard diameter and pitch, no problem.

 

[Steevo]

I have both a Fastenal and Tacoma Screw store nearby, and since Tacoma Screw opened up, I haven't set foot in the Fastenal store.
That said, I still order from McMaster Carr if I need enough to justify shipping costs.

 

[mybuick6]

i use bolt depot for my stuff.

 

[finn]

Anybody know what the commercial discount % is at Fastenal?

I think I was getting a deal when I was working, but I moved and the local store is charging me full list.

Either that or their prices have skyrocketed over the last few years.

 

[jptbay]

Fastenal is crazy expensive in my area.

Even in stock local items get a separate shipping charge. Asked the manager and he says corporate mandates this. I told him he would never see me again.

 

[redmondjp]

I have both a Fastenal and Tacoma Screw store nearby, and since Tacoma Screw opened up, I haven't set foot in the Fastenal store.
That said, I still order from McMaster Carr if I need enough to justify shipping costs.

Another Tacoma Screw fan here in the greater Seattle area - onesie-twosies are no problem, and last time I was there, the guy threw in the nuts & washers no charge, and also threw a few screwdriver bits in to boot, when I bought some bolts. Doesn't always happen, but their customer service is excellent at my local branch.

 

[Ign]

As Kevin said, Fastenal is no where near competitive on machinist supplies. I ordered a couple random 2 flute end mills on clearance, but their regular retail is so far out there you'd need AT LEAST a 50-60% discount to get down to Enco's prices.

MSC has stuff to me next day at ground rates, massive selection and I don't have to talk to the Fastenal counter guy who's primary vocabulary is "uh, um," and "I don't know."

 

[dr_clyde]

McMaster-Carr is awesome. They just sell good quality stuff at reasonable prices with fast shipping. No ********, no stupid tierd pricing, no dumb salesman. Same price no matter who you are or how big your company is. Their website is so good, other companies will accept a McMaster part no. for an order. Just order what you need, and for me it's on my desk the next day by noon.

Lawson maintains my bins, they're pretty reasonable. Local supply houses kick the pants off all the chain guys for most everything.

Fastenal and grainger can **** a ****.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Seems like the Fastenal/Grainger bashing threads are getting to be as common as the Craftsman bashing threads.

 

[MaineGuide]

One of these days I'll fill in the detractors about how Fastenal works and why it doesn't work for them. It's laughable what people say to employees of a publicly traded company that they think they can barter with.

 

[Fcvapor05]

Fastenal is over priced on everything they sell.

They don't want to even try to cater to home guys who walk in an buy $15 worth of whatever- they cater to industrial customers who are happy to exchange extra $$ for convenience.

Fastenal is an expensive candy store if you've just discovered it, but you can easily find all the same stuff at much lower cost through various other suppliers if you're in any mid-or-larger metro area.

 

[johndeereman]

Ya way overpriced and **** for selection and ******* sales people. I ran in yesterday to grab some bushings which they did not have and a bag of 25 1/2'' William's washers also some loctite 243 and holy **** $90.00 wtf.

 

[Tim37]

There is a fastenall about a half mile down the road from one of our wearhouse. I hate going there because of the dazed and confused looks I get from the counter guy when I ask for simple stuff like 1/2" helicoil kit. If its any thing more complicated than a standard bolt I drive a cross town to a real bolt house.

 

[ChevyEFI]

One of these days I'll fill in the detractors about how Fastenal works and why it doesn't work for them. It's laughable what people say to employees of a publicly traded company that they think they can barter with.

When Grainger decided the sector of their business utilized by the unwashed public wasn't working, they opened Zoro, which diverts traffic to a buyer-friendly online market.

Fastenal acts like they have retail stores, but to non-high-volume customers, they just look like a bunch of assholes with incompetent staff.

Publicly traded doesn't equal brilliant.

We await your side.

 

[Tim37]

I got to say their staff (at least to the one down the street)leaves a lot to be desired. They really do need to s invest in training the staff on products.

 

[tubamonster]

I haven't had good experience with them. The only good thing I've found is that they deliver and save you time from running errands, but it is in no way worth the prices they charge or their poor service.

They're generally pretty good about getting our nuts, bolts, and machine tools in within 2 days, but everything else is pretty poor.

We ordered a new string line-it took 2 months to come in.

We ordered some safety glasses and requested a specific type. They got the order wrong and the representative said he couldn't find the type we requested on their website. I later looked it up, and it took me about 1 minute to find the type we requested.

We ordered a new extension cord. 2-3 weeks later, it's delivered, but it's the wrong type. We had to wait another 2-3 weeks for the right one.

Those are just the examples I can think of off the top of my head. There have been other issues such as billing for more than we recieved and getting orders completely wrong.

I work at a large shop BTW, this is not for personal use. I don't plan to use them for personal use. My experience may just be because of our local Fastenal.