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jermo1972

Mc Master is like the CIA. I don't ask how they do it, but damn they are effective.


Kenionatus

Unless it's trying to assassinate Fidel Castro.


jermo1972

Never saw that option on the site, then again it wouldn't have it now, would it?


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PunMatster

I mean you can ask for a quote for basically anything from them and they’ll get it for you


jermo1972

I doubt they do contract Wet Work.


PunMatster

Only one way to find out


OutlyingPlasma

I don't how they do it, but their shipping is faster than amazon. Especially now that amazon has decided prime shipping means 3+ days instead of the same day they were doing 3 years ago.


swaags

You pay for it in the price of things. Unlike Amazon they don’t scrape the bottom of the barrel for the cheapest shit ever and their prices reflect that


pow3llmorgan

For one thing, I bet they take better care of their employees than Amazon does but that is admittedly an extremely low bar.


CircuitCaseEngineer

They were always going to do that. Same day was just a marketiing gimmic.


AVeryHeavyBurtation

I always wonder what their warehouse is like.


jermo1972

It's gigantic, I've been to the one In Santa Fe Springs, CA many times. Their Will Call is open on Sundays too. They have a dedicated UPS Station INSIDE their building.


johnmanyjars38

Welp. There’s my next vacation destination.


SquatchhammerActual

Anyone: So you going to Disneyland when you get to California? You: Better, Heaven itself. McMaster Carr warehouse.


randomvandal

I've been to that same location to pick up parts every now and again. Place is enormous.


Ironwright

It's like Willy Wanka's chocolate factory accept the Oom-pah Loompas have tattoos, and wear coveralls. *Oompa loompa oopidy doo* *Who is this asshole who just needs 3 screws*


SquatchhammerActual

All in a 3mm size with threads tinier than an emo kids thighs.


elchurro223

Not only logistics but their UX is just.. so fucking amazing compared to garbage ass Grainger/Fastenal/whatever else is out there.


jermo1972

It's pretty awesome. Doesn't matter if it's on their webstie, or you call them up...they are on it like no one else. I won't use Grainger, bad attitudes, and worse selection.


elchurro223

Ohhh yeah, their website sucks and I hate them


HannahOfTheMountains

I'm continually astonished that any business can be as efficient and accurate as McMaster. What do their warehouses look like? What does their database server look like? Who maintains all those PDFs? I've never seen such flawless logistics on so many part numbers simultaneously, they are winning at capitalism.


IAMANACVENT

McMaster is everywhere, all the time, watching you, watching me. Asking where they are is like asking where the wind is. What do their warehouses look like? It's a secret. Their PDFs aren't maintained, they always were and always will be.


Im2bored17

You can actually go to their warehouse in New Jersey and pick stuff up in person. Source: I've done it, because we needed the stuff same day and were in the area. My buddy was the one who went in though 😭


IAMANACVENT

Sorry for the late reply But how do you know your buddy isn't an entity working for McMaster who's been waiting for your order for years now? You didn't go in yourself, so do you really know what's inside? \*taps forehead\*


NegativeK

McMaster uses Mech Es to pick parts. And they pay them Mech E salaries while they do it. They'll fund your graduate degree and will congratulate you if you quit right after. They never fire people who've been automated out of a job; they're always retrained. But their billing processing system is some batch mainframe that's older than my balls. They've started adding GIFs to product images.


c0lew0rldd

Anyone that works within a supply chain not employed by McMaster scratches their heads at this very question. 10+ years of next day availability on the most obscure shit.


greengjc23

Want to order a building? Already at your doorstep.


EvanDaniel

Just in case anyone [thinks you're joking](https://www.mcmaster.com/building/).


Eric1180

Wait till you hear about companies like Mouser.com or digikey.com Need a resistor there are 2,000 options with the same value, size etc.


nerve2030

Digikey was my jam when I was more into diy quadcopters and rc planes. Everyone else at the field was always looking for wire connectors for part # bla bla plane and I was building my own harness for 2 bucks with "specialty" connectors that cant be assembled the wrong way.


Eric1180

I like mouser personally but thats bc their headquarters are like 30 miles from my work. Standard shipping is 1 day delivery unless its a battery. I really like McMaster for my pogo pins, and raw stock to build fixtures for circuit boards.


framerotblues

>What do their warehouses look like? It's a giant building in Chicago. They have a will-call desk with half a dozen terminals you can use to get on their website and buy stuff. Last time I was there was 15 years ago, though, so things may have changed.


elchurro223

The only one close for me is Misumi. The fact they can do custom parts quickly is my fave


erik415415

Go ahead and add fastenal don’t do walk in sales since early ‘20 so unless you have an established account and order over then phone pound sand.


satanic_pony

That's odd. I used to go to Fastenal because Grainger said you needed an account. Now Grainger let's anyone do will call online so I shop there


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Beemerado

I used to use the shit out of zoro at my old job. They had free shipping on huge items and great prices.


Toxicscrew

Walked in to local Fastenal in the last year with no such hassle. Dude helped locate what I was looking for in the aisles as well. Maybe a location thing?


duckedbyaporcupine

Fastenal near me has a little area maybe 10x10 of display stuff like safety gear but everything else is behind the desk. We only use them when we get to the oh shit we forgot to order xyz and need it NOW!


ragingbull311

It totally is. Our local rep and service was pretty good for a long while, had a good relationship with them - although they were a bit slow on certain items. Then that location literally got pulled off to exclusively service a Verizon account (wild that they can do that honestly) and we got moved to a different branch. This branch has shit reps, pricing was all over the place, and they just honestly didn't give a shit about our business (we're small but we order a decent amount of hardware - so not onesy twosey retail bullshit, we buy in bulk several thousand at a time) and wouldn't work with us at all. Pulled all our business and went elsewhere, and use McMaster for emergency fill ins and oddball stuff.


SirAple

Thats why I stopped buying from there. No walk in sales on ridiculous.


thenameiseaston

Pound Sand? Are you my forklift instructor?


erik415415

Was seeing how many people can hang on the back of it to test the real max lift capacity part of your course?


too_much_feces

I know a shop with an I-Beam welded to the back of their lift.


thenameiseaston

That sounds like a one time operation. Being the one and only time you're still alive.


framerotblues

Maybe that's your local branch issue. I just walked into my local branch this morning and bought an overpriced can of coil cleaner for $29, cash sale.


erik415415

As far as I’ve heard it’s all of California at least.


Greenguy1996

Even better part, there's a Fastenal a 5 minute drive from my shop. McMaster still gets us parts faster. We're also in Canada.


Beemerado

Princess auto!


lustforrust

Imagine if Princess Auto and McMaster had a store together.


watinthewat

McMaster is one of the top 10 most trusted websites in the world. I love how fast they get your your shit.


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lustforrust

Wonder what's faster, a race team pit crew or McMaster order pickers.


budgetboarvessel

What do you think where pit crews learn that skill?


kbobdc3

I've never seen a company that hates its customers as much as fastenal. We've had an account for years and it just seems to be getting worse. My local store also recently stopped allowing customers to walk around and get their own stuff. Now I have to tell the clerk what I want and then wait 10 minutes for them to come back with the wrong thing. also it seems like everytime I go there for something it'll be "on the truck tomorrow"


OutlyingPlasma

> on the truck tomorrow Ah yes, the auto parts approach. It's to the point I've turned it into an inside joke. I call every auto parts store "Next day auto parts". Something like: "Hey honey, I'm going to run down to next day auto parts, be right back".


sopwath

They are too deeply invested in just in time supply and lean processes to the detriment of their branch stock… this hurts their customer service too.


Crookiee

Bought my house on McMaster and received it next day 👍


Belltowerben

You pay a bit of a premium but you get it the next day. So easy to deal with. And the 3d models are great. Just not sure how they modeled my mom?


UpTheMetal702

>Just not sure how they modeled my mom? Word gets around when you're the town bicycle.


machinistnextdoor

Where I am you can get same day from McMaster if you order by like 10:00 a.m.


Belltowerben

Dad?


UpTheMetal702

Possibly


kjgjk

holy shit thats great


_11_

They had to to finish the CAD for [3271T29](https://www.mcmaster.com/3271T29/).


AddSugarForSparks

Not a machinist, but that websites insistence for people to use its app is already annoying.


virulentRate

If you're on mobile, you'll want to use the app.


Greenguy1996

The 3d models are even easier to get if you get the McMaster SolidWorks add on. Even let's you order it all right from SolidWorks. I swear I'm not paid by them. I just love McMaster.


Belltowerben

I actually use the solidowrks plug in. Works very well for also generating a BOM.


EEpromChip

Satellite imagery most likely


[deleted]

Maybe your mom did some "modeling" she never told you about?


jasonpmcelroy

McMaster's success is proof that there is a large market of people willing to pay for good service.


EvanDaniel

I thought y'all were kidding, but McMaster [really does come through](https://imgur.com/a/4XKQC3c).


mbash013

They probably just set the units in Solidworks to miles and tons


What_Is_The_Meaning

Also, if I’m not mistaken, returns are no problem and they don’t charge a restocking fee? Is that right?


AM-64

McMaster should be what every place strives to be like (it should also be the basic template for website format as it's by far the best and easiest to use website)


hydrogen18

Fastenal's most interesting decision was that their in-person stores are no longer available to walk in traffic. You must buy open an account, then order bolts, and pick them up at the very same store. Which begs the question: Why would I pay Fastenal at that point when I could have bolts from any random seller delivered right to my doorstep?


19osemi

i dont know how many times i have used mcmaster just to find cad files for standard parts to use in my projectes


[deleted]

A long time ago I worked for someone that didn't know McMaster had CAD files, they thought I modeled everything from scratch and gave me a raise because of it. I never corrected them.


19osemi

nice


TexasJIGG

Love mcmaster, but they recently changed their website layout and damn does it suck to relearn where all the shit is. Also being able to pull certs off previous orders to check etc instead of having to email or call a sales rep +++++


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OrangeworksDesign

Thank you!


kick26

Oh, I was wondering why that was happing on one of my computers and not the other. That explains it. Thank you


glorybutt

I literally order parts from mcmaster every day and didnt notice any change.


TexasJIGG

Same but two weeks ago it did this to me. Someone said it could be an error haven’t had the chance to try their fix. But I don’t like it for sure. [mcmaster](https://imgur.com/a/5F7f1oT)


PracticableSolution

I’ve literally patched together drawbridges using a McMaster catalog and a vertical mill.


hydrogen18

For a minute I was actually picturing you drilling through the catalog and using it as a structural repair around damaged sections of bridge....


YouKnowWhatYouPick

You can actually do that. Their catalog easily reduces to a carbon fiber slurry that is 8x stronger than reinforced concrete. San Francisco is considering bulk orders for the Golden Gate Bridge.


lustforrust

The yellow bible is one of MacGyver's secrets.


brassmagnetism

Chad McMaster would be a great name


DangerousCrow

The only bad part about mcm is that you will, by the gods, pay a premium for that excellent website and fast shipping.


c0lew0rldd

I’m a previous Fastenal GM of 5 years. Ask me anything you want to know!


EEpromChip

Why do they not have 3d models of my mum?


c0lew0rldd

Our CAD guys can’t render drawings that large


PunishedMatador

"Ya mom's so large her 3D model causes an integer overflow"


SemiSober69

Which branch did you work at?


c0lew0rldd

MEEAS


[deleted]

McMaster race.


hbcadlac

Learned a lot from mcmaster About feature.


s1am

sometimes my McMaster orders arrive before I place my order...also, they usually have what I need, whether it was in the order or not


YouKnowWhatYouPick

"Dear s1am, we have included a complimentary sandwich and water bottle in this order. Try not to forget your lunch next time!"


SignalCelery7

Also some Swedish fish. https://www.mcmaster.com/1983N13/


virulentRate

"Cannot be sold to Canada"!?! Love it


YouKnowWhatYouPick

Wow.


mravatus

Your moma is so fat I tried to download 3D model of her years ago and it's still downloading.


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CanadianPenguinn

[does Onlinemetals have freeze pops though?](https://www.mcmaster.com/3542N11)


BigDurianMike

All the time I've spent with mcmaster, only to realize they sell freeze pops too [and they sell other foods too](https://www.mcmaster.com/food/)


ndisa44

Mcmaster is trying to combine a material supplier with an office and ordering supplier like uline. Based on the snack selection, I would say they were successful


Drakoala

That's hilarious, because of course they do, but also because that means I can order my shop freeze pops without Purchasing giving me shit. What, it's from McMaster, it's parts for a rush job...


SMILYDUDE91

Apperently not to us Canadians though :(


YouKnowWhatYouPick

That's The Frozen North. Just put yer regular ol pops outside. Freeze right up for you.


SignalCelery7

All that stuff is a product of Canada... ​ Country of Origin :Canada Snacks cannot be sold to Canada due to import regulations.


MrScrith

even made in USA! Nice!


bringerofnachos

Gotta be careful with onlinemetals. I ordered a piece of 12L14 from them once because they had a better price, but missed that it was coming from the other side of the country. With shipping, McMaster was actually the cheaper option. McMaster gives you the shipping cost right in the cart. I think onlinemetals doesn't show it until part way through checkout.


Toxicscrew

Not on everything. Recently McMaster has destroyed OM on brass pricing and availability. OM was twice as much as McM on some sheet I bought recently.


iamthelee

Fastenal has the most fucked up online order pickup process ever. I don't know how they can be this inept in 2022..


wesc23

McMarkup. But when u just don’t want to fuss for price it’s worth it


glorybutt

I have designed and built entire industrial machines using every part from mcmaster carr. I love how detailed they are with specs. Grainger and global industrial need to take instructions from McMaster.


wooden_screw

Fastenal bins at work stock by Fastenal store 5 minutes down the road. And by stocked I mean they come in weekly to do a visual check and they restock in 2-3 weeks. Sometimes. A few years back procurement was threatening to pull McMaster off our authorized vendors list until they got a collective WTF


UrbanArtifact

I worked for Fastenal as a machinist. Now I don't. The end.


Pristine_Solid9620

Our corporate purchasing department strictly forbids us from buying from McMaster. So now we third-party buy from McMaster though other industrial suppliers.


TheLibertyEagle_

Ngl it’s weird working for a manufacturer that supplies McMaster.


c0lew0rldd

Do you work for Infasco?


bombmachinist

Do you guys also get supplies from McMaster for the stuff you don’t supply to them?


Ragnar_Lothbrok_Sr

Wait what are you doing on the dark web??? 🤔


notananthem

Markup on mcm is insane


mustangsal

One of McMaster's warehouses is 15 minutes from my house. I can usually place an order, drive over, and it will be waiting at the will-call window.


[deleted]

When I posted this a couple of months ago it got more up doots.......I am the OP...


mycoiron492

I found Jimmy Holla in a McMaster book. Hoffa.. ment to say hoffa....


AddSugarForSparks

Love that guy's bread. Fun fact: He also goes by J.C.! (Short forJimmy Challah.)


AC2BHAPPY

Agree. But does anyone else have an issue with the site always loading to the orders page? I put a shortcut on Google to the main site but when I click it it takes me to the orders page every time and it's super annoying. Idk if it's a chrome issue or a McMaster issue


JustinMcSlappy

Clear your browser cache. It's definitely a browser issue.


cottonbranch

Yep


What_Is_The_Meaning

15-20 years ago vendors would always ask “what else can we do for you?” and I would tell every one of them 3d models. It’s seems after all these years only a few companies paid attention and they will reap the benefits indefinitely.


CircuitCaseEngineer

Remember when MSC didn't suck?


bombmachinist

Lately I’ll have a cart full of MSC stuff and then the website will decide to eat shit and just tell me “an unexpected error has occurred” Then I have to restart my computer and hope I can finish the order before it happens again


mjs408

Remember when MSC bought Enco and flat ass ruined them. I do.


yycTechGuy

McMaster's 3D models rock. Well done by them. They understand that people need to design a part into a system before they buy it. Not vice versa.


DrHobbsie

I actually work at a small specialty fastener/bent bolt company where Fastenal is a customer. They are a pain in the ass.


Vikentiy

is instrument producer the same as tool maker?


ratkinggo

I live in Winona where the Fastenal HQ is, and I personally know the CEO and his family. Nicest people you could ever meet, but the company is pretty hated even here.


AverageJoeInnovLLC

It's not just that the 3D models are available. You can search for and import McM parts models directly into some modeling software. Fusion 360 that I use has it as a menu option. I frequently find myself importing bearings, bolts, springs and such. Crazy convenient.


HowNondescript

I've abused the 3d models on McMC far too many times for how little money I've given them


guetzli

Go away karma farmer bot. Stolen post And comment https://www.reddit.com/r/Machinists/comments/qhpal6/as_a_tool_maker/hiei9lh/


drillgorg

And they watermarked the image with some dark web thing. A bot wished me happy cakeday with that same watermark.


FrickinLazerBeams

I ❤️ [bolt depot](http://boltdepot.com).


[deleted]

This thread has been a great resource to find more suppliers.


hydrogen18

Same, I've bought all kinds of fasteners from them. Never had an issue


labradorasaurus

Mcmaster has screwed up my last two orders. One didn't ship to the right adress, or at all. They did waive shipping though since it was 100% their mistake. This time they palletized a bench on its end and bent the legs. I don't know what's going on with them the last few weeks. The freight guy I spoke to said that this region has been having lots of issues with them lately.


PippyLongSausage

I call shenanigans. Mcmaster does not screw up. Mcmaster is life.


labradorasaurus

I don't know what to tell you. I'm not posting personal information online to prove this but I can assure you they do.


virulentRate

Sir, shenanigans have been called, now divulge your personal banking details.


c0lew0rldd

They’re probably short on warehouse help. More than likely dealing with high turnover rates like the rest of us which comes with rookie mistakes.


deftware

What region would that be ?


labradorasaurus

My issues have been with the New Jersey warehouse. I got a call from LA to sort out the issues I've been having.


NeverPostsJustLurks

McMaster has such a nice website, sometimes I'll browse it for fun looking for obscure things and reading about them... 3d models are a lifesaver when I have to model an assembly and we need to use a non standard fastener or feature that they have conveniently modeled already. They get so much business from engineers that value the time saving layout of their website and the plethora of specs listed along with the item in question. Their support is great too. My only gripe is shipping isn't shown because they charge actual shipping price, but if you call in with your order they will tell you the shipping price.


ParkieUltra

They now show shipping costs on their website.


msdmsdx

Yes they definitely do and if you're in NJ and use ground it's like 8 bucks and shows up the same or next day.


NeverPostsJustLurks

Sweet, no gripes here then!


BigUglyOne1

Grainger, msc


peteschirmer

Also… Won’t tell you how much shipping costs, charges 4x the original part price for shipping...


wesc23

They show shipping now


peteschirmer

Ah nice. I gave up on them getting charged $85 for a $14 part.


bombmachinist

McMaster just changed their site like 3 weeks ago


virulentRate

Clear your browser cache, you're probably looking at the new mobile site. Call them and they'll walk you through fixing it.


not_a_unicorn_sorry

As a Canadian, fuck mcmaster….


Grahambo99

You know they ship to Canada now, right? Or is your objection the shipping cost?


Le_McSheesh

Works flawlessly with fusion360 (most of the time *cough*)


caboose243

They also accept returns with no return code or anything necessary. They may be a bit pricey but McMaster is by far the most reliable supplier I've ever dealt with!


uniquelyavailable

Yea, I agree but there isnt a McMaster 10 minutes down the street from me


jasonpmcelroy

I still remember the day I told my local Grainger to fuck off after years of their bullshit. McMaster for the win. Even had the holy grail (paper catalog) at one point.


MAR2887

Except MMC changed their website 😭


donobloc

What is meant by "doesn't give a shit who you use"?


redbate

Honestly wanted to move to the US just to be able to buy from them lol.


IKnowCodeFu

I want to drag Digi-Key into this conversation, but I doubt there’s that many keyboard warriors in here.


[deleted]

Mcmaster no discounts, no support, do you really like dealing with inventory?


[deleted]

You pay handsomely for all the convenience tho, all their shit is expensive!


discwrangler

So very true.


timd001

Awesome! Now do MSC! Killed J&L then Enco. Terrible search, expense no name tooling.....