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Bolt quality

JohnRowehl

JohnRowehl

Member
Location
South Central PA
I’m looking for a good local source of bolts aside from the local hardware store. Fastenal has several stores close by and Grainger is not too much further though their prices seem much higher. Does anyone have any experience with these two that they could offer an opinion?
 
farm stores like rural king tractor supply and fleet farm sell fasteners by the pound. grades 2,5, and 8. also metric. or you can, if you use a lot have someone like winzer set you up. i have winzer service my body shop for all our fasteners and clips.
winzer
 
Those two places are crazy high, farm store is where I go or CNH store has good prices as the one here has bolts is bulk. But have went to Fastenal when in a bind.
 
Bad experience with both.

Grainger is beyond ridiculous with their prices. Used to be they were the go to place if you need it now, but now not only are they out of price range, they never seem to stock anything. Makes me wonder what's in those warehouses? Never seems to be anything I need...

Fastnal seems only interested in major sales, don't bother them with small stuff, don't even come in without an account.

Then there is Tractor Supply and others like them that have bulk sales. Depends on the store though, some have good bolt selections, some prefer ladies fashion apparel and Dollar Store junk.

For the specialty fasteners, McMaster Carr is the place. Average prices, but their service and stock is phenomenal! I don't know how they do it, but I get next day delivery 99% of the time!
 

Counterfeit fake fasteners has been a problem for decades in the military, nuclear and other fields .
Purchasing fasteners at a reputable supplier increases
the odds of obtaining quality fasteners .
 
If near Owosso MI there is Bolt and Brass best cheapest source around. Mostly 5&8 grade bolts. Also well stocked plumbing supply. Local cities go there.
 
We have a Fastenal store or outlet in a shopping mall in our town. They normally have something that will work, but you better hope they have a bag/box of 5 or 10 or you pay their crazy high Each price. SON was working his new stereo system in his truck, needed a couple "special" 10 ga connectors. DANG things were almost $2 Each. The whole BOX would have been that price for a 14 ga connector at the ACE store.
And save your time looking at Home Depot, they have blister packs and bigger blister packs, figure up the price each and it's no bargain.
BLAIN'S FARM & FLEET where you buy by the pound from bins is where I get most of my hardware. I dump handfuls in the bag of frequently used sizes.
 
Grainger is pretty good if you are short of time and desperate. They have a lot of stuff but way too expensive for me. I've only been in Fastenal once. From what I could see they were a pretty good store to buy from but didn't have the part I was looking for but nobody else in town had it either. I've started doing most of my shopping on ebay. Easier to wait a few days and have what I want delivered to my door instead of spending days going from store to store and come out empty handed.
 
(quoted from post at 23:20:08 06/26/20)
Counterfeit fake fasteners has been a problem for decades in the military, nuclear and other fields .
[b:0ab2526c3b]Purchasing fasteners at a reputable supplier increases
the odds of obtaining quality fasteners [/b:0ab2526c3b].
Click to expand...
erhaps, but not by much. Every business is under intense pressure to generate a profit, and they base 99% of their decisions on price.
 

I used to buy a good amount of a few certain things form Grainger's I was able to save a lot compared to OEM. Compared to most other sources though they are high. Depending on where you are in your life cycle, consider a set of bins of nuts bolts and washers from a vendor such as Karr. You will save many hours of travel and of delay in projects by maintaining your supply on hand. I order a fair amount of fasteners and such from McMaster -Carr. they have a lot, very reasonable, and very fast shipping. I get a lot of my fasteners from a local independent.
 
(quoted from post at 08:33:22 06/27/20)
(quoted from post at 23:20:08 06/26/20)
Counterfeit fake fasteners has been a problem for decades in the military, nuclear and other fields .
[b:fb9e49c762]Purchasing fasteners at a reputable supplier increases
the odds of obtaining quality fasteners [/b:fb9e49c762].
Click to expand...
erhaps, but not by much. Every business is under intense pressure to generate a profit, and they base 99% of their decisions on price.
Click to expand...

I have personally seen new bolts from the box break before rated torque was achieved .
The bolts were counterfeit and made of a brittle substandard material .
 
Remember the old saying “you get what you pay for”. Quality USA made fasteners won’t be found at any of the farm stores, hardware stores or home improvement stores. You will need to get your fasteners at any of the industrial supply stores including McMaster-Carr.
 
LOL. Just because McMaster Carr charges triple normal price, dont assume youre getting USA made fasteners. That price reflects their huge inventory and fast shipping. It doesnt mean youre getting top quality everything. It would be the last place I would buy bulk bolts.
 
(quoted from post at 08:18:25 06/26/20) I m looking for a good local source of bolts aside from the local hardware store. Fastenal has several stores close by and Grainger is not too much further though their prices seem much higher. Does anyone have any experience with these two that they could offer an opinion?
Click to expand...

It depends upon what kind of quality you are looking for. Kimball Midwest bolts are USA.
https://www.kimballmidwest.com/All-...-Head-Cap-Screws/Grade-8-Hex-Head-Cap-Screws/

Caterpillar is globally sourced but made to a consistent high quality standard. Fastenal is junk. I've had multiple failures and won't let my guys use them for anything more than decoration.
 
(quoted from post at 15:07:39 06/27/20)
(quoted from post at 08:18:25 06/26/20) I m looking for a good local source of bolts aside from the local hardware store. Fastenal has several stores close by and Grainger is not too much further though their prices seem much higher. Does anyone have any experience with these two that they could offer an opinion?
Click to expand...

It depends upon what kind of quality you are looking for. Kimball Midwest bolts are USA.
https://www.kimballmidwest.com/All-...-Head-Cap-Screws/Grade-8-Hex-Head-Cap-Screws/

Caterpillar is globally sourced but made to a consistent high quality standard. Fastenal is junk. I've had multiple failures and won't let my guys use them for anything more than decoration.
Click to expand...


Chuck, you imply that you think that Fastenall is a manufacturer and that they make everything that they sell. They are not a manufacturer, they are a distributor/reseller, and like any distributor or retailer, they will have some products that are better than others. I have bought plenty of things from them and nothing had a fastenall brand on it. Most people prefer to make statements that are credible.
 
(quoted from post at 16:20:36 06/27/20)
(quoted from post at 15:07:39 06/27/20)
(quoted from post at 08:18:25 06/26/20) I m looking for a good local source of bolts aside from the local hardware store. Fastenal has several stores close by and Grainger is not too much further though their prices seem much higher. Does anyone have any experience with these two that they could offer an opinion?
Click to expand...

It depends upon what kind of quality you are looking for. Kimball Midwest bolts are USA.
https://www.kimballmidwest.com/All-...-Head-Cap-Screws/Grade-8-Hex-Head-Cap-Screws/

Caterpillar is globally sourced but made to a consistent high quality standard. Fastenal is junk. I've had multiple failures and won't let my guys use them for anything more than decoration.
Click to expand...


Chuck, you imply that you think that Fastenall is a manufacturer and that they make everything that they sell. They are not a manufacturer, they are a distributor/reseller, and like any distributor or retailer, they will have some products that are better than others. I have bought plenty of things from them and nothing had a fastenall brand on it. Most people prefer to make statements that are credible.
Click to expand...

I'm seeing quite a few bolts now with "FNL" on the head, I understand that is Fastenal's mark. I understand the bolt bins at some of the name brand implement dealerships are now stocked by Fastenal, and the bins are even marked with the part numbers of the Co. the dealership is associated with.

No more "JD" or "WP" (West Pullman Works) stamped on bolts from the associated dealers anymore!

NOT saying Fastenal actually makes them, though.
 
(quoted from post at 16:20:36 06/27/20)
(quoted from post at 15:07:39 06/27/20)
(quoted from post at 08:18:25 06/26/20) I m looking for a good local source of bolts aside from the local hardware store. Fastenal has several stores close by and Grainger is not too much further though their prices seem much higher. Does anyone have any experience with these two that they could offer an opinion?
Click to expand...

It depends upon what kind of quality you are looking for. Kimball Midwest bolts are USA.
https://www.kimballmidwest.com/All-...-Head-Cap-Screws/Grade-8-Hex-Head-Cap-Screws/

Caterpillar is globally sourced but made to a consistent high quality standard. Fastenal is junk. I've had multiple failures and won't let my guys use them for anything more than decoration.
Click to expand...


Chuck, you imply that you think that Fastenall is a manufacturer and that they make everything that they sell. They are not a manufacturer, they are a distributor/reseller, and like any distributor or retailer, they will have some products that are better than others. I have bought plenty of things from them and nothing had a fastenall brand on it. Most people prefer to make statements that are credible.
Click to expand...

I fail to see your point. The topic is bolts, not everything Fastenal sells. Fastenal bolts are packaged in Fastenal brand packaging, yet you say you've never bought anything from Fastenal with their name on it. I used them in DOT applications and experienced three serious failures. If that's not credible, I don't know how you're defining the word. If you like the quality of their bolts, use them, but advise others to to do so at your own risk.
 
My experience at local Fastenal outlets is not great. The employee can't be bothered with people coming in off the street. The checking out process was lengthy and complicated for some reason. I doubt that the quality of their stuff is any better.

At work we order a lot from Mcmaster-Carr. They have nearly every odd giblet you could imagine. We don't have to worry about price on those jobs as the main order is to get somebody's machine/line/plant running again and they want it done yesterday. As pointed out already, what they supply is not always domestically made. I don't recall having a problem with quality. Just the reality of a global economy. I believe they try to not sell junk.

At home I have a nut and bolt bin and then more bins with odd fasteners, snap rings, o-rings, roll pins, e-clips, rivets, grommets, etc, etc. Accumulated over the years and everything you might need to get a machine going again when it's the weekend and everythings closed and you're trying to beat the weather.

It looks as though Lawson Products sells bolt assortments online. Might be worth looking into if you want to develop your own stock. No idea what kind of prices they have or how it compares to buying local.
 
I will vote Kimball Midwest. I purchased a bin stocked with bolts, nuts and washers of various sizes. They are a US made bolt and are grade 5. Never had a failure of one of them.
 
Fastenal is also stocking OEM's any Winnebago motorhome from any of the Iowa plants in the last year or so was built with Fastenal fasteners, they pushed Wurth out
about a year-year and a half ago. Not good as Fastenal hired a bunch of people to service the account that didn't know squat about bolts and "co-mingled" a bunch
of the bins. In some cases I get 5 minutes to build an assembly, it takes 6 minutes to pick the 1/4" bolts out of the 5/16" bin great fun.
 
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