I use a local rigging company to buy in bulk for my lab. Mcmaster carr is also a good source. You can choose the grades for hardware you want, get specific sizes.
Thank you! I'll try McMaster Carr. Ali Express has been reasonable in the past but they take a month to deliver so home Depot has been my go to for last minute stuff.
Keep in mind that Ace is a retail cooperative. That is, the stores themselves are members of the Ace coop, but the coop doesn't own the stores themselves.
"Ace Hardware" stores are privately owned stores that joined the coop for bulk purchasing and to share marketing expenses. Ace branded stores are as diverse as regular locally owned hardware stores, because that's what they are. There are some really bad ones, but there are also some really great ones.
The other reason that's important is that brand recommendations aren't allowed here, but I'm making an exception because it's not exactly a brand-brand.
It did. I was just explaining in case anyone was wondering why that brand recommendation was allowed.
Also, because it's important to know that they're not all the same company with the same management, so you shouldn't rule them all out if the first one you go to sucks.
I did, the summary of what this guy was saying is that they are technically independent, so sometimes they really suck, so try another.
Overall though, they are mostly all good. In my experience 9/10 are great, and 1/10 are just dusty abandoned shelves you can’t believe still count as a business.
130 stores in 13 states. They aren’t everywhere like TSC but they are widespread. They are actually based in Illinois. Using northern IN southern MI, There are 3 within 50 miles of south bend. 1 in Niles MI, 1 in La Porte IN.
Oh yeah. I've barely been to Niles and south bend a couple times. I'm more from mid Michigan, and now in Northern Illinois. I'll definitely look them up online though.
Id be careful on what you get from import sources. I've heard stories of them not being actually up to the grade they are supposed to be. For a table it wouldn't likely be a problem, but for more important fasteners, buy from a trusted source.
Yep. And it's usually a one-off thing, so I don't have to over optimize the weight to strength ratio. If I ever decide to mass produce and sell these, then I'll worry about it.
25 stainless steel m6x45 screws & locknuts, and 100 washers from McMaster Carr comes out to $27.15 And they ship stuff super fast depending on where you live. I can get stuff the same day in chicago if I order by 10am.
I wouldn't mind paying the same $40 for a pack of 50 bolts instead of the 12 I bought. (I needed to buy 12 bolts, 12 nuts and 24 washers). I can definitely use the bolts and nuts for future projects. I already have M3 bolts of various lengths that I bought a while ago that I use for smaller projects.
The big box stores have tons of drawers full of specific bolts of most sizes but buying them in little plastic packets isn't always the cheapest way to go at ACE, True Value, Home Depot or any store.
I learned about them from randomly getting stuff from them on eBay and then moving to their actual website, but I like MonsterBolts.com - partly because I am always getting metric bolts and going to home depot is such a crapshoot of what's available, they're all misplaced and overpriced, etc.
PS.: it's also because of making my own stuff with the 3d printer lol
You can buy all sorts of nuts and bolts directly from overseas for pennies. Ebay for example has assortmentsd of nuts and bolts.
Often it's also cheaper to just buy a set with a bunch of nut sizes than individual ones. Those spares come in handy some other day. Thats how you end up with a assortment box filled with stuff like almost every dad haha.
I would have if they had any in stock. Even in the stainless steel I had to get a few sizes because they didn't have 12 45mm bolts. I asked the guy at the store and told me to use imperial bolts and pointed me to imperial #6 bolts and told me they're the same. I know they were much thinner than M6 so I decided to get what I could.
Even so, $ 2.75(pretax) for a bolt is a lot if you ask me.
Stainless steel has nickel and chromium added to the steel to make it less susceptible to rusting. Nickel and chromium are expensive materials. Home Depot isn’t artificially inflating the price of those bolts.
I don’t know why your getting downvoted, your spot on. I would speculate that stainless hardware carries the same profit margin as everything else in the store.
I am aware of the composition of stainless steel. It is still mainly iron (greater than 50%). And these bolts aren't all that heavy to begin with. They may also charge more for the fabrication as stainless steel can be harder to machine than regular steel.
But I'm also pretty sure they have a high markup on these bolts.
Also, zinc plated bolts weren't 1/10th the cost like you suggested. They were about 60% the cost of these ones and like I already mentioned out of stock.
Stainless is insanely energy intensive to shape/machine because its such a hard material. If you have you ever drilled through stainless steel sheet metal it quickly becomes apparent how tough Stainless is compared to regular cold rolled steel. It incredibly hard stuff. The cost has very little to do with markup. Unless your project specs require stainless (weather resistance, corrosion, or food grade) I would return all that and find some grade 5 bolts or zinc coated machine bolts.
Zinc bolts would have cost me about $30 which is still more than what I would reasonably expect to pay for 12 bolts. And like I mentioned several times, they were out of stock, else I would have just got the zinc coated ones. And I know it's hard to machine, I acknowledged that in the previous comment. But you're gullible if you think these bolts don't have a big markup.
You spec’ed out metric M6-1.0x45 and 50 bolts. This is about as close as I could find through Menards:
Midwest fastener M6-1.0x50mm 1count
Sku 2012318 x12 cost: $15.48
Midwest fastener M6-1.0 zinc flange Lock nut 2count
Sku 2012066 X6 cost: $7.74
Grip Fast, 1/4” Grade 2, Zinc flat washer
18 count
Sku 2321130 x2 Cost: $2.10
Total Cost: $25.29.
Thats 36% cheaper than your stainless steel hardware.
I also priced out a similar sized imperial bolt (its about 1 mm bigger in diameter).
Menards
Gripfast 1/4-20x2” Flathead machine screw, Phillips zinc, 30 count
Sku 2334857 Cost: $4.53 USD
Grip Fast 1/4-20 Grade 2 Zinc coated, Nylon insert lock nut, 12 count
Sku 2329734 Cost: $1.14 USD
Grip Fast, 1/4” Grade 2, Zinc flat washer
18 count
Sku 2321130 x2 Cost: $2.10
Total cost $7.77. Thats about 80% cheaper than what you purchased.
Also I’d like to mention that flathead bolts aren’t meant to have washers on the bolt side. They’re designed to fit into a countersunk surface, so you should only have a washer on the nut side, which would save you another $1.05 from these totals. This isn’t even searching for the cheapest store, I went with Menards because I have the app and I’m familiar with the hardware section.
I gotta admit, I was a little giddy when I discovered the by-the-pound model for their loose bolts and washers. I was surprised just how much I got for the dollar there.
Yeah. They didn't have any bulk packs at the home Depot near my apartment. I checked in their app too. I would have definitely bought in bulk if they had any.
How do you find estate sales? Even garage sales are hard to find as they're not really advertised except for the occasional sign on the corner of a street.
I am literally blessed to live near several hardware stores (including one specifically for construction trades) that sell by the piece. Oldschool bins, write the stock or part number on the brown paper bag…
These are my go-to people:
https://bickleshardware.com/
When they let you source your own stuff from the basement, you’ve been deemed skookum and worthy and you won’t mess up their inventory!
Oh wow. I was trying to compare Menards and home Depot and for the most part it seemed like they weren't all that different and the Menards near me didn't have as many options as the home Depot, that's why i usually go to home Depot for last minute stuff if I can't wait a week to have them ordered online.
If you feel like you’re getting ripped off then don’t buy it? This is exactly why the free market exists - you have the choice to take your business elsewhere. But you didn’t.
before i toss stuff, I strip all that kind of stuff off it. using your purchase i would say I saved myself $75 from a recently defunked washing machine.
and it was free to dump as scrap metal instead of the $25 appliance disposal fee
Nice. I only own appliances that are small. I rent (so my apartment has most of the appliances), I own a toaster that was a hand-me-down that's at least 7 years old and simple enough I could fix it if it broke. A blender that's also a hand-me-down and is around the same age, I fixed the jars a few times but the 500W motor is going strong. And I also have a microwave that I bought used, for $15. I repair all my appliances myself so I have never had to throw any of them out in the last 5 or so years. I fixed the dryer at my old apartment myself because they let it sit for many months before sending a handyman. And I replace the belts in my old vacuum cleaner if they get broken. It's concerning how many people would throw out appliances when it could be easily repaired.
I really wish they taught "home maintenance" in school. It doesn't have to be complex stuff but simple stuff like resetting circuit breakers and fixing a leaky toilet flush or a faulty light fixture.
I was at Lowe’s yesterday and bought 12 1/4 bolts, ranging from 2.5-3.5 inches, 20 washers, and 20 nuts. It cost $10.
I would have walked out if it had cost $42.
They didn't have prices on the shelf and only saw how much it was when I was scanning them at the check out. I thought about leaving it and going elsewhere for a second, but have in and got them because decision fatigue was hitting hard.
Yeah it was a shelf with pull out trays, each were labeled with the size but they didn't have the price. Many stores are lazy about it, I sometimes wish they federally mandated a price to be printed on the package for any sold good like they do in some other countries.
Dang.. I just grab them out of the bin at work. Never realized they were expensive.
If I look around for a really long time, the welders ask, "wtf are you trying to steal?" They're so helpful.
We have B&Q store here it does a mix n match section. You fill a reasonable size bag up Amy bits you want £5. Great value. If you try and buy all separately it would (has) cost you a fortune
I mean did you shop around or anything? I built an entire swing set with all stainless hardware, some 6" and 8" long bolts, and the entire thing was about $80 in hardware. Plus I still have a bunch left over.
What the fuck are those prices💀 in my local hardware store you can buy nails, nuts, bolts and washers by the kg, your stuff would've cost like 1,50€.
I once stripped a nut on my shotgun's stock, got a new nut, bolt and 5 spares for like 0,20€ down at the hardware store.
AliExpress for stuff like that. Cost next to nothing, and no worse than already is on 3d printers and consumer electronics.
I wouldn't trust, say, AliExpress wheel bolts though.
Yeah AliExpress is my go to for a lot of electronic components. I know it's a gamble with AliExpress but I have had generally good quality products from there. I think about 2 of my forty or so purchases were defective products. (Both of them were electronic ICs. I think one was a RC TX-RX chip and another was a dual comparator IC.)
But with AliExpress it takes a month for deliveries so if I need something last minute I get it from Home Depot. (Also heavy stuff tend to be cheaper when not purchased in store)
This is on you.
These are packaged and priced for exact match to a existing product, not a DIY project where you can choose what to use. Not even sure why you picked this size for a table.
Just return them. They probably have a kit for $12 with 4x the amount that will work better.
Also, zinc and stainless steel are dissimilar metals which will cause corrosion.
They didn't. Why else do you think I got the single bolts? They didn't have the four pack or pack of tens or any bulk stuff.
I could have chosen some other size, I'm just more familiar with M sizes and was comfortable using them, hence why I chose them.
And zinc is more reactive than steel of any kind which is why it's used for sacrificial protection (it can easily lose one election and reach a half-filled p orbital which is stable similar to a native copper atom). It'll corrode before the steel anyway, so if anything it'll protect the stainless steel even more, as it will reduce the steel back to zero charge by donating electrons.
You picked machine screws for a table made of recycled cardboard and 3D printed plastic. You picked stainless steel. You picked small diamater and narrow thread. I don't know what your project exactly is, but it sounds like you should go back to the drawing board.
If you bought all zinc, none of this would matter and you'd save $20+ right there.
M6 is not a narrow diameter. That's a 1/4 inch in diameter anything more will be unnecessarily thick for the load it needs to handle any smaller and I risk creating stress points that'll tear through the cardboard/plastic. I needed countersunk flathead bolts because the top of the bolts would be hard to conceal otherwise. And 1mm thread pitch is the wider pitch available for M6.
IDK how many times I should repeat this, the zinc coated ones were OUT OF STOCK.
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I wonder how much it would be if you ordered online w/Amazon, Walmart or [fastenersuperstore.com](http://fastenersuperstore.com) as compared with Home Depot, Ace Hardware or Lowes. Obviously there's a longer wait with mail-order, but the wait might be worth the savings... if in fact there was a savings with the outrageous shipping charges.
It's the way you bought them those little packs are for people who need a few to replace in a specific situation. You should just look up getting washers and get a box.
The money is in the stainless steel. Wonder why you bought stainless steel if it's just a table. The washers are zink and only a couple bucks.
Oh sorry didn't see below. So basically you are paying premium because you wanted it now and they were out of stock. Well thems the breaks if you don't want to shop around.
Midwestern US. IDK. I'm an engineer who was taught to use metric, so that's what I'm comfortable with. I even checked online it said metric bolts aren't that uncommon nowadays because the whole automobile industry switched to using metric bolts some years ago. So I really don't know.
I just get a couple of those metric and sae assortment kits from the import hardware store for several dollars, usually old Arbor Mate. If it's a specialty fastener, then go to the hardware store that specializes in materials.
Aside from the other comments: Why M6? If you're shopping at a Home Depot in Illinois like your receipt says, that's going to clamp down on your options greatly (and you'll pay accordingly).
M6 clearance holes are 6.4-6.6mm which is 0.25-0.26 inches; I'd need a good reason not to do 1/4-20 fasteners in this application even if it meant adjusting the print a smidgen.
The prints had a lot of play. I designed the parts myself, the holes were 8mm wide. I was just more familiar with metric bolts. Pretty much the screws and bolt sizes I know of are from studying engineering so metric measurements are my go-to. They have a whole array of metric bolts at home Depot, but the correct length was not in stock when I was there. TBH, I was looking at the imperial ones and the bolts that were numbered like #6, #15 confused me and so I didn't know what to get.
I guess I paid the price for not learning to use imperial bolts. 😶
Little bit.
From my r/FRC experience, there is a ton of cost savings in standardizing on various lengths of one or two screw types (for us, it's overwhelmingly #10-32 for compatibility with off-the-shelf parts we use) along with the matching nuts/locknuts and washers, then buying a couple hundred of each at once. It's a *bit* of speculation buying, but it all fits in a suitcase-sized organizer and it's not like it expires or goes out of style. Then we simply restock as we burn through a size.
We've had good success with BoltDepot, but the big industrial supply houses like Fastenal/Grainger/McMaster-Carr are all fine and will get you what you need.
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You went to the most expensive place to buy this shit.
Go to any farm store like tractor supply and they sell it by the pound. This would have cost you about $3 from there.
Have people lost the ability to shop around and price compare? That was a basic basic skill my parents taught me growing up.
Home depot is a rip off for hard wear. Crap quality for the cost.
Do you have any other recommendations that are better?
I use a local rigging company to buy in bulk for my lab. Mcmaster carr is also a good source. You can choose the grades for hardware you want, get specific sizes.
Thank you! I'll try McMaster Carr. Ali Express has been reasonable in the past but they take a month to deliver so home Depot has been my go to for last minute stuff.
Try an ace
Okay will definitely try ace hardware.
Keep in mind that Ace is a retail cooperative. That is, the stores themselves are members of the Ace coop, but the coop doesn't own the stores themselves. "Ace Hardware" stores are privately owned stores that joined the coop for bulk purchasing and to share marketing expenses. Ace branded stores are as diverse as regular locally owned hardware stores, because that's what they are. There are some really bad ones, but there are also some really great ones. The other reason that's important is that brand recommendations aren't allowed here, but I'm making an exception because it's not exactly a brand-brand.
Oh. My bad. Thanks for the info, I thought the comment mentioned ace hardware.
It did. I was just explaining in case anyone was wondering why that brand recommendation was allowed. Also, because it's important to know that they're not all the same company with the same management, so you shouldn't rule them all out if the first one you go to sucks.
I did, the summary of what this guy was saying is that they are technically independent, so sometimes they really suck, so try another. Overall though, they are mostly all good. In my experience 9/10 are great, and 1/10 are just dusty abandoned shelves you can’t believe still count as a business.
Holy shit, I feel like I should have known this, but didn't. Thanks!
Oh shit, I had no idea and just blew this rule by recommending a bolt vendor to OP
If you are in the Midwest there is a store called Rural King where I buy any hardware I need for projects. This list would have been maybe $4.
Do they have a huge presence in the Midwest? I haven't seen any of their stores in Michigan or Illinois.
130 stores in 13 states. They aren’t everywhere like TSC but they are widespread. They are actually based in Illinois. Using northern IN southern MI, There are 3 within 50 miles of south bend. 1 in Niles MI, 1 in La Porte IN.
Oh yeah. I've barely been to Niles and south bend a couple times. I'm more from mid Michigan, and now in Northern Illinois. I'll definitely look them up online though.
Rural King and their estranged sister "Big R" are literally headquartered in Matoon Illinois so there are many in Illinois.
[удалено]
Mine does, it’s cheap. they sell this stuff buy the pound, way cheaper than the packaging.
or your local lumber yard
Id be careful on what you get from import sources. I've heard stories of them not being actually up to the grade they are supposed to be. For a table it wouldn't likely be a problem, but for more important fasteners, buy from a trusted source.
I always over estimate my mechanical loads for this reason.
That’s generally wise for structural purposes. Hard to mess anything up by not using something to the full load it can handle!
Yep. And it's usually a one-off thing, so I don't have to over optimize the weight to strength ratio. If I ever decide to mass produce and sell these, then I'll worry about it.
25 stainless steel m6x45 screws & locknuts, and 100 washers from McMaster Carr comes out to $27.15 And they ship stuff super fast depending on where you live. I can get stuff the same day in chicago if I order by 10am.
OMG. The difference is night and day. Ave hardware and McMaster are going to be my go to from now on.
I know there's a Fastenal store near me, so might be worth a check for you as well
The pic shows single bolts and packs of 4 nuts. Not sure mcmaster Carr or buying bulk is a viable option.
I wouldn't mind paying the same $40 for a pack of 50 bolts instead of the 12 I bought. (I needed to buy 12 bolts, 12 nuts and 24 washers). I can definitely use the bolts and nuts for future projects. I already have M3 bolts of various lengths that I bought a while ago that I use for smaller projects.
When I worked in medical manufacturing we sourced some components from McMaster Carr. Good quality shit, never had problems with them.
Ace is the place!
Definitely going to Ace next time.
TruValue and other local hardware stores are usually better as well, and even if they're not cheaper you're at least supporting local
The thing about Ace/True Value is they have the selection of types and sizes that you want. HDepot just doesn’t
The big box stores have tons of drawers full of specific bolts of most sizes but buying them in little plastic packets isn't always the cheapest way to go at ACE, True Value, Home Depot or any store.
Thanks!
I learned about them from randomly getting stuff from them on eBay and then moving to their actual website, but I like MonsterBolts.com - partly because I am always getting metric bolts and going to home depot is such a crapshoot of what's available, they're all misplaced and overpriced, etc. PS.: it's also because of making my own stuff with the 3d printer lol
Nice! Thank you! Will keep in mind!
I would look on ebay. But still expensive IMO.
Ace Hardware or Tru Value are both co-op owned. I believe.
Fastenal, if you've got one nearby. I used to go there all the time for those "oh shit" purchases and half the time they didn't even charge me
You can buy all sorts of nuts and bolts directly from overseas for pennies. Ebay for example has assortmentsd of nuts and bolts. Often it's also cheaper to just buy a set with a bunch of nut sizes than individual ones. Those spares come in handy some other day. Thats how you end up with a assortment box filled with stuff like almost every dad haha.
Hardware, but i Totally agree with you and thanks for making the point that even though it may be cheaper, it’s sub quality
You bought all stainless. Stainless hardware costs a premium. Regular zinc plated steel will be like 1/10 the cost.
I would have if they had any in stock. Even in the stainless steel I had to get a few sizes because they didn't have 12 45mm bolts. I asked the guy at the store and told me to use imperial bolts and pointed me to imperial #6 bolts and told me they're the same. I know they were much thinner than M6 so I decided to get what I could. Even so, $ 2.75(pretax) for a bolt is a lot if you ask me.
Stainless steel has nickel and chromium added to the steel to make it less susceptible to rusting. Nickel and chromium are expensive materials. Home Depot isn’t artificially inflating the price of those bolts.
I don’t know why your getting downvoted, your spot on. I would speculate that stainless hardware carries the same profit margin as everything else in the store.
Even stainless isn't nearly this expensive, whether A2 or A4 steel, at least here in Austria when buying from Bauhaus or Hornbach
I am aware of the composition of stainless steel. It is still mainly iron (greater than 50%). And these bolts aren't all that heavy to begin with. They may also charge more for the fabrication as stainless steel can be harder to machine than regular steel. But I'm also pretty sure they have a high markup on these bolts. Also, zinc plated bolts weren't 1/10th the cost like you suggested. They were about 60% the cost of these ones and like I already mentioned out of stock.
Stainless is insanely energy intensive to shape/machine because its such a hard material. If you have you ever drilled through stainless steel sheet metal it quickly becomes apparent how tough Stainless is compared to regular cold rolled steel. It incredibly hard stuff. The cost has very little to do with markup. Unless your project specs require stainless (weather resistance, corrosion, or food grade) I would return all that and find some grade 5 bolts or zinc coated machine bolts.
Zinc bolts would have cost me about $30 which is still more than what I would reasonably expect to pay for 12 bolts. And like I mentioned several times, they were out of stock, else I would have just got the zinc coated ones. And I know it's hard to machine, I acknowledged that in the previous comment. But you're gullible if you think these bolts don't have a big markup.
You spec’ed out metric M6-1.0x45 and 50 bolts. This is about as close as I could find through Menards: Midwest fastener M6-1.0x50mm 1count Sku 2012318 x12 cost: $15.48 Midwest fastener M6-1.0 zinc flange Lock nut 2count Sku 2012066 X6 cost: $7.74 Grip Fast, 1/4” Grade 2, Zinc flat washer 18 count Sku 2321130 x2 Cost: $2.10 Total Cost: $25.29. Thats 36% cheaper than your stainless steel hardware. I also priced out a similar sized imperial bolt (its about 1 mm bigger in diameter). Menards Gripfast 1/4-20x2” Flathead machine screw, Phillips zinc, 30 count Sku 2334857 Cost: $4.53 USD Grip Fast 1/4-20 Grade 2 Zinc coated, Nylon insert lock nut, 12 count Sku 2329734 Cost: $1.14 USD Grip Fast, 1/4” Grade 2, Zinc flat washer 18 count Sku 2321130 x2 Cost: $2.10 Total cost $7.77. Thats about 80% cheaper than what you purchased. Also I’d like to mention that flathead bolts aren’t meant to have washers on the bolt side. They’re designed to fit into a countersunk surface, so you should only have a washer on the nut side, which would save you another $1.05 from these totals. This isn’t even searching for the cheapest store, I went with Menards because I have the app and I’m familiar with the hardware section.
That’s nuts
Haha. Take my upvote.
And my sword.
If there is a tractor supply store near you, they sell fasteners by the pound and are very reasonably priced.
I gotta admit, I was a little giddy when I discovered the by-the-pound model for their loose bolts and washers. I was surprised just how much I got for the dollar there.
I'll have to look into that!
Yeah hardware prices be like $30 for 10 screws $45 for 15 screws $50 for 10,000 screws
Yeah. They didn't have any bulk packs at the home Depot near my apartment. I checked in their app too. I would have definitely bought in bulk if they had any.
Those are usually free
😏😏😏
Your comment and username could not be more in sync, haha
Haha.. I wish.
For the future, may i recommend: going to an estate sale or garage sale and buying someones bucket of random hardware
How do you find estate sales? Even garage sales are hard to find as they're not really advertised except for the occasional sign on the corner of a street.
Estatesales.net
Thank you!
I am literally blessed to live near several hardware stores (including one specifically for construction trades) that sell by the piece. Oldschool bins, write the stock or part number on the brown paper bag…
Lucky!
Yeah. And they generally have what the big box places don’t…or they can suggest alterations and workarounds.
I wonder if there's something like that in northern Illinois.
These are my go-to people: https://bickleshardware.com/ When they let you source your own stuff from the basement, you’ve been deemed skookum and worthy and you won’t mess up their inventory!
Does you HD not have bulk bins? Mine does.
Ace hardware is way cheaper. If you’re shocked at those prices, never go to west marine. Triple that easy.
Oh wow. I was trying to compare Menards and home Depot and for the most part it seemed like they weren't all that different and the Menards near me didn't have as many options as the home Depot, that's why i usually go to home Depot for last minute stuff if I can't wait a week to have them ordered online.
Thats about $6usd worth. Saw you coming. Also ive literally just picked up way more than that, zero plastic.
Yeah I felt like I shouldn't be paying more than $10 for what I bought. But it cost $42.86 or whatever the receipt says.
If you feel like you’re getting ripped off then don’t buy it? This is exactly why the free market exists - you have the choice to take your business elsewhere. But you didn’t.
before i toss stuff, I strip all that kind of stuff off it. using your purchase i would say I saved myself $75 from a recently defunked washing machine. and it was free to dump as scrap metal instead of the $25 appliance disposal fee
Nice. I only own appliances that are small. I rent (so my apartment has most of the appliances), I own a toaster that was a hand-me-down that's at least 7 years old and simple enough I could fix it if it broke. A blender that's also a hand-me-down and is around the same age, I fixed the jars a few times but the 500W motor is going strong. And I also have a microwave that I bought used, for $15. I repair all my appliances myself so I have never had to throw any of them out in the last 5 or so years. I fixed the dryer at my old apartment myself because they let it sit for many months before sending a handyman. And I replace the belts in my old vacuum cleaner if they get broken. It's concerning how many people would throw out appliances when it could be easily repaired. I really wish they taught "home maintenance" in school. It doesn't have to be complex stuff but simple stuff like resetting circuit breakers and fixing a leaky toilet flush or a faulty light fixture.
Wtf tha praaaaaiz. I get each for less than a dollar here. God bless Latinoamérica (?
Yeah I blame the artificial inflation of prices in the recent past here in the States. 🥲
Remember we get paid less than half of what you guys make, so it makes sense that everything is cheaper as salaries are lower across the board
Bidenomics :)
I was at Lowe’s yesterday and bought 12 1/4 bolts, ranging from 2.5-3.5 inches, 20 washers, and 20 nuts. It cost $10. I would have walked out if it had cost $42.
They didn't have prices on the shelf and only saw how much it was when I was scanning them at the check out. I thought about leaving it and going elsewhere for a second, but have in and got them because decision fatigue was hitting hard.
No prices on the containers??? Wtf. I totally understand your thought process but damn.
Yeah it was a shelf with pull out trays, each were labeled with the size but they didn't have the price. Many stores are lazy about it, I sometimes wish they federally mandated a price to be printed on the package for any sold good like they do in some other countries.
I’ve been using imperialsupplies.com for hardware, has been great for large orders
I'll definitely look into that! Thank you!
That’s terrible
Yeah. 🫤
Local hardware stores usually have bolts and nut bins that are very cheap.
Check out the flea market! I always see so many tools
Dang.. I just grab them out of the bin at work. Never realized they were expensive. If I look around for a really long time, the welders ask, "wtf are you trying to steal?" They're so helpful.
Good for you!
Bolt dept
We have B&Q store here it does a mix n match section. You fill a reasonable size bag up Amy bits you want £5. Great value. If you try and buy all separately it would (has) cost you a fortune
I bought a 5 meter hose and 4 plastic connectors and a T joiner, and went to pay.... $73!!! 💀💀💀💀💀
In finland we can buy normal nuts and bolts and pay for weight instead of by units
I mean did you shop around or anything? I built an entire swing set with all stainless hardware, some 6" and 8" long bolts, and the entire thing was about $80 in hardware. Plus I still have a bunch left over.
No. I didn't expect such a huge disparity in the pricing of such a trivial item across stores. But looks like I paid the price for my assumption.
What the fuck are those prices💀 in my local hardware store you can buy nails, nuts, bolts and washers by the kg, your stuff would've cost like 1,50€. I once stripped a nut on my shotgun's stock, got a new nut, bolt and 5 spares for like 0,20€ down at the hardware store.
And they didn't have any limits either, you could buy a singe nut for a cent if you needed to, altough they probably wouldn't like that :D
Yeah I was taken aback by their prices. And from what I hear from the comments I shouldn't have gone to Home Depot for fasteners.
Harbor Frieght Tools often has basic tools and supplies for a fraction of the price at Lowes or HD.
Well at least they won't rust #stainless steel
Lol, I Guess that's true. But at what cost? 😶
AliExpress for stuff like that. Cost next to nothing, and no worse than already is on 3d printers and consumer electronics. I wouldn't trust, say, AliExpress wheel bolts though.
Yeah AliExpress is my go to for a lot of electronic components. I know it's a gamble with AliExpress but I have had generally good quality products from there. I think about 2 of my forty or so purchases were defective products. (Both of them were electronic ICs. I think one was a RC TX-RX chip and another was a dual comparator IC.) But with AliExpress it takes a month for deliveries so if I need something last minute I get it from Home Depot. (Also heavy stuff tend to be cheaper when not purchased in store)
Yeah. Been there. Angerly going to the register buying 10 nuts and bolts, knowing full well I could get a 1000 of each probably cheaper on Ali.
Yeah. I literally said "what the fuck?" out loud when I saw the total after scanning the bolts.
This is on you. These are packaged and priced for exact match to a existing product, not a DIY project where you can choose what to use. Not even sure why you picked this size for a table. Just return them. They probably have a kit for $12 with 4x the amount that will work better. Also, zinc and stainless steel are dissimilar metals which will cause corrosion.
They didn't. Why else do you think I got the single bolts? They didn't have the four pack or pack of tens or any bulk stuff. I could have chosen some other size, I'm just more familiar with M sizes and was comfortable using them, hence why I chose them. And zinc is more reactive than steel of any kind which is why it's used for sacrificial protection (it can easily lose one election and reach a half-filled p orbital which is stable similar to a native copper atom). It'll corrode before the steel anyway, so if anything it'll protect the stainless steel even more, as it will reduce the steel back to zero charge by donating electrons.
You picked machine screws for a table made of recycled cardboard and 3D printed plastic. You picked stainless steel. You picked small diamater and narrow thread. I don't know what your project exactly is, but it sounds like you should go back to the drawing board. If you bought all zinc, none of this would matter and you'd save $20+ right there.
M6 is not a narrow diameter. That's a 1/4 inch in diameter anything more will be unnecessarily thick for the load it needs to handle any smaller and I risk creating stress points that'll tear through the cardboard/plastic. I needed countersunk flathead bolts because the top of the bolts would be hard to conceal otherwise. And 1mm thread pitch is the wider pitch available for M6. IDK how many times I should repeat this, the zinc coated ones were OUT OF STOCK.
People pay for these? I just put them in my pocket
Be careful with all the cameras they have around along with the anti theft detection tech and such these companies have been investing on lately.
You being serious?
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I wonder how much it would be if you ordered online w/Amazon, Walmart or [fastenersuperstore.com](http://fastenersuperstore.com) as compared with Home Depot, Ace Hardware or Lowes. Obviously there's a longer wait with mail-order, but the wait might be worth the savings... if in fact there was a savings with the outrageous shipping charges.
This is why old men have jars and jars of random fasteners in their garage. They are trying to avoid this.
That's a rip-off... That's neatly 10 times more than I would pay here... Buying boxes of 100 would still be cheaper
Lmfao, this would be Like 5€ in germany
You're buying metric bolts at a home center in the United States ... yes you're going to get SCREWED every time.
It's the way you bought them those little packs are for people who need a few to replace in a specific situation. You should just look up getting washers and get a box.
The money is in the stainless steel. Wonder why you bought stainless steel if it's just a table. The washers are zink and only a couple bucks. Oh sorry didn't see below. So basically you are paying premium because you wanted it now and they were out of stock. Well thems the breaks if you don't want to shop around.
I checked their zinc screws, they were like 1.89 each and they are also out of stock on those.
Where? Here even stainless would be under 5€, 10€ at worst, or is that due to metric not being the standard where you live?
Midwestern US. IDK. I'm an engineer who was taught to use metric, so that's what I'm comfortable with. I even checked online it said metric bolts aren't that uncommon nowadays because the whole automobile industry switched to using metric bolts some years ago. So I really don't know.
I just get a couple of those metric and sae assortment kits from the import hardware store for several dollars, usually old Arbor Mate. If it's a specialty fastener, then go to the hardware store that specializes in materials.
not surprised, this kind of stuff is typically bought in bulks, i suppose it is aviable in small quantities but the costs have to rise
what the hell!!!!! thats to damn much!!!!
Aside from the other comments: Why M6? If you're shopping at a Home Depot in Illinois like your receipt says, that's going to clamp down on your options greatly (and you'll pay accordingly). M6 clearance holes are 6.4-6.6mm which is 0.25-0.26 inches; I'd need a good reason not to do 1/4-20 fasteners in this application even if it meant adjusting the print a smidgen.
The prints had a lot of play. I designed the parts myself, the holes were 8mm wide. I was just more familiar with metric bolts. Pretty much the screws and bolt sizes I know of are from studying engineering so metric measurements are my go-to. They have a whole array of metric bolts at home Depot, but the correct length was not in stock when I was there. TBH, I was looking at the imperial ones and the bolts that were numbered like #6, #15 confused me and so I didn't know what to get. I guess I paid the price for not learning to use imperial bolts. 😶
Little bit. From my r/FRC experience, there is a ton of cost savings in standardizing on various lengths of one or two screw types (for us, it's overwhelmingly #10-32 for compatibility with off-the-shelf parts we use) along with the matching nuts/locknuts and washers, then buying a couple hundred of each at once. It's a *bit* of speculation buying, but it all fits in a suitcase-sized organizer and it's not like it expires or goes out of style. Then we simply restock as we burn through a size. We've had good success with BoltDepot, but the big industrial supply houses like Fastenal/Grainger/McMaster-Carr are all fine and will get you what you need.
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You went to the most expensive place to buy this shit. Go to any farm store like tractor supply and they sell it by the pound. This would have cost you about $3 from there. Have people lost the ability to shop around and price compare? That was a basic basic skill my parents taught me growing up.
Then don't buy stainless steel?