McMaster-Carr: Beautifully organized and informational industrial product store
mcmaster.comSometimes I spend close to $2k a month at McMaster for work things. They are literally a modern marvel. I order something at 6pm . It's there at 9am the next day.
I buy things from them even if it's double price, since I know there's no drama with their orders. It just works. Everytime.
They are the defacto standard that I have for a great e-commerce experience. When I need design /UI tips for my website. McMaster is always referenced. Never Amazon...
Please just don't ever copy their right click context menu suppression model, drives me nuts every time when trying to compare products...
You're 100% right! There are a couple of pet peeves that McMaster Carr does that I wished they fixed. Cough, cough,public API access. But I assume most of these points are used to prevent scraping of their site.
The cult of McMaster is real -- My university's mechanical engineering department mailroom was always filled with McMaster packages. Insanely fast (Sometimes same day) turnaround, and you knew when you bought something they had selected the best possible supplier.
And my favorite feature: Nearly every part comes with complete data sheet and CAD models on the product page.
One anecdote: I ordered a large mounted bearing for an electric vehicle drivetrain, about a $250 part. Upon opening it, I was confused because the bearing didn't seem like it was seated correctly -- It was slightly off-axis. I called McMaster and they sent a free replacement the same day, no questions asked. I later realized the bearing was self-aligning and needed to be greased/mounted to align properly, so it was 100% my mistake and the first part was completely fine!
McMaster including CAD models of parts is extremely helpful. Printing parts to test before I purchase has saved me money in the past. Fusion 360 integration with McMasters catalog has been convenient and is very user friendly.
McMaster is a truly amazing company. Their prices are higher than a local hardware store but on par with other industrial suppliers. What makes McMaster amazing is the breadth of product and speed of delivery. In San Diego if I place an order for network patch cables, toilet valves, asphalt paint, and a hydraulic pump by 11am I will have it by end of business day. The site workflow is also great. Filtering is quick and easy even if you don’t know the name of what you are looking for. You can call them 24/7 and get a human that responds. When I call I don’t give them my name or shipping address. Part numbers, quantity, and PO# and your done. It’s a 45 second phone call. I place probably 3-5 orders a day on the site and I am still blown away every single time.
It is hands down the best implemented e-commerce site. Just ordered some SS stud anchors from there today. Didn't bother checking the hardware store for them.
Another distributor that is super strong on the fulfillment side is Digikey. I had a tour of their operation several years ago and it was amazing. I saw orders picked and moving to the UPS truck 10 minutes after payment. Web site not nearly as good as McMaster though.
I’ve been a McMaster-Carr fan for as long as I can remember. My dad would always have one of their huge catalog books both at his office and at home in his garage. Any time he needed a part, he would flip through the catalog and find what he was looking for.
As a young kid I remember spending hours flipping through the catalog when visiting my dad at work, marveling at the then hand-drawn illustrations of each product, wondering how a place could somehow sell what seemed like everything.
Even today, I use their site in a similar way. If I need to build something, fix something, or figure out what kind of parts for a project even exist, their site is usually my first stop, sometimes followed up with a text to my dad to ask him how he might solve it—which sometimes prompts him to walk out to his garage, pick up his now-dusty old copy of the printed McMaster book, and flip through it to find the right part.
I asked nicely and got a tour of their facilities once. They have a really interesting business that focuses on getting you what you need fast.
They get things to people so fast because they have trucks they send directly from their warehouse to the local UPS distro facility to you every day. Amazon does that today but McMaster-Carr has done it for years.
their warehouse hires people with college degrees, PHD's to pick and pack, they have amazing perks, and a really nice workspace.
As a European, I use Misumi for all my hardware needs. Awesome selection of standard and configurable parts, CAD models, sample application, etc. They're originally Japanese but have warehouses in the EU as well.
Stumbled across this today and was blown away at the level of organization, information, and detail presented. They provide specific examples of common uses for components, as well as material information like what alloy is used, what's in the alloy and what it's properties are. It was an absolute joy to explore.
But the average person can't shop here.
No, it’s actually quite good for the occasional purchase by ordinary folks. Pricey, but the selection is amazing.
Anyone can shop there they just won’t send you a printed catalog unless you spend a ton of money.
Which makes sense because the catalog weighs 20 pounds.
You made me curious enough to walk downstairs and weigh it. I've got "Catalog 126" (copyright 2020), and it weighs in at 7.92 pounds, and is 4168 pages long.
Hah! Thanks for doing that. I was off by a bit...but not that much.
What do you mean by that? Their prices are higher than most, but anyone can purchase from them.
I was told by someone that works there that you have to have a business license to make POs. I didn't push it beyond that and have never tried it myself, so who knows.
IIRC they don't even tell you the total price until after your order is shipped, which may be a deal breaker for some people
The McMaster site doesn't show shipping costs, because they package your items and then get the dimensions and weight. They only ship things very fast, and they charge you what that costs. They are optimizing for fast and correct, not cheap.
If you're concerned, you can call or e-mail them to ask for an estimate. It's worth noting that free shipping is never free -- it's either hidden in the item cost, or some corner is being cut.
They’re a good place to work too. My MBA program was full of McMaster-Carr employees. They all loved working there, plus McMaster-Carr paid 100% of their program.
And they still don't ship internationally.
Someone needs to start an international shipping startup that forward ships McMaster stuff, or they need to open an international shipping team.
Yeah in fact they banned me from using them after I attempted to order something to Asia. (Preciously has purchased things delivered in USA).
Dunno why they were so harsh. Perhaps terrified of accidental sanctions regulation issues. (Even though I have nothing to do with North Korea, Iran, etc)
Any alternatives in Europe?
Raptorsupplies.com
If only they'd reduce reliance on JavaScript :( . A truly useful product which is undermined by unnecessary requirements.