Does anyone know of a place where I can get miscellaneous hardware? Metric bearings, screws, nuts, and washers just to name a few. I’m essentially looking for a cheaper mcmaster.
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zoro.com immediately comes to mind. Also, lots of times I’ve been able to find cheaper prices by finding the part on mcmaster and then buying direct from the company. The bonus to Mcmaster’s relatively higher price is obviously the super fast shipping times.
Misumi, on rare occasions–especially metric bearings.
You can try Fastenal.
Metric Bearings: https://www.onlinebearingstore.com
We tend to buy fasteners from boltdepot.com.
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I go to eBay and Amazon for metric bearings. They’re also good for shafts. Boltdepot is my go-to for cheap screws.
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We are fortunate to have Fastenal as a sponsor. We have a local branch which has decent stock and items which are in regional distribution centers usually get to our branch in a couple days.
I looked at your profile to see if I could find where you are located so I could check if there was a Fastenal branch in your area, but I could not find team 5375. It appears that the last 2014 rookie team was 5351 and the first 2015 team was 5400.
If Fastenal isn’t close by or the local branch isn’t willing to help your team out with discounted or free items, I’d second boltdepot.com for their selection and cost.
Thanks for the recommendations everyone. I’ll get what I need now.
Oh lol, I set my team number wrong. It’s 5735 Control Freaks.
Depending on the size required Tractor Supply Co. is pretty good for anything 1/4-20 and larger usually with a hex head. They sell by the pound and its honestly quite a good price.
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That said… I would suggest doing a little bit of “legwork” and actually doing a comparison between McMaster and “Source X”. The results may surprise you. McMaster has a reputation for costing more, yes. But on one occasion I ran a particular order from them against MSC and Grainger. It wasn’t a contest.
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ASMC is a neat source. Competitive pricing and free shipping 
We’ve ordered a few things over the years that turned out to be significantly cheaper than even the OEM (not fasteners though). Usually around 10-15%, and they don’t seem to be pulling a WalMart and picking up the rejects or have a special p/n for a lesser version.
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If you want just fasteners, try bolt depot, they’re a lot cheaper than McMaster and have decent shipping times (not as fast as McMaster) we got all of our fasteners from them this year
If you need just a few pieces quickly, Ace Hardware may be a good option. They have a wider variety of specialty fasteners than the big box home improvement stores and most are open 7 days a week.
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That’s very definitely hit or miss based on which Ace Hardware store you’re shopping. I’ve gone to three Ace Hardware stores in Slidell. The one closest to me (Robert Blvd) has about the same amount of specialty fasteners as a big box, but there is a lot of non-overlap. This Ace has a modest selection of set-screw round shaft collars and a better selection of hooks, eyes, marine, and plumbing hardware than the big boxes, but is shy on cabinet hardware, brackets, and gussets. The next one farther out (near Bayou Bonfouca and US-11) is mostly a feed and tack store; don’t bother if you’re looking for hardware. (Checking the Ace web site, Slidell Feed and Seed is apparently no longer an Ace Hardware.) The third one (Pontchartrain Ace) has the largest self-service selection of specialty fasteners I’ve seen; if I have a problem I don’t know how to solve, I take the 5 mile trip and browse the aisles (or at least I did until a few months ago). They have clamping (round) shaft collars, PVC pipe corners, a modest selection of rod-end swivel bearings, about twice the selection of metal stock than the big boxes (though nowhere near Bayou Metals or onlinemetals.com) and lots of other stuff that looked quite useful even if it didn’t meet my needs when I did walkabout there. OBTW, the Ace Hardware nearest the Bayou Regional on Williams Blvd. is a bit better than my local one, but nowhere near as good as Pontchartrain Ace.
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