Hi all,

as you may know I've recently moved into a new house and I've been
scouting the local hardware stores trying to find the good places to buy
stuff. Being a car guy i'm in the habit of always using Grade 5
hardware, since that's generally the minimum grade used in an automotive
application (and yes, I do use Grade 8 or 12.9 whenever that is what was
originally used.) I always used to buy hardware at a local auto parts
store that would just sell me full boxes of pik-a-nut stuff and thought
no more of it. If they didn't have what I needed I'd go to a "marine
fasteners" store whose standard hardware was stainless or Grade 8.

Now I find in my new location that when I go to the store the stuff in
the general bins is always Grade 2; the Grade 5, if they have it, is in
the little slide out drawers. Is the use of Grade 2 hardware really
common? From my perspective, I never see it used.

Sidebar question - do any of the chain hardware stores keep fully
stocked pik-a-nut racks, or do I need to find a new independent to get
friendly with? In my area I have Advance, Autozone, Pep Boys, and a
local chain called "Fairfax Auto Parts" (the best of the lot, comparable
to NAPA but my local store is a small one.)

nate

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