Today, I was sitting around with a couple of my clients and our
conversation turned to tools and hardware items. We talked about the big
box stores and the local hardware store and the specialty tool
retailers. And then one of them said "We have all these places to spend
money on our toys, I wonder where the rest of the world buys their
tools? That got me to thinking, where do you buy your tools?

Here in the states we have HD,Lowes,Ace,Sears,TruValue,HF and the
serious places Graingers, Enco, J&L and the Farm and FLeets, but in the
UK andEurope, Asia, Oz and NZ, Africa, So. America, and even Canada
where do you guys get your tools and hardware items? DO you folks have
the same big box stores or do you buy from local merchants?

I know that I usually expose my ignorance when I post to this group, and
having never been outside the US except for a brief trip to CA, I am
showing the world what a babe in woods I really amG.

Well up here in Canada after it thaws out and the fur trader comes up from
Seattle we trade them fresh Loonies for ironage tools, heck one of my
friends just north of me dug up some coal, heated some metal red hot and
hammered out a plow shear, I expect that next year he'll trade grain or
possibly even beef for those shinny trinkets.

All kidding aside we have the same big box suppliers as you and a number of
very specialized suppliers as well. For machine tools in the LowerMainland
we have to name a few: Fraser Machinery, CAE, Sharpe Machine Tools, Buffalo
Machinery, Freisen Machinery, OPT,ACT , BusyBee, Princess Auto and KMS Tools
plus all of the dealers for manufacturer specific tooling. We are fortunate
that we are a gateway port for Canada and USA so we generally see offshore
products that enter North America from the Pacific Rim. Since our economic
culture has attracted foreign businessmen to establish viable businesses we
have had direct access to everything from computers to machine tools without
a lot of multi layered distribution networks.

Not withstanding my previous remarks there are times when it is advantageous
to shop south of the 49th because sometimes one off items that I am looking
for are not readily available because our market volume is much smaller than
yours.

Hope this answers your question and provokes some of my fellow Canadians to
divulge some of their secret shopping places.

Pete



"Greg Postma" wrote in message
...
Today, I was sitting around with a couple of my clients and our
conversation turned to tools and hardware items. We talked about the big
box stores and the local hardware store and the specialty tool retailers.
And then one of them said "We have all these places to spend money on our
toys, I wonder where the rest of the world buys their tools? That got me
to thinking, where do you buy your tools?

Here in the states we have HD,Lowes,Ace,Sears,TruValue,HF and the serious
places Graingers, Enco, J&L and the Farm and FLeets, but in the UK
andEurope, Asia, Oz and NZ, Africa, So. America, and even Canada where do
you guys get your tools and hardware items? DO you folks have the same big
box stores or do you buy from local merchants?

I know that I usually expose my ignorance when I post to this group, and
having never been outside the US except for a brief trip to CA, I am
showing the world what a babe in woods I really amG.

"Greg Postma" wrote in message
...

retailers. And then one of them said "We have all these places to spend
money on our toys, I wonder where the rest of the world buys their
tools? That got me to thinking, where do you buy your tools?


Here in Oz, there aren't the large number of suppliers that you have in the
top half of the world. Cheap and nasty Chinese of the hand tool type is
largely catered to by a couple of large Australian hardware chains (
Bunnings & Home Hardware ) but for machine tools , I usually use Hare &
Forbes. They have taken over most of the smaller machine tool suppliers.
They buy Chinese machine tools and re-badge them, as well as supplying the
better quality stuff for the professionals. J Blackwood & Son used to be a
great supplier of everything in the metal working line, but they are now
owned by the same mob as Bunnings and are just plain slack. They were, at
one time, the TOP supplier in Oz and though a little higher in price, they
had everything. Now you just about have to wrestle someone to the floor to
get a price on anything.

Greg Postma wrote:
Today, I was sitting around with a couple of my clients and our
conversation turned to tools and hardware items. We talked about the big
box stores and the local hardware store and the specialty tool
retailers. And then one of them said "We have all these places to spend
money on our toys, I wonder where the rest of the world buys their
tools? That got me to thinking, where do you buy your tools?

Here in the states we have HD,Lowes,Ace,Sears,TruValue,HF and the
serious places Graingers, Enco, J&L and the Farm and FLeets, but in the
UK andEurope, Asia, Oz and NZ, Africa, So. America, and even Canada
where do you guys get your tools and hardware items? DO you folks have
the same big box stores or do you buy from local merchants?

I know that I usually expose my ignorance when I post to this group, and
having never been outside the US except for a brief trip to CA, I am
showing the world what a babe in woods I really amG.

I'm in Chicago. When I need a real tool I order it over the internet. Sometimes a local smaller supply place will carry quality tools. You won't find a decent selection of non-imported (aka junk) tools at a home depot.

I was in Poland lasy year, and they have this chain store called Castorama, which is sort of like a home depot. The majority of tools were junk, but there were a few decent tools from Knipex and so forth. There were some American made power tools as well.

The hardware stores that had the best selection of nearly anything were the small shops which are pretty much all gone now, or charge so much money it's hard to justify using them in the first place. The home depot near me has a poor selection of sandpaper and doesn't even sell TSP anymore. The dowel rods are from China. The rebar wire is from China. I'm suprised they even take US dollars at the checkout line anymore.

Pete forgot two good sources for home tools in the Vancouver area are KMS
tools (especially woodwork) and Princess Auto ( western Ca)
I live five miles from the 49th but haven't gone near it since 911. It
just isn't worth the hassle. I sure miss the cheap watered beer and natchos
though.
Randy

"Greg Postma" wrote in message
...
Today, I was sitting around with a couple of my clients and our
conversation turned to tools and hardware items. We talked about the big
box stores and the local hardware store and the specialty tool retailers.
And then one of them said "We have all these places to spend money on our
toys, I wonder where the rest of the world buys their tools? That got me
to thinking, where do you buy your tools?

Here in the states we have HD,Lowes,Ace,Sears,TruValue,HF and the serious
places Graingers, Enco, J&L and the Farm and FLeets, but in the UK
andEurope, Asia, Oz and NZ, Africa, So. America, and even Canada where do
you guys get your tools and hardware items? DO you folks have the same big
box stores or do you buy from local merchants?

I know that I usually expose my ignorance when I post to this group, and
having never been outside the US except for a brief trip to CA, I am
showing the world what a babe in woods I really amG.

I shuttle between the US and Germany. Germany does not have the McMasters or
MSCs we got over here, there market is smaller and more fragmented, so I
love the '400,000 items at your fingertips' American stores (since I am in
the Woods of Maine it is nearly all mailorder for me).

In Germany I go to local stores, some of them small chains of a couple of
stores, which cater to the trades and there I do find sometimes amazing
deals on high quality items and of course there are a variety of very high
end tools and pieces of machinery, lesser known here maybe, which make me
drool, but they are priced out of my range, like a large timber circular saw
for $5,000.


regards Uwe




From: "Randy Zimmerman"
Organization: Shaw Residential Internet
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2005 13:52:35 GMT
Subject: Where do you buy your tools?

Pete forgot two good sources for home tools in the Vancouver area are KMS
tools (especially woodwork) and Princess Auto ( western Ca)
I live five miles from the 49th but haven't gone near it since 911. It
just isn't worth the hassle. I sure miss the cheap watered beer and natchos
though.
Randy

"Greg Postma" wrote in message
...
Today, I was sitting around with a couple of my clients and our
conversation turned to tools and hardware items. We talked about the big
box stores and the local hardware store and the specialty tool retailers.
And then one of them said "We have all these places to spend money on our
toys, I wonder where the rest of the world buys their tools? That got me
to thinking, where do you buy your tools?

Here in the states we have HD,Lowes,Ace,Sears,TruValue,HF and the serious
places Graingers, Enco, J&L and the Farm and FLeets, but in the UK
andEurope, Asia, Oz and NZ, Africa, So. America, and even Canada where do
you guys get your tools and hardware items? DO you folks have the same big
box stores or do you buy from local merchants?

I know that I usually expose my ignorance when I post to this group, and
having never been outside the US except for a brief trip to CA, I am
showing the world what a babe in woods I really amG.

In article ,
says...
I shuttle between the US and Germany. Germany does not have the McMasters or
MSCs we got over here, there market is smaller and more fragmented, so I
love the '400,000 items at your fingertips' American stores (since I am in
the Woods of Maine it is nearly all mailorder for me).

Have you found Hulls Cove Tool Barn, Liberty Tool Co.,
etc.?

http://www.jonesport-wood.com/

Ned Simmons

Ned Simmons wrote in article
...


Have you found Hulls Cove Tool Barn, Liberty Tool Co.,
etc.?


Next time you stop by "Liberty Tool" (I'm going there this afternoon) take
note of the sales tax certificate on display in the glass case to the left
of the counter.

The business was originally named "Tacky Harry's"....which I feel is much
more appropriate...

Kerman Leader wrote:

Greg Postma wrote:

Today, I was sitting around with a couple of my clients and our
conversation turned to tools and hardware items. We talked about the big
box stores and the local hardware store and the specialty tool
retailers. And then one of them said "We have all these places to spend
money on our toys, I wonder where the rest of the world buys their
tools? That got me to thinking, where do you buy your tools?

Here in the states we have HD,Lowes,Ace,Sears,TruValue,HF and the
serious places Graingers, Enco, J&L and the Farm and FLeets, but in the
UK andEurope, Asia, Oz and NZ, Africa, So. America, and even Canada
where do you guys get your tools and hardware items? DO you folks have
the same big box stores or do you buy from local merchants?

I know that I usually expose my ignorance when I post to this group, and
having never been outside the US except for a brief trip to CA, I am
showing the world what a babe in woods I really amG.


I'm in Chicago. When I need a real tool I order it over the internet.
Sometimes a local smaller supply place will carry quality tools.
You won't find a decent selection of non-imported (aka junk) tools at
a home depot.

I was in Poland lasy year, and they have this chain store called
Castorama, which is sort of like a home depot. The majority of tools
were junk, but there were a few decent tools from Knipex and so forth.
There were some American made power tools as well.

The hardware stores that had the best selection of nearly anything were
the small shops which are pretty much all gone now, or charge so much
money it's hard to justify using them in the first place. The home depot
near me has a poor selection of sandpaper and doesn't even sell TSP
anymore. The dowel rods are from China. The rebar wire is from China.
I'm suprised they even take US dollars at the checkout line anymore.

Oh, the Chinese are more interested in getting US dollars than their own
currency, I'm sure.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

I live within walking of Liberty Tools.

Uwe

From: Ned Simmons
Organization: Ned Simmons, Inc.
Reply-To:
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2005 11:01:15 -0500
Subject: Where do you buy your tools?

In article ,
says...
I shuttle between the US and Germany. Germany does not have the McMasters or
MSCs we got over here, there market is smaller and more fragmented, so I
love the '400,000 items at your fingertips' American stores (since I am in
the Woods of Maine it is nearly all mailorder for me).

Have you found Hulls Cove Tool Barn, Liberty Tool Co.,
etc.?

http://www.jonesport-wood.com/

Ned Simmons

I missed the staff meeting but the minutes show Greg Postma
wrote back on Thu, 17 Mar 2005 21:04:04 -0600
in rec.crafts.metalworking :
Today, I was sitting around with a couple of my clients and our
conversation turned to tools and hardware items. We talked about the big
box stores and the local hardware store and the specialty tool
retailers. And then one of them said "We have all these places to spend
money on our toys, I wonder where the rest of the world buys their
tools? That got me to thinking, where do you buy your tools?

Here in the states we have HD,Lowes,Ace,Sears,TruValue,HF and the
serious places Graingers, Enco, J&L and the Farm and FLeets, but in the
UK andEurope, Asia, Oz and NZ, Africa, So. America, and even Canada
where do you guys get your tools and hardware items? DO you folks have
the same big box stores or do you buy from local merchants?

I know that I usually expose my ignorance when I post to this group, and
having never been outside the US except for a brief trip to CA, I am
showing the world what a babe in woods I really amG.

Ben's Loans (pawnshop), Hardwicks (local store), Enco (mail order).


tschus
pyotr

--
pyotr filipivich.
as an explaination for the decline in the US's tech edge, James
Niccol wrote "It used to be that the USA was pretty good at
producing stuff teenaged boys could lose a finger or two playing with."

I know this is blasphemy for most of you, but at the level I am working: "If
I didn't have Harbor Freight tools, I wouldn't have no tools at all!"

"pyotr filipivich" wrote in message
...
I missed the staff meeting but the minutes show Greg Postma
wrote back on Thu, 17 Mar 2005 21:04:04 -0600
in rec.crafts.metalworking :
Today, I was sitting around with a couple of my clients and our
conversation turned to tools and hardware items. We talked about the big
box stores and the local hardware store and the specialty tool
retailers. And then one of them said "We have all these places to spend
money on our toys, I wonder where the rest of the world buys their
tools? That got me to thinking, where do you buy your tools?

Here in the states we have HD,Lowes,Ace,Sears,TruValue,HF and the
serious places Graingers, Enco, J&L and the Farm and FLeets, but in the
UK andEurope, Asia, Oz and NZ, Africa, So. America, and even Canada
where do you guys get your tools and hardware items? DO you folks have
the same big box stores or do you buy from local merchants?

I know that I usually expose my ignorance when I post to this group, and
having never been outside the US except for a brief trip to CA, I am
showing the world what a babe in woods I really amG.

Ben's Loans (pawnshop), Hardwicks (local store), Enco (mail order).


tschus
pyotr

--
pyotr filipivich.
as an explaination for the decline in the US's tech edge, James
Niccol wrote "It used to be that the USA was pretty good at
producing stuff teenaged boys could lose a finger or two playing with."

On 2005-03-18 11:58:34 -0500, "Bob Paulin" said:



Ned Simmons wrote in article
...


Have you found Hulls Cove Tool Barn, Liberty Tool Co., etc.?

Next time you stop by "Liberty Tool" (I'm going there this afternoon) take
note of the sales tax certificate on display in the glass case to the left
of the counter.

The business was originally named "Tacky Harry's"....which I feel is much
more appropriate...

Interesting thing about these folks is that they have a daily
limit on purchases! You can't back up your van and buy them out. They
want steady customers, not big ones.

Charles Morrill

I missed the staff meeting but the minutes show "Emmo"
wrote back on Fri, 18 Mar 2005 23:36:11 GMT in rec.crafts.metalworking :


"pyotr filipivich" wrote in message
.. .
I missed the staff meeting but the minutes show Greg Postma
wrote back on Thu, 17 Mar 2005 21:04:04 -0600
in rec.crafts.metalworking :
Today, I was sitting around with a couple of my clients and our
conversation turned to tools and hardware items. We talked about the big
box stores and the local hardware store and the specialty tool
retailers. And then one of them said "We have all these places to spend
money on our toys, I wonder where the rest of the world buys their
tools? That got me to thinking, where do you buy your tools?

Here in the states we have HD,Lowes,Ace,Sears,TruValue,HF and the
serious places Graingers, Enco, J&L and the Farm and FLeets, but in the
UK andEurope, Asia, Oz and NZ, Africa, So. America, and even Canada
where do you guys get your tools and hardware items? DO you folks have
the same big box stores or do you buy from local merchants?

I know that I usually expose my ignorance when I post to this group, and
having never been outside the US except for a brief trip to CA, I am
showing the world what a babe in woods I really amG.

Ben's Loans (pawnshop), Hardwicks (local store), Enco (mail order).

I know this is blasphemy for most of you, but at the level I am working: "If
I didn't have Harbor Freight tools, I wouldn't have no tools at all!"

Know the feeling.

And it isn't blasphemy, so much as it is ... well, we all started out
with junk cause couldn't afford no better. (My car tools are still pretty
much that way.)
--
pyotr filipivich.
as an explaination for the decline in the US's tech edge, James
Niccol wrote "It used to be that the USA was pretty good at
producing stuff teenaged boys could lose a finger or two playing with."

On Sat, 19 Mar 2005 03:50:21 GMT, pyotr filipivich
wrote:


I know this is blasphemy for most of you, but at the level I am working: "If
I didn't have Harbor Freight tools, I wouldn't have no tools at all!"

Know the feeling.

And it isn't blasphemy, so much as it is ... well, we all started out
with junk cause couldn't afford no better. (My car tools are still pretty
much that way.)
It may be crap but it's MY crap so don't knock it when you are trying
to borrow it!
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

I missed the staff meeting but the minutes show Gerald Miller
wrote back on Sat, 19 Mar 2005 00:18:33 -0500 in
rec.crafts.metalworking :
On Sat, 19 Mar 2005 03:50:21 GMT, pyotr filipivich
wrote:


I know this is blasphemy for most of you, but at the level I am working: "If
I didn't have Harbor Freight tools, I wouldn't have no tools at all!"

Know the feeling.

And it isn't blasphemy, so much as it is ... well, we all started out
with junk cause couldn't afford no better. (My car tools are still pretty
much that way.)
It may be crap but it's MY crap so don't knock it when you are trying
to borrow it!

"If my tools are such cheap junk, why do you want to borrow them?"

toodles

--
pyotr filipivich.
as an explaination for the decline in the US's tech edge, James
Niccol wrote "It used to be that the USA was pretty good at
producing stuff teenaged boys could lose a finger or two playing with."