December 2017 by Patricia S.
Looking for hardware? They've got it. Looking for grade 5, grade 8, stainless steel, etc., hardware? They've got it. Looking for bearings? They've got it. Looking for welding supplies, work gloves, abrasives, and more? They've got that too. And if they don't have it in this local store they can get it from one of their other local stores or have it brought in from out of area stores or the factory. Sometimes you can get hardware at Friedman's or Orchard but they don't always have the different grades or a wide variety of sizes and that is where Fastenal comes in along with their other products. And if you've ever heard of McMaster-Carr (an online company), they are the online & store front equivalent of them and the nice part about that is if you need it now & it's in their store you get it, no waiting. The staff in the store is always helpful on the phone and in person. They are personable and knowledgeable, and if they don't know the answer they'll get it for you. And sometimes they can do special orders of parts that aren't even in their catalog. One time I needed a special part that was listed online but in a different material and I needed stainless. They took the info, made some inquiries and was able to get exactly what I needed. The only drawback is that Fastenal is only open Monday through Friday so if you're doing a home project and need something on the weekend you can't go there and get it. Other then that they are great for various items. Even if you don't need anything you should go check them out for that next "honey do" project that you know will be coming up any day now.
