Poll: Where do you buy your power tools (hand held, stationary or mobile)

[pkinneb]

4 hours ago, C Shaffer said:

"...I love my local hardware and do not want it to go under..." 

I hear you on this one ours is only 7 miles away which for me is like right next door and has a very good supply of items.

[Bankstick]

Acme is where Wile E. Coyote buys his stuff.

[Coop]

6 hours ago, pkinneb said:

I hear you on this one ours is only 7 miles away which for me is like right next door and has a very good supply of items.

We had an Ace hardware near us close about a year ago, after being in business for many, many years. You could take them a screw that you needed and they would ask you steel, s/s or brass. If you needed 2' of 1 1/2" pvc, they would cut it off of a whole piece. Sure, you paid a tad more for it, but it was convenient and the employees had been there forever, and knew their products and where to find them. At HD and Lowes, you can't even find the employees. And the sad part about it is, that I blame myself for their demise as I went to Ace only when the big box idiots didn't have what I needed. 

[Tom King]

We have a great Ace Hardware near here.  It's pretty much out in the sticks, at the end of the world, except for the lake being here.  When they first opened, years ago, I said I didn't see how in the world they would make it, but they seem to be thriving.

I was putting the fence back on the big Centauro, and had lost a screw during the move.  It was a real oddball-something like 5.5 mm.  They not only had it, but in three different thread pitches, and I even found the right length.

http://www.acehardware.com/mystore/index.jsp?store=14544&cid=localstore14544

 

[pkinneb]

Mine is an Ace as well, great store.

[Cheeset202]

Well I may have interpreted the question wrong, I was looking at it in regards to buying woodworking tools.  I agree the small hardware chains are great, they have knowledgeable staff and carry a lot of oddball hardware.  They are somewhat limited when it comes to woodworking equipment, very basic stuff.  The equipment I buy now for woodworking are machinery (usually upgrades to what I have and some of it may have been bought at a local hardware store years ago) and hand tools that can only be purchased online if you don't live near a large city that has these speciality stores.  If I need a drill bit, screws, etc then I hop in the car and head to The Ace store about 5 miles from here.

[Eric.]

I have an Ace nearby, closer than HD, actually...unfortunately their selection is smaller and their prices are higher, almost always.  So I usually drive the extra minute or two to HD.  I'm sure the Ace staff is better educated than the HD staff (low bar) but 99% of the time if I'm asking the employees a question it's only, "Where can I find X or Y."

[Tpt life]

4 minutes ago, Cheeset202 said:

Well I may have interpreted the question wrong, I was looking at it in regards to buying woodworking tools. 

Nah, I was only trying to say that is the only consistent store in my life. Jointer:CL, planer:forum hand-me-down, TS:factory direct, drill, sander, miter saw, all hardware store. Unpowered is even less consistent including eBay and flea markets. 

[Cheeset202]

3 minutes ago, C Shaffer said:

Nah, I was only trying to say that is the only consistent store in my life. Jointer:CL, planer:forum hand-me-down, TS:factory direct, drill, sander, miter saw, all hardware store. Unpowered is even less consistent including eBay and flea markets. 

Yes, I use those resources as well but I usually don't have that much luck finding what I want.  I find Craiglist works only if you cruise the site often and you find something that you want/need but for me it usually means a 2 HR drive to the place it was for sale.  When I lived in Vancouver WA, Portland was 10 minutes away and CL was a fantastic resources for buying and selling tools.  I find EBay is hit and miss, unless the tool is up for a bidding auction vs the buy it now sales which are usually no better price than the online retailers which I am much more comfortable buying from.