Defective Home Depot Bolts

[EricG]

I went to HD today to get some 5/16x2.5 galvanized hex cap bolts. Had 2" and 3" from Lowes and McMaster respectively, but really needed 2.5.

So I start putting the project together and the first bolt & nut goes together fine - but I thought it was odd that I had to tap the bolt through with a hammer, when the lowes & mcmaster bolts slipped through with no problem.
Same thing with the next bolt - had to tap it through. Hand started the nut, and the galvanized nuts and bolts tend to be a little tight, so I put the rachet on it. Half a turn and it got really hard - cranked a little further and decided this was way beyond the galvanizing binding things up. Maybe I crossthreaded it?? Tried another - very careful to start it straight but damn near stripped it by the time I gave up.

I tried a few more bolts by hand - about 1/3 of them would assemble and the rest would bind up tight. The nuts were from McMaster and worked fine on their bolts, the Lowes bolts, and some of the HD bolts.

I've been buying hardware for 25+ years and I've never encountered this sort of out of spec defect before. Home depot has moved further down my sh|t list.

I returned all but one of the HD bolts - kept one to do some measurements on if I can find my mic. Lining it up against the other bolts, the thread pitch is definitely the same, and there's nothing obviously wrong - like globs of galvanization material or damaged threads.

edit - should add that the McMaster nuts & bolts and the Lowes bolts are all galvanized also.

What really bothers me - if they can't get something as basic as the dimensions right, how can you trust them to get the metallurgy and other less obvious stuff right?

 

[spressomon]

I too have noticed a degradation in quality of the bolts and screws at HD; China made for the past few years.

Having said that its almost impossible to source non-china made bolts and nuts even at commercial supply houses for most of the popular sizes of fasteners. But there must be quality differences within the chinese bolts and nuts...no surprise HD buys the bottom of the barrel.

HD's bolt/nut/screw selection here in Reno is pathetic. I only go there, as you had to, as a last resort. Fortunately we have a couple ACE Hardware stores here and one of them carries an ever increasing array of unique fasteners; and they're open 7-days a week!

 

[AShoe]

Go to fastenall if you have one.

 

[mudlover]

Hope they are not using those on aircraft.

 

[EricG]

Hope they are not using those on aircraft.

This kind of crap is exactly why there are milspecs, aircraft grade, space-rated hardware, etc. Because you can't trust commodity stuff. It's also why a bolt you can get from Home Depot for $0.29 costs $29.99 if you're putting it on the Space Shuttle. Of course it also comes with a ream of paperwork verifying it's history - lot testing, manufacturing process, metallurgy results, non-destructive testing, etc., etc.

 

[KLF]

Go to fastenall if you have one.

The only problem with Fastenal is they don't sell individual pieces. You usually have to buy a bag/box of 50 or more.

There is one right up the street from me, the guys in there are super helpful.

Home Depot is the worst place to get hardware. A lot of the bins have the wrong stuff in them, and they have very poor selection, especially in Metric.

 

[EricG]

The only problem with Fastenal is they don't sell individual pieces. You usually have to buy a bag/box of 50 or more.

There is one right up the street from me, the guys in there are super helpful.

Home Depot is the worst place to get hardware. A lot of the bins have the wrong stuff in them, and they have very poor selection, especially in Metric.

Funny thing is - I went to Lowes and they don't have this size. Ace Hardware probably does - they have a great selection of hardware. But not convenient last night. So I ended up ordering it online last night because I decided to get some forged eye bolts for part of this anyway and they're harder to find.

 

[Recon1504]

I've had good luck at Tractor Supply...

 

[Cuerno Largo]

I've had good luck at Tractor Supply...

X2...

 

[Koffer]

X2...

X3
the best is the "by the pound"
I can toss a hand-full different sizes of nuts,bolts and washers all in a bag and take it up and pay , none of the horse poo of 14 little bags of this and that with hand written #s for each .

 

[Joe_E]

I went to HD today to get some 5/16x2.5 galvanized hex cap bolts. Had 2" and 3" from Lowes and McMaster respectively, but really needed 2.5.

So I start putting the project together and the first bolt & nut goes together fine - but I thought it was odd that I had to tap the bolt through with a hammer, when the lowes & mcmaster bolts slipped through with no problem.
Same thing with the next bolt - had to tap it through. Hand started the nut, and the galvanized nuts and bolts tend to be a little tight, so I put the rachet on it. Half a turn and it got really hard - cranked a little further and decided this was way beyond the galvanizing binding things up. Maybe I crossthreaded it?? Tried another - very careful to start it straight but damn near stripped it by the time I gave up.

I tried a few more bolts by hand - about 1/3 of them would assemble and the rest would bind up tight. The nuts were from McMaster and worked fine on their bolts, the Lowes bolts, and some of the HD bolts.

I've been buying hardware for 25+ years and I've never encountered this sort of out of spec defect before. Home depot has moved further down my sh|t list.

I returned all but one of the HD bolts - kept one to do some measurements on if I can find my mic. Lining it up against the other bolts, the thread pitch is definitely the same, and there's nothing obviously wrong - like globs of galvanization material or damaged threads.

edit - should add that the McMaster nuts & bolts and the Lowes bolts are all galvanized also.

What really bothers me - if they can't get something as basic as the dimensions right, how can you trust them to get the metallurgy and other less obvious stuff right?

Take this for what it's worth. My cousin is a manager at McMaster. I was talking to him a couple weeks ago and asked him how the business was doing and he said great. He said the owner/owners of McMaster were adament about selling the highest quality. I wanna think it's either all or almost all American made as well.

Home Depot buys the cheapest s*** around to keep their prices low.

 

[EricG]

Take this for what it's worth. My cousin is a manager at McMaster. I was talking to him a couple weeks ago and asked him how the business was doing and he said great. He said the owner/owners of McMaster were adament about selling the highest quality. I wanna think it's either all or almost all American made as well.

Home Depot buys the cheapest **** around to keep their prices low.

Good to know - I won't be buying hardware from Home Depot any more for anything where life/limb might be even remotely at risk. May start using grade 5 stuff as default just because there's likely a little more QC applied to it to get that mark.

 

[fsusteve]

after arthur blank sold out and the knucklehead that ran GM into the ground took over, HD has gone way downhill, I refuse to go there anymore.

 

[RHINO]

the vendor that supplies all the fasteners is crown bolt,,, before you go buying from another company find out who the vendor is.

as far as the knucklehead who ran the company in the ground, well he's been gone for several years and the new guy has made some noticeable changes,,, but home depot will always be a big box corporation that caters to the largest demographic.

 

[dr_dobro]

In most cases, is not the same to buy a specific item from HD to a lumber, hardware, electrical, plumbing, paint stores.
For example NIBCO makes lower quality copper fittings for Home Depot at a better price !. Remember, cheap does not mean it's good all the time !
I still go to Home Depot to buy Contractors blue tape, Joint Compound and sometimes bolts and screws when I have no choice !, but I stay away from 85% of their supplies including TOOLS !!!!. I couldn't fixed a DeWalt miter saw, because Dewalt specifically said that my model was a Home Depot model and was discontinued; therefore parts were no longer available !
How cheap can they make things !, but how stupid we are for keep going there (including myself)!

 

[sirenmoses]

X3
the best is the "by the pound"
I can toss a hand-full different sizes of nuts,bolts and washers all in a bag and take it up and pay , none of the horse poo of 14 little bags of this and that with hand written #s for each .

ooh, do want! HD only sells in bags or boxes, and the local shop does the handwritten thing.

 

[AShoe]

The fastenall by me is usually good about selling one or six of something, +1 on home depot sucks. I bought a porter cable pin gun there once. Had porter cable stuff before that was practically bulletproof, this thing sucks, shoots two pins or none. I did some research and practically everything in their store is graded down. Honda lawnmowers, tools, nuts/bolts... everything. It sucks.

 

[D'Animal]

Are the bolts you bought even hardened stamped or indexted (sp?)?

I think 3 hash marks on the head is a grade 5 and 6 hash marks are a grade 8. The last time I looked at bolts at HD I could not find any hash marks so they are going to be super soft.

I buy my stuff from fastenal. I buy in bags since I will need them anyway. I know the guys and they will sell me the one or 2 odd ball items when I need them instead of making me buy a bag of 6 or what ever the qty is.

 

[Poser]

Caterpillar hardware has not ever let me down.

 

[Joe_E]

Caterpillar hardware has not ever let me down.

There isn't a day goes by that I don't find something on a piece of equipment that I think would work on the cruiser.

I was heavily eyeing up a small strait six Cat motor that was in a new roller we had on the job. I oftened wondered how difficult and expensive it would be to mount in in my 60.