AKwelder Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 Took my boy to the local hardware store for a project he was working on, as we we leaving I pointed out the glass case of Starrett tools. The counter guy said they might have to quit carrying them because Starrett has decided to only sell on Amazon. Good grief 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DT Fan Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 That is hard to believe. Wouldn't think their demographic fits the Amazon only gig. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearclash Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 Oh how have the mighty fallen! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just Dave Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 Tough times for Starrett. They are a company built on people that needed to make precision measurements, Machinists. Machinists these days touch a lot more buttons than tools, machines do the QC measurements. They are trying to stay alive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTB98 Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 Their website still shows over a dozen national distributors, including Amazon. https://www.starrett.com/distributors/national-accounts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearclash Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 5 minutes ago, just Dave said: Tough times for Starrett. They are a company built on people that needed to make precision measurements, Machinists. Machinists these days touch a lot more buttons than tools, machines do the QC measurements. They are trying to stay alive. I think the bigger problem is that they are competing with a flood of cheap crap from India and China. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake19917561 Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 I buy a lot of my tools on Amazon, can find some great deals on returns or “damaged” tools. You’d be surprised what tools get returned for a scratch on the chrome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oleman Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 For the past 30 years I have shopped at McMaster for all precision tools. Same type of operation as Amazon. BUT they actually stock what they list. Amazon mostly is a clearing house for other websites. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawleigh99 Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 Travers, MSC, etc will still sell them I bet. Even with CNC you still need them for verification and QC! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duntongw Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 The other side of this is the demand. I was a Tool and Die maker for 50 years. Here through the rust belt, I bet there are maybe 1/10 of the machinist's if that, that there were 30 years ago. All automation, offshore, and no one to fill the void. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12_Guy Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 What I would like to know is what kind of hardware store stocks Starrett? Certainly not the norm here in the lower 48. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forwhldrv Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 I live about 5 miles as a crow flies from the Starrett tools main place in Athol. We have always had access to Starrett tools a friend or neighbor always worked there. My father used to do repairs for a guy that worked there but had a small excavation business and he would always be bringing combination squares and all kinds of different sizes of micrometers and nice metal rulers. They also used to have an employee sale once or twice a year and employees could buy stuff they make dirt cheap. We still go to flee markets around here and see a lot of Starrett tools for sale. Still see some Union Twist Drills now and then for sale too that place was next to Starrett tools and closed in the late 70’s or early 80’s. We may not like it but the changing times are making it hard for brick and mortar stores to compete. I’m guilty of buying a lot of stuff online now especially since Covid I can just order it a few days before I need it rather than drive the 20-30 min to a store that may have it or has to order it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake19917561 Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 4 minutes ago, forwhldrv said: I live about 5 miles as a crow flies from the Starrett tools main place in Athol. We have always had access to Starrett tools a friend or neighbor always worked there. My father used to do repairs for a guy that worked there but had a small excavation business and he would always be bringing combination squares and all kinds of different sizes of micrometers and nice metal rulers. They also used to have an employee sale once or twice a year and employees could buy stuff they make dirt cheap. We still go to flee markets around here and see a lot of Starrett tools for sale. Still see some Union Twist Drills now and then for sale too that place was next to Starrett tools and closed in the late 70’s or early 80’s. We may not like it but the changing times are making it hard for brick and mortar stores to compete. I’m guilty of buying a lot of stuff online now especially since Covid I can just order it a few days before I need it rather than drive the 20-30 min to a store that may have it or has to order it. I went to Amazon because of stores not having what I need or not carrying quality USA made brands. I don’t want Chineseium. The town I live in only has a few options and the prices are ridiculous for Chinese craftsman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oleman Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 I spend at ZORO, basically because I can select my brand and if it is a heavy and over $40. the shipping is FREE with some exceptions. Their prices are basically list but I get a 10% discount for most items with our business account. Their warehouse that has zillions of items is over by Fort Worth so items placed on order prior to around 4 PM will be here the following day. Two 5 gallon buckets of hydraulic oil delivered tomorrow with free shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iowaboy1965 Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 I try to avoid Amazon...... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake19917561 Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 I reached out to them, as I felt that would be a dumb decision for them and they sent me this. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paystar5000 Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 5 hours ago, iowaboy1965 said: I try to avoid Amazon...... We do more and more. I wouldnt say we live in the middle of nowhere but it seems to take longer and longer to get anything from them. 7 hours ago, Duntongw said: The other side of this is the demand. I was a Tool and Die maker for 50 years. Here through the rust belt, I bet there are maybe 1/10 of the machinist's if that, that there were 30 years ago. All automation, offshore, and no one to fill the void. Same here. Tougher and tougher to find anyone to do machine work. Have two places that we use. About 4 more we used to use that the guys are retired now. I will say this with all the supply chain nonsense sometimes it is necessary to get things wherever you can. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acem Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 I have several fine tools made by Stewart. Most were bought used but are still excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearclash Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 Starret is a recognized quality brand name. I wonder how many counterfeit Starret tools there are on Amazon? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Englander Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 18 hours ago, forwhldrv said: Athol For a time I lived nearby in Gardner, once a furniture manufacturing center. We own a huge S Bent dining room table that we refer as the last supper table as it expands to seat more than a dozen comfortably. It probably was one of the last made before they shut down. Anyway, back to Athol. I found it amusing that many of the road signs were vandalized with the addition of an R and e becoming Rathole. The old New England factories made quality products but most failed to survive far Into the 20th century, Starrett being an exception still making quality tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forwhldrv Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 11 hours ago, New Englander said: For a time I lived nearby in Gardner, once a furniture manufacturing center. We own a huge S Bent dining room table that we refer as the last supper table as it expands to seat more than a dozen comfortably. It probably was one of the last made before they shut down. Anyway, back to Athol. I found it amusing that many of the road signs were vandalized with the addition of an R and e becoming Rathole. The old New England factories made quality products but most failed to survive far Into the 20th century, Starrett being an exception still making quality tools. It’s quite sad that all the industry that was in the area has disappeared. I have been in the area my whole life and have seen it slowly disappearing many of the big old factories torn down or converted to apartments or the latest thing seems to be making the pot grow factories. I have always joked about the town of Athol that the town mascot is a rat in a jail outfit up on the wall of a building in the center of town behind the park celebrating the river rat race that they have every year. It’s hard to look up to something when that’s what you look up too. Im west of it now and don’t go through it unless I’m driving through on the highway or need something that forces me to go through downtown to get there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KWRB Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 New England manufacturing (much like upstate NY manufacturing) is a terribly sad story. I had no idea until I lived there briefly, how rich the place was in real manufacturing even a generation ago. I worked at one of the last of SEVERAL bearing manufacturers there. And that's just one of the many precision manufacturing industries in which a huge portion of the world's production was right there. Firearms was similar. I always thought converting manufacturing sites to apartments was strange. Somehow they (and a lot of other locations) need more places for people to live, and yet the places for people to make a living aren't existent... it's ironic. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeeper61 Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 Those old mill buildings are better suited for apartment's than todays industries I have worked in several one was still making textiles I think the vertical layouts suited the belt driven power sources Most built on rivers to take advantage of the flowing water They usually had a dam and retention pond up stream to regulate the river and provide flow year round Yes Starrett makes fine precision tools They are competitor of my former employer Brown&Sharpe both were industrial revolution manufactures Brown&Sharpe originally made clocks and sewing machines and the moved to machine tools after making all the machines to make the clocks and sewing machines The next blow to manufacturing capability in the US will be the death of the internal combustion engine 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acem Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 I have several fine brown and sharp tools. I think some of mine are Swiss made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirt_Floor_Poor Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 2 hours ago, jeeper61 said: The next blow to manufacturing capability in the US will be the death of the internal combustion engine I think about this often and I just do not know how that can happen for any industry that does actual work. I can see it possibly being forced into happening for people that live in a city. I just can’t fathom, in the near future, the replacement for the 6 cyl diesel that is used somewhere in the supply chain to produce every single product in the world. I guess time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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