Experiences with online metals?

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Hi folks,I'm looking to get some steel for a small project I'm doing, I just need a couple of feet of plate. I see over the years quite a feel online steel shops that will ship direct to your door have popped up and it seems like a good solution since the hours I work don't really allow me to drop by a local steel shop before/after work. Anyone have any experiences with these? Obviously they get you on shipping but it doesn't look too bad for the couple of pieces that I need.Thoughts?
Reply:I used discountsteel.com many times, always been great to work with.
Reply:I have not used them, but have tried.  Their stainless rounds section doesn't come up when you click on it.  Kinda hard to sell goods when this happens.  I shop these guys locally - www.metalsupermarkets.com  They are pricey, but they have what you need.  What exactly do you need?  I have spare material, might be able to help you out. -AaronJet 17.5" Drill Press1942 South Bend 16x84 Lathe1980s Miller 320A / BP --- 2013 Power Mig 2562012 Jet 7x12 Horizontal BandsawVictor O/A Setup
Reply:Places like king metals will kill you for buying stock, they charge from my perspective quite a bit more than a brick and mortar store. If you're in a pinch, ebay actually has some weird stock you can find on the "kinda" cheapMiller Spoolmate 200 w/t S-52 WirefeederMM 211'09 Miller Trailblazer 302
Reply:I use online metals a lot. They have ok prices, wish I could find what I need cheaper though. Most of the time their metal is good. A few times there was a bent corner, and sometimes you get alumium with scratches in it. Sign up for their emails as they always toss out coupons codes. It's never worth it to buy without a coupon. I have one for 15% off right now but sometimes its 20 and once I a a blue moon it's 25. They did 30 off once and so many people bought their server crashed.If anyone knows of a place that is less expensive, I will go there.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:Online metals charges double what my local steel supplier does.
Reply:My local places charge double what online metals charge. Plus they are dicks.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:Thanks for the replies guys. I realized the title might be misleading, I didn't mean the actual company onlinemetals.com, just online metal suppliers in general. The previously mentioned place came up when I was searching but their website seemed kinda wonky and they seemed more expensive so I looked elsewhere. In regards to price, it's probably going to be about $20-$40 worth of stuff, so if someone adds 10 bucks to their price it isn't going to kill me in this quantity. Originally Posted by ironmangqI used discountsteel.com many times, always been great to work with.
Reply:Specifically speaking of the web based "online metals" here.  Their salesman used to come by my shop when I was in Seattle and clarified that the online prices could be beat by quite a bit if I spoke to him when getting quotes.  That, to me, means they have basically 2 different sets of prices--one for people who know steel and one for greenies who don't.  Whether that is a good or bad thing is up to you.The last couple of orders have been T303 round bar in the 3" dia range by a couple of feet long for machining projects.  Each time the item has been out of stock and they don't tell  you until several days after you order (if at all).  The estimates of when it would be back in stock were FAR off...they'd say "a week to 10 days" and it'd be 21+ days which screwed me up pretty badly on production.  Hence, I won't be using them again.I've had FAR better luck doing proper steel orders and making time to pick it up from the steel warehouse during the day.  I know that doesn't always work for people but it's worth trying to work that way if there is any possible way to make it happen.
Reply:Regarding  wwwdiscountsteel.com :Century buzzbox that I learned on 40+ years ago (was Dad's)Crappy Century 110volt mig 70 amp pigeon pooper.Lincoln Idealarc TIG-300