# Does anyone actually shop at Grainger? Talking About Sky Rocket Prices.



## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

I have no idea how they are still in business, with their prices.

OK so I'm in the market for a router for my newly purchased table saw extension router table and after online shopping I've found Lowes to be the best local for the Dewalt 618 fixed base at $149.00 and Amazon to be $154.00 for the online price with free shipping and zero tax, OK so I thought I'd broaden my search even more and see who else out there sells and comparing prices and so I came upon Grainger they have it listed at the price of $248.25 now if that's not a slap in the face I don't know what is, Craigs List going nuts has nothing on Grainger? Grainger has the same product $100.00 more, Do they plan on coming and doing the work for you? Does that include setting up and lessons? Do you even get change back?


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

Yep their prices are SKY HIGH…....there's a Grainger in my city and is usually the last resort if I can't find what I'm looking for elsewhere…..


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## Gshepherd (May 16, 2012)

2ND THAT…. VASALINE NOT INCLUDED…....


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## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

The company I work for has a contract with Grainger and we are supposed to order everything from them, but I hate Grainger and I do everything possible to not order from them,
I much prefer Mc Master and to LSC.
By the way Grainger also own LSC and Mc Feely's and I am sure many other other companies. 
US companies hate competition, they buy as many companies as possible to eliminate competition and to have a situation of monopoly.
When I was working for Cisco System this what they did, and now the company I work for is doing just that also.
Now, It is now the second largest pharmaceutical company in the world.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Around here, Grainger's main customer base is private and government contractors. They are sort of a one stop shop, selling most everything mechanical. I'll agree that they are high. But, it's rare that they do not have what you need for a particular application. 
Guys in business don't have the time to search out suppliers and compare costs like you and I. It's more cost efficient for them to go to Grainger and pay the price. 
I have had to buy motors from them that I couldn't find elsewhere. I wouldn't go to them for anything that I could find at a BORG or on line.


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## JesseTutt (Aug 15, 2012)

Yes, I can't figure out why any individual would want to buy from Granger.


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## RJ2 (Jan 14, 2008)

You are shopping at grainger every day, if you pay your taxes. The school systems 
Use Graingers , and in the past , almost exclusively. They do have a different pricing 
Scale for them , because most of that procurement is on a bid system. So they must be competing on that level.
Your major corporations like ATT, Verizon, Duke energy, etc. they don't care what tools cost, it's all a write off.


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## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

Yes Gene, I do agree they do have items not found else where and when I was working before retirement for the city we too had a contract for specific items and motors and such so I'll give them to have it but they are way over priced, as for as what we do in wood working I don't think anyone has to rely on them when we have woodcrafters, rockler and all the other woodcraft sellers out there, thank goodness.

Yep RJ2 just as I stated, I worked for the city so you are right, is it fair I think not but I don't guess we have a say in that matter.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

In our molding plant we would only buy some motors, blowers, and fans from them. We occasionally bought some specialized controls from them but not much else. We bought a lot of stuff from MSC and McMaster Carr and Applied Industrial Technologies.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## ras61 (Mar 27, 2014)

I always figured outfits like Grainger sold to people with corporate accounts that want the item quickly/locally and don't care about cost since they just pass it along to their customers. More confusing is Amazon, in addition to the $154 there are 7 other vendors charging more for that router, including one charging $363 with shipping, plus slower delivery - 3 outfits don't even have it in stock! Always wondered if anyone ever went down that list and decided to purchase from the most expensive outfit, with a lower customer satisfaction rating, and was willing to wait 3 weeks because it was a special order and not in stock.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

When you are in an industrial plant and down time is staring you in the face you'll buy parts from wherever you can get parts the quickest. The downtime is what will kill you.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

Our hospital buys heavily from Granger. Big East discount with buying group.


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## Woodwrecker (Aug 11, 2008)

Just plain crazy.
They used to make me buy stuff for work through there and I would just shake my head.


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

there is always going to be a company just like grainger, just as charles has said, its the down time in your company, your paying for the luxury of getting it now, which means staying in operation, grainger is not for woodworkers who need to get it done just as badly as the big company, but as you all know, not that many woodworkers have large cash reserves…there has got to be companies like grainger to keep things at an even keel


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

I have bought sandblast media from Grainger because the shipping costs from other places selling it cheaper would increase the price to one that is higher than Grainger. other than these unique situations..I shop where I get the best price.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

I shop at Grainger all the time, then buy from Amazon.


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## NoThanks (Mar 19, 2014)

Nothing that hasn't been said above. My shop was down the street from a Graingers, needless to say I had an account with them. That made it a little more convenient just to walk in and sign for it, then have 30 days to pay.
I mostly had to weigh out what it would cost me (travel time/gas/down time) to drive around somewhere else trying to find whatever it was that I needed. Being in business, it usually ended up being cheaper to go there.
Also, I used to check out their discontinued items, not sure if you still can or not, I bought a 15" hitachi chop saw for 225.00.


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## Pimzedd (Jan 22, 2007)

I used to purchase for a school district for construction training programs. All items were discounted to the school district. I would have purchased from some other vendors with lower prices but the school district's purchasing system made it difficult. Grainger gave good service and most prices with the discount were not too high.


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## SteveMI (May 19, 2009)

If you have the luxury of time, then you can always beat Grainger's price. They may not stock everything at each store, but usually can have it from a warehouse by next day. I always use them for electrical switches and bearings, so I can actually see if the panel fit and sizes are correct. Bearings are strange, same basic cross reference part number at Grainger can be available for $3 and $40.

McMaster Carr is a dear friend, but sometimes they don't carry the exact specification part that I can get at Grainger.

Steve.


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## woodchuckerNJ (Dec 4, 2013)

I too don't like their high prices.

*BUT *when you need a part and no one has it locally, you will buy it. The reason they are so expensive is that they need to stock most every little thing so you can have it when needed. That's a lot of overhead on inventory and space.

I have a sander 1×40 that broke a sheave. It was metric.. we found the best fit, and I bought it. I had to use a small amound of brass shim to fit it perfect. But I was back in business quickly. Their prices was reasonable for that item.

But when looking in the sales room at all the overpriced stuff, you have to wonder.


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## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

"McMaster Carr is a dear friend, but sometimes they don't carry the exact specification part that I can get at Grainger.

Interestingly enough, my experience is the exact opposite. 
Grainger does not carry many thing that MCMaster does carry and for a much better price.


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## thechipcarver (Jan 29, 2014)

The company I work for, Grainger is one of the only "approved" places we are aloud to order from. That being said, the company I work for made over 10 billion dollars just last year. So, I guess they have money to burn.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

I've had an account with Grainger for at least 30 years, I think there is a tier price system. 
For quite awhile while I was busy and my business got a lot of stuff there, (olden days, LOL), our prices kept dropping by leaps and bounds. 
With 5 trucks and 16 trailers it kept us busy replacing stuff that would walk off all by itself. 
At one time their price to us was less than whole sale. 
Now I seldom order from them and I can't say the same. It isn't back up to Harbor Freight prices yet, But I bet it will be full price by the next cost list update.


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## DocSavage45 (Aug 14, 2010)

Don't have access to a Graingers If I didn't have the time I'd be using an express next day service at the lowest price. If I can wait to drive to where Lowes is I'd do the same. At this point I have some back up less expensive routers as a back up?


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

I'm wondering if the same tool sold at the big box store and Grainger is identical. I have heard that tool makers make different grades; the top grade goes to companies that cater to contractors and government and the "regular" grade goes to everyone else.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Grainger is the last resort if I cannot find something on line. Too high priced for me! Yeti, good thinking- shop at Grainger for pricing and then buy it right some place else and you'll feel very good that day!!

I suppose if you can buy wholesale from them for a business, it would be priced right. They do have good products and if I need a real good quality relay or special switch, I'll get it there when adding shipping on line equals the price.

I was going to buy a special double pole/ double throw switch from them for my Harbor Freight 1300# electric hoist. It was $23 and it would fit in the box with a little modification. Then I was in Harbor Freight and they gave me the number of their parts store. It was $2.49 there ( exact fit) so I bought a spare, too.

.......................Jim


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## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

I use Grainger to buy a special kind of high intensity light bulb for my church because I can do it on line (in the comfort of my home) and the product is delivered to my house within 2 days without fail - and no charge shipping.


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## upinflames (Jun 24, 2012)

My wife is employed by a big bacon plant as a slice mechanic. Her boss is a good friend of mine. This is not hearsay, I didn't read it on the web, I have no affiliation with grainger, I don't know anyone that works there.The company she works for gets a discount of up to 60%. IF…..and that is a big if…..I were to go to grainger and she shows her company ID, we get the same discount. That's how large companies can buy from them.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

I had a call from a Grainger account representative who asked me what they could do to improve their service. I told her they could lower their prices; that they were the most expensive option for getting what I needed. She was shocked; said they could compete with anyone if I would give them a chance.

I needed about $3000 worth of electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic components for a set of machines I was designing so I gave her my list. Sure enough, they quoted everything at truly competitive prices and I bought. Then the next time I needed something I had to jump through hoops to get reasonable prices. I tried a couple more times and decided my time was worth more than to be dickering with a reluctant supplier so I now only call them as a last resort.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

MrRon, I've wondered the same about that too. I bought the exact same model mower as my dad did, he bought his at a small Honda dealership, I bought mine at the BORG. While everything spec'd out the same, mine has the bore of the plastic front wheels riding right on the axle, his has two ball bearings on each front wheel. Beyond that minor detail, it's obvious that sometimes thing going to large retailers are spec'd based on what the accountant says, more so than the engineer.


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## emrhappy (Aug 12, 2012)

NOPE… Too expensive for my liking. When I worked for BASF, they did all kinds of business with them. I think that's their core competency. Large corporations that have seemingly endless budgets.


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## changeoffocus (Dec 21, 2013)

Dust magnet has it figured out, they have tiered pricing to favor their frequent buyers.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

They have everything under the sun in stock. When time is money, their price is irrelevant.


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## InstantSiv (Jan 12, 2014)

I have their catalog… Just under 4,500 pages.

I'm not going to say anything about their prices… but will say this, they're still in business so they must be doing something right.


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

As a member of the NFIB, I get Grainger discounts that bring their pricing closer to normal. I still never order from them because their website is such a bear to navigate.

McMaster on the other hand, has a site that is so quick and easy to use, others should seek to emulate it. It's so easy to type in a search, click on the right products, then enter the username and password to checkout with a couple clicks.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

It is definitely nearly impossible to find anything on their website, that is why they mail you a catalog. It works great ;-) What Grainger does is keep America's industry working. Their prices are not out of line when the production line is stopped dead in it's tracks ;-) It is definitely not a place for the small shop or homeowner looking for the best price.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

If you need something now. They have almost everything.

If you buy from them a lot you don't pay nearly what some joe who wants one specific item on occasion will pay.

It's expensive to stock a ridiculous amount of nearly everything and when you need a 3 phase 25 hp 480v vertical motor or it's gonna cost you 10 grand an hour you're gonna go to grainger right around the corner and pay an extra 1000$ on a 5000$ Motor because they have it on the shelf.

For most of us, when you want something now, it's usually the place to go when all else fails. Even if you have to pay a 20% mark up.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

I didn't even know this existed: http://www.amazonsupply.com/ Forbes is calling it Jeff Bezos' 10 trillion dollar bet. If they're competitive, they'll own McMaster, Grainger, Lowes, HD & Fastenal within 15 years.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

Wow. At a glance it looks like it has a bunch of stuff I want but never have or use.


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## dawsonbob (Aug 5, 2013)

Wow. Bookmarked AmazonSupply, just in case.


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## jimr1cos (Mar 27, 2013)

My long time employer had a contract with Grainger; the prices in the catalog were at least 40% over what we actually paid. They make their bucks from corporate clients> Walk in retail customers are just a drop in their bucket so they charge what the traffic will bear.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

Yup


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## Woodbum (Jan 3, 2010)

Not that I shop at Grainger anymore, but they must be doing something right. They have been at it for a LONG time with consistently sky high prices. But as was said, in many businesses downtime is the big killer so price consideration goes out the window if the item can be gotten immediately. When looking at value v price, their stuff is very high on the value scale, which is how they justify their pricing, That and availability. And we wonder why goods and services have gotten so pricey. Thank you Grainger and all of the other institutionally subsidized suppliers for that. They are not about to leave money on the table if they can get their stupidly high prices.

My main beef with Grainger, and a lot of other parts houses is the attitude of the counter staff. They act like all of their customers are idiots, and are wasting their precious time by daring to ask them to look something up. Like I said, not just Grainger but damned near everywhere anymore. Customer service in this day and age SUCKS OUT LOUD! Many of these counter dweebs act like they received their job offer on tablets of stone that were sent down from the mountain. Get real…and get over it. We are your customers and help to pay your wages. AT least, if nothing else, you can say thank you. There. Rant over…for now.


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## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

JAAune and Topamax +1


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## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

So I guess the consensus is that they are geared more toward big corporate companies with accounts and not the single individual shopper?


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

Grainger relies on company purchasing people to blindly order consumable items that have their p/n entered into the system, and that the purchasing people are too busy or lazy to ever price check them.

McMaster and Enco have much better prices…

McMaster also has little articles at the head of each section of their catalog to educate you about the various call outs and options. So when you search up an item, it's worth the extra minute to click on the catalog page number and read the introduction to that item section.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

To put this in perspective, I will use electrical industry numbers because that is what I am familiar with. 
For the average man on the payroll, a contractor spends between $60 and 100k per year for materials. When a one man shop or or homeowner walks in looking for the best deal on a few hundred dollar sale, it really doesn't matter. That sale costs them out of pocket to service it.

I always treated home owners and small jobs as if they were important and did my best to serve their best interests, but in reality, there is no money in those jobs. The long Yankee Green is in contracts where service has value and the best price in not the only consideration.


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## MarkDavisson (Apr 26, 2009)

"The company I work for, Grainger is one of the only "approved" places we are aloud to order from. That being said, the company I work for made over 10 billion dollars just last year. So, I guess they have money to burn."

thechipcarver, isn't it possible that your company made over 10 billion dollars last year because it buys from Grainger along with other policies similar to that one?


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

Policies like that probably do contribute to the company's bottom line. Allowing employees to order from hundreds of different suppliers would quickly turn into an accounting nightmare. Plus with bulk shipping rates and quantity discounts they probably don't pay that much more.

I've seen the Grainger catalog but haven't paid much attention to it. Nowadays, I'd rather toss the catalogs if possible and go directly to websites. Over time, a lot of my product and vendor information ends up in spreadsheets and link me to wherever I need to go. It saves a lot of time and a couple drawers of filing cabinet space.

If a company doesn't have a good website, they better offer me something that I can't get elsewhere or else I'll be ordering from McMaster or a handful of other reliable suppliers I like.


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## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

I can never find what I am looking for on Grainger's website.
MC Master is a breeze to navigate.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Got that right, Bert. McMasters is an awesome website. Anyone involved in internet business would do well to emulate them. Their search engine knows what I'm looking for before I get my query entered. Very impressive.


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

Years ago I was told the man that started Grainger's had worked on an oil field drilling rig. He said he was tired of sitting and waiting on parts that were not in stock. He left his job and started Grainger's and told everyone he had one of everything in stock. That was his goal. Order it and he would deliver it. With that said I have taken phone calls from drilling rigs in the Gulf water. I remember telling someone that the parts could be made overnight but they would cost more. He asked how much. I told him and he said send me 2 sets of those. It costs me $50,000 and hour to sit idle out here. That was 20 years ago so the prices have gone up accordingly. Like Topamax said up above; when you sell service you shop there. My uncle had a heat and A/C business. Where he made his money was servicing supermarkets and convenience stores. He shopped at Grainger for that work. They have a place…..it just isn't with the hobby person.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

+1 Grandpa ;-)


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## bowedcurly (Aug 31, 2013)

I'm glad Grainger don't sell chicken or I would go hungry. I like chicken, really love them pinto beans I'm a diabetic and they are the best thing you can eat, besides chicken


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## bowedcurly (Aug 31, 2013)

I do like chicken


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## bowedcurly (Aug 31, 2013)

Pinto beans are good for you, make you Nomadic


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## firefighterontheside (Apr 26, 2013)

I often buy stuff from Grainger for the firehouse. They have stuff I can't get anywhere else. The price I see online is usually not the price I pay with our account. I get free shipping right to my firehouse. Don't usually buy power tools from them though.


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## Strax (Oct 17, 2015)

Grainger is not much more expensive when you factor in company discounts, volume discounts, friend discounts, etc. It is not unusual for company accounts to have a discount between 30-50%, so what they do is list everything at "list price" and then make all of these companies and their buying representatives feel special by giving them a discount. They have sales teams and customer representatives that are there to give personal service and to make the people shopping with them feel important, which is extremely important to a lot of people.

As far as individuals go, the people that shop and pay full price at Grainger basically lazy, since you can find most of what they sell other places for much much less. Grainger used to have a convenience factor of having everything in one place, but now with online shopping that means essentially nothing.

Many people have said that the contractors that shop at Grainger just do not care about price, but in my experience that only applies to government contractors. More often it is like the stereotype of a woman who buys a dress because it is "on sale" without questioning how inflated the original price was.


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## hhhopks (Nov 22, 2011)

Though I like to get the best price for parts, I am not paid to go shopping. There is an opportunity cost lost somewhere if I am to do the normal shopping.

I think bigger companies may have some kind of deal with sellers like Grainger where the ticket prices are not be for real. It is likely that the bean counters had work up a deal where they just take the company's total purchases and the buyer gets a percentage kickback to them. I believe that is why workers are ask to buy exclusively from certain vendors when ever possible. It is kind of like the credit card kick back but in a much larger scale. I may be all wet on this theory.


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

Where do people dig up these ancient threads?


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

> Where do people dig up these ancient threads?
> 
> - jonah


Grainger . . . but they're kind of expensive.


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