- Joined
- Apr 3, 2002
- Location
- Bloomington, IN
Hi, all.
I thought I'd write a quick tidbit on a finding today.
For case modding and general, I've been a big fan of Home Depot. (And large hardware wholesale places like this in general.) They're big, they have good selection, and there's just something to be said for the "manliness factor" of walking through a huge building full of lumber and power tools.
But lately, I've found that there can be a much better value to be found locally. Here are a couple of examples:
I needed a small, special hex wrench to attach the aluminum knobs to my rheostats on a homemade fanbus. When I looked at Home Depot, I found $10-$15 hex sets which might have the right size. Not exactly what I wanted to shell out for one wrench. Next, I went to Radio Shack. They had a $12 set which definitely had the right wrench. Better ... Then, I went to Hardware Hank, a local chain of hardware stores in the Twin Cities. They had the wrench for something like $.75. (My memory's a bit rusty -- it may well have been lower, like $.28.) Not a bad deal -- I bought myself some Dremel tool bits with the savings.
Next example: I needed some sort of insulation which I could apply to my solder joints, since my fanbus would be in close quarters with the case. Nothing to be found at Home Depot, Walmart, Menards, you name it. At some Hardware Hanks, I could find a bottle of brush-on insulation for under $10.
One last example: Today, I wanted to get some rubber washers to dampen the vibrations from my case fans. Walmart, etc., had none. I looked at Home Depot, expecting to find scads of washers. There was very little selection, the ones they did have were too thick, and worse yet, they were $.29 each! I really didn't plan on spending more than a $2.00 on 8 small little washers. So, next on to Hardware Hank. Voila! I found 1/16" thick, 3/16" inner diameter, 1/2" outer diameter washers, whose rubber was softer than those at Home Depot, for a mere $.08 apiece, or a bit under a third of the cost. Not bad.
So, the moral of the story is, when looking for case modding gear, don't forget to check out your local hardware store. Not only is their selection sometimes better, but their prices are often lower.
-- Paul
I thought I'd write a quick tidbit on a finding today.
For case modding and general, I've been a big fan of Home Depot. (And large hardware wholesale places like this in general.) They're big, they have good selection, and there's just something to be said for the "manliness factor" of walking through a huge building full of lumber and power tools.
But lately, I've found that there can be a much better value to be found locally. Here are a couple of examples:
I needed a small, special hex wrench to attach the aluminum knobs to my rheostats on a homemade fanbus. When I looked at Home Depot, I found $10-$15 hex sets which might have the right size. Not exactly what I wanted to shell out for one wrench. Next, I went to Radio Shack. They had a $12 set which definitely had the right wrench. Better ... Then, I went to Hardware Hank, a local chain of hardware stores in the Twin Cities. They had the wrench for something like $.75. (My memory's a bit rusty -- it may well have been lower, like $.28.) Not a bad deal -- I bought myself some Dremel tool bits with the savings.
Next example: I needed some sort of insulation which I could apply to my solder joints, since my fanbus would be in close quarters with the case. Nothing to be found at Home Depot, Walmart, Menards, you name it. At some Hardware Hanks, I could find a bottle of brush-on insulation for under $10.
One last example: Today, I wanted to get some rubber washers to dampen the vibrations from my case fans. Walmart, etc., had none. I looked at Home Depot, expecting to find scads of washers. There was very little selection, the ones they did have were too thick, and worse yet, they were $.29 each! I really didn't plan on spending more than a $2.00 on 8 small little washers. So, next on to Hardware Hank. Voila! I found 1/16" thick, 3/16" inner diameter, 1/2" outer diameter washers, whose rubber was softer than those at Home Depot, for a mere $.08 apiece, or a bit under a third of the cost. Not bad.
So, the moral of the story is, when looking for case modding gear, don't forget to check out your local hardware store. Not only is their selection sometimes better, but their prices are often lower.
-- Paul