Menards

[Ultradog MN]

I had to drill into some concrete to
reinforce a handrail on Friday.
Needed a 5/32 SDS bit for my drill.
There was a Menards just a couple of miles
away so I went and bought 2 of them.
The first one twisted off but I was lucky
and was able to pry it out.
I put the second one in and drilled a dozen
holes with it.
When I went to remove the bit from the
drill it would not come out. I had to put
vise grips on the bit and tap it out with a
hammer.
Looked closer at it when I got home and can
see the steel around the keyway is soft has
deformed just enough to increase the
diameter of the drill shank so it wouldn't
pull out.
These bits were an off brand.
Home Depot sells Bosch SDS bits. I will go
back to buying those.

 

[Sprint 6]

Anything not name brand at Menard's is junk. Worse than Harbor Freight junk. Their building supplies are junk, and if you have them deliver anything, they may destroy part of it. My last time dealing with Menard's was trying to get patio blocks my wife just HAD to have. It took 2 months and a threat to get the Attory General involved to get them to deliver a PRE-PAID IN FULL order. I had ordered a substantial amount of blocks, but the local store was never allotted enough on one shipment to fill my order. Common sense would say you'd sit on them until your regular shipment had you enough to fulfill the order. Nope, not Menard's, company policy is, if the shipment doesn't fill an order, the order stays on order, and they sell the ones that did come in on the floor. I asked the manager how they would ever have enough, since my order was for more then they ever get on one shipment. Finally got the store manager to understand that was fraud, as those blocks were paid for in store, and were mine until they had enough to fulfill my order. Then they delivered them, and I ended up with half a pallet of smashed ones, which I expected and had planned for due to previous deliveries from them. Haven't darkened their door since.

 

[Charles in Aus.]

SDS drills are one thing I will not skimp on Ultradog , it's fortunate that the chuck wasn.t ruined .
I've also learnt through bitter experience that the concrete or brick ruined costs far more than any type of decent bit . Of course you must use what's available though , I've had a cheap one lose half a cutter and drill sideways once !
There are types called Quadcut that I find to be marvelous , two crossed cutting blades giving four cutting corners . Less noise cleaner and faster cuts with less pressure needed . They are an absolute boon for drilling close to the edge of hard vitreous brick without shattering it .

 

[kcm.MN]

Sprint 6, sounds like you dislike Menards about as much as I do. It is rare that we go there anymore. Wife doesn't mind (go figure), but I see them without rose colored glasses. One of my greatest complaints is how they so brazenly use their own customer's money and in some cases KEEP that money, all in the guise of pretending to save them money. What I'm speaking of is their 11% rebate. In many instances, Menards is more expensive than Home Depot, but the nearest HD from us is another 80 miles away, and even Menards is too far away unless we just happen to be in town. But this 11% rebate -- what a scam! Customers pay the store money for products, then have to fill out a rebate form and mail it in, then wait for a small card to arrive in the mail before the customer can see that money again. In the meantime, Menards happily uses these monies in any way they see fit. And look at the many ways that Menards gets to KEEP that money for free?
1. customer chooses to not send in for rebate
2. customer loses rebate check before redeeming
3. and even if customer fills out rebate form and mails in, and then gets a rebate check some WEEKS later, Menards gets to use that money for FREE until that rebate check is redeemed in the store. Oh, and these checks are ONLY redeemable for products within the store and have NO CASH VALUE otherwise!!

So who needs a bank when you can borrow money for free from your own customers? Or when you get to keep that money? Yes, that's quite the scam they have going, and it's perfectly legal.

Last time we were there, they overcharged for some building materials. While heading to the truck, I kept thinking the dollar amount was off, so looked at the receipt and sure enough, the overcharge was there. I went to service desk and informed them of the issue. Rather than refund the money that I overpaid due to THEIR MISTAKE, they printed me a rebate check.....good for use in-store only. And just think, if that over-payment had not happened, I would have been free to use that money ANYWHERE I wanted, as it was MY money; not even part of their 11% rebate scam!!

I can't help but wonder how much money they get to keep because of people not sending in a rebate, or never using their rebate check? What a sweet (for THEM) business practice!!

And in our instance, even Menards is a 2-hour drive away. Home Depot is another 1 1/2 hours past that. And half of the small-town lumberyards that used to be close by are now closed because of the big box stores.

 

[John T]

Of course, there may be more expensive or perhaps cheaper tools to choose from regardless if one shopped at Lowes or Home Depot or Menards. I happen to prefer name brand quality tools if I shop at Lowes or Home Depot or Menards. Locally we have Lowes and Menards but I get MUCH better service and satisfaction at Menards so choose to shop there. Hey, if I make a bad choice I BLAME IT ON MY STUPIDITY instead of Lowes or Home Depot or Menards MY BAD grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Shop and choose wisely for what best suits YOUR needs and YOUR budget, regardless if it happens to be Lowes or Menards of Home Depot. Its only YOU who may pay the consequences, none of us here ..........

Have a great day everyone, be a wise shopper

John T

 

[CKain(MI)]

KCM, In Michigan,
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/michigan_changed_item_pricing_law_but_your_consumer_rights_did_not

 

[chvet73]

I recently used an older 1/4 masonry bit. I have no idea what brand. When I finished drilling and went to put the bit away I realized the carbide insert had fallen off the bit. Never found it either. And have never seen that happen before.

 

[coonie minnie]

There are worse scams- the rebate never expires, other deals do. I bought a complete pole shed on the rebate program, they sent me a form
for over 7 grand. I used it all. And the price on the shed would have been the same the week before the rebate offering.

It's dumb, but people like stuff like that.

 

[Billy NY]

Jerry, when it comes to drill bits masonry or steel, I found that cutting costs on the bits vs labor hours to deal with things like you describe or that they don't give good service life with reasonable care in their use, cost more in the long run then ponying up for a better product. I like Hilti, Bosch and a few others. You pay for Hilti, but their products seem to hold up, especially masonry drill bits.

Also consider that you do not know what was in the concrete, that in combination with a lesser bit, could have contributed. I don't like considering snapping a drill bit, given the inherent danger, kind of like off brand grinding wheels, if they come apart, grenade like shrapnel effect. No guarantee with any of these things, but seems your chances are much better with higher quality products.

 

[Pete in Holland MI]

Can never figure out why people buy something cheaper and expect it to perform like the higher end product.

Quality materials & processes cost money folks. Steel looks like steel, but it's the chemistry & the processes of the steel that makes one tool better than the other, and that chemistry costs. No fancy packaging or gimmicks will replace quality steel.

Are there cheaper look a-likes out there? Sure. They work for some, but disappoint others for lack of performance. They sell a lot of them cause uninformed people are looking for the cheaper option.

Its not the store. Its the products that are carried. You'll often find several price options for products. Learn what makes a good tool and tune your buying habits to better quality stuff, and you'll be happier in the long run.