Adam Savage's Favorite Tools: McMaster-Carr Catalog!

For Adam's final tool tip of the year, he reads from an iconic yellow book: the mighty McMaster-Carr catalog. Not only is it an essential reference guide to the over half million products sold by McMaster-Carr, but its detailed descriptions unlock the utility for all manner of esoteric tools and hardware supplies. The printed catalog isn't easy to get ahold of, but thankfully the entire catalog is also online and in McMaster-Carr's mobile app!

Shot by Adam Savage

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[jacobdillingham]

I’m a young mechanical engineer, 24 years old. I started using McMaster-Carr in an internship to help redesign farm equipment that a hometown company made and sold. In that catalog, just browsing, I found perfect tools and parts for my applications that I would’ve never in a million years thought existed. From in set/lo profile rollers, to corrosion resistant heavy duty casters, to latches, to bolts of every size and rating. And everything has free downloadable 3D models.. This site singlehandedly allowed me to find my niche in the mechanical engineering world, R&D/product design roles. That’s the kind of work I wake up for in the morning and go to bed sleeping about. This “tool” has been a staple for every job I’ve had since then. So glad you enlightened the audience on this fantastic company. Thank you Adam.

[WesleyTreat]

A patron sent me a McMaster-Carr catalog and I am now the envy of the three people I know who understand its majesty.

[KhakiShorts]

As a McMaster-Carr employee, thank you so much for the love. I'm still amazed on a daily basis by things I run across I've never seen before (and some of them I have no clue what they are and have to read the description). I remember watching your video about the Apollo capsule door build and seeing all the small parts laid out in McMaster-Carr bags (which a lot of people save for storing stuff in their shops). Thanks again and keep ordering!

[seandonaldson]

Best part about this is when using McMaster parts 3D models of their website in your solidworks assemblies you end up with a bill of materials you can just order when it’s time to build your design. Huge life hack/timesaver and the First thing I taught and new designer back when I did this for a living.

[dodaexploda]

Am I going to spend ten minutes watching Adam Savage doddle around a catalog? You bet I am!

[willsworld]

If "Every Tool is a Hammer" that book would be a mallet!!

[JP_]

My first day in college working in the scene shop in my theatre, someone handed me the McMaster catalog and told me to put a hardware order together to replenish our stock. I finished the order and then spent another 4 hours just going through the catalog. It is the bible. Now I realize I know nothing about the company, it's history, who is behind it etc. I guess it's time for a trip down that rabbit hole. Thank you!

[BussyConnoisseur]

Me: *never going to order from that catalogue ever*
Also me: I need that

[RapheoRecords]

A few months ago at my University, I found one in the trash. Someone just discarded it, thinking it was meaningless. It was such sacrilege.

[gregcollins]

McMaster-Carr is like having a warehouse next door. I can order anything and it will be on my desk the next morning.
Prices are a bit higher perhaps, but the quality is dependable and it is worth it. Best catalog and best website bar none.

[mh]

As someone who works with 3D CAD all day, my favourite thing about their online catalog is that they have CAD drawings for everything! It can be so hard to find detailed dimensions of some small parts. Love these guys!

[matt]

The slap of hefty catalogue against a workbench when you finally remember what part you needed to order.

[scottwright]

Love the McMaster-Carr catalog! The 9 downvotes must be from Grainger employees?

[courtlandpremo]

I watched this a couple days ago and just today I received my copy of 127. I learned about McMaster Carr when I started work on MTV's Silent Library. During that time I once spent three days straight flipping through it single page by single page. It is one of the greatest print books I have ever had the pleasure of using. Over the years l have built all kinds of crazy contraptions with nearly daily deliveries from McMaster. I bonded with my uncle who builds spacecraft headed to Mars, I don't have a lot in common professionally with a machinist from JPL, but a love and appreciation for McMaster-Carr was the overlap in our Venn diagrams. After watching this episode I promptly mailed 123 to my 8 year old nephew, and promised 126 to an old and dear friend. Thank you for putting a spotlight on my favorite tool.

[Beastintheomlet]

I’ve really been enjoying spending my weird 2020 geeking out about tools and machining with Adam.

[EricMeyerweb]

Speaking of their web presence, a few years back I consulted with their web team to help them up their CSS game, and they’re every bit as brilliant as you’d expect. They went above and beyond to recreate the experience of the physical catalog on the web**, doing things I hadn’t thought possible. And it was great to see that the company really did take good care of their employees. I became a fan as a result of that gig.

** Nerd note: This will mostly make sense to those who are web-design-savvy, but the web team essentially wrote a lightweight headless browser rendering engine to figure out how the requested page components should be sized and placed in the requesting browser window, and then custom-generated the CSS to make that happen. And they did this in the early days of the 2000s. I was blown away by what they’d accomplished.

[noobZeus.]

I am a recently graduated mechanical engineer, I can't tell how much McMaster Carr online catalog which has CAD models which you can import into your CAD software has helped me save time and its really impressive and after watching this video I want a physical copy of this catalog so badly.

[watomb]

Love this catalog one of the reasons I went into engineering. My uncle left his book out and I was 12 I found it to be amazing.

[chelseajewell]

I used to work for them....it was a really great experience! Probably the best job I will have ever had. And their online catalog / app really are a cut above. Watching this love letter to the catalog made me so happy!

[tonywoodside]

A few years ago I was going on and on about the McMaster catalog, and my wife didn't understand the fuss. I told her it had "EVERYTHING." She said, "Oh yeah? How about tampons?" *cut to me thumbing through the index in the back* "Here you go! Would you like a box of 500? I can get you a wall-mount dispenser too!"