Hamilton Tool & Supply — Local services in Beaver Falls

My old but wonderful 1985 band saw broke on a Thursday evening at about 11pm. Not good.... I use it everyday in our business, especially during the Christmas season, and love to use older refurbished tools. I purposely seek out older woodworking tools, like table saws, planes and band saws, since many of them are better than the new junk on the market. I typically buy them broken, and refurbish them myself. On this day, I could not find parts for it anywhere, and I really mean that. But then I found Hamilton Tool & Supply Co online, and called them on Friday morning. They answered the phone in person (so refreshing), and talked with Phil. I simply said my old 14" Buffalo band saw had a broken blade guide, and he immediately responded with the exact model number, before I could even give it to him. He asked me which type of replacement part I wanted, the standard or the upgraded roller bearing type. Phil had me on the right track in about 1 minute! How often does that happen today? I asked about shipping options, since I live in Missouri, and needed it ASAP! He quoted me the USPS Priority Mail Express price (with no upcharge), and I said I was going to check a few more places locally before I bought it. Phil professionally said "good luck with that", which struck me as a clue from a seasoned veteran of the parts business that my ongoing search was going to bomb. It did....

I called back an hour later, said he was right, and paid for the part and shipping. He said it likely would arrive on Monday, but it was possible to get it Sunday. It did arrive on Sunday afternoon, and I was operational again. This company is great and it was such a pleasure to work with them on a solution, the correct solution, and an incredibly efficient experience from start to finish. The part they sent was superior to the one in my machine, and Hamilton Tool & Supply Co is now on my speed dial for any parts I need in the future. I have many older tools in my woodworking shop, so I almost look forward to the next time I need something (crazy, right...?). I only wish they weren't half way across the country, so I could meet them in person and shop for another cool old tool at their store. Thanks again Phil, you're great! Ben Mudd - DebbenFarm and Grace...

Had purchased an Accura shaper fence from them on eBay. Price was neither high or low. I live on the other side of the state, so when I found myself 20:minutes away, figured I'd take a look. First, the owner and staff are very nice. Someone else mentioned the amass of tools. It can be a bit overwhelming depending on who you are. Not sure how things are categorized, not 100% they know where 'everything' is. Would I have liked to spend money there? Yes. But as someone else said, I didn't find any "deals". Some hard to find items? Absolutely! Need a ridiculously sized open end wrench or socket ... look no further. A reviewer said they'd perhaps 'make a deal' if you made an offer. I may have explored that if I had read the review prior. But I didn't feel like lugging something from Floor #3 or 4, them take my offer as an insult. Someone said you could spend 3hrs there. Maybe ... but I couldn't. I tried to check out the 30k SF warehouse, but it was closed. My final summation: Worth the visit? Yes. Pricing? Not great. He's got a boat load of stuff to sell. Some (much) of it will sit until there's little to no value to it. Will I keep watching them on eBay? Yes. Would I return? Yes... and...

Let’s start with the positives:

• It’s massive and you will almost certainly find something that you’re looking for.

• It is honestly fun to walk around and look at the items.

All right time for the negatives:

• No returns / Warranty that anything will work.

• Everything is over priced. Every single item I looked up was at or above retail prices. A few times it was slightly below retail prices. Which would be fine if these were new items with a warranty. Unacceptable to sell used items at or above retail prices. (An example of this is selling a compact washing machine that was built in the last 5 years that you can get off of Amazon for $75 new. For exactly $75 used without all the parts.)

Lastly, I’m sure you can haggle with them to go lower on items, but to me it’s not worth it. If you’re looking for a deal just go to Facebook marketplace. Or just buy new from Home Depot for the same prices but with the insurance that your item will work.

There is a reason the store is filled from top to bottom with inventory, price.

It pains me because I prefer to buy local and not go to places like Home Depot.

Great museum,...