Westmarine - the good and the bad

[recycle]

I bought everything from Defender this year. They were very helpful and the pricing is much better than West Marine.
West Marine seems to carry more floaty things to tow behind your boat than actual boat stuff.

[JiffyLube]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

But the non-Craftsman tools usually don't have any warranty worth spit.

It doesn't matter if it's a Craftsmen tool or not, Sears will replace it if you bought it from Sears. I've bought some Makita tools from Sears over the years (those are good power tools), and I took them back for replacement. The reason for the replacements was because of neglect caused by my workers, not from the tools not holding up to normal use. Sears replaced one of my 1/2 HP electric drills 'two' times, no questions asked.

[SantaAna12]

I agree, WM has excellent customer service. That is the reason I shop there, it certainly isnt the pricing.
Years back, when Port Supply pricing meant something, I finished a small job and while in another marine store saw one of the same items (outboard bracket) for 20% less than my Port Supply price! It was an eye opener, but a good wake up for me. I now make it a point to shop far and wide. I would like to make a counterpoint to the commercial-oriented comment made earlier: if you can find a way to get Port Supply pricing: go for it!

[JiffyLube]

I have to admit today I bought from another place, instead of WM because of price. The other place was closer than WM, and I already knew WM's price. I was looking for 10/2 tinned duplex wire, and a 10amp circuit breaker. WM wanted $2.99 a foot for the Ancor wire, and $25.00 for the Ancor breaker. The other place had Ancor wire too, but they also had wire from another manufacturer that was considerable cheaper...$1.43 per foot, and $14.57 for the breaker (not Ancor). I asked the man behind the desk what was the difference between Ancor wire and the other manufacturer (besides price), and he told me that the only difference was Ancor wire has thinner strands that make up the wire, making it a little more flexible. For $1.43 per foot I can deal with a slightly stiffer wire! I forget the price on their Ancor wire, but I imagine it was probably as expensive as WM's. I'm beginning to think when it comes to 'some things', it's the manufacturers of the products they use that makes WM look expensive

[sailingdog]

JiffyLube-

The thinner strands are part of what make good marine grade wire good marine grade wire. Thinner strands are more resistant to work hardening and fatigue. Sometimes it is worth paying a bit more for the right stuff.

[JiffyLube]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

JiffyLube-

The thinner strands are part of what make good marine grade wire good marine grade wire. Thinner strands are more resistant to work hardening and fatigue. Sometimes it is worth paying a bit more for the right stuff.

I would agree with you sailingdog, but double the price is kinda steep for me.