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  1. #16
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    se Melbourne
    Age
    63
    Posts
    189

    Default First impressions

    Driving home the other night I went past two big hardware stores. Both were open. One seemed to be dark and gloomy, the other light and bright.
    Today went into a Masters store for the first time.
    Tools - noticed they did not carry Makita at all. Xceed, and Worx brands available as well as their 909 line. Bosch and Hitachi also available.
    Timber was well presented and was assisted by a staff member. When I asked for nuts and bolts the staff member at first showed me the rivets. Noticed that there were instructions on how to use various fasteners (dyna bolts, hollow wall anchors, spring toggles etc) and that they could be bought individually or by the box.
    At the information counter the staff ignored me for a few minutes before pointing me in the right direction.

    Will need additional visits to see if it is worth going to on a regular basis.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    1,174

    Default

    Driving past the new Masters in Bibra lake today I noticed the carpark was chokka. I always shirk at the sight of a sign that says "Home improvement centre". With a sign like that that I can tell it's going to just be another "Home Depot" style store with more space devoted to home accessories than anything else so between the crowded car park and the sign I did not stop. I dislike crowds and went on to the Northlake Bunnings (also chokka) where I ended up in a register queue where a person I know (but pretended not to) a couple of customers ahead of me held the queue up for about 15 minutes while she disputed the price of $2 pot plants. ARRRGGGH!
    This is why I like to shop at 7 am or pm

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Deception Bay Qld
    Posts
    14

    Default

    I have 2 bitches about Masters, the dressed red oak timber they sell in heaps of sizes except for square stock there's no 50mm or 75mm for table legs etc.
    I am doing up a bathroom and was checking out the gyprock prices they had sheets and cornice but no Stud Adhesive or Cornice Cement and tried to sell me tubes of Liquid Nails type stuff, you would think that the Gyprock supplier would have said we better send you all the Glues and gear too, but they probably said Nah! we got this stuff in tubes that will do'em.
    Back to the timber i did fill out a Request Form to include square stock in the range about 4 months ago but nothing has changed.
    So in the end I still go to the Green Shed because they have all off it .

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Perth, Western Australia
    Posts
    2

    Angry

    Quote Originally Posted by BobL View Post
    Driving past the new Masters in Bibra lake today I noticed the carpark was chokka. I always shirk at the sight of a sign that says "Home improvement centre". ... I dislike crowds and went on to the Northlake Bunnings (also chokka) where I ended up in a register queue where a person ... held the queue up for about 15 minutes while she disputed the price of $2 pot plants. ARRRGGGH!
    This is why I like to shop at 7 am or pm
    You should've detoured to the Bibra Lake Bunnies on Spearwood Ave, bigger store not as busy.

    That is one thing about Bunnies they have different sized stores, the smaller ones don't carry some of the product lines. So you have to go out of your way to the bigger store!!
    Arie.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Darwin HowardSprings
    Age
    52
    Posts
    0

    Default

    your lucky you have a choice , the big green shed ran all the miter 10's out of town , they then closed down 2 green sheds and built a new one in the middle ? , and now there selection of tools has 1/4 ed ,( dropped the good brands " sorry were out of stock for months " ) , then west farmers byes them out , and i have noticed the cue's to pay have 10 folded ??? they need a"big blue twin " to kick there #### into shape
    how come a 10mm peg dont fit in a 10mm hole

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    mackay
    Posts
    31

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by SawDustSniffer View Post
    your lucky you have a choice , the big green shed ran all the miter 10's out of town , they then closed down 2 green sheds and built a new one in the middle ? , and now there selection of tools has 1/4 ed ,( dropped the good brands " sorry were out of stock for months " ) , then west farmers byes them out , and i have noticed the cue's to pay have 10 folded ??? they need a"big blue twin " to kick there #### into shape
    That is the reality of someone new coming to town, here in Mackay the Masters complex is underway but they will have to share the developement with Bunnings, side by side [that will test them both] Mitre10 will suffer as will Porters and the other local hardware outlets.
    I, for one will not support Masters, I will support an Australian hardware company first. Woolworths has become about as Australian as one of those boat people, they're bringing in Lowes from America to set up each store so I hope it comes back to bite them.
    Woolworths, Lowe's pay $12 million set-up costs

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    1,174

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Breezy View Post
    You should've detoured to the Bibra Lake Bunnies on Spearwood Ave, bigger store not as busy.
    Yeah I go to that one sometimes when I at the milling yard.

    That is one thing about Bunnies they have different sized stores, the smaller ones don't carry some of the product lines. So you have to go out of your way to the bigger store!!
    My closest is the minuscule South Perth Bunnings which has next to bugger all in it. I use dot know a couple of the staff there fairly well and they also had "Rodger" the best paint guy I have run across anywhere but these days the staff all look about 15 to me.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Mornington Peninsula
    Age
    49
    Posts
    0

    Default

    My wife sent me a message before saying it looks like the new Masters near the airport in Canberra is open

    If you're looking for me this weekend, guess where I will be
    It's only a mistake if you don't learn from it.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Canberra
    Posts
    0

    Default

    Got the catalog in the mail. What is this Red oak and poplar? is the US side taking over everything? or have they re-branded meranti and tassie oak?

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Gold Coast
    Age
    64
    Posts
    8

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by titchtheclown View Post
    Got the catalog in the mail. What is this Red oak and poplar? is the US side taking over everything? or have they re-branded meranti and tassie oak?
    Pink and white. But not in a coconut ice way. And not rebranded Aussie timbers. I was told by a staffer at Masters that they are sourced from Canadian mills. Presumably ones that are used by Lowes.

    There are some recent threads were poplar esp. the Masters stuff is discussed.

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    se Melbourne
    Age
    63
    Posts
    189

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by titchtheclown View Post
    Got the catalog in the mail. What is this Red oak and poplar? is the US side taking over everything? or have they re-branded meranti and tassie oak?
    I used a piece of this Red Oak to repair a bench seat. It is a kiln dried hard wood. The edges were a sharp 90 degrees. I rounded the edges using a rounding bit in the router. The timber was OK to machine.
    What I did notice was that the timber was sorted in size and length - neatly. At one other big chain hardware store you often need to move several boards to get the length you want and often the timber is warped, or full of knots.
    Twice recently I have required 120 x 19 pine and a small hardware store near me has had a suitable length and almost clear piece for me. The second time they even had 110 x 19 which was the size I was going to rip the 120 to anyway. So by shopping local I saved at least 3/4 hour and probably paid no more than at the big two.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Port Kennedy, Perth
    Age
    53
    Posts
    0

    Default

    I have been to Masters a few times now. The first time I went there the staff had no idea. In time they will improve you have to remember that the big green shed has been around a long time. I still go to the green shed for small things but do go out of my way for larger buys. BTW there are a few exstaff members from green shed working at the local Masters.
    David
    giveitagoturning @hotmail.com

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Victoria
    Posts
    596

    Default

    Went in one for the first time yesterday. (Knox opposite Bunnings). On the whole I was impressed. They have a mixture of cheap and some good quality tools - not too many stores sell Stahwille and Crescent these days. The wood was pretty good too, looked as if it had been selected for straightness and lack of knots!
    The clincher for me was titebond, I, II and III, very very reasonable and in a variety of sizes. Not many people seemed to be leaving empty handed.
    Cheers,
    Jim

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