Date:         Sat, 18 Jan 1997 11:05:10
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         EXPRES@gnn.com (Ron Salmon)
Subject:      Re: Pop Top Seals -  Same or Not?



>the same seal offered by WCM, Whitney, VW Canvas, and what I'm sure
>Ron is offering is available by the foot from McMaster-Carr Supply


Thanks for the info on McMaster-Carr, John.  I called them, hoping to find 
out if theirs was the same as the poptop seal I'm getting. (Would have been 
nice, since it's a little cheaper.)  The answer:  I don't know.  It was 
like pulling teeth to get a brand name out of them (it seems McMaster-Carr 
has a policy of not divulging the manufacturer of what they sell), and then 
it was a different name. But McMaster-Carr is apparantly a hardware store, 
while my wholesaler is a vehicle specialist. I guess it's possible that 
both products could come from the same factory, but be labeled differently 
for hardware and vehicle use.  I'd suppose I'd have to see them side by 
side to find out for sure. I'd be curious to swap a tiny end of one with 
someone who had the McMaster-Carr stuff and find out if they're the same or 
not (that is, assuming I order it).

But I've got another plan. I'm going to call my wholesaler on Monday and 
see if I can use this McMaster-Carr info as a way to bargain them down. 
That might make it possible to offer a better price - if they go for it.  
I'll let you all know on Monday.

-Ron Salmon