Online catalogs

For small things, I pick vendors based on a few key criteria, the biggest one is how easy it is to find what I want on their web site. (The other factors are delivery time and if they’ll take a PO without needing any other information from me.)

McMaster-Carr has the best web site I’ve ever used (pictured above). It’s fast and intuitive to find what I’m looking for, and the information I need in order to select the right product is right there on the product pages (I don’t have to click through to a PDF or run a Google search to remind myself which type of aluminum is the lightest). It’s way ahead of the competition. Aesthetically, their all B&W line drawing look is pleasing, but it would be nice if I could get a color photo at some point in the search. Thier search interface works so well that sometimes I just use it to find a manufacturer item code, which I then use to find something on a different company’s web site.

Digikey recently released their Dynamic Catalog and it’s wildly underwhelming. As far as I can tell, it’s simply a reformatting of a portion of their offerings. Their basic search system (pictured below) is showing its age, but it’s decent.

Mouser’s web site is functionally similar (below).

Sparkfun’s web site is well done. They have a relatively limited catalog, so it’s easier for them to keep things nice without needing a complex search interface. What’s really nice is the discussion thread on each item’s page.

Thorlabs’ web site deserves high praise as well.

Related post: Catalogs as Textbooks (popular)