M3 Plastic Fastener Kit

Another review in the “nano” series, and this time it’s about a very useful little item to have around: fasteners.


I already reviewed a similar fastener kit, and I can say right away that it turned out to be extremely handy, partly because it’s made of plastic. Its key advantages over metal fasteners are that you can easily trim plastic ones to the required length with ordinary diagonal cutters, and they don’t conduct electricity, which can be useful sometimes.

Like the previous kit, this one comes in a small plastic box, which is also sealed with tape so it won’t open in transit.
The box is neat. I think once I’ve used up the fasteners, it’ll come in handy for storing odds and ends—or other fasteners.


The kit contains 10 types of fasteners:
1. M3×6 screw
2. M3 nut
3. Nut-to-nut standoffs in four lengths
4. Nut-to-screw standoffs in four lengths


The listing said the kit contained:
80 screws
80 nuts
20 each of 6, 8, and 10 mm standoffs
10 standoffs, 12 mm long.


The types of fasteners were all there, but the quantities were another matter.
1. There were 68 nuts instead of 80
2. Even fewer screws: 64 instead of 80.
3. There were 21 short nut-to-nut standoffs instead of 20—the only item that exceeded the listed quantity
4. There were 20 each of the 8 mm nut-to-nut standoffs and the 12 mm standoffs, as listed
5. The remaining standoffs were short by varying amounts.

So instead of 300 pieces, I got just 265. That’s quite a big difference...


The dimensions are generally as specified. The only thing is, the screw thread diameter seemed a little smaller than stated, and it even varies within a single screw—the thread is slightly oval.


Overall, I found very little to complain about in terms of quality. The standoffs have through-holes, by the way. There are a few minor flaws, such as flash or crooked screws, but not many.


When I tried assembling different fastener configurations, I noticed that some screws—whether used on their own or with standoffs—were quite tight, while others were a little loose. I wouldn’t say it makes much difference, but the previous kit seemed to have more consistent quality.


And a couple of words about how to use them.
This kind of fastener turned out to be very handy for mounting things on the front panels of devices. The process is simple: drill 2.5 mm holes where needed, tap them M3, install the standoffs, then use diagonal cutters from the front to trim off the excess so the cut is flush with the front panel.


Of course, you can use either standoffs or just screws. Then sand the surface with whatever you have to smooth out any unevenness, if there is any, and stick on a cover panel. If the front panel and the fasteners are the same color, you can skip the cover panel, but the result won’t look quite as good.
These fasteners hold surprisingly well, too.


This type of fastener can also withstand the temperature of the transistor heatsink in an electronic load, and it’s an insulator as well. The dielectric properties of these fasteners aren’t specified, of course, but they’re more than adequate for low-voltage equipment.


Just to be safe, I also checked the breakdown voltage. The standoff handled 5000 V without any problems.


So, overall, this is a decent fastener kit. There are a few minor manufacturing flaws, but nothing serious. The selection is also pretty well thought out, with practically nothing unnecessary—no extra-long screws or standoffs, for example. Sure, long screws and standoffs are sometimes useful too, but small fasteners are needed much more often.

The main drawback is the short count, which I consider quite significant. It’s hard to say much about the price: if this price works for you, go for it; if you find it cheaper elsewhere, I doubt there’ll be any major differences. The kit itself is useful, though, and I recommend it.

The store provided the coupon BGdccfc5; with it, the price should be $4.99 through September 30