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KILLSWITCH competitors are encouraged to build their robots using primarily scavenged parts. Thrift stores, yard sales, and local Craigslist ads are great sources for R/C vehicles and toys full of useful hardware for pennies on the dollar. Still, it's likely that all of us will need to order something, and this list of vendors is intended to make this easier.

LOCAL SOURCES

There aren't very many places we can go to get robot parts in town, and if we don't support them, there will eventually be none at all. Just be aware that everything is cheaper online -- often very much cheaper -- so if there's something you want but can't bring yourself to buy, check internet sources before giving up entirely.

  • HobbyTown USA

    The only source for R/C parts in town. High prices.

  • Shields Electronics

    The only source for electronic components in town. Talk to Don Hall and identify yourself as a Knox Maker.

DOMESTIC SOURCES

These vendors can generally ship the fastest, which can be a real lifesaver if you've waited too long to order.

  • Jameco Electronics

    Lots of components, modules, and kits. Check out their "Robot Store" particularly. Good prices.

  • Pololu

    Good selection of robotics parts and electronics.

  • Solarbotics

    Canadian shop with some good motors, pulleys, and the like.

  • Robot Shop

    Canadian source for all manner of robotics and quadcopter-related parts and kits.

  • Servo City

    Nice selection of servos, motors, and associated electronics.

  • The Robot Marketplace

    Robot and R/C parts, some oriented toward combat robots. Not cheap.

  • Banebots

    Motors, gearboxes, hubs, and wheels for combat robots.

  • Trossen Robotics

    Robotics and microcontroller parts and kits.

  • Fingertech Robotics

    Motors, servos, electronics, and hardware.

  • Robot Power

    R/C and Arduino-compatible motor controllers

  • Dimension Engineering

    Motor controllers and related electronics.

  • Tower Hobbies

    Lots of R/C oriented parts - motors, controllers, transmitters, etc. Employee owned.

  • McMaster-Carr

    Overwhelming selection of all things mechanical, from bearings and fasteners to sheet metal and pulleys.

  • Adafruit

    Maker-centric source for electronics parts, modules, and kits. Kinda spendy. Knox Makers arranges group buys for discounts from time to time.

  • SparkFun

    Very like Adafruit, but with slightly better prices.

  • DigiKey

    Incredibly vast selection of electronic and electromechanical parts.

  • Mouser Electronics

    Very like DigiKey, but with a slightly less good search.

  • Arrow Electronics

    Another supplier like DigiKey and Mouser.

MIXED SOURCES

These meta-vendors encompass both domestic and overseas sources, so quality and delivery times can vary widely.

  • Amazon Smile

    You can get anything on Amazon, often for cheap. If you buy from Amazon, please use Amazon Smile and choose Knox Makers as your charity!

  • Ebay

    Everything is available here, too. Deals abound.

OVERSEAS SOURCES

These vendors offer particularly good pricing, but are often slow to deliver. Plan ahead and order early if you plan to use them.

  • HobbyKing

    Amazing selection of R/C vehicles, kits, and parts. Good prices. Products spread among various warehouses; shipping time variable as a result.

  • SeeedStudio

    Maker-centric source for open hardware, electronics, and robotics parts.

  • RobotDigg

    Good selection of parts for 3D printers, CNC machines, and robotics. Good prices, good quality, medium-slow delivery. Shipping can be costly.

  • DFRobot

    Maker-centric source for open hardware, microcontrollers, and robotics parts.

  • AliExpress

    All kinds of consumer electronics and parts, much direct from the manufacturer. Prices are often as low as they get. The language barrier can be challenging.

  • DealExtreme

    An incredibly wide variety of consumer electronics, toys, and parts. Great prices, decent quality, glacial delivery.

  • Banggood

    Similar to DealExtreme.

Knox Makers doesn't endorse any of these vendors. We benefit only through Amazon Smile.

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