Snap on tools

[ghtpdm5]

as far as boxes, i've always liked the montezuma welding/cpl boxes. keeps everything organized and in easy reach. work as well as a stationary box, a cart box, or a truck box. worked out of a lot of different boxes (craftsman, mac, snap-on, cornwell, kobalt) and i still like my montezuma more. Montezuma

and tools, if its something i use constantly, snap-on is worth the money. the guy around here doesn't care, you can break it in front of him and he'll have one in your hand before the third cuss word comes out. for general use, craftsman works fine enough for me. i've broken a couple breaker bars and more ratchets than i can count. only had one issue with them.

 

[WHITE-TRASH]

Different tools are better depending on where ya buy them. Snap on, matco, Mac all have nice ratchets that are worth the money over garbage ratchets like craftsman. I run harbor freight impact sockets and they hold up just as good as the big name stuff in a fleet mechanic situation as proven time and time again by myself and many of my mechanic friends.

I have a harbor freight 4 drawer tool cart that is a perfect match to one sold by blue point for $660, I paid $100 and my cart is used as my home box loaded to the gills with easily 800 lbs of tools crammed in it. Stills like glass and the drawers are pure butter.



Also don't think because it has snap on on the side its a USA made tool. They have been outsourcing some of the line. If it doesn't have the made in USA stamp its Chinese. :wink:

 

[Manning]

I worked with a guy that was once fairly high management in Snap On. He said their pricing scheme was price it as high as the market would stand, not that they cost any more to produce. He also said they are made in the same factories as the other quality tools. I think that overall Snap On is a complete rip off. Then my Bro In Law is a dealer and won't give me a discount.......:roll:

My opinion....their combo wrenches look nice, but are too thin to really crank on. Feels like trying to grab the edge of a knife. Sockets are nice and thin, but weak. But I do think the ratcheting screwdrivers are the absolute best on the market. Love those things.

Craftsman is my default tool brand. Reasonably priced, walk into a store to buy, no hassle warranty.

 

[BigSki]

If you want a tool box that will out live you, look at LISTA Storage Drawer Cabinets and Benches: Authorized Site, these are the people who build industrial grade storage cabinets and tool boxes. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that they actually build the boxes that the tool trucks sell.

I own Snap-on, MAC, SK and Blackhawk hand tools along w/ various Craftsman and Gear Wrench tools.

I have a set of Snap On combo wrenches that were my dads. The chrome was flaking off, so I found the Snap-On truck at the local VW garage and brought the wrenches with me, the guy would not replace them because I didn't buy them from him. He showed me the date code on the wrench, they were made in 1965. I had to send them to Snap-On and they mailed me the replacements. They also sent me a letter stating that tool replacement is up to the local route 'owners' ( apparently, the tool truck driver buys a local zone that becomes his territory).

I will say that when you get into the smaller size sockets and wrenches ( 5/16 and smaller and 6 mm and smaller) there's a HUGE difference in quality and fitment between professional level tools and HF and sears garbage.

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

I've got a great big Blue Point (snap on) tool box. Love it. I too am a huge fan of their ratcheting screw drivers. I've had one for many years and it has been incredibly dependable.

Past that, I am not a fan. Too expensive, sometimes the quality isn't there to remotely justify the price. I also own some Mac, Matco, and Cornwell tools. Cornwell is just as good as most Snap On stuff with a much more reasonable price.

HF impact sockets are awesome and cheap. I've got full sets in long, short, standard, and metric. All of them combined cost me what one set would off of a tool truck. I use their air tools as well. The only thing I've had fail was a 3/8" drill.

 

[RANOVRU]

When I worked in the shop at a GM dealer I saw more than one time our Snap On truck make special stops when something broke on the job. For most thats the second biggest selling point beyond the quality. They will come to you to replace tools on a jobsite.


Also, they often have used namebrand tools on the truck. I bought my first box off of the Snap On truck. It was a MAC box that was a year old and originally $2,800, I got it for $800. Its worthwhile to check this avenue also.

 

[Rubbaneck]

I sell Industrial tools and shit Industrial Construction Supply | AIS Industrial Denver CO & Construction Supply

Tools for Construction: Online Store Home

Take a look at snap-on's other side of tools.

CDI Torque wrenches made by Snap-on. Cheaper and the same tool without the cool name :ror: CDI Torque Products, America's Largest Manufacturer of Torque Equipment

Sioux Tools (impact and air tools) made by Snap-on Sioux Tools

Same warranty, and still get's the job done. We work with our local Kenworth dealer and they seem to have no issue on this stuff.

Armstrong sockets are a great choice too. USA made and full warranty to boot. Craftsman is now over seas and not the same as it was five years ago. http://www.armstrongtools.com/clientextensions/danaher/pages/default.aspx

 

[spookyseven]

Another think to consider when buying tools is find what "lifetime warranty" means. Some companies mean they will warranty the tool for its expected "life." For example let's say you buy a rachet that says "lifetime warranty" and the company only expects that tool to last a year, that's really the length of the warranty.

 

[microgoat]

If you're going into the trade, get the right tools. These things will be in your hands all day, and a Snap-On wrench is easier on your hands than just about anything. Better steel so they can be made lighter. An ounce here and an ounce there adds up over the course of a day. You've only got one pair of hands and they have to last a lifetime.

If you're just a weekend wrench, Craftsman is good enough.

 

[jcboof]

I got mostly snap on tools as I used to be a ASE cert tech for several year.

One thing I've found is that when your paycheck starts depending on the tools that make you money, there should be no reason for not buying the best. Less down time means more money. Snap on screwdrivers will pull just about any screw out that any other brand will not. Snap on flank drive combo wrenches will loosen just about any fastener that the others would strip out.


Buying cheap tools usually ends in spending more money in the long run than buying good tools from the start.

As a mechanic, the more time your tools save you, the more money you make.

 

[Mr.Slave]

Lots of excellent info has been brought up here, I will definitely research what we have available here there are a lot of brands mentioned I've never heard of. As far as tool trucks go, the snap on guy is really well liked round these parts and the mac guy doesn't come around nearly as often. I consider my self to be a pretty loyal customer as well and those kinds of business relationships also matter a lot to me.

This thread has definitely helped me reflect on my options, I will most likely be buying some Snap on tools, just a matter of deciding what.

 

[T1DAVE]

I'm a believer in you get what you pay for.

 

[4VRYNG]

I own a few snap-on tools but could never justify the price of the toolboxes. If I used them everyday it would be different I'm sure. I do like the quality.

 

[BLKXJ 96]

Snap-on tools are nice, but IMO way over priced. I have a mix of Matco, snap-on and craftsman. I like the Snap-on ratchets because the Gears don't strip as easy, but everything else works about the same. I spent about $1000 dollars on a bigger Craftsman tool box 15 years ago and it still works just like the day I got it. Sure the guys in the shop chuckled when I rolled it in next to their Snap-on boxes......that was a Monday. The jokes stopped on Wednesday when I used the money I saved on a tool box, and showed up at work with my brand new snowmobile on the trailer..:mrgreen:

 

[Armistice]

That's an easy 10K there

At work we call them SnapOff. We were on a job working on a food lift palletizer and my boss had my buddy use his brand new SnapOff allen wrenches. Snapped the ball off, haha

Anyway, I don't have the money for anything that good, so I use Husky. Their tools are awesome. I have a socket set (SAE/ metric), a set of SAE/ Metric crescent wrenches, allen wrenches, adj. crescent wrenches, and screwdrivers. Lifetime warranty

I have a Husky toolbox, but it's now discontinued (sucks coz I want to get the rest of the set), but their new boxes are pretty flimsy and cheesy looking unfortunately

 

[ram_tough]

I'm a believer in you get what you pay for.

Nice Set-up BigD ;-)

As another one who depends on my tools for a paycheck I exclusively use Snap-On and Cornwell. Great high quality tools and the 'Warranty Center' rolls up to the shop on Wednesday. Over my 5 years, I've found that Snap-On makes the Absolute Best Ratchets and wrenches, hands down no questions asked. I started with alot of Craftsman tools because they were cheap; but like others have mentioned I spent way too much time going to Sears for a new 10mm socket or 1/2" wrench. Good luck in school "thumbsup"

 

[Mr.Slave]

Nice Set-up BigD ;-)

As another one who depends on my tools for a paycheck I exclusively use Snap-On and Cornwell. Great high quality tools and the 'Warranty Center' rolls up to the shop on Wednesday. Over my 5 years, I've found that Snap-On makes the Absolute Best Ratchets and wrenches, hands down no questions asked. I started with alot of Craftsman tools because they were cheap; but like others have mentioned I spent way too much time going to Sears for a new 10mm socket or 1/2" wrench. Good luck in school "thumbsup"

Thanks man, I'm at the top of my class on every test (averaging 97%)
Pretty stoked on that, cause I never did well in high school. Working in construction for over 5 years has been a huge asset to my schooling as well.

Can't wait to get back to work in the trade this time instead of just a labourer.

 

[dittohead]

I wont buy snapon if i dont have to but there are some tools that are simply better like their screwdrivers and their flank drive wrenches. I live where the tool trucks are quickly fading away (mac is gone here completely now) and if your lucky the snapon guy will show up once every couple weeks. He keeps almost no inventory since he has to outright buy any tool on his truck. Some of their tools are chinese made today. They dont warranty as much as they used to. What this all means to me that there is even less reason to buy name brand tools. Im a heavy duty mechanic and honestly other than some specialty tools most of my stuff is from canadian tire or Jet, simply because i can get a replacement that same day. I also rarely break a tool since i have most everything up to 3/4" drive. Right tool for the job. Ive worn out just as many name brand impact guns as cheap ones, and neither of them have a warranty when they are just plain worn out. Just dont get sucked in to thinking you need $50k worth of snapon tools to do your job, its absolutely untrue. Having fancy tools doesnt make you a better wrench"thumbsup"

 

[TLTCrawlin]

Different tools are better depending on where ya buy them. Snap on, matco, Mac all have nice ratchets that are worth the money over garbage ratchets like craftsman. I run harbor freight impact sockets and they hold up just as good as the big name stuff in a fleet mechanic situation as proven time and time again by myself and many of my mechanic friends.

I have a harbor freight 4 drawer tool cart that is a perfect match to one sold by blue point for $660, I paid $100 and my cart is used as my home box loaded to the gills with easily 800 lbs of tools crammed in it. Stills like glass and the drawers are pure butter.



Also don't think because it has snap on on the side its a USA made tool. They have been outsourcing some of the line. If it doesn't have the made in USA stamp its Chinese. :wink:

x10 on craftsman rachets.... I never bought one but got a few, and they SUCK. Free though and free replacements so it works. :lmao:

 

[JasonInAugusta]

I'm a believer in you get what you pay for.

Me too.

A portion of the boxes we had in the install bay. :ror:

Big difference is whether you're earning a living with the tools or working on your own crap at home.

I was a big Craftsman buyer until they started shipping production to China and charging the same prices as the American made products. The quality of steel isn't as good, the chrome isn't as nice, and you can see visible changes to the same product to accommodate the weaker materials used. Wrench heads (both box and open) are larger on the Chinese Craftsman stuff.

Specialty tools it's a no-brainer. Snap-On wins. I have Snap-On tools that just aren't made by other companies. Snap-On's ratcheting screwdrivers are awesome. I have three, with various lengths of interchangeable shafts. Even have a shaft for 1/4" sockets that is a huge time-saver in the 12V world.

My large red box is from Harbor Freight. $700 for the roller, $200 for lockers, and $275 or so in the hutch. Can't beat it for a home garage.

Regarding lifetime warranties: Craftsman build their name on the fact that they were American-made tools with lifetime warranties. The problem is that now they're selling Chinese tools with that same lifetime warranty. If you manage to break your USA wrench you're going to get a Chinese replacement with a lobster claw on the open end. I have two ratchets from Crafsman. Exact same except one is made in USA and the other is from overseas. You can feel a difference in the two. The USA model is smoother. Even my wife can tell the difference.

Another problem with Craftsman is that they're trying to sell Chinese tools at the previous American-made prices. By selling Chinese tools they're effectively competing against Harbor Freight. Harbor Freight actually has some nice tools for the average guy. Their impact sockets are good quality and have a lifetime warranty. I've warrantied a dead-blow that I had for YEARS with them. Let a guy borrow it on the trail and he beat the face into oblivion. Went in to replace it and there wasn't an issue. "Go get one off the shelf."

Lowe's also has some nice Taiwanese tools in their Kobalt lineup. I'd take the Taiwanese Kobalt stuff over the Chinese Craftsman.

Snap-On's ratchets can't be beat. I have Craftsman's top of the line 84-tooth ratchets and while they're a better feeling ratchet than anything else Craftsman offers, the Snap-On stuff is so much nicer/smoother in operation.

My pliers are Knipex (German) and my screwdrivers are Wiha and Wera with some Craftsman Pro (bought on clearance) thrown in.

I'm not brand specific. I caught the Knipex stuff on sale at Lowe's, got the Wera stuff on sale, and shop around to get good deals on the Snap-On stuff unless I need something off the truck.

Our Snap-On guy showed up late on a Saturday night to replace a tool. His normal day to the shop was Friday. He came on Friday, tool broke Saturday, called him to let him know, and he just showed up. :lol: We had duplicates of that tool. :lol:

In a professional environment, I'd go with truck brands. Out of all of them, Snap-On is the best I've seen.