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Message
re: Snap on tools are extremely overpriced
Posted on 5/11/20 at 8:16 pm to Traveler
Posted on 5/11/20 at 8:16 pm to Traveler
quote:
I remember the first time I saw a Craftsman (not Sears line) wrench with Japan stamped on the backside.
It wasn’t a good feeling.
Yep. At least it wasn't China.
To the person who asked earlier, I believe Craftsman still offers "A" lifetime warranty, but it is one of the convoluted mail-in type warranties that is just a pain in the arse to deal with.
Another interesting note is the Lowe's Kobalt brand has a lifetime warranty, tool-for-tool on most stuff. Kobalt was Lowe's answer to their first failed attempt to purchase the Craftsman line from Sears in order for it to be their store brand. Ultimately, the deal fell through, and they developed the Kobalt line as the Lowe's store brand.
1
Posted on 5/11/20 at 8:24 pm to LegendInMyMind
I worked at Sears (hardware) while in school. You wouldn’t believe the condition of some of the tools we took back and, no questions asked. I witnessed first hand the drop in quality of the Craftsman brand.
This post was edited on 5/11/20 at 8:25 pm
Posted on 5/11/20 at 8:25 pm to 3morereps
I have Mac tools that probably over 20 yrs old and used them a lot. If it is a tool I would rarely use then HF is ok. Tools I would use daily it is Mac or Blackhawk.
After 1 yr of service with my business I buy my mechanics std and metric sockets, ratchets, screw driver sets, etc from Mac.
FYI, I visited the plant on a tour that Stanley Black and Decker owns in Farmers Branch, TX. They make sockets, wrenches, Torque wrenches, and impact sockets there for Mac, Blackhawk, and Proto. Difference tolerance for each brand of tool.
It just an old plant but it is pretty cool to see how they use a furnace to heat tools large tools to small ones as it is expensive to heat the furnace up. Polish tools with different rocks in a shaker type machine, how sockets & wrenches are made, and the torque wrench assembly nice to see how tools are made.
SBD is building a huge plant in Ft Worth where they will make Craftsman, Mac, Proto, and Blackhawk will be made under one roof.
After 1 yr of service with my business I buy my mechanics std and metric sockets, ratchets, screw driver sets, etc from Mac.
FYI, I visited the plant on a tour that Stanley Black and Decker owns in Farmers Branch, TX. They make sockets, wrenches, Torque wrenches, and impact sockets there for Mac, Blackhawk, and Proto. Difference tolerance for each brand of tool.
It just an old plant but it is pretty cool to see how they use a furnace to heat tools large tools to small ones as it is expensive to heat the furnace up. Polish tools with different rocks in a shaker type machine, how sockets & wrenches are made, and the torque wrench assembly nice to see how tools are made.
SBD is building a huge plant in Ft Worth where they will make Craftsman, Mac, Proto, and Blackhawk will be made under one roof.
This post was edited on 5/11/20 at 8:35 pm
Posted on 5/11/20 at 8:37 pm to johnnyrocket
quote:
FYI, I visited the plant on a tour that Stanley Black and Decker owns in Farmers Branch, TX. They make sockets, wrenches, Torque wrenches, and impact sockets there for Mac, Blackhawk, and Proto. Difference tolerance for each brand of tool.
It just an old plant but it is pretty cool to see how they use a furnace to heat tools, Polish tools, how sockets & wrenches are made, and the torque wrench assembly nice to see how tools are made.
I've seen a couple of plants like that as well. It amazes me that a person(s) sat down and figured some of those processes out. What seems straight forward on a one-off tool becomes an entirely different endeavor when mass production is required.
You're right about different tolerances, too. That is how/why the same umbrella companies can sell the same type tools with three different brands on them. Entry level, Home/DIY, and Professional.
Posted on 5/11/20 at 8:43 pm to johnnyrocket
I will also say that for most people (even many professionals), buying new tools is not the smart move. As an owner/manager, supplying tools is different. For quality hand tools, buying new is just a convenience. Most common tools from quality manufacturers will outlast 2 or 3 careers. The secondary market is full of crazy deals when dollar value is concerned. Unless it is something I have to have NOW, or a specialized power tool, I rarely buy new.
Posted on 5/11/20 at 8:52 pm to LegendInMyMind
I agree my father in law passed away a few years back was a Chevy Mechanic. I took his all his non specialized tools and made tool boxes for his grandkids.
The specialized tools he left those to a friend in his will.
Now for my mechanics especially the apprentices it a good start to give then a nice tool box and a nice set of basic tools. Last time I checked I spent $5k on a box and tools for my apprentices. It is a way that I try to retain employees and show them I care.
The specialized tools he left those to a friend in his will.
Now for my mechanics especially the apprentices it a good start to give then a nice tool box and a nice set of basic tools. Last time I checked I spent $5k on a box and tools for my apprentices. It is a way that I try to retain employees and show them I care.
Posted on 5/11/20 at 8:53 pm to 3morereps
I am a Millwright and work with 50 more Millwrights. I bet there isn't a full set of snap on tool amongst the whole bunch. You will see mostly Craftsman, Proto, Sunnex and harbor freight.
Snap-on does make quality tools, but there is no need to buy whole sets, they are just not worth the money when you can use another brand for a fraction of the price. They do make certain tools that are must haves like their thin wall sockets and their ratchets are the best made.
Snap-on does make quality tools, but there is no need to buy whole sets, they are just not worth the money when you can use another brand for a fraction of the price. They do make certain tools that are must haves like their thin wall sockets and their ratchets are the best made.
Posted on 5/11/20 at 8:56 pm to LegendInMyMind
My dad was a Snap On dealer back in the 70's. He might have stayed in for five or six years. As a dealer, the more you bought, the better price break Snap On gave you. He always bought at the highest discount. To get that, you might have to buy 25 sets of a certain tool or wrench set. His truck was full plus he had another building full of overstock. He got out because he was tired of chasing money. I still have a bunch of his tools, some are just for show.
Posted on 5/11/20 at 8:57 pm to TIGER2
Posted on 5/11/20 at 8:59 pm to TIGER2
Gold anodized 1/4 inch 50th anniversary set.
Posted on 5/11/20 at 8:59 pm to TIGER2
Posted on 5/11/20 at 9:01 pm to 3morereps
You are correct. Milwaukee is better priced and producing consistently similar, if not better products than snap on. But muh customer service!
Posted on 5/11/20 at 9:03 pm to TIGER2
I have a promotional Snap-On miniature tool box. It is a top/bottom box. It has an opening top, 2 or 3 opening drawers and several miniature tools, an impact, screwdriver, adjustable wrench, and a few others. It is an exact replica of the full size box down to the serial number tag, but is actually a piggy bank. They made a couple different styles.
Posted on 5/11/20 at 9:04 pm to 3morereps
Anyone who says Snap On isn’t worth it has never done real mechanic work for a living.
Period.
Yeah, you can get by with HF stuff. Yeah, you can use stuff from Northern to start. Yeah, not all the tools in your box have to come off the truck.
But when it counts- like when you need a 3” socket, and the 4’ long breaker bar to jump on to bust it- tool truck tools can’t be beat.
Maw and Paw auto repair- no problem- use the cheap stuff. But the big boys- like when you have a 24 AN nut that’s torqued to 1500 ft-lbs....you’re not gonna find anything at a store that can do that.
Period.
Yeah, you can get by with HF stuff. Yeah, you can use stuff from Northern to start. Yeah, not all the tools in your box have to come off the truck.
But when it counts- like when you need a 3” socket, and the 4’ long breaker bar to jump on to bust it- tool truck tools can’t be beat.
Maw and Paw auto repair- no problem- use the cheap stuff. But the big boys- like when you have a 24 AN nut that’s torqued to 1500 ft-lbs....you’re not gonna find anything at a store that can do that.
Posted on 5/11/20 at 9:06 pm to Tempratt
quote:
What about their power tools. How do they compare to Milwaukee, DeWalt, Porter Cable, etc?
I suspect many of their power tools are made by Milwaukee but are beefed up and slightly modified to meet Snap on’s specs. They are really good but I like to buy battery operated tools that I already have batteries for.
Posted on 5/11/20 at 9:08 pm to Masterag
quote:
You are correct. Milwaukee is better priced and producing consistently similar, if not better products than snap on. But muh customer service!
You're right. Milwaukee, or whoever owns them now, finally came to their senses. For more than a decade there, they wholesale cut quality for profit. It hurt them. They have worked to change that over the past few years, but that hasn't extended across their entire line, however.
Posted on 5/11/20 at 9:11 pm to TIGER2
That stuff is in high demand these days. I know they are probably keepers, but I've been watching the value of that stuff for a while.
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