Tools/Snap on

What manufacture of tools is your preferance

  • Snap On

    Votes: 12 48.0%

  • Mac

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Proto

    Votes: 2 8.0%

  • SK

    Votes: 4 16.0%

  • Craftsman

    Votes: 11 44.0%

  • Other, please post manufacture

    Votes: 5 20.0%
  • Total voters
    25
AKBill

AKBill

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AKBill
Well, I've been wrenching for a living for 40 years. A friend asked me to take a 3/8" ratchet in for replacement, Snap On ratchet. So I did as asked and the dealer gave me a new ratchet, the old one was 20+ years old. No issue for the Snap On distributer, exchanged it with no issues.

I needed a 1 1/2" deep socket and a 1 1/16 deep socket that I broke at work 1/2" drive. Picked them up for a grand total of $155.93 (2 sockets). Well I get a tool allowance from work and get $1200 a year so I bought them to keep the relationship happy.

I must say Snap On tools are nice but Proto, SK, Mac, Craftsman and other manufactures produce a good product for a far better price to the end user.

Seems like the new generation of mechanics tout Snap On. Heck I use what works. Snap On is nice but not my first choice.

What do you use?

edit: talking about hand tools
 
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My father in law worked for Snap-On for many, many years. All my tools are Craftsman. I can't afford the fancy stuff.
 
my tools are a mixture, but older brands made in USA with my favorite being Indestro Select, but if you really get into it, you will find issues with Snap-On, where Mac is better on 1 tool, & then vise versa, then you may find you like something by Craftsman for some reason, for example I like the more compact head breaker bars to fit in tight spots, like Craftsman has, also I don't like "safety" rings on impact swivels when working in confined areas, as the safety ring while it protects hands from a pin breakage, old ones if pin broke & came out it could shred fingers if holding it while using, thats why safety ring was designed, but it wont flex as tight of an angle.
 
I was always happy with the old craftsman tools before the quality went downhill. Today I honestly don't know what to buy, I'd be happy to pay a little more for good tools but Snap On isn't just a little more it's an exponential increase.

I've been happy with my Gear Wrench wrench set and had some luck with Kobalt and some others but I still primarily am using the big Craftsman wrench/socket set I bought 20 years ago.
 
All the tools I used for racing are Snap-On, they're all in tool boxes I carried on the transporter. My everyday stuff is Craftsman mostly.
 
My dad was a tool-and-die maker in the aircraft industry (think Thud). He swore by his Snap-On tools but recommended Craftsman for me and they have done me just fine for over 50 years.
 
I refuse to buy anything made in China. Looked at an 8" Cresent wrench today guess were it was made, China. Drove 8 miles to buy a Craftsman made in the US.
 
AKBill said:
I refuse to buy anything made in China. Looked at an 8" Cresent wrench today guess were it was made, China. Drove 8 miles to buy a Craftsman made in the US.
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Is any of the new Craftsman stuff US made ?
 
Which one I'd choose would depend on whether I'm footing the bill and whether I'm depending on them for income.
 
I have an eclectic mixture.
Have some great Craftsman sockets and combination wrenches my Dad bought in the 1960s and I inherited, plus more Craftsman tools I bought in the 1970s during my hot-rod days (before I discovered you can burn money much more efficiently in aviation :rolleyes: ). Also Crescent adjustable wrenches and Vice-Grips from the same era. Electrical tools mostly Klein, Fluke and Craftsman pliers/wire cutters.

With Craftsman making stuff in Asia my more recent stuff is US made Mac and Cornwell.
I have become a big fan of Snap-On screwdrivers. Their tips just seem to be more precise and wear better than anything else these days.
 
I haven't worked as a mechanic in over 35 years. When I did I used primarily Snap On.

A few years ago I saw a Snap On truck so I stopped to check to see if he could replace a few worn out screw driver blades.

He tried to remove the blades for a few seconds than threw my screwdrivers into his broken tool box and gave me brand new screwdrivers.

I protested saying those screwdrivers are over 30 years old. He said doesn't matter. Life time warrantee means for life.
 
AKBill said:
What I bought today stated made in US
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Interesting. Maybe they have come to their mind and figured out what their edge in the market used to be.
 
weilke said:
Interesting. Maybe they have come to their mind and figured out what their edge in the market used to be.
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They swing back and forth. Their sockets and ratchets were moved to Asia, while other tools (including the adjustable wrench @AKBill purchased) made by Western Forge continued to be made in the USA. Now they are making a big deal about manufacturing in the USA "using global materials" (tool cabinets, tape measures, tool blades and so forth). I think Stanley Black and Decker will always be making different tools in different countries around the world.
 
If you’re not needing it today, and can pick through variable inventory, East Coast Tools sell highly discounted major brands (mostly used, but still w valid lifetime warranties if extant when new). Hand tools, power tools, compressors, etc.
 
I wish Boeing still had there used tool store. I passed thru Seattle years ago and got some great deals at Boeings used tool store.
 
I have a mixture of Snap-On, Craftsman, and SK. Snap-On definitely the nicest but overpriced nowadays. I used to buy mostly Craftsman as did Dad but they've gone downhill. My son in law has been getting some great deals on lightly used Snap-Ons on eBay. My other son in law is just starting out as a machinist, I bought him a bunch of measuring told and suggested his parents get him some Kobalt hand tools.
 
Kolbalt and HF is what I have....with some Craftsman. ;)

I'm sure SnapOn and Mac are great....but I'd rather buy 100LL.
 
Apparently I was harder on tools when I was younger...I used to buy cheap tools, and if something broke I’d go down to NAPA and replace it with a better one.

My Dad had Craftsman tools on the farm, but that was all mail order at the time.

Over the years I’ve also added some Craftsman, Snap On, & a few others.

I mostly buy “made in USA” stuff for the little I need anymore, but don’t really have brands I look for.

If I made my living with tools, I’d probably buy mostly Snap On or Mac. There’s a difference in quality that even I can tell.
 
When I was younger, if there was a tool I didn't have, I went down to Sears and bought the Craftsman. I still have most of those tools and even though their warranty was fabulous, the only time I ever had to use it was when I stripped out about a dozen 5/16" x 3/8" (or maybe it was 1/2") sockets by using them with on an air/impact wrench. Sears replaced them all, but they did ask if I was using them properly.

So almost all of my tools today are still Craftsman. Old Craftsman, but still Craftsman.
 
Most of my stuff is old Craftsman, bought 25 or 30 years ago. It was good stuff back then. Now days, if I need something it will likely be Kobalt. I do use HF for some things, and their new Icon line seems decent.

Snap On? Maybe if I were a pro and doing a tax write off, but even then their prices are insane. For home use, no way.

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I have gotten lucky and found a couple of snap-on and matco tools at local pawn shops. It's just never in complete sets.
 
I used to spend my Saturdays going to pawn shops and pulling out all the Craftsman hand tools from their bins. I got some really good tools for not much money. After Sears went bankrupt it's not worth it.
 
Mostly SO, but have stuff from numerous other companies. I started with SO when I got out of school the first time, as the FBO was on a good route and the driver was willing to let us come to his house at 4 o'clock on a Sunday afternoon if we had a tool failure and exchange it or replace it with something better..... Sears wasn't open like that, nor were any of the other dealers or stores.

The local Sears stores ( 5 different ones that were sorta close) got to where they didn't have diddly for stock, other than the big sets. Trying to get something replaced or buy single items was a pain and usually required going to at least 3 stores to find what I needed.

Now days, if it's going to get modified, or will be damaged intentionally in use. then cheap stuff, otherwise SO, SK, Proto, or Mac depending on what tool it is.
 
I used to buy Craftsman until Sears Canada went Chinese with it, and it was then was worse than what I could get almost anywhere else. I have some US-made Husky tools that I bought from Home Depot 25 years ago; still good. I have some newer Chinese-made Husky and a lot of other Chinese stuff that is actually better than the old Craftsman stuff I first had. There is lousy Chinese and good Chinese, proven by the fact that much top-class brand-name stuff is made there. A couple of years ago I bought a pair of ChannelLock sidecutters ("Made With Fierce Pride in the USA") and after cutting a few pieces of lockwire, the edges were dented and useless. I went back to buying Chinese.

IMHO Snap-On is mostly hype. I knew mechanics that were $15K in debt to those guys.
 
I bought a new Snap-on torque wrench paid a lot of money for it..the Snap-on truck dealer checks the calibration on it any time I hand it to him. and gives me certification on it.
Try that with any other tool maker.

And OBTW, it has never needed adjustment.

My craftsman will not hold calibration, You can check and adjust as required, click it twice and check it, it's off again, adjust as required, click it twice, it's off again.

It's now in my junk box, because they won't honor the warrantee.
 
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Dan Thomas said:
IMHO Snap-On is mostly hype. I knew mechanics that were $15K in debt to those guys.
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That's about two drawers full, or the toolbox itself :-o

15k is small fry compared with the subscriptions it takes to run a full spectrum car or truck repair shop these days.
 
This is something I can contribute to. I was a technician for a very luxurious European car line for over 10 years out of school. I did side work on other brands and needed tools to suit the jobs. My combo wrenches that I preferred were Snap-On and Gearwrench but I have some 25 year old Craftsman wrenches too. My good screwdrivers were Snap-On as well. But most of my sockets were Matco, with 1/4” being Craftsman. I used some SK and Stahwille Allen and torx tools, and my electrical tools were Fluke. I collected various ratchets of different sizes and like the feel of the Matco and Snap-On but also had some Craftsman because the sockets or extensions locked on them. Consumables like drill or screwdriver bits were typically from Home Depot because I could stock them deep and replenish as needed. I started with a student discount Matco toolbox and traded it in when Snap-On had a crazy promo going on but there’s no way I’d pay current book pricing for a replacement. That’s turbine twin money on a V-tail budget. I researched the best quality tools for the right budget price and the job and that’s what I bought. I do have some pricey special sockets (not full sets) and a few very large wrenches that I got from Tooltopia where torque wasn’t large. I still like SK and Gearwrench but do some shopping for my tool investments. The only thing I’ve standardized is cordless tools with Dewalt.
 
I used to be a tool snob. Spent a few lunch breaks in line at the Snap-On truck. And, a fair part of my paycheck on tools. Now, I troll the pawn shops and yard sales for good deals. I've got some of all those brands. Cheap Taiwan made combo wrenches make great "special-tools". Whatever works!
 
Nick Pilotte said:
This is something I can contribute to.
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Thanks for your input.

I must say working underground on mining equipment for 35 years has my tool boxes are filled with stuff from a lot of manufactures. I do like Snap On for angle wrenches and combination wrenches, but have a lot of SK, Matco, Proto, Mac, Craftsman to boot.
 
I used to buy all Craftsman. Now Kobalt seems to be just as good for most stuff. I’ve never bought a Snap-On tool in my life. At $155 for a pair of sockets... never will.

Just as a side comment, though... my grandfather was a mechanic back in the early part of the last century. He worked for TWA for a while and owned a garage when my Dad was young. I have some of his old tools, mostly large and/or unusual sockets. They’re Snap-On. Of course what a company did in 1925 has absolutely nothing to do with what they do now.
 
Dont know if true or not but recently was at Lowe's -- was not seeing many kobolt tools but lots of craftsman. Asked if kobolt was being fazed out. They said no kobolt was there brand. Then worker stated Stanley owns both anyway. I use Mac, Snap-on, Williams, Industro, some older Craftsman, Kline, and Fluke.-
 
AKBill said:
Thanks for your input.

I must say working underground on mining equipment for 35 years has my tool boxes are filled with stuff from a lot of manufactures. I do like Snap On for angle wrenches and combination wrenches, but have a lot of SK, Matco, Proto, Mac, Craftsman to boot.
Click to expand...

I’ll have to ask my brother in law what he uses too because he’s an AP/IA. He did tell me screwdriver bits were consumables but I can’t remember what he bought.

Also, don’t skimp on torque wrenches. They are precision instruments and should be treated as such. I had mine tested a few times a year. Wouldn’t want to throw a rod on an engine I built.
 
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