Are Snap On Tools worth the price

Are Snap On Tools worth the price?

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    20
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I have mostly 15-20 year old Craftsman with some Armstrong and Proto. What I own in Snapon are their specialty tools designed for specific tasks like the sockets to replace the injectors and glowplugs on my 6.5L turbo diesel. Snapon builds specialty tools that no one else does. For everyday mechanic tools they are way to costly unless you can find them used. I've been amazed how many Snapon tools can be found at swap meets.
 
If you need to buy many tools right now, no way, Start with a good mid range set like craftsman or alike, replace and add to it as needed, try a snap-on ratchet or two and keep an eye out for snap-on bits are garage sales pawn shops and alike see if you like em. Unless you have money to burn no reason to buy any more than a little Snap-On at a time, never a full set,

Snap-on has the over all best ratchet when you take into account the head size tooth count and durability, Both Mac & S&K have a ratchets with finer teeth which can be handy in tight spots but they do not last and the heads are big keeping you from getting into certain spots, I have a few other specially ratchets but the most of mine are Snap-On,

Their sockets have thinner walls that let you get into some places a craftsman socket will not fit. Also the chrome flakes less than craftsman (lay you open) but they still wear out over time on power tools.

Their 30/60 degree wrenches are an exclusive last I checked, very good to have if you work with tightly bundled hydraulic lines daily, For combo wrenches I bought a set of craftsman professional 10 years ago and have no complaints, I have noticed that at home with corroded and weaker automotive hardware that a good wrench makes difference,

Love gear wrenches, Snap-on has some very expensive ones but I have the original Taiwanese and they have held up beautifully.

Snap-On’s ratcheting screwdriver was untouchable by anyone else for feel and durability for years, other are starting to catch up on that front, BTW I lost my new style Snap-on ratcheting and replaced it with the old style, like it better, also really like the T-handle screwdriver, excellent torque, good feel,


As for tool boxes I could never buy a snap-on box my work environment it too rough, it would get beat up, my company builds angle iron frames with larger casters and tow bars to pull behind a tug, I have been through a craftsman and a proto in the past 11 years.
 
When price is put next to quality,the niceness of snap on is suddenly lost.Just as important as power to weight ratio in a vehicle - is cost to quality in a tool,thinking of it this way snap on is actually s***!
 
WristPin said:
snap on are the best tools ever made.
craftsman is junk. every one else does not compare
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[/taking tool advise from Wristy] :flipoff2:

-Spike
 
I use Matco tools for my job because of the great on-site support I get from my dealer. I use Craftsman tools at home and have never had a problem that I didn't have with my Professional tools. I also know for a fact that the Snap-On forges are stamping out Kobalt tools, sold at Lowe's, so it all depends on how deep your pockets are and how important the brand name is. It also depends on how long you want to wait for a broken tool to be replaced, by your dealer or by you taking it back to the store for exchange.
 
KLF said:
Their quality has taken a dump in the last several years.

I have a set of snap on tools passed on by my late father...they were bought in the 70s, when i tried to buy a few wrenchs (the really tiny ones), to fill in some missing ones, the difference between the old Snaps and the new was night and day, fit and finish is no where near what it was...

I love my craftsmen gear wrenches :) a set for the price of one Snap on wrench...
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Until2004 said:
I use Matco tools for my job because of the great on-site support I get from my dealer. I use Craftsman tools at home and have never had a problem that I didn't have with my Professional tools. I also know for a fact that the Snap-On forges are stamping out Kobalt tools, sold at Lowe's, so it all depends on how deep your pockets are and how important the brand name is. It also depends on how long you want to wait for a broken tool to be replaced, by your dealer or by you taking it back to the store for exchange.
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This is not true. The Kobalt tools told at Lowes today are made by Danaher corp. Danaher makes Allen, Matco, Craftsman, Napa, KD tools, and a few others I can't remember.

Look on the back of the label and it will state the manufacturer. The original Kobalt tools were made by Williams which is division of Snap on.
 
i got a sidchrome toolbox set (owned by stanley now) when i started my apprenticeship(in my third year now, truck mechanic)have since got a few snap on tools. 3/8 flex head ratchet, couple of specialised spanners, couple of other things. use the 3/8 ratchet all the time. if you didn't make a living out of them(and could claim them back on tax) i would say no don't bother apart from the specialised stuff.
 
I have mostly Craftsman, most of that from the mid 1970's, a few Mac and some Snap-on.

I like Snap-on screw drivers, picks, snap-ring pliers and torque wrenches.
 
ontherox said:
So basically if this thead had a voting poll the consensus would be that they are not worth it!!

nuf said IMO.
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I would not trust this poll considering how cheap the Land Cruiser owners are. The only other group cheaper is the VW TDI guys.
 
fj40charles said:
I would not trust this poll considering how cheap the Land Cruiser owners are. The only other group cheaper is the VW TDI guys.
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That's because Land Cruiser owners want value for their money. I don't know why VW owners are cheap though. :D

I guess if I had more money that I knew what to do with, Snap On would be the tool of choice. As it is, I want quality, but I don't necessarily need top-of-the-line. I have no doubt Snap-On is higher grade than Craftsman, but Craftsman or Husky does the job, and it's easier to replace broken stuff if necessary. Oddly I've never broken a Craftsman socket or wrench, just rounded off the screwdriver bits and little stuff like that. I've broken a few Husky socket wrenches, probably because that's what I usually use on the trucks.

If I had bought all Snap-On tools, I wouldn't have been able to afford any vehicles.

-Spike
 
Enigma said:
I recall a helicopter mechanic buddy once telling me they had to buy the expensive tools, something about the cheaper chrome stuff can flake off and get into expensive (helicopter) parts ?
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There are very few tools except those that you get at place like Harbor Freight that flake chrome at all.
 
fj40charles said:
I would not trust this poll considering how cheap the Land Cruiser owners are. The only other group cheaper is the VW TDI guys.
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Land Cruiser and Honda motorcycle guys are called cheap because they don't spend needless money on brand name recognition.

I don't need approval from people who think Jeep and Harley Davidson are the best because they sell more t-shirts.
 
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