Are Snap On Tools worth the price
- Thread starter Rob Faucett
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What does buying quality tools have to do with brand name recognition? Your approval or disapproval is of no consequence to anyone. Do you think the Jeep, Land Rover, or Harley Davidson guys are seeking our approval?
I see plenty of cheap Land Cruiser owners stuck on Land Cruiser brand recognition. These are the guys bashing Jeeps and other brands because they believe the Land Cruiser is the only choice. As much as I love my Land Cruiser, I would not hesitate to buy a Jeep Rubicon to drive around town and to do some light to moderate 4 wheeling.
I'd be real surprised if Snap on sells more tools than Sears.
They don't have to.
The per piece rattle more than makes up for the volume.
Buying Snap-on tools is like buying gold. It's stupid money but there will always be someone dumber comming up behind you to buy more.
I've broken several of the cheaper Craftsman ratchets that they put in the kits. They suck. Just excange them for the better polished ones, and you're all set.
I will say this about Snap-On, they do make some really nice and clever specialty tools. Example:
Link: YA8880, Tool, Metric, Valve Adjustment, for cars with 12mm jam nut valve screws
This tool makes adjusting valve tappets on the 22RE (and many other Toyota) engines a breeze. A good friend has one of these, I always borrow it when I need to run valves.
Their 3/8" wobble impact sockets are the best I've seen, it's too bad they sell for sooo much even on eBay.
I will say this about Snap-On, they do make some really nice and clever specialty tools. Example:
Link: YA8880, Tool, Metric, Valve Adjustment, for cars with 12mm jam nut valve screws
This tool makes adjusting valve tappets on the 22RE (and many other Toyota) engines a breeze. A good friend has one of these, I always borrow it when I need to run valves.
Their 3/8" wobble impact sockets are the best I've seen, it's too bad they sell for sooo much even on eBay.
Buying SnapOn tools has a whole lot to do with brand name recognition. Paying way too much for a product regardless of quality has everything to do with branding.
My approval certainly does matter to folks that buy only to be recognized for the brand they bought. Not me individually, but us collectively. Nikes are quality shoes. Are Air Jordans $200 better than the next shoe. Nope.
Most of the wrenches I know that buy nothing but SnapOn want to be instantly recognized as being a professional when people see their tool box.
Seeking others approval by brand recognition is the ONLY reason I can think of to buy a Harley. They ain't buying them because of good quality/ price ratio. Why do you think they sell so many products with the brand name on them?
I got a stanley set from mum about 5 years ago, and it's all i use (no workshop tool set here, the trail tools ARE the workshop tools). only busted the wheel nut sized socket, pulling rusted off wheels off of a wreck i was parting out... with a 6 foot cheater bar.
stanley replaced it no questions asked.
i have a few odds and ends from dad's australian made "sidchrome" tool kit he bought as an apprentice. i could kill him for not holding onto the rest of the stuff better, as they are damn near indestructable. one of those ratchets i got for $5 at a garage sale has been used to snapp head bolts off of the Diesel, and been used with a 12 foot cheater bar, and 2 guys hanging off the end to remove some suspension arms... it's still going and i've only ever dove inside it to grease the ratchet mechanism.
Also said is another thread...
I've owned quite a few tools. I've always had a lot of Craftsman and always liked them. I've had my Craftsman 1/2 socket set over 25 years - I'm no mechanic but they've gotten a good amount of use.
That said, these days, for the tools I use all the time I buy individual Snap-on a few pieces at a time. I don't buy big complete sets of tools that don't get used (sockets, etc.) anymore. I just buy (in some cases 2 each) what I know will be used over and over. That means now what's usually in hand and used a lot is Snap-on. The only caveat here is you need to know what you need.
I have some Craftsman tools that still seem better for certain things but the Snap-ons can be like little jewels (if you're in to your tools
).
I've owned quite a few tools. I've always had a lot of Craftsman and always liked them. I've had my Craftsman 1/2 socket set over 25 years - I'm no mechanic but they've gotten a good amount of use.
That said, these days, for the tools I use all the time I buy individual Snap-on a few pieces at a time. I don't buy big complete sets of tools that don't get used (sockets, etc.) anymore. I just buy (in some cases 2 each) what I know will be used over and over. That means now what's usually in hand and used a lot is Snap-on. The only caveat here is you need to know what you need.
I have some Craftsman tools that still seem better for certain things but the Snap-ons can be like little jewels (if you're in to your tools
).
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Picked up a new Mac shop roller work station, absolutely love it.
I usually have buyers remorse, but this thing is handy.
All the guys in the shop have tool box envy at the moment.
Rob
I usually have buyers remorse, but this thing is handy.
All the guys in the shop have tool box envy at the moment.
Rob
I'm no expert, but I've beat on several tools pretty hard and find that while I'm satisfied with the stuff I got from ACE, I prefer the old craftsmen tools that I got as handmedowns from my grandfather.
I do have some matco ratcheting box end wrenches, they have survived rattling around in my trail toolbox for five years. Sometimes they bind up a little, but a quick whack and they work fine again.
I've got a stanley 1/2" ratchet set that works great, feels good. cheap.
I imagine that eventually I'll "upgrade" to high end ratchet handles all the way around since those are the tools that I use the most and can actually feel a difference between good and bad. But in the near term- I'd rather have four or five mediocre ratchet handles than one "super" handle. Why? Because sometimes it is handy to have more than one socket mounted at the same time. Last night I was pulling off the tranny support-- requires 17mm, 17mm deep socket, and 14mm.
I guess if I ever break a ratchet handle, I may change my mind and decide to invest in better quality. But till then.... hardware store tools have worked fine for me.
Edit: I'm not a big fan of ACE screwdrivers. At least, not the ones I've got.
Final: garage sales are your friend.
I do have some matco ratcheting box end wrenches, they have survived rattling around in my trail toolbox for five years. Sometimes they bind up a little, but a quick whack and they work fine again.
I've got a stanley 1/2" ratchet set that works great, feels good. cheap.
I imagine that eventually I'll "upgrade" to high end ratchet handles all the way around since those are the tools that I use the most and can actually feel a difference between good and bad. But in the near term- I'd rather have four or five mediocre ratchet handles than one "super" handle. Why? Because sometimes it is handy to have more than one socket mounted at the same time. Last night I was pulling off the tranny support-- requires 17mm, 17mm deep socket, and 14mm.
I guess if I ever break a ratchet handle, I may change my mind and decide to invest in better quality. But till then.... hardware store tools have worked fine for me.
Edit: I'm not a big fan of ACE screwdrivers. At least, not the ones I've got.
Final: garage sales are your friend.
reading bad_religion_au's note on the "sidchrome"australian stuff from his Dad makes me grin big time 
specially the part about the 12 foot cheater bar.........still have a very beat up german made Hazet 1/2 inch drive ratchet that was used by 2 guys + myself to break a 27 mm? castle nut on an aircraft power start generator nose.........the Hazet still survives
for a time in the 60s Hazet and Stahlwille were about the only metric stuff you could find..... appreciate a lot of stuff I got when European tools were cheaper than US made and very very good quality; haven't looked at pricing them for maybe 30 years but even then they were becoming VERY pricey
......and with US makers beginning to turn out metric stuff didn't bother again.......if you stumble across any of these..........snag em~~!!, they don't have name recognition and people are probably not going to try to make off with them as they would a Snap on/Proto/Mac or Matco.........but Damn they are good..........just my 0.02Lou
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You guys ever heard of super ratchet?
Coolest 1/2 inch rachet I have ever owned, always though it was OK until one day I put a cheater bar on it and broke a big nasty bolt loose.
Was walking past a old timer heavey duty mechanic with it in my hand and he asked were I got it, garage sale. He stated that was one of the best ratchets he has ever owned?
For the record Mac has a new breaker bar that extends too twice its length, big kid at work 6.5 and about 275pnds bent the head, Mac guy gave him two new heads just incase he bends another one. Really pleased with the Mac stuff.
Coolest 1/2 inch rachet I have ever owned, always though it was OK until one day I put a cheater bar on it and broke a big nasty bolt loose.
Was walking past a old timer heavey duty mechanic with it in my hand and he asked were I got it, garage sale. He stated that was one of the best ratchets he has ever owned?
For the record Mac has a new breaker bar that extends too twice its length, big kid at work 6.5 and about 275pnds bent the head, Mac guy gave him two new heads just incase he bends another one. Really pleased with the Mac stuff.
Flip it ovwer, it will say williams, very old name in quality US made tools, now owned by the same company that owns Snap-On
My work 1/2 drive ratchet is a wiliams "superrachet" circa mid ninedies, got it when one of thier reps has a tool show at my company, I have put a curve in the handle from me and a coworker on a cheater pipe a filter housing of all things, still works fine.
My work 1/2 drive ratchet is a wiliams "superrachet" circa mid ninedies, got it when one of thier reps has a tool show at my company, I have put a curve in the handle from me and a coworker on a cheater pipe a filter housing of all things, still works fine.