Can I have your old craftsman stuff? Craftsman is great stuff. Sockets and wrenches. Just add a mac or snap on u joint for the socket and an 8" ridgid pipe wrench for the big stuff and you have everything in one small box
Snap On tools vs. mac vs. matco
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I've just recently started buying better/quality tools....Mac and Matco mainly from the parts truck guys that come to American.
I must say, there is a different "feel" to a lot of these tools I am getting as opposed to the Craftsmen stuff I have been using for a long time. The Craftsmen ratchets have brought the suck lately. I bought a Mac and a Matco and both are phenomenally different than the Craftsmen I have owned in the past.
Craftsmen tools for the truck and trail.
The good stuff for home.
I must say, there is a different "feel" to a lot of these tools I am getting as opposed to the Craftsmen stuff I have been using for a long time. The Craftsmen ratchets have brought the suck lately. I bought a Mac and a Matco and both are phenomenally different than the Craftsmen I have owned in the past.
Craftsmen tools for the truck and trail.
The good stuff for home.
Beno,
Give a Snap On 80 tooth ratchet, in one of the various lenghths, a try. You'll feel you have heaven in your hands.
They are unbelievably smooth. I have several Mac ratchets, and these S O's blow them away.
I do like alot of Mac's tools though , don't get me wrong.
Give a Snap On 80 tooth ratchet, in one of the various lenghths, a try. You'll feel you have heaven in your hands.
They are unbelievably smooth. I have several Mac ratchets, and these S O's blow them away.
I do like alot of Mac's tools though , don't get me wrong.
I don't own any SO yet. I want to get a few specific tools from SO, but the damn SO truck never comes around.
And I've heard the SO truck guy is real stingy honoring the warranties that SO advertises on their website and in person. A couple of techs here have been waiting almost 2 years for warranty replacement tools.
The Matco guy just totally warrantied my 1/2" ratchet (72 tooth) that had to be at least 15 years old. No questions asked.
I'll give a SO ratchet a try as well. I'm really liking the differences between what I was using and getting to what I am moving towards.
Thanks for the heads up.
-o-
That is unacceptable, only time I have had to wait with any of the tool trucks is if they don't have it on the truck, then usually it is waiting for me the next time I see him.
I would not spend a dime with a truck that acted that way and once more I would call corporate on him.
That is how it is suppose to work.
Betcha the Snap On guys definitely treat those good ole boys at the hangar at TOC a bit differently than us Toyota scum....
The Technical Operations Center was my best tool truck experience, we had dedicated trucks and payroll deduct, walk on give your employee number and signature and walk off with your new shiny, payments come off your check, up to a couple grand was $25 twice a month interest free and a %10 discount to boot, we were big profit center for the tool companies, we had the highest earning mac guy in the US. that was until the bankruptcy leading up to it the tool truck guys were told they were not affected as the company was just facilitating a transaction between the truck and the employee. when it came out they were listed as creditors, low ranking ones at that, they got hosed. the trucks has a couple months of tools sold still outstanding, company never paid, they kept taking out my check though.
But I have worked with many other trucks long before and since (starting at age 14) mostly Snap-On any truck that wants to sell tools must warranty their brand no questions asked. on the trucks you pay a lot for a top quality tool but unless it grows legs you only pay once and use it for life that is the deal. I have friends who brought back whole tool boxes full of tools that were damaged in a hangar fire, all replaced for free.
But I have worked with many other trucks long before and since (starting at age 14) mostly Snap-On any truck that wants to sell tools must warranty their brand no questions asked. on the trucks you pay a lot for a top quality tool but unless it grows legs you only pay once and use it for life that is the deal. I have friends who brought back whole tool boxes full of tools that were damaged in a hangar fire, all replaced for free.
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My buddy at TOC was a foreman for many years and then moved up, but I was talking to him tonight and he had the same things to say about the tool trucks coming to TOC--absolutely outstanding customer service. He still has a pretty bad ass tool set at home here in ABQ, but it's all SAE stuff which is pretty much useless for my purposes....
He talked about one guy--forgot, maybe the MAC guy--who had a 30' or 40' gooseneck that was his tool truck.
He talked about one guy--forgot, maybe the MAC guy--who had a 30' or 40' gooseneck that was his tool truck.
Ken, his last name was something like Pangtop or maybe Panktop, the trailer was red 30' easy, dont think it was quite 40', maybe with the part over the bed, the only non yellow Mac "truck" cause he hated yellow, he switched to a regular truck after the bankruptcy as he had to have a regular route. good guy great salesman, he sold a lot more stuff than just Mac, he always had the latest flashlights, knives and special tools from other brands. his son took over for a while before I left,
whats the foreman's name? actually I think I may have asked you this already, he was day-shift? if so I probably don't know him.
Yep all inch the only real way to size hardware, and all 12 point works great with good steel, not so much on soft automotive hex heads.
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I have a half dozen tools at a local shop waiting for the SO man. He comes around about once a month for them. He doesn't come around my shop ever. We'll see how the warranty goes. The half inch ratchet lasted about two weeks before it broke the last time I had it fixed.
They do feel nice in your hands though.
They do feel nice in your hands though.
BUMP
Bumping this to just re-iterate why I have spent money on good tools for my own home workshop (not talking about the tools in my rig for the trail).
These are a set of Matco long ratching tools I pieced together over a few months (pricey s***), but they have become my most favorite tools ever in my arsenal. I literally use them on every thing I am doing to both of my cruisers and my Honda. I have found this set to be indispensible for the work I do on my rigs....
The tools below are extra long sized and they fit many different possible fasteners. Sized: 10mm/12mm/14mm/17mm/19mm
I am getting a 22mm and a 24mm soon for suspension work. These things are tits and well worth their price indeed.
Bumping this to just re-iterate why I have spent money on good tools for my own home workshop (not talking about the tools in my rig for the trail).
These are a set of Matco long ratching tools I pieced together over a few months (pricey s***), but they have become my most favorite tools ever in my arsenal. I literally use them on every thing I am doing to both of my cruisers and my Honda. I have found this set to be indispensible for the work I do on my rigs....
The tools below are extra long sized and they fit many different possible fasteners. Sized: 10mm/12mm/14mm/17mm/19mm
I am getting a 22mm and a 24mm soon for suspension work. These things are tits and well worth their price indeed.
i have never had problems with the snap on guy , he even replaces my blue point with snap on for a very small fee .
i have also never had problems with craftsman , however most of my craftsman stuff is 20 years old .
another good set of tools is westward , and there very affordable . even in a industrial environment i will buy westward tools , or grey , williams etc . proto has gone down hill but its still not bad .
snap on is definitely the king but there are other options . if i wasn't a mechanic i probably wouldn't have much snap-on .
i have also never had problems with craftsman , however most of my craftsman stuff is 20 years old .
another good set of tools is westward , and there very affordable . even in a industrial environment i will buy westward tools , or grey , williams etc . proto has gone down hill but its still not bad .
snap on is definitely the king but there are other options . if i wasn't a mechanic i probably wouldn't have much snap-on .
Are these splined or 12 points? They look splined to me. Do you have problems of them rounding a hex bolt/nut?
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They are splined. No issues with rounding any of the Toyota bolts I've worked with.
So - all this talk about tool brands and quality and differences... I wish there were more objective assessments of the tools available to us (in terms of material used, tolerances, tests performed, yield and ultimate strenght tests etc).
I haven't ever seen any such info but if it's out there it would be very helpful in determining which tools really are best quality.
But it makes me wonder about sockets and size tolerances. I can't find any engineering info on the topic of socket brands and the tolerances they use but it would seem very important in deciding what brand or style of socket to use, right?
For example - I have seen the assertion that 6 point are less likely to strip, that 12 point are more likely to strip however 12 point have the benefit of more points of contact and more flexibility in positioning etc. However the more I think about it the more I think it all depends on tolerances - I am often surprised by the slop in the sockets (craftsman) and can't help but think sloppy 6 points might be worse than equally sloppy 12 points b/c the sloppy 6 points put more pressure probably close to the 'corners' of the socket heads?
I think every assertion on quality I've seen anywhere was based on individual and secondhand heresay but nothing statistically significant or objective. If anyone has better sources point us them! I definitely value the real world experience people have but it also is often conflicting (for example if no one has had problems with snap on tools breaking and needing warranty it would give me more confidence that they are such a great brand but with all the reports of snap on issues here and elsewhere I would want to see more objective data backing up the assertion on quality - the tests performed the features it has etc - but how often do you hear about 'features' on simple hand tools?)
I haven't ever seen any such info but if it's out there it would be very helpful in determining which tools really are best quality.
But it makes me wonder about sockets and size tolerances. I can't find any engineering info on the topic of socket brands and the tolerances they use but it would seem very important in deciding what brand or style of socket to use, right?
For example - I have seen the assertion that 6 point are less likely to strip, that 12 point are more likely to strip however 12 point have the benefit of more points of contact and more flexibility in positioning etc. However the more I think about it the more I think it all depends on tolerances - I am often surprised by the slop in the sockets (craftsman) and can't help but think sloppy 6 points might be worse than equally sloppy 12 points b/c the sloppy 6 points put more pressure probably close to the 'corners' of the socket heads?
I think every assertion on quality I've seen anywhere was based on individual and secondhand heresay but nothing statistically significant or objective. If anyone has better sources point us them! I definitely value the real world experience people have but it also is often conflicting (for example if no one has had problems with snap on tools breaking and needing warranty it would give me more confidence that they are such a great brand but with all the reports of snap on issues here and elsewhere I would want to see more objective data backing up the assertion on quality - the tests performed the features it has etc - but how often do you hear about 'features' on simple hand tools?)
fj40charles
SILVER Star
I'd say 99.999999% of the stuff you read on the internet is crap and useless info, but I would not classify everyone's assertion on quality as being secondhand heresay. You can see the difference in fit/finish/quality of tools when you compare them side by side.
I have sets of both 6 point and 12 point sockets. I use the 12 point when necessary. Having only one set is a bad idea. 12 point will strip easier than a 6 point. Quality 6 point sockets makes contact on the flat sides on the 6 sided nut/bolt and does NOT strip. Does a 12 point socket make contact on the flat sides of the nut/bolt?
Just when does one's objective opinion have to do with tool quality? You buy tools based on non objective factors like: cost, feel, functionality, brand preference, value, etc.,
Every tool, including Snap on, can be broken with enough abuse. Also, keep in mind that Snap on tools are not superior to other brands in every category.
