Tool Advice Needed: Snap-On or..?

Proto is still in business, they're part of the Stanley group. Same handtools as Home Depot's Husky brand.

I've got Proto and Husky ratchets and sockets and have been very impressed with the quality. The Husky looks -identical- to the Proto, only the name is different. Been about 6 years of hard use and the tools are holding up fine.

I have S-K wrenches at work and I love them. $350.00 for the set of SAE when I bought them. 8 years in aviation and 5 years at my current job, only replaced one wrench.

Shawn

I am really happy with the Husky wrenches I have purchased. I've also been really happy with Proto tools as well. Lots of them at the plant and they sure hold up well.

Many of the chain parts stores have a free tool loan. You just put down a deposit that is equal to the purchase price and they refund it when you bring it back.

I agree with some tools that you have to get the best, but many times the most expensive is expensive because of its distribution. I would rather take 1/2 labor away from my day and drive to harbor freight to buy a tool than pay the Snap-on guy ten times as much to cover their distribution infrastructure, his commission, the payment on his truck, and the marketing that goes along with it.

95% of the additional cost you pay with the expensive tools isn't because they're that much better, its because you are paying for the distribution and commission. Harbor Freight-type tools are 1/2 the quality at 1/10th the cost. Buy two.

In my book that goes for the simple stuff... combo wrenches, sockets, impact extensions, wire brushes, rubber gloves, mallets, brass drifts, etc. Rachets, calipers, and other more precision stuff I go with Craftsman. Again, its not because its that much better, and there is still a significant retail infrastructure you're supporting with the purchase cost, but I just can't imagine a better replacement policy. If you throw your craftsman rachet in a wood chipper and take it to Sears, they don't ring it in, you don't sign any papers, you don't have to answer any questions. They take the old one and hand you a new one. Period. By default, they give you a remanufactured unit, but a little secret... if you complain, their policy is to give you a new one off the shelf.

When I was 12 my dad bought me a complete craftsman tool set. I'm now 35 and I have worked in the industry since I was 19... and I mean daily use and abuse, dropping on concrete, throwing, heavy torquing, using pliers as a hammer, extensions as drifts, and screwdrivers as prybars. I replaced my 1/4 rachet once, and three sockets that I broke using an impact wrench (before I knew you weren't supposed to do that). I recall taking about 15 shattered pieces of a 5/8 deep-well socket into Sears in a Ziploc bag and they gladly gave me a new one.

Good tools, excellent replacement policy. You pay a slightly elevated price for them, but the fact that I've used mine hard for 23 years and only replaced a few pieces (only one of which was an actual equipment failure) says enough for me.

They're all good, some better than others, but consider WHY the price is higher. Those Matco, Snap-on, and Mac tool trucks driving 200 miles a day, driver commissions, and marketing infrastructure is what you're paying for.

FWIW I've had my Stanley 3/8-inch drive rachet set for over 10 years and it still works great. I'm not wrenching every day, but it's lasted me through several project cars and has kept on going. I really fail to see the point in buying fancy tools, they just seem to cost A LOT more then brake just as often. I say if you're going to spend your money on precision tools buy ones' that actually require precision; like micrometers, vernier calipers and such.

EDIT, after a google search of the intarwebs I found this tidbit, take it with a grain of salt as it came from some sort of car forum.

Ever wonder who makes what when it comes to hand tools? Not everything is made equal.

There are a hand full of other minor players (Vermont American, etc) and an endless list of Taiwanese import tool companies (some of which Stanley own as well as Danaher to serve the lower end consumer import brands at WalMart, etc). I personally do not think that MAC, MatCo, or Snap-On branded tools are worth the extra markup since they use pretty much the same forgings and manufacturing processes that make Husky and Kobalt and pre-1994 Craftsman. Where you need to pay attention are things like ratchets and torque wrenches. There are different specifications of ratchets and you do pay for the difference. Some mechanics require a finer, more precise ratcheting mechanism than guys like me who just bang around in the garage on the weekends.

Another thing..

If you are thinking of buying a Snap-On welder, DON'T.

They're made by Century. That's right, the company that can't even make a good battery charger. My shop was a Century warranty center, the quality is awful, we refuse to work on them anymore.

Century, Snap-On and Solar are all the same units.

Save your cash, buy a Miller.

Snap-On also owns Sioux and DeSoutter air tools from what I've heard (I could be wrong on this one)

Shawn

I've had very good luck with some Stanley tools that I bought about 7 years ago at Sam's Club. My primary toolset that I'm using is a 100 piece (or so) set from Stanley that comes in a plastic case. It's very convenient to have 90% of the tools I need in one place, and I can tell at a glance if one is missing. My only wish is that they had some larger etching denoting the size (which is probably on a newer model). I supplement my tools as necessary with Harbor Freight for items like breaker bars, impact sockets, etc. So far, everything has held up to my use (and abuse) very well!

neon4891 wrote: I will stick with a brand with a "No question asked" warranty.

+1. i have done some stupid stuff w/ my craftsman tools, and it's never a problem. once i adapted an 18" 1/2-drive breaker bar down to 3/8 to fit my deep sockets, then in a moment of brain lock adapted it back up to 1/2, then jumped on the end of the breaker after the BFH did not work. surprise...bunch of b0rked adapters and a ruined socket. the guy figured out exactly that i did (i did not volunteer that info), and just handed me the new pieces with a chuckle.

I started off using Snap On but got tired of paying so much money - then discovered Beta. They're made in italy and used by Ferrari in F1 and Superbikes etc and are just as good as Snap On (if not better) but are WAY cheaper. They're nearer to top of the range than the likes of Draper but defo worth it if you need professional tools.

Hello

1) Always read the online reviews. Angry contractors who bought bum tools are prolific writers, and you may sometimes learn you don't even need the tool--one reviewer, for example, had this to say about the T-Jak (a device for the lone worker that holds cabinets into place so you can screw them into the wall): "It's no wonder they only sell this thing online and not in stores--if you saw one up close, you'd realize you could build it yourself with standard threaded pipe and a $3 coupler."

2) Go to your local big-box hardware store, look for the empty spaces on the shelves, and find out what was on them. Whatever a big-box retailer cannot keep in stock is usually a best-selling tool, and the big-boxes see traffic from pro contractors and DIY-ers alike. Also, the big-boxes will often have discounts that can't even be had online.

Thanks for sharing

I think we've run up on a window to a parallel universe.

Most of my tools are a collection of Craftsman and Northern Tools. They've done their job; no breakage yet and I've whaled on them. A full set of MAC or Cornwell Tools would be great. Maybe in the future. Right now I need a garage more.

I'll take a look at Beta. My father had (and still has) plenty of Stanley tools while I was growing up and has a fair bit of Husky and Craftsman tools. Again, hard use and little breakage.

joey48442 wrote: I like my snap on 1/4,and 1/2 inch ratchets, but my 3/8 is weird. The "ratchet" function is to stiff. It wants to back the bolt back the other direction when you turn the wrench, instead of "clicking" Joey

Might just need some TLC. I clean my tools too often, and so I have to tear apart my ratchets and ratcheting wrenches to lube them fairly regularly.

It took abot a year after I got my snap-on set for that to start happening, then in one week all my ratchets even my 'vice grips' stopped working. Tool truck dude showed my I had just cleaned all the grease out of them, hehe.

I love my snap-on sockets, ratchets, and wrenches. I swear I could round off a rusty bolt with a craftsman, then grab the snap-on and pull it off.

Stay away from Snap-on vice grips though, the jaws are made of chocolate. I much prefer either vice-grips brand or Mac (made by vice-grips company, but cheaper). Oddly, I also prefer my Cresent brand adjustable wrench to the Snap-on variety.

ALL of my tools came out of my grandfathers garage or my fathers barn.

A lot of specalty stuff and a lot of run of the mill stuff. I have impact wrench stuff made in Milwaukee Wi. and stuff made in India. I trust all of it becasue none of it has ever broken in the last 50 years.

If I find I need something that I don't have, I call my dad (I am 40, he is 68) and he usually has more than one of what I need.

My father is a retired Diesel Mechanic and journyman Sheetmetal worker. My grand father workd for John Deere in the Quad Cities as a machinest from the end of WW2 until his death in 1977. The collection of tools is mind boggeling.

I am lucky like that.

Craftsman hand tool warranty is impossible to beat.

I've NEVER had any questions asked.

As a carpenter, I can burn though tape measures, and they will even warrant those.

I by them 6 at a time when they are on sale. When I break one, I just hang on to it until I have several. I've walked into Sears with 4 or 5 broken tapes, and NEVER had an issue. They just give me a brand new one, no questions asked, all across the country.

FWIW, I've also had a Sears rep on my site disposing of old warranteed tools. They go around to construction sites, and drop them into wet concrete so no one can re-use the warranty on the same (previously warranteed) tool. Extra reinforcing!

MY Dad worked for both Snap-On and Mac tools as a dealer. He noted, at both companies, that the quality of the tools would go down at the beginning of a new executive appointment, and steadily creep back up until they fired the guy. Both places.

So, basically, between the two, it doesn't matter, although they typically both rebrand stuff on some tools.

EricM wrote: My father is a retired Diesel Mechanic and journyman Sheetmetal worker. My grand father workd for John Deere in the Quad Cities as a machinest from the end of WW2 until his death in 1977. The collection of tools is mind boggeling. I am lucky like that.

I also inherited a bunch of tools. One grandfather was a carpenter, the other a farmer. Only problem is, all the good hand tools are in a field somewhere, everything else is 1" drive, and I have no idea what to do with 6 circular saws.

Snap-On is catching grief for not honoring warranties lately.....

Just something to think about.

I have some Snap-On tools that I bought when I was a motorcycle tech a few years ago, it was too convenient to hop in truck and open my wallet.

But honestly I cannot justify spending that much money on tools when I can get Craftsmen tools for so much less. Craftsmen are good tools and still have a killer warranty. I have only broken a couple of craftsmen pieces and all were replaced under warranty. The majority of my tools are Craftsmen!

that what tools are made where info is so old and outdated

there is NO husky stuff made here anymore except the screwdrivers that are craftsman knockoffs, it is all taiwan or china. and the quality has suffered. the sockets are all trash now.

i'm sticking to my kobalt, snap-on, proto, and craftsman. if you want snap-on without the price(but still more expensive than any store brands) check out bahco - snap on makes them and just stamps a different name on them, the sockets even carry the same part numbers.

patgizz wrote: there is NO husky stuff made here anymore except the screwdrivers that are craftsman knockoffs, it is all taiwan or china. and the quality has suffered.

Whenever possible--and it's tough these days--I go out of my way to avoid Chinese-made products.

I tend to try and find used Snap-On stuff on the bay. At least the basic tools there are reasonably affordable. Yes, that doesn't get me the personal service from the man with the van (and the associated wallet damage). As an amateur wrench I don't need those but then again I don't like buying stuff twice.

Fortunately a friend of mine has a bodyshop and is happy to do the warranty exchanges for me as the reps occasionally can get a little funny exchanging stuff if you're obviously not a pro and haven't bought the tools from them.