What Year did Snap-On change the font of their logo?

[KLars1]

Question tool fans (and yes, I did a search and I was surprised I didn't uncover a thread or two about this)

What year did Snap-On change the font of their name on their tools?

I just picked up some wrenches and they are in really great condition. Some of them are date marked 1982 and they have the old font. Others just have a patent number but no date marking that I could find. They also have the old font.

Did Snap-On cut over all at once or slowly over time? What was the timeline?

Just curious...Thanks :beer:

[billymade]

I think it was early to mid 80s; I'm sure someone will correct me! I have seen the old logo on date codes that didn't make sense; I think their dies were slowly transitioned over.... for example, back in mid 90s when I was at the body shop; I splurged on a specialty Volkswagen Snap-on wrench.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/OBJECTS/19100/19069.JPG
Wrench, VW Oil/Transmission Plug (21mm box, 17mm external hex) $71.25 Description: Box ends are 17mm, 6-point and 21mm, 12-point. Designed for VW transmission drain plugs. 10 1/4" long.
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?item_ID=11655&group_ID=1555

It was perfect for oil and transaxle fluid changes on my '64 Beetle and '73 Super Beetle. I remember specifically, being surprised that it didn't have the new script/logo.... I assume it was expensive to make new dies and this happend over time..
Damn, that wrench has gone up in price! $71.25, whew!

[Merkava_4]

It was right around when the revision A wrenches came out. I going to say sometime around 1990-1992.

[krusty the clown]

around 1984

[KLars1]

1984 may be about right. I picked up a 1/4" drive round head ratchet at the same time with a hard handle. the hard handle and round head have the new font and the ratchet shaft has the old font!

[billymade]

Wow, now that is quite a find! A pic of that would a be good "visual contradiction"!

[lbgradwell]

1981 or 1982.

The 1980 catalogue shows the old logo, while the 1982 catalogue features the newer... No doubt, the was a transition period over the entire line.

[ImportTuner]

Anybody have a picture of the logo's ...

[Junkman]

I think it was early to mid 80s; I'm sure someone will correct me! I have seen the old logo on date codes that didn't make sense; I think their dies were slowly transitioned over.... for example, back in mid 90s when I was at the body shop; I spurged on a specialty Volkswagen Snap-on wrench.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/OBJECTS/19100/19069.JPG
Wrench, VW Oil/Transmission Plug (21mm box, 17mm external hex) $71.25 Description: Box ends are 17mm, 6-point and 21mm, 12-point. Designed for VW transmission drain plugs. 10 1/4" long.
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?item_ID=11655&group_ID=1555

It was perfect for oil and transaxle fluid changes on my '64 Beetle and '73 Super Beetle. I remember specifically, being surprised that it didn't have the new script/logo.... I assume it was expensive to make new dies and this happend over time..
Damn, that wrench has gone up in price! $71.25, whew!

My guess would be that a lot of tools that are slow sellers are just kept in inventory until the inventory is getting low, and then a new run of the tool is made. This would mean that the old logo tool would be sold until they ran out of them, which might be 5 or 6 years into the new logo introduction. I am certain that production runs are in the thousands of a particular tool and that you can purchase in 2008 a tool with a date code of 2005, since that was the last production run of that tool.

[lbgradwell]

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/lbgradwell/Snap-onCatalogue1980-81.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/lbgradwell/Snap-onCatalogue1981-82.jpg

[chad s]

This is a pretty tough question. There are many logo styles from the 1920's, all somewhat similar, but clearly different. Most of this was changed to a very slightly changed (mainly a more standardised form of the late 20's logo) varient). This was used until maybe the late 40's, and replaced with the italic logo. There are many 40's tools who's logo will look just like a late 20's or early 30's logo.
But the lines are blurry. I could post pics of sockets from the 60's with 20's style logo's. There are many 20's tools dated the same year, with distinctky different logo's.

So in summary, logo's are not a very accurate way to date a tool, and the transitional lines are hard to define. It may be more defined from the last major change in the 80's to 90's era, however, look at a brand new set of 3/8 drive flare nut crowfoot wrenches, they have the 50's-80's logo on them still, even on the website.

[KLars1]

1981 or 1982.

The 1980 catalogue shows the old logo, while the 1982 catalogue features the newer... No doubt, the was a transition period over the entire line.

this friendly guy was a fellow tool addict with a KR1000, top box and side box FILLED with all SO. He had the price guides all the way back to before 1980 so he know what he paid!

He told me the same thing, the logo changed in 1981. The 6 pt long combos I bought are dated 1982 and they have the old logo still....his KR1000 bought in 1983 had the new logos.

[KLars1]

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/lbgradwell/Snap-onCatalogue1980-81.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/lbgradwell/Snap-onCatalogue1981-82.jpg


Awesome! Thanks for sharing!

The tools still have the old logo in the 1982 picture.

[wilbilt]

I think the transition took several years, as others have said.

I bought sets of SAE and metric long combo wrenches around '86-'87 that have the old logo. Screwdrivers bought around the same time have the new logo.

[Uncle Buck]

Man, I must not be tool addict enough. I never really gave the logo a great deal of thought!

[Merkava_4]

My 1990 catalog has pictures of wrenches having some with the old script AND some with the new script; so at this point, I don't know for sure. :dunno:

[KLars1]

do you guys think the value of 2nd hand / used tools with the old logo is less than the equivalant with the new logo?

Example: 7 pc SAE combo wrench set gets put on ebay...same overall condition. Does the old logo pull less $$$ everytime?

I used to think the new logo was much cooler and tried to stay away from the old logo. But you know what? I picked up these wrenches, and I must say, the old logo has really grown on me probably because of the overall beauty of the wrench. There is something really classic about it.

[Diesel-Mech]

do you guys think the value of 2nd hand / used tools with the old logo is less than the equivalant with the new logo?

Example: 7 pc SAE combo wrench set gets put on ebay...same overall condition. Does the old logo pull less $$$ everytime?

I used to think the new logo was much cooler and tried to stay away from the old logo. But you know what? I picked up these wrenches, and I must say, the old logo has really grown on me probably because of the overall beauty of the wrench. There is something really classic about it.
I don't personally give to much thought to which logo the tool has I'm more interested in the overall condition, unfortunately it goes with out saying that it is harder to find the older tools in the same condition as the ones with the current logo so I have less of the old style because of this.

[lbgradwell]

It seems the tools with the older logo do typically sell for less, but as Diesel-Mech points out, that may partly be a factor of the wear on the tool rather than the logo.

Personally, I am happy about that since I only watch for the tools with the older logo to match my existing tools. Obviously this has nothing to do with function, but simply satisfies my æsthetically-driven desires!

[KLars1]

Personally, I am happy about that since I only watch for the tools with the older logo to match my existing tools. Obviously this has nothing to do with function, but simply satisfies my æsthetically-driven desires!

You are among company! :thumbup:

[Bolster]

Did you notice that the '82 catalog with the "square speed" script, pictures a ratchet with the same "round brush" script as shown on the cover of the '80 catalog?

And that the wrenches pictured on the '80 catalog have a different script yet, the older style font with pronounced serifs?

:headscrat

[billymade]

I think there always was a difference (before the new logo) between the cast logo on something e.g. ratchet body and the "cover" that went on the heads of ratchets has the old "logo-script" that a more wavy/curvy look to it, as well...

http://www.zyo.jp/s-jct/tools/home/snapon/contents/catalog/clg3077/clg30770.jpg
As you can see on the ratchet "gear cover" has the script/logo and the logo on the socket is the earlier style.

[olds88]

I believe 1988 they put the newer logo on wrenches, ratchets, sockets, etc. Some items NEVER got a new logo....... I just bought a BT11 brake spring tool off the truck, date code 2008, with the old logo.

[eschoendorff]

Huh.... I have some stuff with the older logo, but prefer stuff with the new logo. No real reason, just my preference.

[Vinko]

do you guys think the value of 2nd hand / used tools with the old logo is less than the equivalant with the new logo?

Example: 7 pc SAE combo wrench set gets put on ebay...same overall condition. Does the old logo pull less $$$ everytime?

I used to think the new logo was much cooler and tried to stay away from the old logo. But you know what? I picked up these wrenches, and I must say, the old logo has really grown on me probably because of the overall beauty of the wrench. There is something really classic about it.


I prefer the old logo to the new logo. I can't entirely say why. The new logo already looks dated, but as your say, the previous logo does have something classic about it.