Tool brands and buying habits

[2ndGearRubber]

Inside the engine building room at m-sport. Note the Halfords socket set:

So working on clean, fresh, engines, with all the room in the world, likely not paid per job..... not really surprised. I'm guessing they don't have many 24" extensions in the engine building room either.

I wouldn't say a set of Wright grips would be needed either.

 

[AJHD]

Their financing component is a significant portion of their business but still delivers a fraction of the revenue of their tool sales: $258m from tool sales vs $68m from financing in 4Q 2023

Interesting numbers. Not what I would have guessed.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Interesting numbers. Not what I would have guessed.

Something to remember is truck credit vs actual reported credit which is a legally defined item.

Things on the truck account are likely considered sales, not credit, even though they may have a 10 week payment turn over. Additionally many of their actual credit accounts use longer terms to artificially make payment amounts lower. So while the per/year amount brought in would be lower they would make more over the life of the loan.

For instance at 27% interest, 5k over a 5 year term is ~10k. Payment is made lower by stretching the term, despite the borrower paying more. Plus side is they'll normally give you 60 or 90 days same as cash.

 

[liliysdad]

The older I get , the more I am willing to cheap out on tools. when I was starting off, I bought nice versions of pretty much everything because I thought I needed all the help I could get. Ten years in and I am more willing to take a chance on less expensive tools, knowing that my skills can cover any possible issues.

I am quite the opposite. The older I get the less tolerant of cheap stuff I become. My skills are better, but so is my appreciation of quality tools.

 

[gsanvi]

That's a good way think about it.
I love my Snap On tools, but I'm actually wanting to buy other brands these days for some things and save myself a lot of money.

I've only recently started to explore Koken and PB Swiss. I didn't even know about them when I started wrenching (as a job) and buying professional tools. I wish I had done some things differently.

I know they exist, but I don't know to what extent tool trucks have influenced the automotive industry in Europe. In the US, it's strong. I've worked with plenty of guys who don't buy tool truck brands but the vast majority of them do.

I can't speak for the rest of Europe, I live in Poland. Tool trucks are nonexistent here. I don't even know what a tool truck looks like!
But in terms of tool culture, USA is very different. From what I see, there is a huge DIY culture, and tons of people do their own work on cars and talk about it on the internet. And from what I see Americans love their tools, and put strong emphasis on quality.

Polish people though? Most tools I see being used are cheap chinese rebrands by Polish companies, or cheap Chinese/Taiwanese tools. Snap On would go bankrupt here in a month lol. Financing for garages as seen in the USA is nonexistent here. Sure, people take loans for the more expensive equipment but that's it - and it still comes from cheap brands usually. People focus on getting the job done and not spending much in most of the cases. Even professional garages use cheap tools and nobody seems to care. I've seen Facom in a few shops, but that's about it. I've never seen a Stahlwille or a Hazet tool in a garage/shop here. I also think that Europeans have a more minimalist approach - I've never seen a huge toolbox that look like a wardrobe over here, nobody seems to have 30 different ratchets as well. I feel like that's pretty common in the US?

If you can run a commercial garage and use cheap tools, that means that most of the time they are durable enough. I buy high quality tools for my own pleasure - I appreciate the workmanship and prefer working with them. Most of the time I try to look for bargains or buy used, as high quality German made tools are really expensive. I have a small tool cart that I continously fill with tools that I need. I also gradually replace lower quality stuff with something that's better. Sometimes I buy cool stuff out of a whim, but still that's managaeble and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

 

[richfinn]

So working on clean, fresh, engines, with all the room in the world, likely not paid per job..... not really surprised. I'm guessing they don't have many 24" extensions in the engine building room either.

I wouldn't say a set of Wright grips would be needed either.

It's a bit different for the Mechanics working on the cars during the actual Rallies though, definitely up against the clock in pretty grim working conditions working on the floor!!!

 

[Ton ton]

I can't speak for the rest of Europe, I live in Poland. Tool trucks are nonexistent here. I don't even know what a tool truck looks like!
But in terms of tool culture, USA is very different. From what I see, there is a huge DIY culture, and tons of people do their own work on cars and talk about it on the internet. And from what I see Americans love their tools, and put strong emphasis on quality.

Polish people though? Most tools I see being used are cheap chinese rebrands by Polish companies, or cheap Chinese/Taiwanese tools. Snap On would go bankrupt here in a month lol. Financing for garages as seen in the USA is nonexistent here. Sure, people take loans for the more expensive equipment but that's it - and it still comes from cheap brands usually. People focus on getting the job done and not spending much in most of the cases. Even professional garages use cheap tools and nobody seems to care. I've seen Facom in a few shops, but that's about it. I've never seen a Stahlwille or a Hazet tool in a garage/shop here. I also think that Europeans have a more minimalist approach - I've never seen a huge toolbox that look like a wardrobe over here, nobody seems to have 30 different ratchets as well. I feel like that's pretty common in the US?

If you can run a commercial garage and use cheap tools, that means that most of the time they are durable enough. I buy high quality tools for my own pleasure - I appreciate the workmanship and prefer working with them. Most of the time I try to look for bargains or buy used, as high quality German made tools are really expensive. I have a small tool cart that I continously fill with tools that I need. I also gradually replace lower quality stuff with something that's better. Sometimes I buy cool stuff out of a whim, but still that's managaeble and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

You may be getting a lopsided view of America. Just my worthless 2 cents. But I appreciate the peek into Polish culture. There's shops who use harbor freight stuff in America too. Not sure if you have harbor freight in Poland. But it is known for bottom tier tools. Trending towards the upside, LOL.

 

[dchawk81]

This is always the case with manufacturers diagnostics tools, they are better than a generic scan tool (even if it says snap on at the top). The advantage of a scanner is you don’t have to buy manufacturer specific diagnostics for every vehicle you see, which gets expensive quick. My snap on scanner isn’t as good as the oem diagnostics, but it does 90% of everything well.

I’d guess the market for trucks is worse - do snap on or autel etc even make a scanner that talks to trucks? I was asked to look at a tractor recently - as far as I can tell there’s nothing out there other than dealer kit.

Jpro seems to be the OEM alternative and markets itself as multi brand.

But I don't know how good it is. The $1800 first year and $250 subscription renewal has kept me out of the shops and minimized downtime to be worth it, without hesitation.

It's actually kind of cheap when you think about what it does. It doesn't include hardware, but its a Windows program. I have a cheap Lenovo laptop dedicated to it and if I break it or it burns down with the truck during a Regen, I can just get another computer and reinstall it as if nothing ever happened.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Jpro seems to be the OEM alternative and markets itself as multi brand.

But I don't know how good it is. The $1800 first year and $250 subscription renewal has kept me out of the shops and minimized downtime to be worth it, without hesitation.

It's actually kind of cheap when you think about what it does. It doesn't include hardware, but its a Windows program. I have a cheap Lenovo laptop dedicated to it and if I break it or it burns down with the truck during a Regen, I can just get another computer and reinstall it as if nothing ever happened.

It's impressive how cheap that is. That's basically $500 over an light duty Autel tool, with cheaper updates.

 

[richfinn]

I can't speak for the rest of Europe, I live in Poland. Tool trucks are nonexistent here. I don't even know what a tool truck looks like!
But in terms of tool culture, USA is very different. From what I see, there is a huge DIY culture, and tons of people do their own work on cars and talk about it on the internet. And from what I see Americans love their tools, and put strong emphasis on quality.

Polish people though? Most tools I see being used are cheap chinese rebrands by Polish companies, or cheap Chinese/Taiwanese tools. Snap On would go bankrupt here in a month lol. Financing for garages as seen in the USA is nonexistent here. Sure, people take loans for the more expensive equipment but that's it - and it still comes from cheap brands usually. People focus on getting the job done and not spending much in most of the cases. Even professional garages use cheap tools and nobody seems to care. I've seen Facom in a few shops, but that's about it. I've never seen a Stahlwille or a Hazet tool in a garage/shop here. I also think that Europeans have a more minimalist approach - I've never seen a huge toolbox that look like a wardrobe over here, nobody seems to have 30 different ratchets as well. I feel like that's pretty common in the US?

If you can run a commercial garage and use cheap tools, that means that most of the time they are durable enough. I buy high quality tools for my own pleasure - I appreciate the workmanship and prefer working with them. Most of the time I try to look for bargains or buy used, as high quality German made tools are really expensive. I have a small tool cart that I continously fill with tools that I need. I also gradually replace lower quality stuff with something that's better. Sometimes I buy cool stuff out of a whim, but still that's managaeble and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

I have some Polish friends living in the UK, one of them is a fantastic Vehicle Mechanic (trained during his Military service), been here a long time now and has quite the Snap-On set up that he has built up over the years.

He Introduced me to Lech and Tyskie beer

 

[dchawk81]

It's impressive how cheap that is. That's basically $500 over an light duty Autel tool, with cheaper updates.

Yeah it does more than read codes and give diagnostic flow, it also has ECM/TCM programming functions.

I have no idea if an Autel does that stuff on a car or not but I got in there and changed some of the annoying fleet programming to something more O/O. Less speed loss before downshifting and throttling back up, preferred default cruise speed (press resume button and it goes straight to your defined cruise speed, or set button for your current speed), etc.

Just some livability things really.

You can also do things like check the clutch surface wear. It'll basically engage and disengage the clutch and compare it with brand new values and spit out the delta. Gives you an idea about how much life is left in it.

Unfortunately it doesn't do the ABS system. That's Bendix specific software. I haven't bought into that yet.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Yeah it does more than read codes and give diagnostic flow, it also has ECM/TCM programming functions.

I have no idea if an Autel does that stuff on a car or not but I got in there and changed some of the annoying fleet programming to something more O/O. Less speed loss before downshifting and throttling back up, preferred default cruise speed (press resume button and it goes straight to your defined cruise speed, or set button for your current speed), etc.

Just some livability things really.

Unfortunately it doesn't do the ABS system. That's Bendix specific software. I haven't bought into that yet.

Aftermarket tools can initialize some modules, sometimes pull data out of an old one and inject it into a new one. Some customizable stuff too, similar to what you're talking about.

True programming of a blank module needs OE software and subscription.

 

[d.mcfarland]

Their financing component is a significant portion of their business but still delivers a fraction of the revenue of their tool sales: $258m from tool sales vs $68m from financing in 4Q 2023

Yes, they financed a very high percentage of those tools I would bet. The tools are just the items they are selling at a profit.

 

[AEAdam]

I can't speak for the rest of Europe, I live in Poland. Tool trucks are nonexistent here. I don't even know what a tool truck looks like!
But in terms of tool culture, USA is very different. From what I see, there is a huge DIY culture, and tons of people do their own work on cars and talk about it on the internet. And from what I see Americans love their tools, and put strong emphasis on quality.

Polish people though? Most tools I see being used are cheap chinese rebrands by Polish companies, or cheap Chinese/Taiwanese tools. Snap On would go bankrupt here in a month lol. Financing for garages as seen in the USA is nonexistent here. Sure, people take loans for the more expensive equipment but that's it - and it still comes from cheap brands usually. People focus on getting the job done and not spending much in most of the cases. Even professional garages use cheap tools and nobody seems to care. I've seen Facom in a few shops, but that's about it. I've never seen a Stahlwille or a Hazet tool in a garage/shop here. I also think that Europeans have a more minimalist approach - I've never seen a huge toolbox that look like a wardrobe over here, nobody seems to have 30 different ratchets as well. I feel like that's pretty common in the US?

If you can run a commercial garage and use cheap tools, that means that most of the time they are durable enough. I buy high quality tools for my own pleasure - I appreciate the workmanship and prefer working with them. Most of the time I try to look for bargains or buy used, as high quality German made tools are really expensive. I have a small tool cart that I continously fill with tools that I need. I also gradually replace lower quality stuff with something that's better. Sometimes I buy cool stuff out of a whim, but still that's managaeble and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Our US economy is different. Mechanics are paid differently. Stakes are high as is competition.

I was shocked at how cheap labor was in the UK. I recall labor rates like £35/hr for auto mechanics, electricians etc. Here, skilled labor is easily double. My local VW dealer‘s labor rate is at least $125/hr.

The result is flat rate auto techs try to complete as many jobs as possible in a day (they don’t get paid anywhere near $125/hr) and if a tool earns them an extra hour per day, it’s worth quite a bit to them.

For people like me facing repair bills in excess of $1000 for a job I can do on a Saturday, the cost of even pro grade tools seems a reasonable investment.

 

[Hakeem]

I am quite the opposite. The older I get the less tolerant of cheap stuff I become. My skills are better, but so is my appreciation of quality tools.

Maybe “cheap” isn’t the right word. I’ll give an example: I saw the Milwaukee demo screwdriver in the store the other day. It’s a beefy flat head with solid metal shank, practically like a chisel. Sells for $20.

I was tempted for a moment, but then I remembered that I have about a dozen of big generic flathead screwdrivers that get used for everything but driving a screw. they work just fine. Is this Milwaukee demo driver “better”? Sure, but they all get the job done just the same.

A younger me would have gone “wow, I need that demo driver! Imagine how well that will perform!” before taking it to the register and parting with my hard earned money.

 

[CHI_Tool&Die]

Some of the Worlds most exotic high performance cars were and still are built entirely without Snap-On Tools, they are absolute masters of marketing and selling the "American Dream" though, there's definitely some good tools in their catalog to back it up and they have worked very hard to become a great brand name

I have seen so many dudes on YouTube or in person that do high quality professional work, restorations, and mechanical repairs and machining that have a Craftsman box and HF or Husky hand tools. Snap-on is what it is in large part because flat rate techs and the government need that truck for warranty purposes or what have you. I’m interested in seeing what happens in a generation when there is a HF on every corner (they are expanding here at an unprecedented rate) and all the old truck drivers retire (we do not have any younger guys running a Mac or Snappy truck). Add in the heavy social media influence and I bet the tool share for professionals will be a lot more diverse. The one exception is power tools. Milwaukee is absolutely running the whole scene here. Everyone and their mother has M12 or M18 stuff outside the European dudes that stick with Bosch as that is how they rolled in the old country. I personally hate Milwaukee so it is a bit disheartening to see how big a share the own now.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

I have seen so many dudes on YouTube or in person that do high quality professional work, restorations, and mechanical repairs and machining that have a Craftsman box and HF or Husky hand tools. Snap-on is what it is in large part because flat rate techs and the government need that truck for warranty purposes or what have you. I’m interested in seeing what happens in a generation when there is a HF on every corner (they are expanding here at an unprecedented rate) and all the old truck drivers retire (we do not have any younger guys running a Mac or Snappy truck). Add in the heavy social media influence and I bet the tool share for professionals will be a lot more diverse. The one exception is power tools. Milwaukee is absolutely running the whole scene here. Everyone and their mother has M12 or M18 stuff outside the European dudes that stick with Bosch as that is how they rolled in the old country. I personally hate Milwaukee so it is a bit disheartening to see how big a share the own now.

In my personal experience most new techs either buy no/minimal tools and try to borrow (get fucked), or go to the tool trucks despite being told to stay away.

Which is cheaper, $100 at HF, or $20 a week for a year? For some reason most will tell you the latter.

 

[dchawk81]

In my personal experience most new techs either buy no/minimal tools and try to borrow (get fucked), or go to the tool trucks despite being told to stay away.

Which is cheaper, $100 at HF, or $20 a week for a year? For some reason most will tell you the latter.

$100 is too much to spend at HF. I don't care how full your cart is.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Some stuff I buy expensive some stuff I don’t. Like sockets for example I’m not buying expensive ones. I piece together whatever at the pawn shop or go to an auto parts store and get them or order them online or whatever. No need to buy something like Snap-on sockets. Ratchets and wrenches I’ll usually buy better quality for example Snap-on combination wrenches are hard to beat. Same with Snap-on and Matco ratchets. Screwdrivers I buy better quality too and I even break those so I just get them replaced. Power tools I settle for nothing but name brands usually. The exception is Harbor Freight Earthquake which are amazingly powerful tools. Pliers same thing I buy better quality. I’m not bias to any brand and I’ll use anything if it’s available.

 

[Odd-job]

$68m from financing in 4Q 2023

Dang that's net with financing expenses of $29m. I wonder how much of that is loan charge offs vs interest expense, processing fees, etc. The really bad credit gets offloaded on the franchisee's? I guess the other way to look at it is that it helps move tools and seems to make money at the same time.

OP, to answer your question I think I am slowly moving "upmarket" unlike a lot of the folks who seem to be downgrading on this thread. This forum is a bad influence to say the least, but am appreciating the occasional snap on ratchet or the pb swiss allen wrenches with the knurling. There seems to be some specialty stuff that I "need" like snap on offset extensions and adapters unless anyone can suggest an alternative. Also am on the lookout for 1/4 flare nut crows feet. Again specialty and can't justify upgrading my Taiwan sourced mainline stuff unless a smoking deal pops up.

 

[Radio Flyer]

As I'm closing in on retirement, I don't buy nearly as much as I used too. Very little of it comes from a tool truck. I think the last snap on purchase I made were the long nose 3 position slip joint pliers. Lately, it's been new offerings from Astro, VIM, Tekton, and Capri filling any tool needs I might have.

I feel like I could have written this as well.

 

[gatewaysysop]

I want to be clear this is NOT meant to spark a debate on this brand vs that brand, or debate tool brands in general.

Instead I'm genuinely curious how many other people have changed their buying habits at some point when it comes to the tool brands they buy.

Count me in the group that's changed their habits along the way. I used to mainly buy Craftsman, but this was in the 1990s and early 2000s. A lot of that was attributable to cost, availability and more than sufficient quality for what I was going to be doing. Many things I bought when the opportunity arose and there was a very good deal to be had, not necessarily because I needed it right that moment.

Later on, when I made better money and had more space for projects and hobbies, I more or less had the bases covered. Tool purchases at that point became more about trying new brands (partly out of necessity, with Craftsman going in the tank, Sears closing shop, etc.), upgrading/replacing some of the basics or just expanding on what I already had.

I've found myself conflicted when it comes to buying tools over the last several months. Not only questioning need vs want and cost/price, but also questioning brands. I still want to buy Snap On, but I'm mostly unwilling and unable to convince myself to buy them. I've been on the truck several times and bought nothing, which is strange for me. The things I have bought were small, a single socket or other some individual tool.

I'm in the same boat. I could afford just about whatever I want off the trucks, but honestly just don't feel like paying those prices given the other options out there. Don't get me wrong, I've got some Snap On, Mac, Matco and Cornwell and like them very much for the most part, but I don't really need or want to upgrade any of my Craftsman or other mid-range stuff, even though I could afford to. If I was a professional I'd probably feel differently about it, but for me and what I do, it's unnecessary.

I have no intention of selling my Snap On tools and replacing them with other brands... But I'm looking for and more willing to buy or consider other and cheaper brands these days, far more than I would ever have in the past.

Honestly, I don't really want to spend to money at all. It sounds stupid and it's difficult to explain, but things in life change and buying tools is no exception.

I don't think it sounds stupid. Priorities change, hobbies and interests always have an ebb and flow to them. Perspectives change when the tool box gets closer to full and most of the tools are plenty good enough for what you do.

 

[AJHD]

I'm in the same boat. I could afford just about whatever I want off the trucks, but honestly just don't feel like paying those prices given the other options out there. Don't get me wrong, I've got some Snap On, Mac, Matco and Cornwell and like them very much for the most part, but I don't really need or want to upgrade any of my Craftsman or other mid-range stuff, even though I could afford to. If I was a professional I'd probably feel differently about it, but for me and what I do, it's unnecessary.

Everything is only worth what we are willing to pay for it...

Cost vs worth is only one of the reasons, but I'm done with Snap On. I just can't do it anymore and I have to walk away.

In the interest of full transparency, I still want Snap On tools and expect to buy the occasional tool here and there as I have been doing for several months. I still see my dealer maybe once a month.

However, to give some perspective on how things have changed I only spent about $1,500 in 2023 and almost all of that was before June. Where as I spent north of $5,000 in 2022. My truck account is currently almost paid off.

Unfortunately even the seemingly meager amount of money I've spent doesn't go very far with Snap On, especially given constant inflation and prices shooting into space (particularly with the newer tools).

$800-$1,000+ wrench sets.
$1,000+ floor jacks.
$10,500+ scan tools plus update and subscription costs.
$1,000+ battery tools.
$200-$300+ ratchets.
$500+ socket sets.
$20,000+ tool boxes.
The list goes on.

Seriously, kudos to anyone out there making enough money to actually buy this stuff and not go into serious debt for the next decade plus. But I sure as **** cannot and will not.

Your mileage may vary, as the saying goes.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Snap on is only worth it for the constant use, all the time, money maker tools.

Filling a box with it would bankrupt anyone. I could afford a lot more snapon, but I'd rather not spend that much. A lot of people think I'm Mr. Snap On because of the logos on my storage, but most of my stuff isn't theirs.

 

[Snapped-off]

It's easy to buy Snap-on during promos. Getting their stuff nearly half off takes away the sting.

One of my last truck purchases was a set of 3/8" drive semi deep FDX sockets. I walked on the truck fully prepared to pay the $300ish retail they were. I walked off the truck with the sockets and a brand new FRL80 ratchet to replace my old FL936. Sockets were on promo with free ratchet.

@gsanvi Much of Europe is definitely in a different mindset. My Romanian family-in-law look down on me for buying tools and doing everything I can DIY. They think I'm crazy. Its the same exact way I feel that they spend 1k+ per month buying clothes.

 

[GaryM909]

I spent a year and a half working as an apprentice welder in a machine shop. I used to drool when the Snap On truck stopped by every week. The welder I was working under told me to keep my money and buy Proto instead. He said welders don’t need Snap On. I had a whole bunch of junk and I had started replacing tools when I went back to school. I did two sessions back to back and then got offered a better job. Now my home box is mostly Proto and older Craftsman. If I need to buy now I will just go to HD or Canadian Tire.

 

[Samuel D]

I’m just over 40 years old and have never had better basic hand tools.

I’ve also never had a more diverse range of brands. I’ve got Snap-on and other American stuff, Japanese stuff, lots of German stuff of course, Swiss stuff, Spanish stuff, Italian stuff, lots of French stuff (used to live in France and have a soft spot for French engineering generally), some British items, even old Romanian tools and some other novelties like that.

Almost all my American and Japanese tools were acquired in the last few years since becoming aware of them (and sources for them) on the internet, this forum being the chief culprit.

However, I don’t have a lot of tools by comparison to many readers here, nor do I need more of the basics. I like it like that: top quality, carefully chosen tools that I love to use. Gsanvi mentioned 30 ratchets. Not in my house. I don’t do impulse buys. Everything is planned.

 

[PhantomEB]

I have always snubbed Milwaukee due to their price and went Ridgid for my collection. Now but that’s changed, was gifted a Milwaukee starter kit from my unions General Maintenance committee for my work as a Steward….

wont be buying Ridgid as much but still having a hard time justifying Milwaukee prices.

 

[Zewnten]

Wearing out my cheaper tools has led me to buy higher quality industrial brands with a few top of the line when it’s the better choice.

 

[bcradio]

Wearing out my cheaper tools has led me to buy higher quality industrial brands with a few top of the line when it’s the better choice.

What do you consider "top of the line" vs high quality industrial?

 

[Zewnten]

Higher quality industrial to me is Proto and Wright. Top of the line is Cornwell and Snap On for my needs, specialty tools no one else comes close to

 

[CHI_Tool&Die]

Everything is only worth what we are willing to pay for it...

Cost vs worth is only one of the reasons, but I'm done with Snap On. I just can't do it anymore and I have to walk away.

In the interest of full transparency, I still want Snap On tools and expect to buy the occasional tool here and there as I have been doing for several months. I still see my dealer maybe once a month.

However, to give some perspective on how things have changed I only spent about $1,500 in 2023 and almost all of that was before June. Where as I spent north of $5,000 in 2022. My truck account is currently almost paid off.

Unfortunately even the seemingly meager amount of money I've spent doesn't go very far with Snap On, especially given constant inflation and prices shooting into space (particularly with the newer tools).

$800-$1,000+ wrench sets.
$1,000+ floor jacks.
$10,500+ scan tools plus update and subscription costs.
$1,000+ battery tools.
$200-$300+ ratchets.
$500+ socket sets.
$20,000+ tool boxes.
The list goes on.

Seriously, kudos to anyone out there making enough money to actually buy this stuff and not go into serious debt for the next decade plus. But I sure as **** cannot and will not.

Your mileage may vary, as the saying goes.

The guys that buy Snap-on are starting to sweat at our shop because of the pricing. The ratchets, surprisingly, are actually pretty affordable in comparison to other higher quality manufacturers. But everything else has skyrocketed over the last two years. It’s not just Snappy, but Snappy is the perfect example because of how high their prices already were. I don’t blame you for understanding and spending within your limits.

 

[bonneyman]

I can't speak for the rest of Europe, I live in Poland. Tool trucks are nonexistent here. I don't even know what a tool truck looks like!

Ha-ha, truth be told, we don't have real tool trucks here either! We just have panel vans with blank sides, and the driver slaps on a different magnetic sign depending on where he's pulling up. Tools, psychic readings, beef tacos.

At least that's what it seems like to me!

 

[joendoodle]

I am a hobbiest, I have seen and used Snap-On tools they are premium quality, but not being a professional, the Snap-on truck does not stop at my house.. and w/o the need for superior priced tools I don't own anything made by Snap-On.

For years I was >95% Craftsman. good & easy to implement warranty , decent quality, sale prices were excellent, and if you needed 1 more socket, you could get one to match the set.. When I need a good wrench I grab a Craftsman out of the toolbox, they haven't let me down..
Then (we all know) Sears management blew it, they sacrificed, Kenmore, Craftsman and Diehard brands for womens clothing..
.
I still have all those Craftsman hand tools, I really like just about anything by Gearwrench. I have had good luck with Kobalt, Menards Masterkraft and HFT's Quinn & Pittsburgh Pro lines.

 

[Robinson1]

I don’t know that there is anything better at that price point…

I’d be willing to argue that Kobalt and Quinn would be similar quality at an equal or better price point. Husky would also be a contender on certain items.

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

Otherwise no one would save up 500k cash.

LOL,

You need a better class of friends. I know way too many that would/do just pay cash like that. Heck a friend of mine in the last couple of years, bought five places trying to figure out which he liked the best.

I'll never had that kind of money (had too many bad things happen in my life, they all don't believe how much junk I have had to put up/deal with), but no one, LOL.

I started out (first vehicle), with those green $4.99 socket sets, a made in India wrench set I bought at Monkey Wards, because Powerkraft was supposed to be good (gone by then, but I had no one to teach me).
Had access to some better tools, that had belonged to my grandfather, but had to stay at grandparents home which I maintained. I always wanted a better then one use ratchet (sockets were ok for what I had to do then).
Grandma passed, I inherited those tools and half a house and had to buy the other half out, shortly afterwards I was working two jobs seven days a week, 362 days a year, one of them being in a garage.
Well I bought Craftsman sockets and ratchets (went for the better ratchets), Craftsman (what became the professional) wrench set, and a few other things. Worked out of a portable tool box and my trunk (while a coworker bought the big box but couldn't afford to fill it, and kept trying to borrow my stuff for his home). I bought a few specialty tools off the trucks (pilot bearing puller), wanted to keep my starter sets and buy impacts off the truck, but started with Pittsburgh impact sockets, figuring they'd get turned into modify me tools, but they didn't break. Ended up with Craftsman impact sockets for home, the shop did supply some tools (as the owner/kind of extended family, appreciated me going to work for them to help them out when they were short handed).

I never liked the Snap on flank drive wrench sets I got to handle, with their knife like handles. I did pick up clearance JH Williams made Kobalt tools (flare wrench sets that when the hand covers the brand, were mistaken for Snap on), Wright and a few other brands. I have a mix of absolutely everything and a part of my truck tools, came from damaged freight stores, some from ebay, and a few off the truck. Heck now I even watch those Amazon bin stores that have popped up. Tools have to justify a cost benefit analysis, and at this point, I have even less time to use them (cancer fight, working seven days a week, four days off last year). I'm trying to figure out some young kid to possibly help (or give to a mechanic buddy to pass along), should something happen to me, as I figured a nephew would want them, however no real interest.

 

[FigN⋅m]

*spam*

ok.

 

[Andres26tnt]

I work for Uncle Sam(active duty Air Force). So I'm fortunate I don't have to spend a dime on tools for work. So that alone has let me enjoy my tools, and forget about warranty or needs. Most of my collection is what I wanted and for testing purposes.

I own multiple brands, from snap-on, proto, Koken, stahlwille, craftsman, and many more. I definitely don't need to buy anything anymore as I have about 4 boxes and plenty of tool kits. What I need to do is downsize and get rid of underutilized tools.

 

[Callelle]

I buy a lot more wants than needs, and I try to stick to top brands when I can. Though I'll peruse marketplace for months to find a deal on something. I only really buy anything new if it's cheap enough to make buying used not worth it, or if its something very specific that's just hard to find 2nd hand. Otherwise, if I buy new, it's almost always a mid tier brand (Capri, Icon, Astro, etc).

 

[Semi-hole mechanic]

I grew up fairly poor in a rural area. My options for tools as a teenager were Walmart, a Southern States co-op, True Value Hardware, and Napa.

As a teenager most my tools came from WalMart. Mostly because I couldn’t afford the tools Napa and Southern States sold. I bought a few things from True Value that WalMart didn’t stock. In the end the tools sold at True Value were about equal in quality to what WalMart sold. I got in on the tail end of the Popular Mechanics era then they switched to Stanley. Walmart had a much better tool department back then than they do today.

In my late teens and early 20s I bought a lot of carpentry related tools. Starting with brands like Black & Decker and Skil. Realized they were junk and transitioned to Bosch and Dewalt. Today I’m pretty much all Dewalt with a bit of Milwaukee and Hitachi.

I’ve never owned what I consider to be a really good set of sockets or wrenches. Starting with Popular Mechanics and Stanley, then adding some Harbor Freight, selling off a lot and replacing things with Craftsman and Napa brands then another major purge to Gearwrench and Tekton. At this point I have something from every cheap import tool brand that was popular enough to be stocked in stores.

Entering my 30s I got bit by the farming bug and what started as a hobby has become a sideline business. I have good tractors but most my attachments are marketplace finds and would be considered by most as rusty junk. That sparked the need for more tools and bigger tools and duplicates of tools so I could have what I needed staged when I needed them.

The brands I turned to at this point were Sunex, Tekton, Vevor, and Job Smart. I’ve been impressed with Vevor, and they are cheaper than Harbor Freight. And while price isn’t as big of an issue to me at this point in my life as it used to be I’m still a cheap person. Sunex is serviceable but hasn’t left me super impressed. Tekton is Tekton and Job Smart is either pure junk or pretty good.

So basically I started with WalMart junk and now almost 30 years later I’m buying Amazon junk. The fact of the matter is I’ve broken very little.

The last mechanics tools I bough was a rail of 3/8 drive metric sockets from Tractor Supply, JobSmart brand. They cost $19.99. I’ve grown to like the JobSmart tools. Like I said above they are either pure junk or pretty good. The good part is if you use common sense and actually examine the tools in store you can weed the junk out easily. They are cheaper than Tekton, and better quality than what WalMart currently stocks. We don’t have a local Harbor Freight. For me Job Smart has became my Pittsburgh Pro. (And wouldn’t be shocked to learn they are both made in the same factory)

I’ve told this story before but it’s worth mentioning. A few years back (likely 10 years now as time flies) I needed a duplicate 9/16 wrench for a project I was working on. I was far enough from home it made sense to just buy a tool versus going back home so I walked in Tractor Supply and found a small set of wrenches in the bargain bins up by the door for $5.99 that included sizes from 3/8 thru 3/4. And since that was cheaper than a single 9/16” wrench in the tool department. I bought them. That set of wrenches has lived on my work truck since. They have been used hard and they’ve never let me down. If someone asked me today to show them my favorite set of wrenches that’s what I would bring them. I think the brand was Barn Star although the tools themselves have no marking except for the size. They still have a similar set available at certain times of the year although they cost more than $5.99 now. I’ve often wondered if I just got lucky and got a set that had really good heat treatment or if they are all that good.

Most of the JobSmart is made by Apex. The promo table stuff is usually not, but the stuff down the hand tool aisle in the tool corral is for the most part Apex. I use 90 tooth Jobsmart ratchets that are identical to the Crescent ratchets. Barnstar branded stuff is always cheap Chinese. I have a Barnstar set of metric rp combo wrenches in the tool bag in my wife’s car for emergency use. My last purchase was also a set of Jobsmart 3/8” metric 12pt deep wells that I bought a month or so ago because I’ve been using either 1/2” or 1/4” deeps. I think I forgot to post them, so here’s a pic with the 90T Jobsmart 3/8” ratchet.