snap on quality gone downhill?

[bayoutoolguy]

picked up a FLF80 ratchet, brand new, today fro mthe snap on guy, and i notice where snap on is tamped on the head, it looks of lesser quality, and nowhere on the rtahcet does it say made in usa. also i picked up a 9/16 socket for a buddy of mine after dropping his in the bilge of a supply boat (super nasty lol) and i noticed where it says snap on, on the new socket, is also of lesser quality than the one i lost. the inside also had a rough finish. is it just me or does it seem like the quality has gone downhill?

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Everything that I have bought lately looks just as good if not better than the stuff I have been buying since the early 70's. You are also beating a dead horse over the USA issue.

 

[dwm]

An FLHF80 arrived here today. Looks just as good as any of my older ratchets. Maybe I'm not as picky about cosmetics as some others, but most of my tools don't look spiffy for very long regardless of what they look like when they arrive.

 

[V70R]

Quality, oh yea, totally down hill now. All offshore since Kim Jong bought them out.

 

[monster1]

A friend posted a picture on Facebook tonight of his brand new 5/8 combo wrench and the chrome peeling off it. The stamped lettering was sub-par and the chrome looked like chemically peeled paint.

 

[G1GRANDEUR]

Maybe just a bad batch. I had few bad tools back in the days, exchanged with better one.

 

[wreckerman5357]

Never gwen anything from Snap-On that didn't look and perform great. And realistically, who gives a **** about the stamping? As long as the Thing turns nuts and bolts good without breaking its a winner.

 

[dwm]

Here's the FHLF80 that arrived today, with its original red grip and then with the orange grip I installed on it.

 

[demographic]

No mention of how smooth it works though eh? Just needs to look pretty.

 

[OUTRIGGER]

Do all the Snap-on Beanie hats have a tag 100% ACRYLIC . MADE IN CHINA ,, or just the knock-offs ?????

 

[Gixerfixer]

Here's the FHLF80 that arrived today, with its original red grip and then with the orange grip I installed on it.

Hate those handles you cant keep em clean glad only one of my Snap On ratchets use them

 

[Farmrod]

In the past couple weeks ive had to have several sockets replaced due to chrome peel but I chalked that up to a bad batch

 

[cotjocky]

Yeah, I've had several sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, etc... that the chrome peeled on it.

I don't think the new ratchets are "lesser quality", they just look "naked" or "plain" to me now that they just say "Snap-on". They work great, look great, just look like they are missing something. Guess I've just laid my eye's on this for too long...

 

[bigdav160]

I bought two SnapOn torque wrenches recently and they have the scale lazer etched (ugh!) on the barrel and thimble (double ugh!).

 

[ekeller]

I got a new ratchet a couple weeks ago and the handle was put on backwards. Snap On really needs to get a handle on their QC. I wonder if they have pissed off their employees?

 

[Creditor]

In the past couple weeks ive had to have several sockets replaced due to chrome peel but I chalked that up to a bad batch

I would like to see a pic of the square drive end of that socket.

 

[GoBlue]

I have been buying Snap on for about 15 years...still buy it weekly. My new stuff is just as nice...if not nicer than ever.

 

[BHH]

The new stuff I get is just as good if not better than all the old stuff I have seen.

On a side note there customer service is awesome! I had to call them today and got a lovely woman (didn't get her name) but she is going out of her way for me and was a pleasure to deal with! Thank you Snap-On lady!

 

[WHT]

picked up a FLF80 ratchet, brand new, today fro mthe snap on guy, and i notice where snap on is tamped on the head, it looks of lesser quality, and nowhere on the rtahcet does it say made in usa. also i picked up a 9/16 socket for a buddy of mine after dropping his in the bilge of a supply boat (super nasty lol) and i noticed where it says snap on, on the new socket, is also of lesser quality than the one i lost. the inside also had a rough finish. is it just me or does it seem like the quality has gone downhill?

Snap-on quality has dropped from the late 1980s and 1990s. Look at an open end wrench from that period and the inside faces of the open end are flawless on most wrenches. The same wrenches today show machining marks.

 

[Buckgnarly]

"Back in my day, we used to use our SO ratchets as hammers in shop class. We also used them to beat off the wolves as we walked to school uphill both ways, with out siblings on our backs, with newspapers for boots in the snow. Never had a glitch with one.
Now I can bend them with my mind, hell my brother's cousin's sister's mother's fathers's second once removed cousin dropped an F80 and the damn thing turned to dust on impact.....and that was on his bed!"

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

the new stuff is MUCH nicer than when I first started buying SNAP in 1980

**** chrome

 

[Farmrod]

I would like to see a pic of the square drive end of that socket.

I figured someone would ask for that unfortunately I don't have one the socket was exactly three days old this was the first use and it was used on a MAC ar199q air ratchet changing a water pump on a international DT466 on that same job I managed to twist a 12mm bit socket my dealer looked at both items and replaced the bit socket and replaced the whole set of mid length sockets im not complaining about the quality just showing where I had a problem

 

[Gixerfixer]

In the past couple weeks ive had to have several sockets replaced due to chrome peel but I chalked that up to a bad batch

Yep 2 of mine are being replaced as we speak for this very problem 10mm & 14mm 3/8 drive semi deep cant fault their ratchets though unlike Britool

 

[tyndall]

I don't think the quality has gone downhill like their service has, but the products are different. Not better or worse, just different. Sockets aren't breaking as much but the walls are thicker. Wrenches get flank drive added but the beams get changed to so thin you don't want to use them. Screwdrivers got changed to Instinct or nothing, but at least they finally fixed that problem.

 

[Farmrod]

Yep 2 of mine are being replaced as we speak for this very problem 10mm & 14mm 3/8 drive semi deep cant fault their ratchets though unlike Britool

Yep the one in the pic is the 10mm my dealer replaced the whole set for some reason. Maybe he knows something we don't or was just going above and beyond

 

[CaseyJoes.]

"Back in my day, we used to use our SO ratchets as hammers in shop class. We also used them to beat off the wolves as we walked to school uphill both ways, with out siblings on our backs, with newspapers for boots in the snow. Never had a glitch with one.
Now I can bend them with my mind, hell my brother's cousin's sister's mother's fathers's second once removed cousin dropped an F80 and the damn thing turned to dust on impact.....and that was on his bed!"

Love it! This thread =

 

[monster1]

Never gwen anything from Snap-On that didn't look and perform great. And realistically, who gives a **** about the stamping? As long as the Thing turns nuts and bolts good without breaking its a winner.

Umm, I don't know. Maybe somebody who expects complete craftsmanship from a premium product? If one just needs something to turn bolts then everyone would own Pittsburgh right?

 

[RV77]

everything that i have bought lately looks just as good if not better than the stuff i have been buying since the early 70's. You are also beating a dead horse over the usa issue.

x10 !!!!!!!

 

[jameswrx]

To the OP..

I know what you mean about the new ratchets, I've recently bought 1/4, 3/8 & 1/2" long handle, soft grip, flexi head ratchets. The engraving of the name and detail just looks cheap compared to the older ratchets, I was comparing them myself today. The old USA ratchets have smooth lettering and detailing, the new ones look poorly done. There is deffinately a less quality look about them in direct comparison.

On a side note (as I'm new to their soft handle ratchets) what does the ratchet handle look like under the soft grip? Before buying I assumed they were just he normal ratchets with a cover handle, but looking at them there appears to be a deep recess next to the end of the handle insinuating it's a thin shaft underneath?

 

[american lockpicker]

They are willing to compromise on COO what else are they compromising on?

 

[znowaczyk]

"Back in my day, we used to use our SO ratchets as hammers in shop class. We also used them to beat off the wolves as we walked to school uphill both ways, with out siblings on our backs, with newspapers for boots in the snow. Never had a glitch with one.
Now I can bend them with my mind, hell my brother's cousin's sister's mother's fathers's second once removed cousin dropped an F80 and the damn thing turned to dust on impact.....and that was on his bed!"

I hope I never find myself in the position of having to "beat off a wolf!"

 

[Skin]

the new stuff is MUCH nicer than when I first started buying SNAP in 1980

**** chrome

Their chrome has become very dark, like Craftsmans, over the last 5 years or so. MAC and Cornwell produce a significantly better bright cosmetic chrome in my opinion.

 

[dieselmike]

what?? snap on isnt made in usa any more???

 

[so2315]

I have to agree. I purchased a 1/2" Snap On wrench and brought it hoe to compare with my older wrench. I got my HF micrometer out and it measured .50016!

LOL!

 

[wreckerman5357]

Umm, I don't know. Maybe somebody who expects complete craftsmanship from a premium product? If one just needs something to turn bolts then everyone would own Pittsburgh right?

I said that it needs to do a good job turning the bolts and not break, Pittsburgh is not known for that. I would much rather deal with less fancy stamping and visible machine marks than a decrease in functional quality or an increase in price. As far as chrome, all I ask is that it stays on the tool and keeps rust from forming. I buy Snap-On to make money and the new stuff works well for that.

 

[bobcatdan]

I think SO is still the best you can buy, every company has stuff that sneaks threw that QC should have caught. Many on here talk about how chrome has changed due to EPA rules. Personally, I thing chrome gets better with age, I have ratchets 10, 20 30 years old and live how they look. They also have dirt in the engravings the gives the look that the groves where painted black some how and that makes it just pop. One thing I did buy that I was unhappy with was a $2000 puller set and board. The puller parts look like **** and where rusty. I suppose these arn't sold everyday and lay around for while, but damn. I complained to my dealer and he would replace what I didn't like, but the tools are functional, I'll live with them. Not one piece even say SNAP ON on it, just a part number.

 

[Syndicate]

Irregardless of the minor cosmetic issues at hand, you must admit that snap-on has made and continues to make the best tools on this earth for solid every day use for the professional tech all the way down to the guy who has a box filled with tools that look new and have been there for 10 yrs. I used my first snap on tool in 1978 and have not used any other since. I color code my box set ups with my favorite being green. I have some early 70's all the way to 2012 date codes on my tools, and while I do not give a **** if they stay shiny or not, I do take the time to clean them once a month needed or not, because with all the work I do, there is no way in hell, that they will stay shiny for more than a day.

And I might add, I would love it if all of them were made in the USA, but the fact of the matter is that they are not all made here. However they all still perform better than any other brand. I agree with most, if it will do the job, I could care less how purdy it is.

 

[dwm]

On a side note (as I'm new to their soft handle ratchets) what does the ratchet handle look like under the soft grip? Before buying I assumed they were just he normal ratchets with a cover handle, but looking at them there appears to be a deep recess next to the end of the handle insinuating it's a thin shaft underneath?

Yes, thinner shaft underneath. If you're desperate to know exactly what it looks like, put the grip end in boiling water for about 90 seconds and you can pull it off by hand. That's how many of us replace them. I drop the new one in the pot while I'm warming up the old one for removal, which makes it easy to install.

I replace the grips when new only because I have a color scheme that saves me a tiny bit of time when digging in the ratchet drawers (I use orange for all of the flex heads). If my main priority was cosmetics, I wouldn't buy soft grips at all. I buy them because I prefer to do what I can to reduce my arthritis pain and the soft grips help a bit. When they're completely thrashed, I just put a new one on. I keep a few of them on hand. Arthritis is one of the reasons I also really like the Wera Zyklops for roto-heads.

 

[PDub88]

I, too, am VERY UNIMPRESSED with the quality of some snap on tools that I've gotten lately that are BRAND NEW! I bought a semi deep socket set, 1/4", and noticed that some of the sockets weren't fully cleaned out, a brand new 3 piece flex head ratchet set in whcih one of the ratchets had dings in it, and just yesterday, a brand new radiator hose pick set where one of the picks has some cuts in the handle and another one has chipped chrome on the pick head itself. It's UNBELIEVABLE to think that all these BRAND NEW sets that I have gotten from DIFFERENT PEOPLE, even on here underneath the classifieds are in this bad of shape OUT OF THE BOX! I'm gonna end up calling Snap On tomorrow and see what can be done because this is making me sick to my stomach!

 

[Banshee365]

PDub88, any chance you could go ahead and stop bringing 10 year old threads back to the top with the same bitter post?