yes, they will be used at home, but I am a pretty busy home DIYer; mostly because friends/neighbors/family ask me to help them with their cars (mine haven't required as much work). Even right now, I have in the queue waiting for a free weekend: 1) need to drop a differential and re-seal on a BMW 5-series 2) 4-wheel brake job on a BMW X5 3) suspension overhaul (struts/shocks/springs/ball joints/bushings) on a van 4) water pump job 5) another brake job, just fronts 6) stereo retrofit on a friend's Mercedes G55 7) another front brake job on the neighbor's 5-series BMW 8) oil change on another neighbor's BMW 9) gauge cluster repair on a friend's X5... i've got enough work for every weekend for the next 2 months i think... granted, because I've been so busy, i do some times just put it off and tell them that I'm spending time with the family this weekend or that weekend... so the list above will probably be done over 3 months. point is, i do use my tools regularly, just not in a pro shop... my day job doesn't require a wrench or ratchet.
as far as I know, Snap-On doesn't just mail you a new repair kit or something if you call them do they?
maybe... i mean, it is a very nice gesture of this person to get these for me; i help him with his car all the time and so I take it as his gesture of appreciation for my help. but in a way, i sort of feel like this is a luxury item... and i'm just not comfortable with that. i don't wear jewelry, no expensive watch/no watch at all these days, i don't wear fancy clothes.. just a cheap pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt... hell, i don't even own a iphone or ipad, i do just fine with an older generation phone and android tablet that i got for cheap. i feel at home and at ease with the trusty Gearwrench ratchet I got for $18 that hasn't failed me. I wipe it down and clean it before I put it away every time and I'm proud that $18 investment has served me well. I don't know what this person paid for it, but I'm guessing the S80 alone is over $100? ... owning such a ratchet just makes me feel like those girls who wear $400 pair of jeans... just not me...
strange... i know i would never have bought myself snap-on ratchets... but now that I may actually get one, I'm starting to realize it's not just the price that has kept me away...