Icon tools are coming spring/summer 2019
- Thread starter Fedwrench
- Start date
Legion Prime
Well-known member
I'm not holding my breath but in all seriousness, if they're as nice as they look I may be buying a metric set to augment my old Mac wrenches.
bubinga
Well-known member
Yep, ........LOL..........Good One!
bubinga
Well-known member
That IS Funny!It gets funnier: One of the local NAPA stores claims their Carlyle wrenches are Made by Snap-on, and Carlyle was making sockets and ratchets for Snap-on.
I heard this and similar claims during three separate conversations with their countermen. I politely informed their red faces all three times that Carlyle is a store brand; and is manufactured under contract by established tool manufacturers. Pair this vs the BS comparison tactics used by Harbor Freight. The upcoming Carlyle vs ICON debates should be a real hoot.... I am going to stock up on peanuts and popcorn; sit back, and enjoy.
xin
Well-known member
Big question is will they sell them individually???
As far as retail store tools that is where Sears Craftsman has the advantage on the weekend (even tho living in rural area) it was a hours drive to one.
No more Sears and no more Craftsman of any value....
Icon breaker bars make no sense to me at their price. Who is going to pay 3x? as much as the Pittsburgh Pro one hook over? Napa / Carlisle is competition, but the main competition is themselves- and one hook over at probably same warranty, much lower cost. If they made a Snap On equivalent ratchet for $35 I'm sure theyll sell, but items like expensive breaker bars will be a waste of store space. They'll figure it out eventually when things don't sell.
tonyciambrone
Well-known member
Idk harbor freight doesn't miss much in my recollection.
But for me personally I will keep my $15 pitt pro breaker bar. Thing is a TANK
Nineeightyone
Well-known member
I'm holding out to see how the ratcheting reversible wrenches look and feel when they come out. I've been in the market for quite a while, couldn't get them at the super-discount Lowe's price, and the Tekton ones at $145 are enough that I need to give it some real consideration. Then when I saw the Icon ones coming, it's got me holding on -- reversible is definitely something I want that HF doesn't offer yet, and if the Icon wrench set is Taiwan, no skips, and comes in around $120 or less, I'm in.
Harbor Freight is super close to me and warranty exchanges are a piece of cake. It's the only thing that holds me up from Tekton -- their presence in PA is severely lacking, so I have to order tools online.
Pretty good chance they will be the same OEM as Tekton but thus far they have not met Tekton’s pricing choosing instead to try prices slightly lower than Carlyle prices.
Honestly the breaker bar and torque wrenches are all we have to go on so they may reveal a different pricing strategy this month. So far I find it unappealing.
I understand where you are coming from. If you have one close by it is convenient. For me it’s almost 45 minutes in traffic each way. I’ll take UPS over that hassle almost every single time.
scubadoober
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- Joined
- Aug 15, 2017
- Messages
- 511
Why wait, just pick up the OEM's. https://www.mobiledistributorsupply.com/1145-hand-tools/1339-wrenches?cat=2528
Nineeightyone
Well-known member
...You're a wonderful human being.
Seriously, I wasn't aware that these existed. And now I think I'm going to order them, they look pretty damn nice. And OEM tools are typically pretty good.
Thank you!
ptgarcia
Well-known member
Legion Prime
Well-known member
Well considering there's only about a week left in the month and I'm only posting because I hear crickets . . . I guess it's about time to start pricing some Wrightgrips.
Retroman
Well-known member
Thanks, I just ordered those myself.
Yup me too, on sale and some free sockets with the 10% discount for making an account couldn't pass it up.
Nineeightyone
Well-known member
I'll be swinging by HF this weekend for a 20T press and the folding Braun light, now that I have the OEMTools wrenches I'll be a little salty if the Icon ratcheting reversible wrenches are available.
I'd still like to see some Icon wrenches with more advanced features, but it appears they're going to be a while.
BarryWells
Well-known member
Best truck I ever saw was a Mac tool who had Proto and Dewalt as well. What a truck
Legion Prime
Well-known member
I'll probably stop in monday or tuesday (my current days off), they get their truck wednesdays though so they'll still have ONE more chance for august. However the more I look at the Wrightgrips the more I like them. If the Icon's appear before I end up with Wright's, they are going to have to be really cheap or REALLY nice.
You Tube channel REDEMPTION GARAGE received a box of Icon Tools from harbor freight. He made an unboxing video on 9/7/19 to show what he got. chrome 3/8 shallow & deep socket sets in SAE & metric, a couple of 90 tooth 3/8 drive ratchets, SAE long pattern Combination wrench set 1/4 to 1 inch, and a metric long pattern combination wrench set 6-19 mm. More info to follow as he puts the tools through their paces.
It looks like ICON tools are coming, better late than never. I think the tools looked great in the packaging but, anything can look good new
It looks like ICON tools are coming, better late than never. I think the tools looked great in the packaging but, anything can look good new
BloodySinner
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- Joined
- Jul 1, 2011
- Messages
- 169
What is the point of this brand? They did not even bother to make their products look unique. I hope they succeed with whomever they're targeting their stuff to. Nevertheless, I'll stick with the OG, Snap-On.
Professional quality tools at 1/3 the price of snap on?
IMO they are targeting professional, who would use Pittsburgh pro tools, if it were not attached with the stigma of using Pittsburgh pro tools.
Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app
I see this becoming a BIG problem for the tool truck brands. Within the past 10 years, there are now more options than ever for quality, professional tools. I’ve seen a lot of auto techs in uniform in and out of Harbor Freight over the years. My buddy who’s a Mercedes tech buys a lot of his tools from there. The tool trucks have priced themselves out of the market. People complain that their dealer doesn’t show up. Tools that need warrantied are piling up... what’s the point in paying a premium for tools if you can’t get service? That entire business model is screwy. With a Harbor Freight up the road... just stop by after work, get what you need or make a warranty exchange.
Just wait... The Icon brand coupled with everything else Harbor Freight sells is going to deal a hard blow to the tool trucks. If I were a new tech starting out soon with the Icon brand in-stores, very little in my box would come from a tool truck. Just sayin’.
Just wait... The Icon brand coupled with everything else Harbor Freight sells is going to deal a hard blow to the tool trucks. If I were a new tech starting out soon with the Icon brand in-stores, very little in my box would come from a tool truck. Just sayin’.
xin
Well-known member
This is all 'subjective' and a tiny .0x% overall. At the end of the day making a bold swath comment this is the end for all made in USA tool companies is not going to happen.
So they have 'RE-BRANDED' the same wrenches sold by Napa/Milwaukee/countless others and now everyone is doomed to go out of business?
Failing to see a point here, I guess they buy all of the specialty tools for 'Mercedes' at Wharf Freight as well? I don't believe I am buying any of this.
I wasn’t talking about “specialty tools” for the Mercedes dealer. I was talking about basic hand tools. I know for a fact that his 1/4” drive sockets AT HIS JOB are Pittsburgh. I’m fairly certain his 3/8”, 1/2” and 3/4” are a hodgepodge of Snap on and Matco. He has a lot of stuff from Harbor Freight, including impact sockets. I don’t give a **** if you buy any of it. The point I’m making is that all I see on this forum and other forums are people complaining about the tool trucks not showing up, not honoring their warranties, leaving people high and dry. Icon, which I’m well aware is rebranded, is going to be sold at a very popular retailer and I’m willing to bet my bottom dollar that it’s going to hurt the tool truck business. I’m not saying it’s going to put them out of business. I’m saying it’s going to hurt them.
I don’t see auto techs buying many Carlyle tools from NAPA, who does a piss poor job of marketing their great line of tools. Most people probably don’t even know Carlyle exists. I don’t see anyone buying Milwaukee wrenches. Where are they available besides online, Home Depot? Where do you get the same rebranded Channellock wrenches? Farm stores? None of these are widely available, well known and well advertised. You can name them whatever you want to call them, it doesn’t matter. Put them in Harbor Freights across the county and market them as professional tools for the professional working man... now you’re onto something.
Maybe the point is that present and future professionals might be becoming more interested in a $100 torque wrench and less interested in a $300 model.
Maybe economically speaking, they might not have the choice anyway.
Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app
Nineeightyone
Well-known member
This is precisely what I enjoy about HF.
I don't have the coin for a TechAngle, as much as it would be handy (particularly for stretch/TTY bolts), but I could justify $130 for a digital torque wrench that still has the same warranty, that I can occasionally "sanity check" against another Torque wrench. There's a decent amount of shade thrown here in Harbor Freight's direction, but it's hard to argue that they allow the average joe capabilities that otherwise may be out of reach.
Now this Icon stuff needs to hurry up and get out here, even if I don't wind up buying I'd still like to see the options on the table. If they're not an absurd price, I might even double up on an item or two.
xin
Well-known member
I fail to see a point in hoping that Made in USA companies employing thousands to hundreds of thousands when you go down the many facets of metal to the finished product is a celebration.
This forum stating manufacturer not honoring warranty is subjective and another (hearsay) on a forum. It is a (.0x%) on the Internet so it must be true (but Billy bob said it and Jim Bob) he had the same problem.
Claims of (they would not warranty my tool) on a Internet forum I take like a grain of salt). Again, it is subjective and I have seen (being at the shop on the truck) guy stopping in and getting on it and throwing a tantrum then storming off. If one cannot communicate without profanity then yes boot them off the truck and don't come back.
Lastly, I see this as a lot of things today (now everyone is going out) new re-branded tool from them sold as same thing from 10 other online vendors and the end is nigh.
I’m not hoping it will hurt them, I’m saying it will. Snap-On has priced themselves out of the market. Made in the USA, top notch quality, delivery and warranty service, buying on credit, yet none of that justifies their absurd prices. They have gone from being really expensive to borderline criminal. It’s almost like the Epinephrine kit that cost $40 a few years ago and is now $600. They do it because they can. They do it because people don’t have much of a choice.
Now they will...
But regardless of where something is made, more competition is a good thing, especially for the consumer.
As I stated before, if I were a new tech just starting out, I would buy Carlyle and (soon) Icon. I don’t care if they’re made in the USA, because at the end of the day if I’m saving a **** ton of money and the tools are capable of doing the same job, that’s the route I’m taking.
If I have $10,000 (whether it be cash or credit) to spend on new tools and a new box for my job, I’m going to spend $5,000 of it at Harbor Freight and Napa and pocket the rest rather than give it to the **** van.
That’s $5,000 Harbor Freight gets and $0.00 that Snap On, MAC and Matco won’t get. I won’t be the only one who thinks this way.
Harbor Freight knows exactly what their intent is with this brand and who their target audience is... and I think it’s absolutely hilarious that they’re taking on the most popular, sought after and expensive brands on the market and will likely succeed in doing so. It’s genius. I love it.
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RV8guy
Well-known member
Guy kinda rambles
WittHay
Well-known member
Harbor Freight will definitely deal a blow to Tekton, GearWrench, SK and online tool retailers like Amazon. Basically its HF vs. all the non tool truck brands people recommend here on Garage Journal. That is if the tools are available and competitively priced
Snap-on does not even have a website in Canada and is busier than ever. 4 new Matco dealers in the province in the past couple of years. Quality and service is important to people also vs. just price like HF or having a tool delivered in 2 days that you have no idea what it looks or feels like
Snap-on does not even have a website in Canada and is busier than ever. 4 new Matco dealers in the province in the past couple of years. Quality and service is important to people also vs. just price like HF or having a tool delivered in 2 days that you have no idea what it looks or feels like
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kythri
Well-known member
I'm waiting to see if they have larger wrench sets (that go beyond 1" and 19mm) - same with larger socket sets, and of course, open stock.
Stooge
Well-known member
Lol, so dramatic with your ellipsis ...
Snap on's expensive, but I don't think many would call it criminal, theyd just call it expensive, but worth it if you need/ want it. plenty of people, both pros and home gamers, and all of us in between, own plenty of snap on tools because theyre good and they have what people like. Some stuff I cant justify the price of at my shop, but I have plenty of money invested in quality professional tools because that's what I like and what I've found I can trust that i probably wont have an issue with in the middle of a job.
don't you have another thread going about how your starting over and buying all SK, who would be considered a slightly upper scale/ premium brand? why not go to harbor freight for all of your tool buying needs?
That blow will be very location dependent IMHO. If a guy happens to have a HF on his route to work it’s easy to stop in before or after a shift. If the closest one is even just a half hour out of the way that becomes a major inconvenience and Tekton wins.
That may be less true in the Western provinces where delivery services are not as fast and reliable. But I haven’t seen a HF in Edmonton yet either.
Open stock and larger sizes will be key. I don’t understand this stopping at 19mm stuff anyway. Suspensions are full of M14 and M16 fasteners (probably dealt with using a socket on an impact but you often need a wrench on the other side). I understand going all the way to 41mm would add significant cost but any set that doesn’t at least make it to 22mm can’t claim to be anywhere near complete.
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kythri
Well-known member
But, man, hey, man, I mean, man, I just wanna say, man, Harbor Freight, man. Man!
javyLSU
Well-known member
That's big man! Right man? I mean, MAN....
bubinga
Well-known member
Yeah, Wheeling WV area, Moundsville Dept of Highways actually, could never get a Snap on man to come around at all.
Never could get anything warrantied. Gave it to another mechanic at the DOH in another county, took forever for him to warranty it for me.
I think that snap on man gave up too.
bubinga
Well-known member
I have had way too many places I worked from the early 80's till circa 2013 where I could not get the tool trucks to come there.
A few places I worked, was tune up center chains, and had everything I needed pretty well. Mac guy was coming around for a while, but I didn't need nothing, was supposed to warranty a socket for me, actually was supposed to get a part for it he said,
Came in the next time, and Said I asked him about my "pin" (for the socket) he states, "What pin"? I got a little mad and raised my voice, and said the GD pin you've been promising me for a month.
He never came back.
Saw him blow past the shop the next week.
I sure do. I’ve purchased a few SK tool sets recently. They’re affordable and excellent quality. I find the prices to be justified for what you’re getting, unlike Snap On. Just finished swapping motors in an ‘89 Formula this past weekend and used some of my SK acquisitions. I’m still in need in of better ratchets as I don’t care for the round heads. I have read complaints regarding the new LP90’s, so I have been holding off to see what the Icon’s look/feel like. Judging by the unboxing video on YouTube, I am very interested. If they are as nice as they appear to be, I’ll jump on them when they hit retail. If I don’t like them, I’ll buy the SK’s. I also have Icon breaker bars that so far seem to be excellent quality. I haven’t used the 3/8” drive yet, but the 1/2” has taken a beating.
Regardless of what tools I own, I am very pleased to see Harbor Freight taking on the big players. I don’t particularly like the tool truck business model. I never have. I have formed my own judgement by the stories I’ve read from customers and former franchise owners themselves. Harbor Freight is simply giving these people another option to buy the tools they need, that do the job, that puts food on the table, without leaving them in massive amounts of debt or wondering when the **** van is going to show up again to exchange a warranty.
I find the tool truck brands to be out-of-line with their pricing. Please tell me why other USA made brands such as Wright and SK are far less expensive on most things? In my opinion, there’s nothing that justifies the outrageous cost of the truck brand tools. They know people don’t have much of a choice so they can charge whatever they want. Well, pretty soon those people may have a choice... hell, I could be wrong, but I don’t think so.
I’m sorry if any of you get **** hurt over me trash talking your precious Snap On. Am I dramatic? Yeah. I won’t deny that. Some people just want to watch the world burn and I’m one of them.
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It will depend on how Icon is priced, to high and co's like Tekton are in no danger. Time will tell how Icon stacks up value wise.
Sloper0204
Well-known member
I was just going to post this myself. I was excited for Icon until I saw the rumored pricing for the toolboxes. I just looked at my screen like
If the pricing is up there close to other options that better fit my wants/needs, you can bet I won't be buying at HF just to save 10%.
Especially won't be buying if they are same/similar price point as Carlyle.