I'm sure that's true. I just think it's funny. That set is far from being a complete set for, say, auto mechanics. Lots of missing stuff in it. Plus, current Proto tools are not top-of-the-line, although I'm sure they're quite good. You can get an equivalent Snap-On set for quite a bit less money, which makes the Grainger set something of a joke to me.
That could be. I just find the pricing remarkable. And scary, really. I looked at the list of tools in that set, pretty carefully. It's not a remarkable tool list, really. A guy would need a lot of stuff that's not included. I just find it interesting. I know that the Snap-On buffs can build up tool sets into the six digits in cost. Many, in fact, do. I just don't see the mechanic's trade paying well enough to warrant that kind of investment, really. And I've been in that trade.
Most mechanics don't but from Grainger or MSC, which are industrial supply houses, that's a set for a maintenance guy who is likely to be working on machines and motors, not cars.
Grainger sells to industrial companies. That price is probably cut in half for a large account. I have a grainger account but dont order much from them so I pay full price. I use them if I need something special because they have almost anything you could need. Things like orings where I can measure them myself and order online and pick up in store.
Harbor freight does not sell hand tools that can compare or compete with Proto. They just don't.
It has extensive 3/4 and 1" drive tools and sockets as well as the large wrenches. Its not as expensive as snap on would be more in those sizes.
They likely don't pay that much. I work for a university at a non-profit robotics research and development center. We had several large government contracts a number of years ago, because of this we qualified for GSA pricing from Snap-On. The discount was approximately 50% off of retail price.
Fortunately, I am retired, and I do not need more tools. I am giving tools away.
The suit and tie guy sees the 50k price and applies his 45% discount and tells the guy in the shop how great a deal he got on the new top of the line tool set he bought for them................................ only up side is you can order replacements piece meal and have them delivered this afternoon.
It's better, minus the nostalgia. Metallurgists have not been taking a 40 years nap.
Exactly this. If you have an industrial mechanic or some other position that needs a total tool set RIGHT NOW, then this is the best option.
Yup. My real reason for posting the original post was the phenomenon of tool sets where the cost per tool ends up being over $40. For me, that makes no earthly sense at all, for many reasons.
Not the best option if a business needs tools right now as the tool set has a two to three month lead time.
You're right, of course, about individuals not buying that set. But, that's not my point, really. My point is about paying almost $50 per tool for a set like that. That makes no sense at all. Besides, that's not a set for airplane mechanics anyhow. Worse, since that set takes a couple of months, at least, to get to the company that orders it, it's not a last minute special.
Well, I doubt that Grainger will provide that information. I'm sure Proto tools are fine. I'm not sure they're $50/piece finer, though, than other brands' tools. I just happened on that set as an ad presented to me by Google. I search for tools a lot on Google, which rewards me by putting ads on my screen for all sorts of tools. I have some Proto tools, albeit old, collectable ones, in my toolbox. They include my very favorite tools of all time, pictured below:
Glad I'm not the only one thinking this.
I'd be interested in some hard performance data, on a tool-by-tool basis, of a comparison between comparable current Proto and HF Icon hand tools. I don't know of any actual comparison tests of that kind. I don't doubt that there would be differences, but I do doubt that usability in suitable situations would be significantly different between the two brands, across a range of tools.
