Snap On VS Blue Point

Canadian Charlie · Jan 4, 2006

I was looking at a set of wrenches on E Bay that are the Blue Point brand. They look like snap On except the name, is there a difference?

What about the other tools?

Thank You

Uncle Buck · Jan 4, 2006

Snap On / Blue Point, same thing. Some will say the Blue Point line is the budget line for Snap On, I never really saw much difference myself.

filthy_shovel · Jan 4, 2006

I second hholmberg. When i was a tech, i had a mix of blue point and snap-on. Felt, performed and looked the same. Certain tools that snap-on offers only come under the blue point name BTW.

I am not sure though if the blue point wrench line are flank drive though!?

davejs · Jan 4, 2006

Blue Point is rebadged stuff that SO sells as their own.

motorheadjohn · Jan 4, 2006

I thought Blue Point was a brand from the 50s/60s and bought out by Snap On?

Uncle Buck · Jan 5, 2006

Blue Point? No way, BP has been part of SO tool line since way back when, I personally have several BP open ends from prolly around 1940 or therabouts! I also think that bit about BP being rebadged is pure BS! :bs:

Fast Orange · Jan 5, 2006

I believe SO uses the BP brand for a variety of reasons.
I've seen what appear to be discontinued toolboxes brought back as BP,I've got specialty tools that exactly duplicate KD and OTC stuff that's labeled BP and I've got a BP digital multimeter that I believe was made by Fluke. My flaring tool seems to be a rebadged KD,My vacuum tester looks like a Mityvac.

George :3gears:

Uncle Buck · Jan 5, 2006

Perhaps I need to back up a little on my previous thoughts as to re badging, I know what Fast Orange is saying is true, so I guess that I would agree some or most of the BP badged tools may in fact be produced for SO by other manufacturers, Although I don't know if I would agree with that statement as it applies to wrenches.

Canadian Charlie · Jan 5, 2006

Yes the vacuum tester/brake bleeder is made by Mityvac, I have one

motorheadjohn · Jan 5, 2006

hholmberg said:
Perhaps I need to back up a little on my previous thoughts as to re badging, I know what Fast Orange is saying is true, so I guess that I would agree some or most of the BP badged tools may in fact be produced for SO by other manufacturers, Although I don't know if I would agree with that statement as it applies to wrenches.

The Blue Point stuff is usually from overseas while the Snap On is USA made???

kartracer55 · Jan 5, 2006

motorheadjohn said:
The Blue Point stuff is usually from overseas while the Snap On is USA made???

I thought so too, but Ive seen alot of US made blue point stuff too. IDK why they have the two lines honestly.

Jim

Uncle Buck · Jan 6, 2006

I guess everything SO or BP I have must be kinda old cause all of it is sttill made USA!

l_bilyk · Jan 6, 2006

I never really understood the whole blue point thing either

bmwpower · Jan 6, 2006

kartracer55 said:
I thought so too, but Ive seen alot of US made blue point stuff too. IDK why they have the two lines honestly.

Jim

Jim,

I think you need to get your Snap On contact on the horn and sort this out once and for all....

chevy302dz · Jan 7, 2006

Snap on is all US made, Blue Point covers imports and cheaper US made hand tools.

Lisky420 · Jan 14, 2006

Any tool Snap-on does not have the patent on. They market it as Blue Point. (ie) Look at a Inexspensive IR air ratchet and then look at Blue Point. Identical.

krooser · Jan 14, 2006

OK guys....I just emailed Snap-On and asked them what the differences are between the two brands...let's see what I get for an answer.

TipsyMcStagger · Jun 10, 2008

krooser said:
OK guys....I just emailed Snap-On and asked them what the differences are between the two brands...let's see what I get for an answer.

Bump back from the dead;

Ever get a response from Snap-On?

Tipsy

The Rusty Gear · Jun 10, 2008

I remember reading on alloy-artifacts.com that in the 60's (?) Blue point was Snap-on's wrench line. ie there were no "Snap-on" wrenches - Only Snap-on Sockets and Blue Point Wrenches.

chad s · Jun 10, 2008

The Rusty Gear said:
I remember reading on alloy-artifacts.com that in the 60's (?) Blue point was Snap-on's wrench line. ie there were no "Snap-on" wrenches - Only Snap-on Sockets and Blue Point Wrenches.

While snap on made a few specialty wrenches themselves since the 20's, the main line of wrenches were outsourced and labeled blue point until the late 1940's.

Ducroix · Jun 10, 2008

I saw some old bp wrenches at the pawn shop for real cheap (made in the usa) but they were open end which are useless to me

OctaneMotorsports · Jun 10, 2008

From my understanding, Blue Point items are mostly (if not all) items that Snap-On doesn't make. Still high-quality items, often imported, and can usually be had for cheaper elsewhere. The line is what it is today to make the trucks more of a "one stop shop" for mechanics. It doesn't make sense for Snap-On to manufacture all the odds-and-ends type stuff like flash lights, testers, etc.. I have a few Blue Point tools (Snap-ring pliers, USA...Rivet tool, Taiwan) that are both good...but I have seen both identical products sold under different names for less money.

Snap-On does the same thing with a few items too, such as pullers which I believe are Lisle and hacksaws (Bahco, a division of Snap-On) etc. You can't assume that all Snap-On tools are made in USA anymore, either like most people do. I have Snap-On tools from Spain and Sweden, and have seen them from China. I have never used Blue Point hard line tools (pliers, screwdrivers, wrenches) so I wouldn't know...but they look decent. It's hard to find a bad full-polished combination wrench these days (unless you're bmwpower).

Underdog · Jun 10, 2008

Didn't know if this really fits this thread but I'll Try. I went on SO Web to order some tools and wanted a 388BCP ****'s, I have one pair for some 15 years and like them and wanted to get a standby, No could find, only bluepoint now but not really the same. Did SO really discontinue them?

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?item_ID=15604&group_ID=1646

DavidtheDuke · Jun 10, 2008

Underdog said:
Didn't know if this really fits this thread but I'll Try. I went on SO Web to order some tools and wanted a 388BCP ****'s, I have one pair for some 15 years and like them and wanted to get a standby, No could find, only bluepoint now but not really the same. Did SO really discontinue them?

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?item_ID=15604&group_ID=1646

I'd look at their catalog first, they maybe have just changed the part number without carrying over the part #.

Underdog · Jun 10, 2008

DavidtheDuke said:
I'd look at their catalog first, they maybe have just changed the part number without carrying over the part #.

Thanks David, I don't have a recent catalog, but looked all over SO website and didn't find anything close. My next move is to track down the SO truck and see if they have one, as I said I really liked this particular plier.

chad s · Jun 10, 2008

Underdog said:
Thanks David, I don't have a recent catalog, but looked all over SO website and didn't find anything close. My next move is to track down the SO truck and see if they have one, as I said I really liked this particular plier.

See if anything here matches what you are looking for.
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/cata...19983&Sub_Cat_NAME=Cutters&store=snapon-store

Moose-LandTran · Jun 10, 2008

For some unknown reason, sometimes when i search by part number on Snap-on's site nothing comes up, yet when i look through the categories and such i find it and it does have the same number as i put in.

Odd quirk, there may be a chance you can still get them.

eschoendorff · Jun 10, 2008

OctaneMotorsports said:
It's hard to find a bad full-polished combination wrench these days (unless you're bmwpower).

ouch....

wilbilt · Jun 10, 2008

chad s said:
While snap on made a few specialty wrenches themselves since the 20's, the main line of wrenches were outsourced and labeled blue point until the late 1940's.

Yep, and then the manufacturer was "absorbed" by Snap-On, and the BP wrenches became S-O wrenches without any changes. Even the part numbers remained the same. The same Blue Point forge pattern was used for Snap-On long combos into the 1990s.

Pretty sick, huh?

cabnboy82 · Jun 25, 2010

Anyone know what year Snap On Blue Point Alignment Turntables were made. #WA 62A

Bruce Lancaster · Jun 25, 2010

This is a shifting target...I believe that all of the above are true but apply to different time periods!

mrholeshot · Jun 25, 2010

Back in the day Blue Point was Snap-On second line tool. Snap-On wrenches were shiny and polished chrome. Blue point was a rough surface quality wrench. Like has been said that any tool they didn't build themselves was lable Blue point. The Blue Point socket sets that came out in the 90's were US built but not by Snap-On. Bluepoint has been a part of Snap-On since 1927-28(?) When I first start in the business Blue point was about 1/2 the price of Snap-On branded tools. Snap-On wrenches had rasied polished center section and rough cast on the rest of the wrench and a diamond grove down the center. For a few years Bluepoint was built by Blackhawk. Don't know who builds the newer socket sets (from the early 90's-) but when they came out the sets were cheap (compared to the SO line) and just about every mecahic I knew bought a set to throw under the seat of their truck. Had metric and standard, deep and shallow and a set of combo wrecnhes from 7-19mm and 1/4-7/8 all for about 100 dollars. That set is now hard to find and expensive

LincolnCont. · Jun 25, 2010

I have the $500 extractor set from Blue Point that comes in a case that says Blue Point and guess what every extractor and drill bit in the case are labeled???....NOT BLUE POINT.....RIDGID

RbrtAWhyt · Jun 25, 2010

LincolnCont. said:
I have the $500 extractor set from Blue Point that comes in a case that says Blue Point and guess what every extractor and drill bit in the case are labeled???....NOT BLUE POINT.....RIDGID

Bran Diezel · Jun 25, 2010

mrholeshot said:
... and a set of combo wrecnhes from 7-19mm and 1/4-7/8 all for about 100 dollars. That set is now hard to find and expensive

i got a set of 8-19mm bp. the last ones made in america (same just w/o chrome) for $60 at a pawn shop. they are in my basement for home use

snapmom · Jun 25, 2010

Chad is correct. The blue point from pre. 48-49 are the same wrenches that have the snap on name made in the 50s and later.

Vinko · Jun 26, 2010

snapmom said:
Chad is correct. The blue point from pre. 48-49 are the same wrenches that have the snap on name made in the 50s and later.

How does Blue Points fit into all this then? IIRC, chisels?

re: that $100 set of BP stuff. Would that the prices were that low for those sets again.

snapmom · Jun 26, 2010

Blue Points are pre Blue Point. The name was converted during the late 20s. I have a lot of Blue Points tools, if you would like to see any, just holler.

Vinko · Jun 27, 2010

Yes, it's always good to see the old school stuff, esp. the Blue Points, which I don't know well at all 'cept for some chisels I remember seeing in an old catalog.

doctorschmullus · Jun 27, 2010

Blue point is mostly american but has a few dodgy chinese mad things,

Snap On VS Blue Point

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