Snap On ball joint press equivalent??

Super Mech · Mar 4, 2016

I'm seriously considering purchasing the Snap On BJP1 ball joint press. My Snap On guy has it on "special" for 902.00 with the BJP10PT adapter kit included. I know it's a really good tool but the price is killing me. Is there an equivalent to this exact kit?

LB-1911 · Mar 4, 2016

Unless there has been a recent development it doesn't appear to be based on these two previous threads -

Snap on vs. OTC ball joint press, number of adapters
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=190026

Snap On BJP1
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=223475

The Truck Tool Equivalents Thread 2.0 - Expanded with Part Numbers
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249851

jerseykat1 · Mar 4, 2016

Super Mech said:
I'm seriously considering purchasing the Snap On BJP1 ball joint press. My Snap On guy has it on "special" for 902.00 with the BJP10PT adapter kit included. I know it's a really good tool but the price is killing me. Is there an equivalent to this exact kit?

Its a very expensive set. However if you do a lot of Ball Joints, it's worth the extra coin (no not really, but it is best in class).. I think it's incredibly over priced However there is no other set (i have used a few) that works as good as the BJP1 set. The OTC set will get the job done, but it will frustrate you becuase you need 6 arms to hold the adapters and they tend to go flying all over the place when you unscrew the clamp.

I am not one of those guys that buys Snap-on anything without searching for a better valued alternative first. If Snap-on has something that is best in class (by far) and will save me time and aggravation then i will consider it. This Ball Joint kit is one of those tools. But only if you do Ball joints often, especially ford BJ's.

Skin · Mar 4, 2016

BJP1 is a Snap-On tool, its not subcontracted out so its going to remain an exclusive at minimum until they replace it, if ever. Its a nice piece of kit but I think your dealers "special" is pretty poor. Its just 10% off and that's after the most recent Snap-On yearly price hike. My only problem with the BJP1 kit is that it seems they could design a lot more various universal press adapters for it but don't. Control arm bushings come to mind.

The OTC master kit isn't as user friendly without the locking adapters but works fine and will do more vehicles out of the box. People exaggerate a bit on difficulty of lining adapters up, actually depends on the application.

Kind of up to you in the end.

Super Mech · Mar 5, 2016

I pulled the trigger and ordered it yesterday. I've used the matco one which I believe is a rebranded otc. While it did do its job, I found myself spending too much time looking for the right adapters and fiddling with getting them into place without them moving around. I'm pretty sure I'll be happy with it.

magimerlin · Mar 5, 2016

I've done hundreds of ball joints with my otc kit at work.... I've had no issues what so ever with it..

sent from what use to be a great country...

Gila Monster · Mar 5, 2016

I have the OTC kit with some adapter and really think they're well made. I believe the newer ones are made in the USA.

I'm sure the Snap On ones are better but close to a thousand out the door is a lot of money for a ball joint press.

Xxslyer1 · Mar 5, 2016

I was given a Mac tools master ball joint press kit(don't have the part number it's at work) I have been using it for quite some years, last year I needed to replace the press itself and the new one is junk!!!! Every time I pull a vehicle on the alignment rack and I see bad ball joints I hate life!! Then go find a transmission or set of heads that need rebuilt to avoid using that kitnas long as possible!!!!! Every week my snap on guy makes sure to show me that beautiful kit and for some reason I keep avoiding that purchase.

Hiball · Mar 5, 2016

Gila Monster said:
I have the OTC kit with some adapter and really think they're well made. I believe the newer ones are made in the USA.

I'm sure the Snap On ones are better but close to a thousand out the door is a lot of money for a ball joint press.

Sure, 1k is a lot for a ball joint press, unless your doing 10 a week and your paycheck is dependent on how many jobs you can get done. The OtC set is pretty much the standard across the board for most DIY'rs, Loan a tool etc.. It's what I have, but it can be a bear to get setup on some applications. If I was a full time mechanic, paid by the job, it's a no brainer.

magimerlin · Mar 5, 2016

I am a full time mechanic, paid by the job... I've always had my otc kit. It's really not that hard to use... very easy actually... but that may be that I'm so use to it that I just know what adapter I need for what and how to do them fast and easy.....

sent from what use to be a great country...

04chase · Mar 5, 2016

i just found one for 520 nib , to me that was worth it .

I also just got an almost new hougen 904S for 550 shipped . fml stop finding such deals .

90zcar · Mar 5, 2016

I have the OTC USA one I got a year or two ago. I am not a full time auto mechanic and only use it on side jobs seldom at my house and it's just fine.

However if I was doing them every day as an auto mechanic I would definetely get the snap on one. I seen it and handled it before and it's def a nice unit. I like how it's flat to put in a vise real easy. That price tag is tough tho. I only paid $100 for my OTC shipped to my door

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anndel · Mar 5, 2016

I have the OTC since I'm not a professional mechanic and haven't been one since 1988. That said I would get the Snap On is that was my full time job and especially for flat rate jobs where time is money.

shockwave · Mar 5, 2016

My boss has a very old Otc made in the USA and I have the snap on and I will say the clip in adapters pay for themselves and I do like the grease le threads too

And the adapters set that comes with it I would not worry about unless you service big trucks like f450/f550
And the other for explorer/ranger lower ball joints are quicker with a hammer

Skin · Mar 5, 2016

Super Mech said:
While it did do its job, I found myself spending too much time looking for the right adapters

OTC makes an application guide for those master kits. Its been included with the set for quite awhile.

jerseykat1 · Mar 22, 2016

Just going to leave this here. The snap on BJ press kit in action on some of the more difficult to remove Ball Joints. You can skip to 7 minutes & 18 seconds in to see me using the kit.

Just Click the picture

Xxslyer1 · Mar 22, 2016

M18 was extremely impressive and makes me want to look harder into the m18 section.&#55357;&#56390;☝

Greg85mcss · Mar 22, 2016

X2 on the otc set. I used to work on fleet vehicles & have done a bunch of e vans. That kit with the hf adaper set had been used for years as a shop set.

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bry@n · Mar 23, 2016

wow...My dealer just offered me the bjp1 for $420 and it's new. I might have to jump on that and I don't do ball joints everyday.

bry@n · Mar 23, 2016

jerseykat1 said:
Just going to leave this here. The snap on BJ press kit in action on some of the more difficult to remove Ball Joints. You can skip to 7 minutes & 18 seconds in to see me using the kit.

Just Click the picture

Nice video. No fluff, just the right amount of info.

jerseykat1 · Mar 23, 2016

bry@n said:
Nice video. No fluff, just the right amount of info.

I watch videos on YouTube too and its annoying when I have to wait to get to the point. So I try to cut the BS out as much as possible. People just want the info.

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BK13 · Mar 23, 2016

bry@n said:
wow...My dealer just offered me the bjp1 for $420 and it's new. I might have to jump on that and I don't do ball joints everyday.

I'd jump on that right now...

Ramblin Man · Mar 23, 2016

bry@n said:
wow...My dealer just offered me the bjp1 for $420 and it's new. I might have to jump on that and I don't do ball joints everyday.

I would get that as fast as I possibly could.

Pipe · Mar 23, 2016

That and an air hammer are two things I would instantly buy again from snap on. Completely confident nothing can take a beating from either of those tools.

Super Mech · Mar 23, 2016

bry@n said:
wow...My dealer just offered me the bjp1 for $420 and it's new. I might have to jump on that and I don't do ball joints everyday.

That's a pre-civil war price for sure! I paid 902.00 but it came with an extra adapter set.

jerseykat1 · Mar 23, 2016

Super Mech said:
That's a pre-civil war price for sure! I paid 902.00 but it came with an extra adapter set.

i believe i paid a little over $600 for my BJP1 set. $420 is a steal. you cant even get them that cheap used on Ebay.

What the hell am I saying. even at $420 it's expensive as hell. Not entirely sure its worth that or how much it costs SO to make the kit, im sure the profit margins on it are VERY good. But it's best in class, by far.. So your kinda stuck but the price of $420 is good.

JJThrasher · Mar 23, 2016

I do a lot of ball joints on 3500-5500 trucks. Personally I use the OTC kit, because I just can't justify the price Snap On kit. I will say my press is getting fairly worn out, but honestly I've gotten a good run from it and plenty of abuse.

jerseykat1 · Mar 23, 2016

JJThrasher said:
I do a lot of ball joints on 3500-5500 trucks. Personally I use the OTC kit, because I just can't justify the price Snap On kit. I will say my press is getting fairly worn out, but honestly I've gotten a good run from it and plenty of abuse.

Definitely a hard pill to swallow! The snap ringed adapters and completeness of the set is what sold me on it.. I can tell SO put a lot of thought into engineering the kit. One of my Co workers (notoriously slow) beat my time doing ball joints on the same type of vehicle using the BJP1 kit. So I knew I had to get it eventually.

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bry@n · Mar 23, 2016

Well, I bought the kit. Now I just need a ball joint to do.

moriboy · Mar 24, 2016

For $420, I'd buy a few sets and give them to a few friends as Christmas gifts.

The SO press is a high quality tool. I'm not a pro mechanic, but when I do use a tool for my own projects, I want the thing to work. I rented inferior presses several times and was not impressed.

I have beat the **** out of my SO press and it's never let me down. I have used it in less than conventional ways on heavy equipment that surely would've destroyed cheapos.

Buy it once, buy it for life.

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bry@n · Mar 24, 2016

moriboy said:
For $420, I'd buy a few sets and give them to a few friends as Christmas gifts.

The SO press is a high quality tool. I'm not a pro mechanic, but when I do use a tool for my own projects, I want the thing to work. I rented inferior presses several times and was not impressed.

I have beat the **** out of my SO press and it's never let me down. I have used it in less than conventional ways on heavy equipment that surely would've destroyed cheapos.

Buy it once, buy it for life.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree. Me and my SO guy generally do a lot together, so we are closer than most dealer/ customer types. Don't get me wrong....we don't hold hands and sing koombuyah but we shoot together and stuff.

I got one at a great price but I wouldn't want to take advantage of him. While I rarely change ball joints anymore since I haven't offroaded in a while, I'd rather have a tool that works great and I likely won't lose money on down the road.

bcradio · Mar 24, 2016

bry@n said:
Well, I bought the kit. Now I just need a ball joint to do.

Ha ha I know the feeling. :rocker:

Super Mech · Mar 24, 2016

I own mind for two weeks. Did 3 jobs with it already. Two ford vans and a Ford Taurus. The tool is really awesome and had paid for itself already.

Snap On ball joint press equivalent??

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