kythri
Well-known member
I'm not disputing that, just pointing out that the target market for these boxes likely isn't someone who can pay cash up front for them.
HF Icon box prices are out
- Thread starter stev0n
- Start date
I'm not disputing that, just pointing out that the target market for these boxes likely isn't someone who can pay cash up front for them.
So without even laying a finger on em you've decided that a similar SO, Matco or whatever box is worth 2-3 times the price of the Icon? Similar size, similar stats, similar ratings, similar (potentially) quality and durability... I'm not following.
they overpriced them. HF caters to DIY and pros alike BUT their strongest point was they were on the cheaper end price wise. Thats what makes them money. Yea they moved on up a bit and have some better quality stuff thats a bit more, but still not outrageously priced
Now they have priced themselves right out of that market. lets be realistic unless they kill the US general line whose gonna spend 4k on a box from harbor freight when they can buy the US general?
For a few bucks more Id rather buy a pro box than the icon. Honestly I have the old gen1 US general and besides it lacking depth Ive been quite happy with it and had no issues.
Farmall450
Well-known member
Of course lol
dnschmidt
Well-known member
I bet that Eric wins again. His track record to date has been PRETTY GOOD! Let's see, he killed Sears, destroyed most mom and pop hardware and tool stores and opens a new brick and mortar HF store every week. Yea, I'll bet on Eric.
BDT/NWMN
Well-known member
I see it as a Five Grand price for a Chinese sourced 73 inch box that has a "junior class" 25 inch depth. Not really a bad price if the quality is there; but I wouldn't be spending that kind of money without knowing parts and accessories are stocked and readily available from a warehouse located in the USA.
HF did not get this far by being stoopid. The ICON stuff is gonna land with a net price about half or 2/3 of Snappy, with very similar quality. The drawer depth won't be as deep for those of us who hate the reach-bend thing to get stuff out of the back of lower drawers.
The weight of the student loan bubble is going to keep more and more new techs out of tool trucks, and thus weekly payments (financing is a significant portion of Snap On profit/revenue).
As for HF, I predict (with no pleasure) that the new lines, color options, warranty, quality increase, 1000+ stores, 40 million customers, store hours, and distribution system, will dominate the US tool market...even more than Sears ever did.
It *****, but I am beginning to think Snap On will further tighten warranty replacement and finally tip the scales. With the complexity of cars, and the advanced training / retention issue, and advanced diagnostic tool$ required, I see a regional Level 2/3 tech system set up by the manufacturers for advanced problems, leaving not much at the dealerships. Given HF over the last 5 years, I am wondering if the Snap On truck model will even be viable in 10 years. I do think SK is doing the right thing with Amazon.
The weight of the student loan bubble is going to keep more and more new techs out of tool trucks, and thus weekly payments (financing is a significant portion of Snap On profit/revenue).
As for HF, I predict (with no pleasure) that the new lines, color options, warranty, quality increase, 1000+ stores, 40 million customers, store hours, and distribution system, will dominate the US tool market...even more than Sears ever did.
It *****, but I am beginning to think Snap On will further tighten warranty replacement and finally tip the scales. With the complexity of cars, and the advanced training / retention issue, and advanced diagnostic tool$ required, I see a regional Level 2/3 tech system set up by the manufacturers for advanced problems, leaving not much at the dealerships. Given HF over the last 5 years, I am wondering if the Snap On truck model will even be viable in 10 years. I do think SK is doing the right thing with Amazon.
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
What specifically is SK doing with Amazon?
Strouty
Well-known member
Essentially yes.
Tool truck brands offer resale later on, almost all of them offer 50% student discounts, eBay offers great deals to savvy buyers, and as much as people don't want to admit, status means a lot to quite a few people.
Harbor Freight is going to have to be in the game for a while and stay consistent with product offering and support of these products before people are going to spend that kind of money on a tool box. Even the tools that I have seen have some serious price tags without having a proven track record to back the ask.
Sloper0204
Well-known member
Curious about this as well.
Cheapskate
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2010
- Messages
- 219
Harbor Freight put out a new video extolling the virtues of their new ICON tool boxes. Nothing new but this time it's coming directly from Harbor Freight.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/75Puntd0ANM" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/75Puntd0ANM" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Irish Mike
Well-known member
I worked on the subterranean 30 car garage framing the ceiling. You enter right under the tennis court. It was an amazing place with outstanding craftsmanship. The best of the best worked there....Those prices are brutal, insane, outrageous, and insulting!
I think Eric Smidt wants a new boat, helicopter, and some more houses. Maybe even a new corporate head quarters.
I mean his old boat was only 150 million and pretty nice:
House is pretty nice too:
https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/eric-l-smidts-house-3/view/google/
Maybe he wants to buy a bigger one? Or buy out Sears from his buddy? Or buy out SnapOn? Maybe thats his ultimate goal?
i often hear this comment thrown all of the time. i really doubt that the tool trucks sell to students at a loss so the markup has to be incredibly high. if they are marked up that much is it really a good idea to spend anything even close to retail.
i am not a student and am not serviced by a truck so exactly how do i get these "great" deals?
lets touch on resale as well for a moment. i have seen and heard of people selling older us general boxes that sold in that 300 to 400 dollar range for 150 bucks and up so roughly 1/2 of new or better. lets run that against a used truck brand box. can you really say that buying a used box for the same price or more than a student can buy a box is a good value to the purchaser and that it has "better" resale. a half price box is half price box whether you paid 500 or 5000.
i made the choice to buy a 72 inch us general last year and resale didn't enter the aquation. my purchase allowed me to get the most bang for the buck at the time i needed it. i may not have have bought an icon but i sure would have given it a look. we all want good better best options and the icon line gives the buyer those options all in one place. i honestly think they will sell and sell well for several reasons.
1. it is a viable option.
2. they will be available to inspect before purchase in stores that offer them.
3. there is no pressure from the seller to purchase them.
4. hf has the traffic flow and availability to sell them. hf stores are open 10 or more hours 7 days a week plus catalog and or internet sales 24 hours a day.
5. the pro that owns and operates his own shop and needs to make ends meet as well as the semi pro/hobbyist who could care less about brand or coo will just see this as another acceptable option. sometimes all one needs to gain market share is enter the market.
Mikeske
Well-known member
I am going to draw something up here so bear with my reasoning. You are a young tech and starting off and you need a tool box. Mr Snap-on is offering a 54" KRL722 with stainless top for $7765.00. The dealer is offering it with 30% off and so the price is $5435.50 plus sales tax is 8.9% so the total financed is $5919.26. So the monthly payments on the 27% loan is $241.66 on 36 months to pay off. This young person is going to pay on the life of the loan $2780.32 in interest and the grand total is $8699.58
If the same tech waits until the financing option from Harbor Freight with zero interest and the 20% off coupon a 56" is $4000.00 plus $400.00 for the stainless top. so $4,400.00 plus tax at 8.9% is $313.28. Total is $3833.28 with thirty-six equal payments the monthly payment is $106.00
If I was the person involved with the discussion of which way to go I sure have a strong leaning for the HF. Even if the box is good for ten years that young tech has then can move on.
If the same tech waits until the financing option from Harbor Freight with zero interest and the 20% off coupon a 56" is $4000.00 plus $400.00 for the stainless top. so $4,400.00 plus tax at 8.9% is $313.28. Total is $3833.28 with thirty-six equal payments the monthly payment is $106.00
If I was the person involved with the discussion of which way to go I sure have a strong leaning for the HF. Even if the box is good for ten years that young tech has then can move on.
Strouty
Well-known member
Except a student would get 50% off
kythri
Well-known member
The Snap-on SEP doesn't offer KRL722's to students, so there's no guarantee of that.
WittHay
Well-known member
2ndGearRubber
Well-known member
The longest I've paid on a box was about 5 months, for the sake of liquidity. I paid my locker off in 8 weeks, zero interest paid.
Maybe some people make retarded financial decisions regardless of what they buy? People go into debt buying all sorts of garbage, be it boxes, cars, clothes, whatever. 20k including interest, for a 250k mile dodge Durango, from a buy here pay here. That's what happens when you have a 300 credit score, from making other stupid choices. A former coworker actually signed for that loan.
Maybe some people make retarded financial decisions regardless of what they buy? People go into debt buying all sorts of garbage, be it boxes, cars, clothes, whatever. 20k including interest, for a 250k mile dodge Durango, from a buy here pay here. That's what happens when you have a 300 credit score, from making other stupid choices. A former coworker actually signed for that loan.
kythri
Well-known member
They will soon be offering up to 36 month no interest financing. I'd imagine shorter terms for smaller dollar amounts, up to the max term.
Riverlos
Active member
Extreme tool boxes are now available thru Napa Just seen them on there quarterly sale. That’s another option
ARAMP1
Well-known member
Pretty sure Sears killed Sears.
RV8guy
Well-known member
This.
Sears could have been Amazon but they thought that this internet thing was just a fad.
kngelv
Well-known member
A lot of people are speculating about these boxes without actually seeing them. I spent over an hour looking at them in great detail at the Dearborn, Michigan store. I have a Snap-On KRL and a Kennedy at work while my main home box is a U.S. General 56" top and bottom The Icon's are nice boxes but the value is just not there, especially for a cash buyer. They are not that close to the better Snap-On, Mac and Matco boxes. The plastic detent adjustment will not last long in a shop environment. If the 56"was at the the earlier mentioned price of $2500.00 with coupons in the $1500.00 to $1750.00 range then they might be on to something. The locker is waaay overpriced. You can buy a Strong Hold cabinet for that price which has more capacity is made in the U.S. and is 12 gauge steel throughout. I'm not anti HF like some as I own a few of their impact sockets, a 56" box and a motorcycle lift but something about that locker really irked me.
James
James
KBigg
Well-known member
I was shocked to see their prices. What shocks me even more is how this forum has managed to talk about it in 2 threads and probably 30 or so pages.
The Fall
Well-known member
Alan Lacy and Fast Eddie killed Sears. They were truly Barbarians at the Gate who got in.
US General all day long over the Icon boxes. The money saved will go far with SK.
US General all day long over the Icon boxes. The money saved will go far with SK.
i recently saw the ICON boxes
im a fan of their hand tools and excited to see them expand into more hand tools
but for the boxes, yes they are expensive compared to the us general.
but word on the streets is, their zero percent financing will either make or break the icon box line
why pay cash when you have the option of zero percent financing. will definitely help out the rookies build their box
also, the no questions asked warranty is there
zero percent financing + coupons = winner? only time will tell what actually happens
also, if one wants that snap on swag, a simple fishing line to take the icon emblem off and slap on a SO logo on that ***** to make the boys get hard
im a fan of their hand tools and excited to see them expand into more hand tools
but for the boxes, yes they are expensive compared to the us general.
but word on the streets is, their zero percent financing will either make or break the icon box line
why pay cash when you have the option of zero percent financing. will definitely help out the rookies build their box
also, the no questions asked warranty is there
zero percent financing + coupons = winner? only time will tell what actually happens
also, if one wants that snap on swag, a simple fishing line to take the icon emblem off and slap on a SO logo on that ***** to make the boys get hard
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Parrothead
Well-known member
While I do think financing has a part in the success of the Icon line, I also think that tariffs played a large role in the price adjustment.