Icon G2 Ratchets vs Snap On

[finn]

SnapOn still seems far ahead of HF in specialty and diagnostic tools, so they’re going to be the distributor of choice for a lot of Professional shops.

Icon may get the entry level guys who haven’t yet needed those specialty tools, but those guys will eventually get there if they stick with the trade.

 

[Steve_P]

It’s not hard to add a not that a saw’s performance will be significantly upgraded by spending $15 for a carbide blade made by Freud or whomever, especially since the places selling the saws would have better blades readily available.
CR just decided to go with lazy and cheap testing, despite a blueprint having bern laid out for better testing by other sources.

JFC. They test **** as it's sold, right out of the box. If that doesn't meet your expectations, then ignore CR. Better yet, start your own youtube channel reviewing stuff.

 

[Steve_P]

Nope...lol and I'm one of them
(Actually, I own 3 or 4 Icon ratchets. They work well and I like them just fine. Having said that, I reach for the SO one 99% of the time, maybe just because I paid so much for it....lol

I would like to have a Matco locking flex head but to is pricey.

Matco ratchets are pretty easy to find on Ebay brand new for 30-40% off list price; most of mine have been ~40% off list. I've bought stuff from sellers, and it was directly shipped from Matco. Somehow. For me, Matco ratchets have been much easier to get a great deal on than SO on ebay for new stuff.

 

[1Bad55Chevy]

SnapOn still seems far ahead of HF in specialty and diagnostic tools, so they’re going to be the distributor of choice for a lot of Professional shops.

Icon may get the entry level guys who haven’t yet needed those specialty tools, but those guys will eventually get there if they stick with the trade.

But how many pros have purchased Autel and Topdon scanners over the past few years? These Chinese scanners have pretty much ran Bosch out of the diag market. When was the last time you have seen a pro holding an OTC scanner?

My point is they are losing market share on all fronts.

 

[dnschmidt]

Truth^^^^^

 

[Rinspeed]

 

[Hakeem]

Red foam grips are hardly unique.

It’s a bit more than just having red foam grips:

 

[KnurledNut]

Some of those bracket bolts are no joke.
Red Loctite: 1
ICON G2: 0
I didn’t even pull that hard. = I pulled that hard.
Wonder if he was even turning it the right way.

 

[liliysdad]

It’s a bit more than just having red foam grips:

But that’s just healthy competition…

 

[Hakeem]

But that’s just healthy competition…

I don’t understand your point. Can you elaborate?

 

[liliysdad]

I don’t understand your point. Can you elaborate?

Sarcasm doesn’t always translate well on the internet….

 

[M635_Guy]

Sarcasm doesn’t always translate well on the internet….

the way the internet generally notes sarcasm is by adding "/s" to the end of the sarcastic content.

I'd bet you have copycat/clone products in your house right now, and not just one or two.

 

[merkyworks]

"This thread is very productive. /s"

 

[neophyte]

JFC. They test **** as it's sold, right out of the box. If that doesn't meet your expectations, then ignore CR. Better yet, start your own youtube channel reviewing stuff.

Consumer Reports doesn’t necessarily just test stuff “right out of the box”.
The magazine routinely suggested what upgrades are worth it or not for cars, whether accessory options are available for other items including small appliances, etc.
The circular saw test was just cheap, lazy, crappy testing.
As far as ignoring CR, I have done that for years after realizing how **** some of their testing was.

 

[neophyte]

It’s a bit more than just having red foam grips:

If it’s the bead blasted finish you’re referring to, I think that may be used to reduce glare.
Facom uses a similar finish, and Facom cold forges their pliers.
As far as other aspects, it has been pointed out that the Snap-On and ICON pliers while similar, are not actually completely the same as far as shape and ergonomics.
Given that Harbor Freight doesn’t “knock off” the aesthetics of Knipex pliers, except the plier wrench, maybe Knipex politely asked HF to just copy the function if there were no parent rights, and HF decided to honor the request.
Maybe Snap-On just really pissed off HF.

 

[308guru]

Everything ICON is in a sealed box or package of some sorts. If I want to try out the tool, I have to buy the tool and take it home.

If I don't like the tool for some reason, they'll give me a refund and charge me a restocking fee.

All I'd have to do is hold it in my hand and pop a socket on it to check the mechanical action.

Probably wouldn't take me more than a few minutes to find everything I don't like about it.

Harbor Freight says, "You no looky. You buy!"

Granted I haven't returned many Icon items, I've never been charged a restocking fee. Is this policy or does it vary by store or person at the register that day?

 

[DAWrench]

Granted I haven't returned many Icon items, I've never been charged a restocking fee. Is this policy or does it vary by store or person at the register that day?

Only certain items and your receipt will usually say if an item has a restock fee.

 

[zendriver]

People use ratchets to bust loose caliper bolts?

No wonder mine have lasted so long.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

People use ratchets to bust loose caliper bolts?

No wonder mine have lasted so long.

All day every day. Breaker bars dont fit, it's 2025. None of my snap on have every failed like that, although I did blow up an SK round head with wayyyyy more force than was ever reasonable. IIRC a Matco88 finished the job.


The drive end sheared, so your breaker bar would have snapped anyway.

 

[Shoreline_]

TTT test tools in unrealistic circumstances. The only point they have is each test has very limited variables and is pretty consistent. They should buy ratchets that are 1 or 2 years old and test them against each other.

 

[finn]

TTT test tools in unrealistic circumstances. The only point they have is each test has very limited variables and is pretty consistent. They should buy ratchets that are 1 or 2 years old and test them against each other.

They actually did that with either Craftsman ratchets or combination wrenches a year or two ago. Scrounged up some non current “classic” tools and threw them into the mix.

From what I remember the Classic tools didn’t fare much , if any, better than the current Chinese sourced tools.

Don’t recall the details, though.

 

[L.Cheapo]

All day every day. Breaker bars dont fit, it's 2025. None of my snap on have every failed like that, although I did blow up an SK round head with wayyyyy more force than was ever reasonable. IIRC a Matco88 finished the job.


The drive end sheared, so your breaker bar would have snapped anyway.

I don't even own breaker bars anymore. A quality modern ratchet will do everything a breaker bar will...plus ratchet.

The only ratchet I ever broke was a Craftsman RP. And that was over 30 years ago.

 

[d.mcfarland]

If it’s the bead blasted finish you’re referring to, I think that may be used to reduce glare.

Yeah, that's it. hahaha It's the finish.


IT'S AN EXACT COPY.

 

[Ohio Andy]

I don't even own breaker bars anymore. A quality modern ratchet will do everything a breaker bar will...plus ratchet.

The only ratchet I ever broke was a Craftsman RP. And that was over 30 years ago.

I own one of these

Mueller-Kueps MLK745100 Wrench (Extender)​

Amazon.com: Mueller-Kueps MLK745100 Wrench (Extender)

Amazon.com: Mueller-Kueps MLK745100 Wrench (Extender)

a.co

It is stronger than others

 

[Fedwrench]

Some of those bracket bolts are no joke.
Red Loctite: 1
ICON G2: 0
I didn’t even pull that hard. = I pulled that hard.
Wonder if he was even turning it the right way.

He needs to pick up the 2 foot long locking flex head 1/2 drive comfort grip ratchet when he warrantees the 3/8 flex head. I've never had luck removing cross over brackets with anything less than 1/2 drive. I don't think I'd blame the ratchet in this instance

 

[2ndGearRubber]

I don't even own breaker bars anymore. A quality modern ratchet will do everything a breaker bar will...plus ratchet.

The only ratchet I ever broke was a Craftsman RP. And that was over 30 years ago.

Time and a place for breaker bars, I have several and use them. Generally speaking they're for wiggling/impacting against, not specifically tight stuff as the failure mode is typically shearing the anvil off. Like you said the ratchet is just as strong as the breaker bar.

 

[username2]

I own one of these

Mueller-Kueps MLK745100 Wrench (Extender)​

Amazon.com: Mueller-Kueps MLK745100 Wrench (Extender)

Amazon.com: Mueller-Kueps MLK745100 Wrench (Extender)

a.co

It is stronger than others

Thanks. I genuinely didn't know those products existed. Very cool.
----

To throw in my 1 cent worth on ratchets, and as purest amateur, I really like the Wera 3/8" ratchet. Great big ol' release button, slender, probably weak but I don't beat on ratchets very hard. Perfect for my little soft doctor hands.

Those Icon ratchets look cool, but I don't see the value proposition unless you've got a HF nearby. At that price level, you can buy most anything shy of tooltruck or Nepros for +/- a few bucks.

What I need to avoid is buying more stuff just because it looks cool. I think back on all the work done in days of yore on cars (all weirdly valuable now) with a hand box of Craftsman stuff. Worked fine, although those ratchets are certainly breakable.

 

[KnurledNut]

These G2’s are holding their own:

 

[Andres26tnt]

These G2’s are holding their own:

Good on him to increase the number of test samples, will he do it again? No
Does this still matter to HF and Snap-on buyers? No
Where icon ratchets not holding up

 

[Mr_B]

All day every day. Breaker bars dont fit, it's 2025. None of my snap on have every failed like that, although I did blow up an SK round head with wayyyyy more force than was ever reasonable. IIRC a Matco88 finished the job.


The drive end sheared, so your breaker bar would have snapped anyway.

+1
I got a couple extending handle flex head ratchets that do likes of caliper bolts and worse every day all week.
They handle it easy unless being complete ***** or got a real junk ratchet .
Extending handle and flex head means you can get in awkward spots with max length possible to get jobs jobbed .
I not broke one yet, you get more failure from dirt ingress or or high ratcheting use as both those factors reduce pawl contact thus issues arise on high loading .
A good design well made ratchet in kept sensibly serviced order (and ratchet wrenches) can take lot of torque over and over no drama .

 

[KnurledNut]

Good on him to increase the number of test samples, will he do it again? No

Could possibly.

Does this still matter to HF and Snap-on buyers? No

Yes.

Where icon ratchets not holding up

TBD.

Try thinking about more than yourself.

 

[CHI_Tool&Die]

Good on him to increase the number of test samples, will he do it again? No
Does this still matter to HF and Snap-on buyers? No
Where icon ratchets not holding up

I don’t hate on HF as people got to buy what they got to buy and it’s all good to me. But I will always say to the guys at work,”The MAC or Snappy dude has an entire drawer of replacement stuff for broken tools and their routes are small so they are always close by. Why not go with the sure thing instead of relying on the local HF that is always out of stock on meme tools?” They don’t listen to me but it’s still true. Now if HF had replacement parts in store behind a counter or something then I’d totally say it would be more worth it for the guys.

On another note, the younger guys in the shop are grumbling about the Icon G2 prices so that shows you that you can’t make everyone happy.

 

[seber]

Koken Zeal is actually cheaper than comparable Icon. That seems like a no brainer to me.

 

[Rinspeed]

Koken Zeal is actually cheaper than comparable Icon. That seems like a no brainer to me.

I picked one of those up months ago and really like it, just wish it was a tad longer. Probably should have went with the longer version, only reason I didn't is I already have a long Duel 80 in 3/8".

 

[Andres26tnt]

Could possibly.

Yes.

TBD.

Try thinking about more than yourself.

I guess testing multiple examples did matter .

 

[dnschmidt]

OH MY GOD!! It broke at 300 ft-lb. CLEARLY A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT. Personally, I'm not strong enough at this age to generate anything close to that and I own ten impact wrenches making me not feel like trying. There is absolutely no point to any of these "pushy" tests as everything far exceeds what any non-abuse situation can generate anyway. TTC faces the same problem as all YouTube creators as Friday comes around and you've got to publish something to keep the cash coming in. The relationship between what the tool can do and what a non-gorilla can produce seems irrelevant in these and all other test to failure videos. All of these tools pass ASTM standards and apparently that's what their limits should be, plus a safety factor, which every one does.

Snap-On, Mac, Matco, ICON or whatever WHO CARES? Does it do what it's designed to do? If so the discussion is over.

 

[KnurledNut]

OH MY GOD!! It broke at 300 ft-lb. CLEARLY A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT. Personally, I'm not strong enough at this age to generate anything close to that and I own ten impact wrenches making me not feel like trying. There is absolutely no point to any of these "pushy" tests as everything far exceeds what any non-abuse situation can generate anyway. TTC faces the same problem as all YouTube creators as Friday comes around and you've got to publish something to keep the cash coming in. The relationship between what the tool can do and what a non-gorilla can produce seems irrelevant in these and all other test to failure videos. All of these tools pass ASTM standards and apparently that's what their limits should be, plus a safety factor, which every one does.

Snap-On, Mac, Matco, ICON or whatever WHO CARES? Does it do what it's designed to do? If so the discussion is over.

Its pretty simple Dennis, TTC was called out in their comments and this video was a reply to that.

 

[WhataTool]

Hahaha, TTC makes a video basically doing what this thread said he should have done and pointed out it's not even a money generating video we're talking about, shows buying multiples of other ICON items in the same video, and the same folks show up here bitching about the same stuff again.

The internet must be a very triggering place for y'all if free stuff like this grinds your gears

 

[Etchase]

And we will continue to hear about it being the metal, when defending one brand or another because the specific alloy is harder to determine unless it’s done by “feel”. Seems like marketing. Same with the hardening claims. I wonder if high volume manufacturers, with their well instrumented modern processes, have an advantage over low volume boutique manufacturers. I also wonder if steel companies and other vendors pay more attention to their larger customer’s orders.

 

[Fedwrench]

Some people are never happy