Icon G2 Ratchets vs Snap On
- Thread starter milky2k
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1Bad55Chevy
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These threads are as useful as knowing that in 1966, Al Bundy made sports history for Polk High, scoring four touchdowns in the City Championship against Andrew Johnson High. Facing a 3-TD deficit, Bundy refused to quit, delivering the game-winning TD over rival "Spare Tire" Dixon. A legend was born! Many people still today believe he failed to break the plane in the final seconds but without the technology of instant replay at that time we might never truly know.
It's all good, this just makes me laugh for the irony alone.
If one looks close at the process steps of making sockets or wrenches, making them ****** or great, take pretty much the same amount of effort.
Silver Lexus
Well-known member
A blatant attempt to grab cash from Florida alumni.Enough with these threads GJ. It’s time to declare the real deal, best ratchet ever made: Gator Grip!!!!!
Cheaper than ICON and made in USA so take a seat Snap on! If you’re a pro, you just know….
nicks78camaro
Well-known member
+1. I’ve barely used any of my breaker bars since I bought my long flex head so ratchets. They’re an invaluable part of my workflow now.
I did snap the anvil of my 3/8 one trying to undo a crank pulley, but that was definitely my bad. I didn’t have a combination of 1/2” socket/extension that would fit without dropping the engine off the mounts and was in a hurry so tried the 3/8.
1Bad55Chevy
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dnschmidt
Well-known member
Trust me. More ratchets are made in Taiwan in a week than are made by Snap-On in a year. In this case Snap-On is the low volume boutique manufacturer.
Are those available from other brand names? I could use the 21/22.
I would like to see Icon combo wrenches above 24mm also, maybe to 32.
With Snap On’s sales relatively flat and their prices up substantially over the last few years, their unit volume must be down substantially. They are truly a small volume producer.
CHI_Tool&Die
Well-known member
My wife says that I’m too harsh on the Zoomers but I have never met a generation of guys that feel more entitled to top quality for bottom dollar than them. Zeus could hand deliver a free ratchet designed by Athena, hand-built by Hephaestus, and polished in the voluptuous bosom of Aphrodite and those mofos at work would still ***** about it.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
Yes, several rebrand them, like Platinum, K-Tool, Cornwell.
https://www.nationaltoolwarehouse.c...1sy4CB2OMoDu_lspVWYDXGfA7MFlGctzYozHJ-ZvYtDud
dnschmidt
Well-known member
Knurled Nut is right. I have the K-tool larger sizes but fair warning. These larger wrenches are REDICULOUSLY expensive. I got mine from Zoro with a 20 percent coupon. These two wrenches cost as much as the complete set from Harbor Freight.
neophyte
Well-known member
Armstrong Ratchets, that were made in the USA, introduced in 2015, were priced lower than the current Icon ratchets.
Armstrong admittedly basically was killed off, and there has been inflation in the past ten years, but these new Icon ratchets basically are selling for twice the street price of those older USA made Armstrong ratchets.
Most people can’t readily comprehend that type of “inflationary cost rise” in a single decade.
Plenty of older people can’t comprehend why that great salary of $3 an hour in the 1970s is no longer a proper salary for a fast food worker.
neophyte
Well-known member
As far as tool truck drivers having replacements for warrantee covered damage, I have no personal experience, but so many people on GJ have complained over the years about replacements taking weeks or months to show up, that it doesn’t seem like a given, or is no more reliable than a warrantee replacement from Harbor Freight.
As far as price goes, as I mention above, the Armstrong Ratchets released in 2015 had a street price of around $35-$40, and were made in the USA.
Any Zoomer mechanic scrolling thru GJ might notice the 10 year old price, and wonder why a tool imported from Taiwan costs twice what an older USA made, but still fairly up to date design, costs twice as much as that ten year old product, since imported tools are usually cheaper, unless from Europe.
mudflap
Well-known member
Why.. Warranty the ICON on your way home. The ICON guts are stronger anyway.If your ICON ratchet breaks, just grab a Dual80 repair kit off the Snap-on truck.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
That's what I would do. That reply was in response to there not being an ICON truck.
mudflap
Well-known member
If it was anybody besides the TTC i might agree with u. But that channel is beyond legit. Also think it's funny now that ICON is stomping a mud hole in SO.. The tests are "for entertainment purposes at best"...lol.
Been saying this for years. These "comparisons" are entertainment at best, whichever way the results land, because they can claim virtually no repeatability in the results due to the minuscule sample size.
nicks78camaro
Well-known member
I love my Dual 80s but if I needed more ratchets (I don't) I would try the Icons.
seber
Well-known member
One thing I would never consider when buying a ratchet is ultimate strength. I'm never going to abuse it to that extent. I care about back drag above all else. After that number of teeth, direction of lever and shape of handle are definite factors. Failure mode for a properly used ratchet will be jamming or wear. Never a broken anvil. Get the proper tool.
nicks78camaro
Well-known member
I know the question was 21/22 but for some reason no one carries a 24/27 in that Kabo style other than Cornwell. I just paid $250 on "sale" for 21/22 and 24/27 long double box flex reversible ratcheting wrenches.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
That set would be a great hit if HF offered an ICON version. Especially when coupons come around.
gatewaysysop
Well-known member
Bad methodology is bad methodology. Doesn't matter who's winning/losing or who's so-called analysis. I've said this for a long time, not just "since Icon is stomping a mudhole in SO." You even quoted the part where I said I'd been saying it for years, not just recently, so...
I'm not a fanboi nor hater of either brand, I own hardly any SO and zero ICON. I don't have a dog in the fight, neither are my go-to and never will be. I'm just better at math than the people passing 'entertainment' as science.
Most people are just plain cheap... quality be damned.
I've gottenwith the program.
Used 3/8 Icon ratchet on recent brake job. If one fastener was really tight just keep yanking till it breaks loose. Seems to work fine.
Lifetime warranty, so no reason to care.
There always seems to be so much love, affection, tender care and defense of Snap On tools, one could wonder if the users were banging them.HF is just the pocketof the tool world . It will never be as good as the real deal.
Glad that's cleared up.
blown94conv
Well-known member
I could make the same argument for the HF humpers.
At the end of the day, buy what you like, let the other guy buy what he likes, and STFU about it.
True, but HF costs like 25% of SO, so you're ******* something that costs a lot less and does the same thing for you in the end
JerseyBoatBuilder
Well-known member
Like comparing a crack ****** to a high class HoTrue, but HF costs like 25% of SO, so you're ******* something that costs a lot less and does the same thing for you in the end
