JH Williams Tool Quality

[BuffaloHiker]

Recently I decided to get a new tool storage cabinet for my garage and replace the majority of my hand tools with improved products. For combination wrenches and socket sets I chose JH Williams. Today I received my first order from ToolsDelivered.com (5-day turnaround) which consisted of SAE and Metric combination wrenches and 3/8" SAE and Metric socket sets with ratchets.

I am extremely happy with the quality of this JH Williams product. The polished chrome finish is flawless. I examined each piece and did not find one imperfection. The ratchets feel strong with a fluid motion. This JH Williams product is really heavy duty stuff.

 

[AA/FC]

Did you buy USA or Taiwan?

 

[Mopar-Scooby-Doo]

As soon as I can I'm going for a set of SUPERCOMBO's in SAE and Metric. I think USA Williams is great. Especially the older stuff.

 

[ADSR]

Congrats! You bought snap on quality for a little more than the price of import.

 

[PJNJ]

Congrats! You bought snap on quality for a little more than the price of import.

Careful - you said another tool company's product quality was comparable to "Snap On". You're treading on dangerous ground around here.

 

[John in OH]

Are those long pattern combo wrenches?

 

[ADSR]

Careful - you said another tool company's product quality was comparable to "Snap On". You're treading on dangerous ground around here.

Nope. Same company

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Did you buy USA or Taiwan?

I have both US and Taiwan Williams tools. Both are high quality.

 

[PJNJ]

Nope. Same company

My mistake - I'm getting old. But still dangerous to compare Williams to Snap On quality around here it seems.

 

[BuffaloHiker]

Did you buy USA or Taiwan?

USA only. Tiawan product not in the same category..not a good long-term value.

 

[crab]

I asked the S.O. man about Williams and he said S.O. had nothing to do with Williams in any way . I don't know but you would think he would .

 

[bfm336]

They look horrible in your box and I'm pretty sure I see some chipping. I'd be willing to send ya $20 and shipping, sound good?

 

[ADSR]

I asked the S.O. man about Williams and he said S.O. had nothing to do with Williams in any way . I don't know but you would think he would .

Tell your SO man to educate himself.

Snap-On and the USA made Williams are ounce for ounce identical in steel strength and come out of the same plant off the same machines using the same raw material grades.

The differences are, and the only differences are the level of finish, handle styles, and stampings.

Snap-On tools are polished to be flawless before the are chromed or oxide finished, and when chromed they are nickel chromed heavily. This high quality finishing increases the cost 2 -3 times over Williams. As they say, there is a difference and side by side it is clearly obvious. Snap-On is jewelry.

Williams is not finished in the raw as well as Snap-On before finishing, chrome or oxide, and they are single plated chrome. It keeps the cost down for industrial users that don't want to pay for a high level of finish. 100s of millions $$$ in chrome Snap-On are sold for cash to heavy industry every year world wide.

Williams Global "aka imported" is the equivalent of Blue Point and it has to exceed 85% of the wear an stress benchmarks of the USA made equivalents. Williams Global is the high value - low cost line.

Snap-On is Street Rod, Williams is just a Rat Rod.

I'm out.

 

[Adam.C]

Tell your SO man to educate himself.

Every tool salesman on the planet says their tools are the same as Snap On. The quoted response is from a web store, a distributor of Williams tools, not a representative of the Snap On Corporation.

All we know for sure is:
1) Snap On owns Williams and there appears to be at least some cross pollination in tool design and possible manufacture.
2) There are visible and inspectable differences between similar products that go beyond surface finishes. The Williams HH screwdriver handles appear to be made from Snap On molds. But the Williams screwdriver blades don't have the ACR tips. Sockets and wrenches are different dimensionally. Some of this is documented here.
3) A video on youtube shows clips from a socket manufacturing process showing both Snap On and Williams products. Many here believe this was filmed in a Williams factory that also makes Snap On sockets and that they are therefore identical or identical up to a certain point. But no serious person can be sure of this without seeing material certs, manufacturing plans etc.

I've spent the last 25 years in product design and manufacture of aerospace products. I've toured countless factories. Manufacturing is complicated; far more than many here seem to think (e.g. made in the same factory=product is same). Product differentiation can take place at virtually any step in the fab process including inspection. That said, I'm not convinced any of this matters. By all accounts Williams tools are excellent in their own right.

But like PJNJ said, there's no reason to slip in the statement that Williams and Snap On tools are the same or equivalent or whatever. This is not relevant to this thread. This "technical misinformation" devalues GJ, this thread, and gives false information for the multitudes of folks looking for truth.

Rest assured, like our shameful sticky Truck tool equivalents thread (looks the same therefore it is the same), there is no truth to be found here. No one on GJ (including and especially me) knows for sure what differentiates Snap On from Williams tools or Snap On from CDI torque wrenches. All we can know is that they are different.

Please PM me questions or responses or create a new thread so as not to derail this thread.

ref: Williams vs Snap On Sockets

 

[bobcatdan]

I asked the S.O. man about Williams and he said S.O. had nothing to do with Williams in any way . I don't know but you would think he would .

Truck dealers have little to no access to Williams threw SO. Williams is handle on the industrial side of SO along with Banco and CDI. Williams can also be bough threw many jobber and supplies shops. Williams dealer are pretty easy to find locally, but many places don't have much on hand.

 

[bobcatdan]

Every tool salesman on the planet says their tools are the same as Snap On. The quoted response is from a web store, a distributor of Williams tools, not a representative of the Snap On Corporation.

All we know for sure is:
1) Snap On owns Williams and there appears to be at least some cross pollination in tool design and possible manufacture.
2) There are visible and inspectable differences between similar products that go beyond surface finishes. The Williams HH screwdriver handles appear to be made from Snap On molds. But the Williams screwdriver blades don't have the ACR tips. Sockets and wrenches are different dimensionally. Some of this is documented here.
3) A video on youtube shows clips from a socket manufacturing process showing both Snap On and Williams products. Many here believe this was filmed in a Williams factory that also makes Snap On sockets and that they are therefore identical or identical up to a certain point. But no serious person can be sure of this without seeing material certs, manufacturing plans etc.

I've spent the last 25 years in product design and manufacture of aerospace products. I've toured countless factories. Manufacturing is complicated; far more than many here seem to think (e.g. made in the same factory=product is same). Product differentiation can take place at virtually any step in the fab process including inspection. That said, I'm not convinced any of this matters. By all accounts Williams tools are excellent in their own right.

But like PJNJ said, there's no reason to slip in the statement that Williams and Snap On tools are the same or equivalent or whatever. This is not relevant to this thread. This "technical misinformation" devalues GJ, this thread, and gives false information for the multitudes of folks looking for truth.

Rest assured, like our shameful sticky Truck tool equivalents thread (looks the same therefore it is the same), there is no truth to be found here. No one on GJ (including and especially me) knows for sure what differentiates Snap On from Williams tools or Snap On from CDI torque wrenches. All we can know is that they are different.

Please PM me questions or responses or create a new thread so as not to derail this thread.

Williams of today from what I can tell in the USA line is a mixture of JH Williams designs and retired SO designs like there 36 tooth ratchets. I completely agree Williams and SO tools are not idetical, but still very comparable to one another.

 

[LordPsychon]

Wish I could afford those . But, then again, I'm not also using my tools all the time so what I got stays in pretty decent shape.

 

[ADSR]

Every tool salesman on the planet says their tools are the same as Snap On. The quoted response is from a web store, a distributor of Williams tools, not a representative of the Snap On Corporation.

All we know for sure is:
1) Snap On owns Williams and there appears to be at least some cross pollination in tool design and possible manufacture.
2) There are visible and inspectable differences between similar products that go beyond surface finishes. The Williams HH screwdriver handles appear to be made from Snap On molds. But the Williams screwdriver blades don't have the ACR tips. Sockets and wrenches are different dimensionally. Some of this is documented here.
3) A video on youtube shows clips from a socket manufacturing process showing both Snap On and Williams products. Many here believe this was filmed in a Williams factory that also makes Snap On sockets and that they are therefore identical or identical up to a certain point. But no serious person can be sure of this without seeing material certs, manufacturing plans etc.

I've spent the last 25 years in product design and manufacture of aerospace products. I've toured countless factories. Manufacturing is complicated; far more than many here seem to think (e.g. made in the same factory=product is same). Product differentiation can take place at virtually any step in the fab process including inspection. That said, I'm not convinced any of this matters. By all accounts Williams tools are excellent in their own right.

But like PJNJ said, there's no reason to slip in the statement that Williams and Snap On tools are the same or equivalent or whatever. This is not relevant to this thread. This "technical misinformation" devalues GJ, this thread, and gives false information for the multitudes of folks looking for truth.

Rest assured, like our shameful sticky Truck tool equivalents thread (looks the same therefore it is the same), there is no truth to be found here. No one on GJ (including and especially me) knows for sure what differentiates Snap On from Williams tools or Snap On from CDI torque wrenches. All we can know is that they are different.

Please PM me questions or responses or create a new thread so as not to derail this thread.

ref: Williams vs Snap On Sockets

 

[bobcatdan]

Either way you are buying a quality product. Williams is aimed for the industrial side where they see as many demands as the auto world, just different applications. In many cases they probably see harder use because many are company supplied. We all know we are harder on **** when it isn't ours.

 

[BK13]

Nice tools and cool layout in your box. It's unfortunate the thread had to go South the way Williams threads seemingly always do.

 

[supertooljunkie]

Williams are excellent tools, both before, and after the Snap on buyout. I have Williams tools from both eras. In many cases I prefer the Williams over Snap on.

Snap on beams are to thin when pulling hard on a stubborn nut, or bolt. They will cut into your hand. Williams are thicker and don't bite as much. I do like the chrome finish of Snap on, as most of my Williams stuff is satin.

I have some of the older Williams made Kobalt wrenches, sockets, & ratchets sold through Lowes. I prefer the Kobalt ratchets to my Snap on of the same era. They, to me, are much smoother. All of the tools have the Snap on date stamp on them.

As far as ratchets, I have a couple of the old Williams B-52 dual pawl ratchets with the gland nut to hold the guts in. Those are some of the nicest ratchets I have. I much prefer those to any Snap on of them same era, or most of the Snap on ratchets I own. True, I haven't bought a "new" Snap on ratchet in 20 years. I have newer versions of the same Williams ratchets that are not nearly as nice, or smooth as the older tools of the Snap on ownership. I do have a Williams 1/4 drive Snap on style long, flex head, rat that is a "go to".

It makes me sad that Snap on offshored much of Williams lineup after purchasing the company. I don't own any of the Asian wrenchs. The last I bought was a set of metric stubbies in satin, US made, from Epstein's. Coudln't find chrome in anything but Taiwan.

I do own 3-4 3/8", 72 tooth, Taiwan ratchets, and they are nice. Very smooth, little drag, nice chrome. fit well in the hand. Didn't know they were from Taiwan until I received them, and was disappointed until I used them. Great rats.

You can't go wrong with Williams. You did very well with your purchase. Enjoy your tools. Don't think I would buy Asian, Williams wrenches, but that is just me. Even Snap on is importing from Asia now for their hardline stuff.