Mac is the new cornwell

[Shoreline_]

The mac truck is getting harder and harder to find for a lot of guys. I have to order from my old shop since moving jobs to a different area. But it's still a 150k population city. Is the franchise that bad or stanley that hard to rep?

 

[finn]

The whole tool truck deal sort of reminds me of the milkman that used to come to the house when I was a kid in the fifties.

It’s a relic of a bygone era.

Same thing with the Fuller Brush man.

The only two that remain that I can think of are the newspaper delivery and the tool man, although our little hometown newspaper in Michigan fired all the delivery drivers.

 

[allinon72]

I guess I would ask the general question...why would your average mechanic choose to buy a Mac tool over a Matco or Snap-on? Given similar prices, I don't think they have a reason. Snap-on has positioned themselves as almost a fashion brand. "Snap-on" means something marketing wise. Not sure I can say the same about some of these brands hanging on by a thread like Mac and Cornwell.

 

[dnschmidt]

Personal opinion. YOU HAVE TO BE CRAZY TO RUN A TOOL TRUCK. Competition is too great and getting better every day (see ICON and Amazon) and the companies screw you over in every manner possible. It may not be mandatory to be a masochist to be in that business but it's certainly not a liability.

 

[dchawk81]

The mac truck is getting harder and harder to find for a lot of guys. I have to order from my old shop since moving jobs to a different area. But it's still a 150k population city. Is the franchise that bad or stanley that hard to rep?

When I bought my RBRT wrench sets I just called them up and had them shipped.

I bought my Snap On from their online catalog.

 

[Shoreline_]

When I bought my RBRT wrench sets I just called them up and had them shipped.

I bought my Snap On from their online catalog.

Yea but you don't get a lot of deals off their website like when you deal with cash and your local driver. Buying from their website isn't worth it for me.

 

[Shoreline_]

I guess I would ask the general question...why would your average mechanic choose to buy a Mac tool over a Matco or Snap-on? Given similar prices, I don't think they have a reason. Snap-on has positioned themselves as almost a fashion brand. "Snap-on" means something marketing wise. Not sure I can say the same about some of these brands hanging on by a thread like Mac and Cornwell.

I take it you don't buy off the tool truck lol.

 

[d.mcfarland]

I take it you don't buy off the tool truck lol.

I think his point is valid.

He is saying if you are investing time and money into a franchise, pick the one that is going to do the best, and the answer there is Snap-On.

 

[Hakeem]

Oddly enough MAC trucks are what I see the most driving around here, probably 4x as many as I see Snapon or Matco

 

[Firebrick43]

Yea but you don't get a lot of deals off their website like when you deal with cash and your local driver. Buying from their website isn't worth it for me.

If you can’t rely on the truck showing up all you end up doing is wishing and ranting on the forum with a broken tool in your box.

I got sick of waiting on the truck and deal almost entirely online, and have replacements in a day or two instead of weeks

 

[dchawk81]

Yea but you don't get a lot of deals off their website like when you deal with cash and your local driver. Buying from their website isn't worth it for me.

Sure but you have to decide what's important. Getting a deal or getting the tool.

I usually only buy because I need the tool. Not particularly interested in a "score."

 

[f121]

Yea but you don't get a lot of deals off their website like when you deal with cash and your local driver. Buying from their website isn't worth it for me.

My current driver won’t beat the website for anything he has to order in. If I’m paying retail I’ll buy it off the website and get it next day rather than when he bothers to show up

 

[f121]

Sure but you have to decide what's important. Getting a deal or getting the tool.

I usually only buy because I need the tool. Not particularly interested in a "score."

After a while, time becomes a factor. I’m currently way too busy to stand on the truck BSing.

 

[dchawk81]

After a while, time becomes a factor. I’m currently way too busy to stand on the truck BSing.

TBH I don't have any trucks. I'm not a jobber.

I suppose I could get them to add me to their route but it's just me and I don't want that much stuff. And I don't even know when I'd be here.

 

[Theronswanson]

I talked with Mac a couple years ago about starting a franchise. I was looking at a $500,000 initial investment just to start. The truck couldn't be more than like 10 years old, and there was slim pickens. Add storage fees, fuel, maintenance, insurance, internet etc. It is not a cheap start up. You could ALMOST start a brick and mortar franchise for that cost. Snap-on was about double to start from what I understand.

 

[Steve_P]

I think his point is valid.

He is saying if you are investing time and money into a franchise, pick the one that is going to do the best, and the answer there is Snap-On.

True, but this is like saying, "Why would anyone open a Subway instead of a McDonalds, BK, Wendys, Arbys.... "- it's all about startup costs, and they vary greatly. Mac is probably like the Taco Bell, and Snap On is the McDonalds of the tool trucks. Maybe Cornwell is the Subway of the tool trucks . Wait, actually, I saw a Gearwrench truck the other day for the first time- I guess that's the Subway.

 

[Shoreline_]

Sure but you have to decide what's important. Getting a deal or getting the tool.

I usually only buy because I need the tool. Not particularly interested in a "score."

I've been doing this **** so long not much tools I "need" anymore.

 

[Shoreline_]

I think his point is valid.

He is saying if you are investing time and money into a franchise, pick the one that is going to do the best, and the answer there is Snap-On.

His point is valid for a shadetree mechanic.

This thread wasn't about to buy from a tool truck or not, or which tool truck to buy from. It's literally how come you don't see mac trucks in the same market at matco and snapon doing well. There are 2 snap on trucks in this city. 0 mac. I don't think it's because a Mac tools truck won't do well in sales.

 

[Shoreline_]

After a while, time becomes a factor. I’m currently way too busy to stand on the truck BSing.

Lol who's holding the gun to your head to have an extended conversation?

 

[dchawk81]

I've been doing this **** so long not much tools I "need" anymore.

So what difference does it make then?

 

[dchawk81]

His point is valid for a shadetree mechanic.

This thread wasn't about to buy from a tool truck or not, or which tool truck to buy from. It's literally how come you don't see mac trucks in the same market at matco and snapon doing well. There are 2 snap on trucks in this city. 0 mac. I don't think it's because a Mac tools truck won't do well in sales.

Do you actually see where the trucks are going all the time? How can you from your shop?

Maybe they just don't come to yours because it isn't worth it.

Maybe it's just me but I don't think of shade tree mechanics being big customers of the tool truck brands. I was never aware of them stopping at houses. They did stop at my dad's garage which was on our personal property. I doubt they'd have stopped if he wasn't a business.

I don't really consider myself shadetree in the classic sense since I'm wrenching on a semi truck to make a living with the truck. It's what pays my mortgage, groceries, car payment, etc. Good tools are important to me, but getting a deal is less so. Downtime is more expensive than anything, which is why I try to keep it out of shops.

I definitely don't need a truck to come around weekly to see if I need anything.

 

[gatewaysysop]

The mac truck is getting harder and harder to find for a lot of guys. I have to order from my old shop since moving jobs to a different area. But it's still a 150k population city. Is the franchise that bad or stanley that hard to rep?

Not working at a shop, I tried to call corporate to find out how to contact the appropriate dealer for our area. They told me they don't give out contact info and the drivers will not meet anyone anywhere but a shop. Claimed they had documented instances of drivers being assaulted, robbed, beaten. I pointed out that their phone number is probably plastered on the truck along with their name so it's not like it's a secret, but that fell on deaf ears and they just repeated the same ******** back to me.

I don't own many MAC tools and I certainly will never buy a new one again. Their mail-in warranty process was **** too, so if I can't mail it in and your drivers are hiding from customers, what's the point doing business with them? Plenty of other places to buy import junk tools, no need to deal with that nonsense.

Just my $.02 of course.

 

[zendriver]

Yea but you don't get a lot of deals off their website like when you deal with cash and your local driver. Buying from their website isn't worth it for me.

Watching their own costs rise dramatically and customer base shrink, then having rare customers haggle for the lowest prices, maybe not worth it the the truck owners. Might be why they are bailing

Snap On trucks in the area might still be in business, but are they making good money?

 

[f121]

Not working at a shop, I tried to call corporate to find out how to contact the appropriate dealer for our area. They told me they don't give out contact info and the drivers will not meet anyone anywhere but a shop. Claimed they had documented instances of drivers being assaulted, robbed, beaten. I pointed out that their phone number is probably plastered on the truck along with their name so it's not like it's a secret, but that fell on deaf ears and they just repeated the same ******** back to me.

I don't own many MAC tools and I certainly will never buy a new one again. Their mail-in warranty process was **** too, so if I can't mail it in and your drivers are hiding from customers, what's the point doing business with them? Plenty of other places to buy import junk tools, no need to deal with that nonsense.

Just my $.02 of course.

This is pretty funny, the Snap On Facebook posts are covered in people complaining about needing warranty, the SO response is ‘we’ll put you in touch with your local franchisee’

 

[2ndGearRubber]

MAC and Cornwell especially, sometimes matco, and rarely snap on - you need to consider if you'll ever get a warranty.

I started throwing out cornwell and Mac years ago. I won't buy any more as the dealers are nonexistent. Cornwell and Matco I only buy items which I would be okay buying with zero warranty. If I get one, cool. But I don't expect it. Snap on has always been great to deal with on the phone so I'm not as scared, and their truck coverage is better.


As others said, the brand is only as good as the service.

 

[Fedwrench]

The only Snap on dealer I've had for the last 18 years is an industrial rep and we do everything via email. He doesn't even have a tool truck. MAC has a similar program. There are several you tube videos about the pitfalls of being a tool truck dealer from years ago that address the dealer taking most of the risk and claim being hosed by corporate. I think competition for a tool truck dealer has never been higher than it is today with EBAY, online tool stores, and the quality gap between non truck brands and non truck brands narrowing significantly. It doesn't help that much of what you can get off of a tool truck is available online from the OEM. Cornwell is a bit of an enigma these days. Because they stand behind their dealers 100%, they're kind of cutting their nose off to spite their face by not offering any type of online sales or warranty service. When I worked in a dealership many years ago, the Cornwell reps were some of the nicest people I ever dealt with, Unfortunately, they didn't last but, good while it lasted. JB Tools, Tooltopia, and other drop ship type online tool stores can get you stuff quickly. Places like Capri, Tekton, and others will dispatch a replacement tool upon receiving a photo of the broken tool.

 

[Snapped-off]

2 MAC trucks in my area and 2 or 3 Snap on trucks. Also have Cornwell who lives down the road from me.

Snappy must be doing great, because my current dealer is the son of my original dealer. They've got 2 routes and 2 class 6/7 trucks.

MAC has too much rebranded and Asian made stuff for me.

 

[L.Cheapo]

I live in the most densely populated area of the United States. I havent seen a Mac, Matco, or Cornwell truck in decades. I see one of the many Snap On trucks in the area on the road at least weekly in my regular travels.

 

[Toold_up]

I talked with Mac a couple years ago about starting a franchise. I was looking at a $500,000 initial investment just to start. The truck couldn't be more than like 10 years old, and there was slim pickens. Add storage fees, fuel, maintenance, insurance, internet etc. It is not a cheap start up. You could ALMOST start a brick and mortar franchise for that cost. Snap-on was about double to start from what I understand.

The last place I lived there was a house with a MAC and Snap-on truck in the driveway. I would see the MAC truck go out and come back, then the Snap-on truck do the same. I beleive the guy owned both trucks!

 

[GE45]

Where I’m at, Cornwell is easily the best truck service…better than SO. The vast majority of my tools are SO, but I do buy Cornwell as the guy in our area is first rate. He’s been at it a long time, I hope he doesn’t retire anytime soon.

 

[cody1325]

It's kind of weird how it seems to mostly be regional. The Mac guy is pretty common in the west end of my county, while Snap-On is seen more on the eastern end. The neighboring WV county seems to get Matco more than anything. I meet the Mac guy at a relative's shop, and Snap-On at a shop close-by. The irony is that a week before I first met the Snap-On guy, I emailed Snap-On around the time the small 4" pliers came out--and they wouldn't provide me any info. My grandmother likes going to a QVC outlet store that neighbors my mechanic, and the Snap-On guy just so happened to be there. Yet, that chance encounter paid off, though I just bought the pocket prybar.

The Cornwell truck is as rare as hen's teeth. Think I've seen it once in the decade I've been buying tools.

 

[1982fxr]

Probably time for someone to link that horror story of a GJ member who tried to be a Cornwell dealer several years ago...

 

[dchawk81]

Probably time for someone to link that horror story of a GJ member who tried to be a Cornwell dealer several years ago...

Dealing with customers who only ever jump on your truck to dicker for a deal all day every day would be a horror story in and of itself.

 

[chris142]

We just started getting a Mac truck

The USA made wrenches and sockets look well built.

The rest of the tools are imported and comparable tools can be found for a lot less.

They also have DeWalt stuff but it's 2x the price as the store in town.

Their price for a stream light was $100 more than the snap on guy.

 

[chris142]

I live in the most densely populated area of the United States. I havent seen a Mac, Matco, or Cornwell truck in decades. I see one of the many Snap On trucks in the area on the road at least weekly in my regular travels.

Seems like the snap on guys stay around. The others fail after a couple years or less

 

[3baygarage]

I drive every day for a living around different Southwest Florida cities and see all of the big 4 and some other oddball trucks. I don’t have much interest in tracking who is where, but they’re all around here.

 

[f121]

Probably time for someone to link that horror story of a GJ member who tried to be a Cornwell dealer several years ago...

Buying Cornwell is a hard pass after the way that dude got treated.

MAC has too much rebranded and Asian made stuff for me.

A lot of Mac seems to be rebranded Facom. Leaving aside the France/Taiwan COO question, it’s great stuff and rapidly becoming my default brand, but I can buy Facom online for half the price of Mac, so why buy the Mac version?

 

[Nagiom]

Probably time for someone to link that horror story of a GJ member who tried to be a Cornwell dealer several years ago...

Not sure what Cornwell did, but I had an acquaintance that was a Matco guy. He was required to go to ToolTruck Day at the start of the local community college semesters to fly the flag so to speak. Then, the students he was trying to sell Matco to would buy online with their one-time student discounts at prices that were below his wholesale . Not sure if that applied to all the trucks or just Matco. Haven't seen him around lately so I'm not sure if he's still in the game or not.

 

[1982fxr]

It was a horror story of member softailgarage losing an inheritance very quickly when he tried to become a Cornwell dealer.

 

[rust in the eye]

Yea but you don't get a lot of deals off their website like when you deal with cash and your local driver. Buying from their website isn't worth it for me.

I'd phone up the fellow that services your old shop and mention the cash part. If it were me I'd find a way to meet up.