Mac Tools

[autografe]

After lurking around this forum for a while and I feel compelled to ask a question. What is up with Mac tools? They are routinely dissed in discussions here. I made my living as a mechanic from the early seventies when I got out of the Navyuntil 1986. I have Snap On boxes because I bought them from a co-worker who was updating. Most of my wrenches, ratchets, sockets and air tools are Mac. I also have some Matco and Snap On hand tools. The Mac tool guy was a great guy to work with and came by the shop like clock work on Friday morning. Truck was well stocked and broken tools were replaced without question. The Matco guy came by a few times but decided we were a "Mac shop" and never came back. The Snap On guy was not reliable and just struck me as a jerk. The route was later taken over by a great guy and I bought some tools from him but by then I was pretty committed to Mac Forty years later I am still using all of my tools though not professionally the last twenty five. What happened to Mac? I take it they are no longer considered a first line tool company. Nothing against Snap On or Matco. If the first route guy had been as good as the Mac guy my tool box would be filled with Snap On and I would be holding a tool sale to help pay for a new Triumph Thunderbird.

 

[Mickey O]

Everything here gets dissed by somebody at some point, I've got plenty of MAC tools, nothing wrong with them but it seems lately MAC is off their game and they're importing a lot of overpriced **** and their website is terrible (of course most tool sites are but MAC's is one of the worst).

 

[tonydanzah]

The deal is most of the current stuff is no longer US made, but they are still charging US made prices.

 

[justinmc]

I like the old USA struck Mac stuff. The newer import stuff seems to pale in comparison quality wise which is where a lot of the "dissing" comes from. You'll see a bit of praise for Mac knuckle saver and long pattern combo wrenches around here for sure.

 

[Art From De Leon]

Their decline started when Stanley acquired them.

 

[crewchief888]

i have quite a few mac tools as well that were bought 15 years or so ago. seems like anything in the last 10 years hasnt been good, and MAC seems to be the most unreliable as far as the dealers are concerned.
i have a pile of broken MAC tools laying next to my work box, and havent seen a MAC dealer in the area for at least 3 months. i ended up replacing broken tools with stuff from SO and matco, at least the dealers stop by

 

[Goinlow]

I love there knuckle savers (my wrenches are snap on but that's besides the point.)

Most of the stuff my boss has hat is mac is great. I'd buy mac stuff though if our dealer actually showed up.

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

I buy used stuff. I like older Mac stuff myself.

 

[Old Donn]

As stated by others here, more & more of MAC is going off-shore. MAC claims they've got more stringent quality control in PRC than at their American facilities. I'll leave that verdict to you pros. I've also heard the MAC brand is going away. It'll be rolled into PROTO and that will be Stanley Work's professional line. But that was a while back. In the meantime, I still see MAC trucks around and MAC stickers on pretty much every pro race car.

 

[Blacknwhitepit]

I have lived in 3 different States in the past 2.5 years... I never can find a MAC Dealer!

Plus like most the others said... Taiwan/Chinese tools at USA made prices.

-BWP

 

[hammergodthor]

Plus like most the others said... Taiwan/Chinese tools at USA made prices.

-BWP

I agree 100%. Example:
I just spent $46 on this wildly overpriced (IMHO) wrench!

Reasons:
1. Nobody else I know of makes this style
2. I needed it, didn't have one
3. Used are expensive when you can find them
4. The last Mac tool I will buy off the truck in a in a very long time so I can afford one splurge

Maybe it wasn't overpriced if I was dumb enough to buy it!

 

[Goinlow]

What is that wrench for?

 

[wreckercologist]

Mac isn't what it once was..........not by a longshot.

They screwed over their dealers, which in turn, screwed over their customers.

Mac dumped all of their "company" trucks a few years ago. The dealers that were fired were supposed to inform their customers about it and collect all unpaid toolbills. My dealer didn't say jack, he just quit showing up. Eight months or so after that I had Mac finance call me at work and threaten to garnish my wages over a $10.82 unpaid balance.

Between that and rising prices for tools of falling quality, I'm just about done with Mac. There are certain tools I still prefer from Mac, but not anything I can't get from some other tool company.

If it wasn't for the fact that my current dealer is a pretty good guy, I'd of got my brokes warrantied and told him to go fly a kite. He was telling me he got chased out of over a dozen shops when he started..........people were that pissed. I still have not forgotten.

Mostly
Asian
Crap

 

[vssjim]

i have quite a few mac tools as well that were bought 15 years or so ago. seems like anything in the last 10 years hasnt been good, and MAC seems to be the most unreliable as far as the dealers are concerned.
i have a pile of broken MAC tools laying next to my work box, and havent seen a MAC dealer in the area for at least 3 months. i ended up replacing broken tools with stuff from SO and matco, at least the dealers stop by

I know this maybe saying the obvious but why not pack it up and spend a few bucks and send to Mac in Ohio. If we didn't do this with Snap on we would have a pile of them as you do Mac.

 

[Lump]

When I was a little kid, I would go in my dad's shop, where he kept his tools and our 1923 Hupmobile touring. The beautiful Mac combo wrenches hung on pegs in size order on the wall, and so did the wood handle Mac screwdrivers. Everything had a hook. Dad didn't have much money, so there was no big red metal tool box. But every tool hung in the exact spot every day, and the 3/8 and the 1/2 drive Mac socket sets rested on an exact spot on a shelf. He had a big old Blackhawk floor jack, some New Britain and Billings tools too. As I got older he let me clean parts for him, and I learned to put the tools back exactly where they went. He was killed at 44 years of age, and the tools became mine. Then I started wrenching, and bought some of my own Macs. I LOVE these tools, although I haven't bought any new ones in years. Sad. Still have the Hupmobile too.

 

[bmxr4life87]

Yeah its not only that but my old mac dealer was a good guy but his prices were set in stone and while they had some good bargains in their monthly fliers their hardline stuff didn't impress me that much and what I was impressed with was considerably higher priced than snapon. Their sockets wore out quickly and their pliers seemed rough. The snap on man was his competition and he was a lot more friendly and would beat any special mac had going! They both got my business but the snap on guy got about 75% of it

 

[Skin]

As stated by others here, more & more of MAC is going off-shore. MAC claims they've got more stringent quality control in PRC than at their American facilities. I'll leave that verdict to you pros. I've also heard the MAC brand is going away. It'll be rolled into PROTO and that will be Stanley Work's professional line. But that was a while back. In the meantime, I still see MAC trucks around and MAC stickers on pretty much every pro race car.

that would surprise me since MAC is a better known brand than Proto. A lot of people who arent professional wrench turners have heard of MAC, but not Proto, and certainly not Plomb.

Eight months or so after that I had Mac finance call me at work and threaten to garnish my wages over a $10.82 unpaid balance.

Sorry but i think thats hilarious.

 

[t100]

i have a pile of broken MAC tools laying next to my work box, and havent seen a MAC dealer in the area for at least 3 months.

that's the part I don't understand, I have 3 broken MAC, 1 extension, 1 hard handle screwdriver, 1 hard handle ratchet.

I mailed them out on April 13th, priority mail $5. I got them all replaced with U.S.A. made brand new ones, received yesterday April 21st via Fedex. no charge. that's twice as faster as Snap On.

2 years ago I had a seized 3/8" impact sent to MAC, got it back in 2 weeks, I opened it up, all the guts were replaced with new parts include the trigger. they shipped to me via Fedex air( I was in California at that time). no charge.

all you need to do is to put a note with your name, address and phone#. couldn't be easier.

 

[vssjim]

When it comes to direct returns to Mac or Snap on for replacement Mac wins hands down. They are atleast three times as fast.

 

[mrshaun]

there have been 8 mac guys in my route in 8.7 years.
I cover a large area and there has not been more than 2 at a time out here. there are 5 of us dealers ( snap on ) in this area.
one guy lasted 6 weeks and never had anything that the guys ordered.
they all complained of "company problems " when they had to buy their routes they all went down hill. Most carried toys/clothing/beef jerky. one guy did sell a lot of boxes because he used his brothers finance company to get the guys into the box. now they are having to pay property taxes and outrageous fees. once they payoff I will have lots of used mac boxes to sell.....

 

[Diddly]

I also feel that the quality and price on most Snap-on tools is better than Mac. That being said, 80% of my stuff is Mac just because of the quality of dealer. Our Snap-On guy is the biggest douche in the world, I can count on one hand how many times he has visited our shop in the last 3 years and he lives two blocks away. I flat out refuse to even take a flyer much less give him the time of day when he does grace us with his presence. RFeally too bad because the last city I was in had a terrifice Snappy dealer and I had 90% Snap-on in my shop before I sold out.

 

[Mickey O]

I agree 100%. Example:
I just spent $46 on this wildly overpriced (IMHO) wrench!

Reasons:
1. Nobody else I know of makes this style
2. I needed it, didn't have one
3. Used are expensive when you can find them
4. The last Mac tool I will buy off the truck in a in a very long time so I can afford one splurge

Maybe it wasn't overpriced if I was dumb enough to buy it!

Made in Taiwan, damn , I've got a similar MAC, USA made Sabina version.

 

[Fedwrench]

Mac has faced many challenges over the last say 15 years. Stanley bought them, they went from independent dealers to corporate dealers back to independent franchisees. A lot of their tools went from being made in the USA to wherever Stanley was making stuff taiwan, prc, or recently with Stanley's acquistion of Facom, Europe. Mac still makes some good tools you just have to sort through the chaff to get to the good stuff. So much of a tool truck brand's success depends on the quality and performance of the individual dealer, that it's hard to judge a brand across the board.

 

[Sin]

Does it really matter that the quality isn't there anymore, when they'll still warranty the tools? IF they didn't warranty it, THEN I could see a where a complaint could come from.

 

[Merkava_4]

There's still a lot of MAC hand tools made domestically, you just gotta know how to spot them. I'll admit though, I got some kind of special knack for spotting Asian made tools; it's a gift.

 

[stricht8]

Most of their wrenches and sockets are USA made. The Edge variety is Taiwan. Their ratchets are a mix of USA, Italian and asian.

 

[K5blazer83]

My box is roughly 70% Snap-On, 15% Matco, 10% MAC, and 5% misc USA made (non-Craftsman).

In my experience, with the USA made MAC stuff, it's all worked for me pretty well, from the bushing driver kit to the oxygen sensor sockets and everythign in between. I really can't hate on MAC too much. It's all been good to me.

I personally think as long as its USA made MAC it's still good stuff.

 

[arkangel06]

Does it really matter that the quality isn't there anymore, when they'll still warranty the tools? IF they didn't warranty it, THEN I could see a where a complaint could come from.

Yes it matters, it matters alot infact.

Would you want to pay Snap on prices for HF quality? Do you want more American manufacturing jobs? If you want good warrenty you could just as easy buy Cman at least its american made better quality and good prices to boot. Come on man...

 

[nato]

plus, I heard that Stanley/Mac now owns DeWalt

 

[K5blazer83]

plus, I heard that Stanley/Mac now owns DeWalt

It's true, the Stanley Works bought out Black & Decker and all the subsidiary company's like DeWalt, Delta, Porter-Cable, Kwikset and others.

 

[ultgar]

I've heard a lot of comments about Stanley's affect on Mac. I'm starting to see some Facom hand tools (Facom is also owned by Stanley) come through like this...........

Quality has been consistent with the earlier French made tools although I did see the some of the oil filter cap wrenches come through with a lot less metal in them (20% lighter and presumably not as strong). Just hope Facom does not become Frequently Asian **** Only More ....(Expensive).

Steve D

 

[arkangel06]

Stanley ruins almost everything it touches.

 

[Monte]

Facom angled socket wrench "made in China" ??????? WTF

 

[caper]

I agree 100%. Example:
I just spent $46 on this wildly overpriced (IMHO) wrench!

Reasons:
1. Nobody else I know of makes this style
2. I needed it, didn't have one
3. Used are expensive when you can find them
4. The last Mac tool I will buy off the truck in a in a very long time so I can afford one splurge

Maybe it wasn't overpriced if I was dumb enough to buy it!

That style was also made by plomb years ago.Top one is US made Mac,bottom is US made Plomb:

 

[Art From De Leon]

there have been 8 mac guys in my route in 8.7 years.
I cover a large area and there has not been more than 2 at a time out here. there are 5 of us dealers ( snap on ) in this area.
one guy lasted 6 weeks and never had anything that the guys ordered.
they all complained of "company problems " when they had to buy their routes they all went down hill. Most carried toys/clothing/beef jerky. one guy did sell a lot of boxes because he used his brothers finance company to get the guys into the box. now they are having to pay property taxes and outrageous fees. once they payoff I will have lots of used mac boxes to sell.....

Property taxes on tool boxes in Texas, when did this start?

 

[MarcSeattle]

China makes some ****, yes. Well, a lot of ****.

They also make some really high quality stuff. If you disagree, don't ever fly on a Boeing plane. Or an Airbus.

How do we tell the high quality stuff from the ****, that's what I want to know.

 

[mdoolittle]

The MAC truck used to stop at my work once a week. Then every other week. Our mechanic at work had to call him several weeks ago so he could pay him. He hadn't seen the truck since AUGUST!! I've seen him twice since September and I had to call him to get him there.

Nice guy but, why would you skip a stop that pays on the spot or the next time trough? He NEVER has to chase us down for money.

I have been using Amazon and Tooltopia for what I need now. I refuse to beg a tool truck guy to stop and take my money. It's really kind of sad.

 

[supertooljunkie]

I have Some Mac tools. Mostly SAE combo wrench sets. I bought one used from my Snap on dealer. He had taken them in trade. Another I traded labor from the Mac tool man. Both of these transactions were over 20 years ago. As aa matter of fact most of the Mac tools I have I have bought from my Snap on dealer. The sockets I bought from him and the couple of ratchets I have I purchased from random Mac dealers I have seen while out.
I have noticed the last couple of times I have been on the Mac tool trucks in the past 6 months, the dealeers have almost no stock. I was trying to trade in a broken 3/8 drive 13mm universal socket and ended up finding one in Wilkes Barre PA while working there this winter. That is 800 miles from home!!
I like my older Mac stuff, but would be wary of the new stuff.

 

[Mickey O]

Here's a couple of the USA made MAC ones, great when needed, a real pain in the *** to store in the toolbox.

 

[Merkava_4]

Every time you buy something you're voting for its country of origin. You guys gotta lot more influence than you think.