Matco 4s and Classic 78 comparison

[Woodward_Dreams]

Im a lube tech at an independant shop right now and im just woring out of a craftsman box right now. It holds all my tools and is easy to move around, but someday im going to upgrade to either a snap-on classic 78 or a matco 4s.

My question is if you were to buy one of these boxes brand new, which one would you get. Both the matco and snap on dealers that come to my shop are really good to deal with. So this is completely based on the quality of the boxes. thanks for the help.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...group_ID=19507&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog


The second one down:
http://www.matcotools.com/Catalog/toolcatalog.jsp?cattype=T&cat=2431

 

[gofastman]

I have a Classic 78, its decent, could be better, I wish I would have gotten a MAC Tech 1000.

 

[rsanter]

if they are the same price
I would get the snap on just because the name will hold its value up a little higher if you ever went to resell it

bob

 

[Deafautotech]

I have a Classic 78, its decent, could be better, I wish I would have gotten a MAC Tech 1000.

why you would want mac tech 1000??

i never try the try classic 78 or series 4 as i had the basic box(41in wide) from mac tool and i traded it in for KRL serie. now i am still have KRL series and i love it.



Anyway one lube tech at my work (largest ford mercury lincoln dealership) just bought the classic 96 but he had to fianced throught his snap on guy's credit system which about 20% interest rate or more. But one thing i was got sick to asked how much it cost him... he said classic 96 is 5,000 dollars plus interest rate which came up to almost 7,500 dollars... i was almost drop my jaw but i just be cool and said sorry...

i did warned him before he did that thing. he CAN'T afford to pay full so he can make payment... i told him if he can't afford it then dont buy! well he did not listen to me.

 

[gofastman]

why you would want mac tech 1000??

i never try the try classic 78 or series 4 as i had the basic box(41in wide) from mac tool and i traded it in for KRL serie. now i am still have KRL series and i love it.



Anyway one lube tech at my work (largest ford mercury lincoln dealership) just bought the classic 96 but he had to fianced throught his snap on guy's credit system which about 20% interest rate or more. But one thing i was got sick to asked how much it cost him... he said classic 96 is 5,000 dollars plus interest rate which came up to almost 7,500 dollars... i was almost drop my jaw but i just be cool and said sorry...

i did warned him before he did that thing. he CAN'T afford to pay full so he can make payment... i told him if he can't afford it then dont buy! well he did not listen to me.

I like the detent ball system on the mac vs snap-ons slide locks, the whole thing feels a bit sturdier to me, too. Dont get me wrong , i'm having a hard time accepting the fact a mac tool may be better than a snapon, too.

The KRL (master) boxes are light years ahead of the KRA (classic) boxes, so don't base the opinion you would have for a classic snap on box on the one you own.

 

[Deafautotech]

I like the detent ball system on the mac vs snap-ons slide locks, the whole thing feels a bit sturdier to me, too. Dont get me wrong , i'm having a hard time accepting the fact a mac tool may be better than a snapon, too.

my work have mac tool boxes as macsimizer and tech 1000- they do work good but i just sick of detents system which make me go crazy... i am rather the lock and roll system as i can close drawer with my one finger.. it is my opinion and your opinion...

 

[CD360]

i would try and find a used box in your area that is in good condition. you can find some great deals if you look around. i found my matco 6 series box for $900 and it looks brand new.

 

[wreckercologist]

if they are the same price
I would get the snap on just because the name will hold its value up a little higher if you ever went to resell it

bob

+1. The Snap-ons usually hold more of their value.

I own a Matco 4225. It's ok. I prefer the Snap-on's drawer layout to the Matco. I also hate drawer detents and much prefer the lock-n-roll Snap-on has. The Matco also has a drawer stiffener running across the top extra wide drawer which is a pain in the ***. If I could do it over again, I'd buy Snap-on. Just my .02

 

[supraman1990]

I just bought the Snapon classic 78, and it is absolutely amazing. I haven't had any interaction with a Matco box, but I find it hard to believe it could out do this Snapon. I too upgraded from a Craftsman box, and I can tell you that whichever route you go, you will not be disappointed over the shade tree build quality that Craftsman has on their normal boxes.

 

[rsanter]

I have a tech1000 and its a decent box
I would rather have a maximiser or snap on box, but for $750 I bought what was available to me as a deal at the time

bob

 

[Deafautotech]

I have a tech1000 and its a decent box
I would rather have a maximiser or snap on box, but for $750 I bought what was available to me as a deal at the time

bob

yeah 750 dollars is better than 6 to 9 thousands for new one...

 

[Merkava_4]

my work have mac tool boxes as macsimizer and tech 1000- they do work good but i just sick of detents system which make me go crazy... i am rather the lock and roll system as i can close drawer with my one finger.. it is my opinion and your opinion...

That's an interesting statement ... a lot of guys on the board here are always saying how they dislike the Lock 'n Roll.

I remember the Tech 1000 having some VERY firm detents; the drawers aren't gonna open on their own though.

 

[yellowbox]

That's an interesting statement ... a lot of guys on the board here are always saying how they dislike the Lock 'n Roll.

I remember the Tech 1000 having some VERY firm detents; the drawers aren't gonna open on their own though.

the lock and roll system blows big time i have it and hate it
snap on could have done much better than this cheap design

 

[RLRRLRLL]

have u took a look at the montezuma boxes? lot better then the craftsman, lot cheaper then snap on. just an idea.

 

[jteck75]

I recently bought a 54" Napa SS series box and I absolutely love it. I had a Snap On Classic series box but it was destroyed in a fire. I was about to order another SO box when I saw the SS boxes on the Napa website,they are made by Kennedy in Van Wert Ohio. I think it is far and away a better box for a fraction of the SO price. But that is only my opinion,you can take that and a buck and get a cup of coffee lol. I just remember paying off the SO box years later when I could have bought a cheaper box and bought many more tools with that money. Both of your choices are great ones though,and I think you will be happy with either of them.

 

[Deafautotech]

That's an interesting statement ... a lot of guys on the board here are always saying how they dislike the Lock 'n Roll.

I remember the Tech 1000 having some VERY firm detents; the drawers aren't gonna open on their own though.

yeah... many techs at my work own snap on boxes like many KRL1003, KRL7022, and KRL722... other techs own tech 1000, macsizmer series 2. one tech has Lista, i did look close to lista and i am impressive with it BUT i cant see how it will hold like i have on my KRL1003 and KRL1203... that tech own lista are good as specialist front end, chassic, and etc as he work right next to alignment machine...

 

[Vinko]

I have a Classic 78 -- it's a storage box for my my main tools and some specialized tools. I've gotten a smaller box to do more work out of. But I like the 78, think I got a pretty good deal (in almost new condition) on it at the time ($2000 with a prev. owner having it just for a year or so).

Having seen and played around with the KRL's on the SO truck, I can see why those KRL are so damn nice. Their is a huge level of quality difference. But given the price, the KRA was a good choice for me.

There aren't many storage options for the Classic 78, beyond side cabinet and top chest, AFAIK. I wish they had the option to expand the way the KRL does.

I really need about 5 of them to hold all my tools though. But the stuff I use most or that is most expensive gets locked in there; the rest in padlocked wooden crates.

 

[Rnz520]

I have a Classic 78 -- it's a storage box for my my main tools and some specialized tools. I've gotten a smaller box to do more work out of. But I like the 78, think I got a pretty good deal (in almost new condition) on it at the time ($2000 with a prev. owner having it just for a year or so).

Having seen and played around with the KRL's on the SO truck, I can see why those KRL are so damn nice. Their is a huge level of quality difference. But given the price, the KRA was a good choice for me.

There aren't many storage options for the Classic 78, beyond side cabinet and top chest, AFAIK. I wish they had the option to expand the way the KRL does.

I really need about 5 of them to hold all my tools though. But the stuff I use most or that is most expensive gets locked in there; the rest in padlocked wooden crates.

I have a Matco 4325 and my only complaint will be the stiffener bar going across the top cabinet. The detents on the drawers are a little stiff, but the drawers wont come open. It rolls ok, its fairly deep (do NOT buy the 22 inch deep one) and its has a LOT more upgrade options than the KRA series ( top box, hutch, side locker, ss top)
I am not the biggest fan of the KRAs, I would love a KRL but there is a big price difference in them. I think for the price you cant beat the Matco, I got a free SS top and Toll Cart with mine.

 

[Merkava_4]

I had a red Kennedy box when I was a lube tech; it was the model 3407X with the black phenolic ply top. They're damn good boxes and the sheet metal seems to be at least one gage thicker than Snap-on.

 

[Vinko]

I have a Matco 4325 and [cut] and its has a LOT more upgrade options than the KRA series ( top box, hutch, side locker, ss top)

The KRA (at least mine) has the top chest, side box, a few small racks, and wood or stainless tops. I wish there were more options for side boxes.

It looks like even the Heritage series has more options than the Classic series. (Both are KRA if IIRC).

 

[06wt]

used krl, dont bother with a kra cuz your just gunna end up with a krl anyway, but like others have said they are very expensive. which is why i say buy a used one