Matco Tools.

[woody 73]

Some questions for you tonight about Matco Tools, the back story is my good friend wants to start selling them and I think (key word here) that most of their tools are made overseas ?

This is what I am remembering in that many years ago Armstrong made a lot of their tools but because they are no longer around are most of Matco tools today being made in Asia?

I know they have different lines is any of their tools still made in the USA? If so what lines are made in the USA?

Is everything just rebranded like other companies like Mac and snap on sometimes will do, (I know they do it a lot)?

I remember their tool boxes were made in the USA but not sure about today, are they still made in the USA?

Last but not least anything I should tell my friend before he takes the plunge off the deep end, like run for the hills or full steam ahead as they say?

Thanks for any input.

 

[La Petite Tools]

My brother in law did this for awhile and hes a great salesman loves tools and talking to people making friends and was able to sell the products extremely well. What he wasn't good at and didn't like doing was the collections, might have just been his route but there were a few times he asked me to go with to do a repossession on tools.

Just make sure that he knows the full aspect of what hes going to be doing because from what I remember its YOU that owes matco and the guys in the shops are the ones you have to get YOUR money from.

 

[Skin]

First off if his goal is to just make money tell him to open a sandwhich shop like a Panera Bread. He'll be more successful. Tool truck companies are 3 parts tools 7 parts lending banks. They control every aspect of your business from the product to the truck you use to sell the tools. They make money on you regardless of your success so there isn't any motivation to do any hand holding. People get naive about a business like that and then throw a tantrum when it collapses because no one gave them a fool proof instruction manual.


Second, I feel that the character of the salesman matters more than the product. If hes the type of guy that strives for customer satisfaction he'd do well even if he was selling hotdogs.


Third, as far as Matco itself. Its all rebranded as they own no physical tool making facilities but they do have exclusives. For example their cordless line and pneumatic line have a number of exclusives. Ratchets are completely exclusive in so far as being US manufactured and they offer many more variations compared to Gearwrench. Similar story for things like easy read chrome sockets and their US pinless impacts. The only thing they really lost with Apex shutting down US manufacturing was a number of US made wrenches. Everything else was either produced by someone else or they found a new supplier. Tool boxes and high end tool carts are still made in New York.

 

[woody 73]

Thanks for the heads up, he is a great salesman but due to his age I don't think he could chase anyone that owes him any money. Thanks for explaining what is still made in the USA and what is made overseas, not sure if he knows any of that information; I will pass it on to him.

 

[Skin]

I wouldn't worry too much about COO, USA doesn't mean the product sells itself. A lot of young guys don't even question it. Matco's Advance line is all imported and sells really well despite being much the same thing that Sunex, GP, VIM etc.. offer. I like their hyperstep drill bits quite a bit (Taiwan) and their impacts are also very good (also Taiwan). They're not too bad about securing timed exclusives too like their new Ball Joint press (you guessed it-Taiwan) is theirs for either 6 months or a year then Schley (the manufacturer) is going to sell it under their own name.

 

[Lassen Forge]

Matco was my hero when they took a tool I made to pull towers off 8V92's without a top end teardown, and gave me a prototype copy. Since then they could have given a ****. Sad but true. Had they reached out in 35 years... but they left me hanging. 5 cents on each? Horse patoodies.

 

[BarryWells]

I have some 20 year old Matco. Never a problem

 

[dsimatt]

Tell him to see if he can ride along with a tool guy, pay him $500 a day to ride along and will be the best investment he can make.

 

[plinker]

Second, I feel that the character of the salesman matters more than the product. If hes the type of guy that strives for customer satisfaction he'd do well even if he was selling hotdogs.

This sums it up.

The local Matco guy is the guy to buy from in this area. CS is where it's at. A lot depends on the area and what it will support. My Matco dealer started up in early '15, The only competition was the Snap-on guy who was going out and did later that year.

He didnt have a ton of experience in sales, but he has done well. The fact that he has a good attitude and no pressure to buy anything has netted him a lot of customer loyalty around here. The fact that most were tired of dealing with the Snap-on guy helped too I'm sure.

Only in the last year or thereabout have we gotten a Snap-on rep and he's ok overall and does have a decently stocked truck.

One issue with this area is they have a quite a bit of territory to cover (lot of smaller towns). Regional differences and the territory can make a difference in how successful one could be as well.



Matco does rebrand some Lisle tools and a few other US made things. As far as I know the boxes are made here. They do have quite a bit of exclusive stuff as mentioned, I find the air tools to be very good in general.

 

[Wamsutta]

Matco is a tool box company that has all of its tools contracted out to various manufacturers and I mean ALL their tools. They have no factory at all for producing tools. They are the last truck brand I would ever want to have to sell.

 

[AA/FC]

Matco is a tool box company that has all of its tools contracted out to various manufacturers and I mean ALL their tools. They have no factory at all for producing tools. They are the last truck brand I would ever want to have to sell.

This is correct. MATCO doesn't make ANY tools.

All tool truck brand outsource some manufacturing. Of all the truck brands, Snap-on makes the most of their own tools, in their own factories, with their own employees.

 

[Coach James]

A friend of mine had a MATCO route here in North Carolina. After two years, he was going broke and sold it. The economy was not great at the time, plus his territory was long and narrow. That meant lots of driving to get from one end to the other.

He said driving 30 miles one way to a shop, collecting one $10 check while 3 other guys that owed him money hid until he was gone, physical altercations over repoing tools, MATCO telling him he had to buy certain special edition items like a Knight Rider tool box( He had to pay several thousand for it and was never able to sell it. It's sitting in his garage still), added to the misery of going broke.

Coach

 

[d.mcfarland]

Of all the tool trucks I would not choose Matco. A lot of money to be made elsewhere to be honest.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

In our rural area; I would sympathize with most of the tool truck route dealers who compete with today's internet retailers. For many of us customers; the convenience of the weekly doorstep service trails behind the commonly lower online prices with two day service.

MATCO is a good tool box manufacturer, but, being their tools are an assortment of Heinz 57 re-brands; I have little interest in them.

 

[BarryWells]

Forget it....or or tool brand.Open a brick and mortar hardware instead

 

[mwalsh9152]

Tell him to see if he can ride along with a tool guy, pay him $500 a day to ride along and will be the best investment he can make.

I imagine Matco does the same thing, but when I attempted to buy a Snap On franchise about 15 years ago, I had to go on three all day ride alongs with different dealers.

When the deal with Snap On fell through, I took a long look at Matco, but ultimately decided against it. Snap On is the big dog, and I felt all I was going to be doing was chasing his scraps.

 

[woody 73]

Very interesting posts thank you for sharing your views. My friend told me that snap on seemed to be the coldest to him in terms of working with them so he gave up on them. Strange in a funny way because I was buying all my second hand used snap on tools from him and that is how he was making his money in the used market place.


So when he told me about Matco I was very surprised to say the least. I will share with him some of the above posts and let him take it from there.

 

[ex-x-fire]

I wonder how successful he'd be if he started his own tool truck business? Buy his own truck and stock it himself.

 

[dsimatt]

I imagine Matco does the same thing, but when I attempted to buy a Snap On franchise about 15 years ago, I had to go on three all day ride alongs with different dealers.

When the deal with Snap On fell through, I took a long look at Matco, but ultimately decided against it. Snap On is the big dog, and I felt all I was going to be doing was chasing his scraps.

You got a first hand lesson on how it works, lots of guys thinking they're your best buddy because they bought $500 in tools but you woulnt get paid off for over a month atleast.

Yeah SO sells itself mostly, my Mac dealer is great but honestly I don't like their tools and he even admits he wishes he had gone the SO route, matco is not that great of a brand and puts their dealers in tough situations.

 

[dsimatt]

Very interesting posts thank you for sharing your views. My friend told me that snap on seemed to be the coldest to him in terms of working with them so he gave up on them. Strange in a funny way because I was buying all my second hand used snap on tools from him and that is how he was making his money in the used market place.


So when he told me about Matco I was very surprised to say the least. I will share with him some of the above posts and let him take it from there.

I really would recommend not doing it, in my 15 years of wrenching I only know a couple guys that are doing it successfully, know a lot of other ones that failed and most of them sold matco.