They are so secretive because they don't want anybody to know they use Chinese steel. Imagine the uproar.
Matco vs Mac vs Snap on?
- Thread starter kgwld1
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They are so secretive because they don't want anybody to know they use Chinese steel. Imagine the uproar.
gravygrabber
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Until you find that you're cheap 1/2 inch wrench open end is useless for removing the fuel line from your carburetor on the side of the road trying to clear a vapor lock!
Yes a line wrench is more appropriate but I didn't have one in my trunk and regardless a S/O open end would work fine.
Ha ha you still have a carb. on your driver?
nissan_crawler
Well-known member
no availability = no use to me.
Mac, Matco, cornwell, not readily available, so I don't care
Merkava_4
Banned
volvo420coupe
Well-known member
This thread was started before Cornwell's major image remake, I'll bet there are as many more cornwell customers now than when this thread was started, as there are more Asian tools in the cornwell truck. (all the other brands have more Asian tools also)
psychoclaw84
Well-known member
Matco wrenches look very similar to the Craftsman Pro wrenches, which is plausable because they are made by the same tool maker, Danaher. This is the main reason why I have not purchased them as my main set of wrenches.
Personally, I didn't like the fit and feel of MAC wrenches and do not have any personal experiences with using them.
Snap On wrenches look and feel great in your hands and they fit well on any bolt, nut. Also the design of the wrench allows the user to fit them into very tight places
As a result, all my wrenches are Snap On and I have been very happy with my purchase.
here is my take,
i have student account with all big 3 brands through my school. Matco is the single most easy one to access being my discount on every single item is clearly listed, and there's no fine prints on what i can buy and how many. i can cherry pick what ever i want.
Snap On is in the middle, i can only buy certain pre-buddled tool sets, not based on what i need.
Mac, impossible, forget it.
i met the local Matco dealer for the first time yesterday, cool dude. also, for the first time, i bought something off a tool truck, a pair of Hansen socket trays. i don't really need them(i built my own which is dirt cheap), but all because he warrantied 3 bearing slides out of the used tool box i bought. i think i'll start buying Matco form now.
i have student account with all big 3 brands through my school. Matco is the single most easy one to access being my discount on every single item is clearly listed, and there's no fine prints on what i can buy and how many. i can cherry pick what ever i want.
Snap On is in the middle, i can only buy certain pre-buddled tool sets, not based on what i need.
Mac, impossible, forget it.
i met the local Matco dealer for the first time yesterday, cool dude. also, for the first time, i bought something off a tool truck, a pair of Hansen socket trays. i don't really need them(i built my own which is dirt cheap), but all because he warrantied 3 bearing slides out of the used tool box i bought. i think i'll start buying Matco form now.
olds88
Well-known member
Yeah, I drive a 1985 Pontiac 6000, 2.8 60* V6, 2BBL Varajet. Problem turned out to be two-fold. The thermostat was bad, it was running 40* too hot... that actually solved most of my driveability issues. And the return line to the fuel tank was clogged. The car was sitting in a garage untouched for 6 years and the gas tank was full of rust. I installed a new tank and blew out the main fuel line but I neglected to blow out the return.
arkangel06
Banned
I would go with snap on over any other truck
That was my brother's first car back in the mid 90s. He only had it for about 9 months; it was a real heap. Hope you have better luck with yours.
cruiser808
Well-known member
1989 Buick Estate Wagon with an Olds 307 and EQjet (17088115) here. Also a 1981 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 with carb.
MadMark
Well-known member
speaking of secret methods of forging steal, I had read once that they have never discovered the exact method of forging damascus steel.
I believe it was used in swords during the crusades, has anyone else heard this?
I believe it was used in swords during the crusades, has anyone else heard this?
olds88
Well-known member
My last car (the one in the avatar) was an 81 Delta 88 with the 307 and E-Quad. Great car, never could get it to run well with the A/C on. At idle the ILC never worked right and I never could find a new one, and while driving with the A/C on it was a slug and even felt lean cruising. Most of the time I had it was in NYC so AC wasn't a 365 day thing like here in hell-on-earth Florida.
As for the reliablilty of my 6000, it should be perfect because except for the long block and the trans, pretty much EVERYTHING is new or rebuilt! It's kind of difficult when you're daily driver is also a hobby, but it's pretty much all there now.
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cruiser808
Well-known member
Great pics Olds! Where in Florida are you? My better half is from Tampa.
olds88
Well-known member
Lake Worth
BackTracker
Well-known member
WOW those pics bring back some memories!
I have used Matco.Snap On,Cornwell,and Mac and they all work fine and I've used them for years.
Most of them I purchased used over 20 years ago some recently. I purchased a used Snap On 15/16 last week for appx. $1.00. I purchased a used wrench,20mm 12 point craftsman deep, and a broken Snap On pick for $2.00.
Normally I don't buy but for the price it was hard to pass up.
I've found if you just pick one item they know you want it bad and jack up the price. So I always get a price on a few to get what I want. Sometimes I give the other ones away. I've had dealers offer me all of them cheaper than what I would pay for what I want.
They used to use Damascus steel in shotgun barrels, too. I heard that the secret has been lost, too.
Zrexxer
Well-known member
Damascus steel is used right here and now. Many custom knifemakers use it for high-end knives. It's even forged in different patterns so that it gives different appearances when ground. So no, it's not some lost art.
Eds_tls
Well-known member
steel chemistry and heat treat can be determined in any met lab for a few hundred dollars. Forging steel is forging steel. The actual process hasen't changed in 75 years. Any forging tricks they do can be determined by sectioning and checking the grain flow of the steel. I'm sure every hand tool manufacturer has disected Snap-On tools
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Life is short. Why not drive a BMW, drink Hennessy Cognac, tell time with a Rolex, ride a Ducati or MV Augusta etc., etc. Snap-On is simply the best there is. There's no need to be resentful about it. I've got Hazet, Stahlwille and all manner of fine tools. But nothing (except perhaps Plomb) can compare with Snap-On. Let it go. Just be a tool snob! I'm going to go out and buy a Harley Panhead, just so I have something to use my SAE tools on!!!
concealer404
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This.
lbgradwell
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This is the second time this thread has been bumped from the dead.
And for no compelling reason. Sigh...
lennoxlennox
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Mac and SO are both readily available where I work. I have standard Snapon wrenches from the 50's and newer Mac metric knuckle savers , in my opinion both companies products are very comparable. I love my Snapon wrenches, very nice in the hand and are still strong after all these years. The mac wrenches don't feel as nice in my hand and tend to slip every now and then. It all depends on what's available where you are and what YOU like, ive never used matco or cornwell products, as far as I know there not sold in Canada, I could be wrong. I have plenty of very old Snapon tools and mostly all of them are holding up very strong for 60+ years of everyday use therefore Iprefer snapon
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Brownsfan
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Make it 3 times bumped from the dead. It is a ZOMBIE thread
3xpendable
Well-known member
I don't have anything to add just wanted to troll the " zombie" thread
I have a combination of snap on, mac, matco, williams metric wrenches and ratchets and all of my sockets at home are craftsman metric. As to the quality of the wrenches and rachets I would say the big 4 are about equal to each other, they all feel good in my hands and they all get the job done with out any fuss. As for the craftsman sockets I have yet to ever break a craftsman socket, not ever and they work as well as any sockets I have ever used and I have used many brands over the past 35 yrs.
Murphy4570
Well-known member
For hardline stuff snap on is the best. I have used matco and mac stuff, just not the same.
Their flank drive plus stuff is the best. I have utterly destroyed nuts when yanking on them hard with the open end of the wrench. BUT! That wrench bit into it and the nut came off! I almost never round off fasteners with snap on tools.
Their flank drive plus stuff is the best. I have utterly destroyed nuts when yanking on them hard with the open end of the wrench. BUT! That wrench bit into it and the nut came off! I almost never round off fasteners with snap on tools.
spacedoutbob
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I still like Snap On over Mac, although the Mac Tools in my Tool Set I have not had any real issues with. Now with Matco, their tools seem to have a cheap feel to them and under stress they tend to slip. My Snap On tools have always worked great and not tend to slip. My vote is for Snap On.
Bob
Bob
I have grown up using craftsman and always loved them...but i was always a shady tree DIY mechanic...Now I am a tech student at 30 years old and I have been using the SEP program from snap on to upgrade my tools...I must say that hands down SO is worlds above craftsman. I will still use my craftsman tools for home use when wrenching on my own cars but school/work I hope to have an all SO set up. Every thing I have looked at that was matco seemed kinda cheapish on quality and remind me of kobalt tools. I have not seen or used MAC tools so I can't comment on them other than one 1 1/4" combo wrench I have that my grand father left me when he died(along with other tools but thats the only mac) and I have yet to need that big thing for anything yet. I won't touch Habor freight tools other than tool boxes, jacks and a motorcycle stand as everything else has broke on me...but those 3 things I have from them have held up well.
Mr.Ric
Well-known member
"A Snap-On wrench is worth it's weight in quarters".
walk into a pawn shop with some other wrench, you'll still have the wrench when you come out, and no cash for your baby-momma's gambling habit.
walk into a pawn shop with some other wrench, you'll still have the wrench when you come out, and no cash for your baby-momma's gambling habit.
fatfillup
Well-known member
Have a friend who used to design tools. He said that Snap on uses a harder steel in their wrenches then anyone else. That is why their open ends don't spread. BUT, when they fail, they fail catastrophically,,,,,,,,they break. Not that it happens often.
Zedexseven
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Hello, new member here, I found this site while looking for garage flooring info. I asked this same question a few times, I always thought a wrench was a wrench, get the best deal, 2 things convinced me that there was a difference. #1 clamp a 1/2 head grade 3 bolt in a vise, use a Mac, Matco, Craftsman etc wrench on the open end, they will all round off the corners, use a Snap on wrench with Flank drive on the same bolt with already rounded corners and you can break the head right off, #2 bang a snap on wrench against any other brand and see which one gets dented. After seeing this with my own eyes I now have snap on wrenches in my box.