S&K vs Snap-On other wrench makers

[Spookrider]

I'm a "green" car tech and Auto College Stu. and I know that this subject is a long "choppy".
I was wondering is Snap-On wrenches is any better that S&K & other makers(Matco........)??
I'll narrow the field, alignment size wrenches for doing alignment on cars and trucks.
Do they spread more than other does? Do they break more often?
I would like to know before I invest in more tools in my long 2nd Gen. career of working on car and buying tools.
Thanks for all and any type of input:
Spookrider

 

[Mook62]

In my opinion, no they aren't. Matco, Snappy, Mac, Cornwell et.al. are very good tools. They are no better than SK, Blackhawk, Proto, Armstrong.

I have been in the diesel engine business since may of 1984. All of the techs I know started out with the high end stuff, but somewhere in their career, they decided that having a good tool at a fair price was more important than just having a tool with a certain name on it.

 

[Uncle Buck]

It shouldn't be too long know.......the bait has been dropped and we are simply waiting....... If you hear the distant munching sound and smell the corn just know it is me, waiting.

 

[mulepackin]

It shouldn't be too long know.......the bait has been dropped and we are simply waiting....... If you hear the distant munching sound and smell the corn just know it is me, waiting.

I just felt like the start of the Kentucky Derby " and there they go...." think I even heard a trumpet sound when I read the name of the thread.

 

[wythors]

Move over Hholmberg. Quit hoggin' the couch.

 

[Coach James]

My experience with some of those brands is limited so I can't give a personal opinion on some of them. I do know one garage here uses almost all Craftsman Pro, another uses almost all Snap On, a third uses mainly Matco. The dealer techs here provide their own tools and I see guys using,Lots of Snap On and Matco, Craftsman Pro, lots of SK, Mac, a little Proto and even some Craftsman raised panel stuff. I've had several mechanics tell me that as time goes on they buy more and more Craftsman Pro and SK and less of the other brands.

Coach

 

[Spookrider]

The main part of the thought of my ponder on SK & Snap-On which is better for doing alignments? Do They spread when hanging off of them on hard to turn parts??
I don't know how horses, KY, and corn got in to this thought about tools

 

[tweety652]

if you have to hang on a tool with all your weight you might want to use a torch to warm it up a bit first. ive HEARD that snapon tools dont spread as much as some other brands. sk is a very good brand and should last awhile. if it does break and you were not happy with the service it gave you then you can always look into snapon.

 

[eschoendorff]

Move over Hholmberg. Quit hoggin' the couch.

Ha!

I just took my Corvette (1993... don't get excited) in for an alignment at a local collision shop. This was an after hours job, and i spent a long time talking to the owner (who did the alignment) about tools. He uses all Snap On stuff. After he had to heat up all four of the tie rod lock nuts with a torch, I asked him how he felt about Snap On's reputation as far as durability and their resistance to spreading. He just laughed and told me about his small pile of mangled Snap On wrenches. He, and the other guys in town, really use Snap On because the dealer stops more than once every week, and the guy is a real, genuine person. Not a saleshole by any means. This Snap On rep is literally the antithesis of the other "bad" reps out there. I buy from him when I cannot get stuff from Sears just because he is great to do business with.

So, there you have it. All wrenches will generally achieve the same basic ANSI standards. But the Snap On rep delivers service in our town that cannot be beat. It really comes down to service. That being said, I have Snap On and Cman Pro flare nut wrenches and they both turn nuts and bolt.

If you buy anything from Snap On, get yourself a #2 phillips screwdriver. You'll thank me later.


Hey! Pass the popcorn!

 

[Uncle Buck]

The main part of the thought of my ponder on SK & Snap-On which is better for doing alignments? Do They spread when hanging off of them on hard to turn parts??
I don't know how horses, KY, and corn got in to this thought about tools

Hang around for awhile and you too will be lookin for the corn! I forget who started it but it's an inside joke all the regulars have taken a liking to. Although now, it would appear that Wythors has found that nifty Pcorn smiley, clearly engaging in an intense show of one upsmanship that may be difficult to top!........(now how can I steal the damned thing from him!)

 

[kythri]

I wouldn't say Snap-On is any better than SK, personally, but if the prices were comparable under a Vo-Tech discount or something, I'd probably buy Snap-On over SK, simply due to the truck routes.

I have a real tough time finding anything SK around here (Mid-Willamette Valley, Oregon), and would have to resort to buying online to get the stuff (and shipping/mailing stuff for warranty replacement).

I see Snap-On, Mac and Matco trucks around rather often...

As far as wrenches spreading, I'm not a professional mechanic, but I have yet to see any wrench spread.

 

[Deafautotech]

my tech friend who doing all alignment works. he own good mac tools wrench and he love it. he had no problem with mac tools wrench as it won't spread because he just had it heated by torch on tie rod nuts before do it.

i had all craftsman (both matte and professional wrenches set) i had no problem with it but some time it will spread little because the nut are rusted and i had to use torch it. but for now i just hand over to my tech friend to do aligments so i dont have to be hassle around aligment....

 

[Spookrider]

Don't get me started about Snap-On Voc Tech program. It is a rip off SK Voc tool program is whole lot better x5 better and you get more tools for the same price as Snap-On. I started down the Snap-On route till I had to wait for info on there Voc-Tool and let say I'm still waiting year and half later.
I got a SK Voc tool package and I love it, I use some to day and every day at work.
!Go Sk! "Hardware Dept." Snap-On

 

[philw]

I used a set of SK long patterns when I did alignments and they worked great. I was going to buy Snap-On but couldn't afford them at the time (just starting out) so I ended up with the SK. The problem with SK, at least for me, was if one broke it was a 35 minute one way drive to replace it. Fortunately I never had one break. Whatever you get just make sure to get the long pattern.

If you are doing front-end work make sure to get a quality 1/2 dr flex ratchet. They come in very handy. I have a MAC and have never had any problems with it.

 

[Uncle Buck]

I have a few SK pieces but they do not strike me as really any better than Armstrong, Williams, Proto, and to me Craftsman I know a lot of guys here rave about SK but I really see them as about peer with the stated brands. Regarding SK, I would have more difficulty getting warranty for anything broken with SK whereas the brands I indicated above are all local for me. I would not be interested in having to box up and mail stuff for warranty. I think that would be the ultimate inconvenience. I have not seen SK sold in a store in years in my area. Just too few and far between for convenience.

 

[Deafautotech]

my dealership have store name is WHolesale Tool next by my work. few techs had s-k tools that broke or cracked. then they asked me to have it warranty as i only can go there and have replacement at no charged because i buy some s-k tools like 26mm wrench and else to do recall of Town and Country vehicles....

the Wholesale Tool sell pretty good price as i dont have to order or chase S-K truck around indiana.....

 

[Jay H 237]

Although now, it would appear that Wythors has found that nifty Pcorn smiley, clearly engaging in an intense show of one upsmanship that may be difficult to top!........(now how can I steal the damned thing from him!)

Very easy,

I brought more popcorn as reinforcements, plenty to go around for everybody now!

hholmberg, it was quite easy to get the code for that smiley. I just had to get the code from wythor's post by hitting "quote" in his post and looking at the code he used. I copied it then went with a reply back in the original thread and pasted the code in my post.

This works for anything somebody has put in a post, as long as the external link is still good.

 

[Itzkwik]

Or you can just right click on the image, click properties, and copy/paste the image. Mmmm...popcorn

 

[Uncle Buck]

Oh man, there is gonna be more corn around here than you can shake a stick at now! You even let the cat out of the bag on how to get the corn smiley guy.....you bad, bad, man! and one more for the Simpsons and Chicane!

You mean like this! http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/ernaehrung/food-smiley-007.gif

 

[eschoendorff]

!Go Sk! "Hardware Dept." Snap-On

Huh????

 

[eschoendorff]

Oh man, there is gonna be more corn around here than you can shake a stick at now! You even let the cat out of the bag on how to get the corn smiley guy.....you bad, bad, man! and one more for the Simpsons and Chicane!

You mean like this! http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/ernaehrung/food-smiley-007.gif

Man, if we keep this up we're all gonna have a case of the farts.... beer and popcorn

 

[Uncle Buck]

Man, if we keep this up we're all gonna have a case of the farts.... beer and popcorn

OH I see my reputation and natural talents must have already been reported somewhere you have been! You did make a reference to "Bubbling up" as I like to call it!

 

[wilbilt]

Not again.
I did lots of alignments, I used Snap-On (because that's what I had), and they worked fine. S•K would probably have been just as good.

If you hang on your wrenches, you will eventually conk yourself in the forehead.

I also like the "movie theater butter" popcorn.

That is all.

 

[chevy302dz]

I would go for SK if you can get stuff warrentied easily. If not go for the tool truck with the best tool guy. Brands like Proto and Armstrong are great but they are geared towards industrial use and will be harder to find in a local store.

 

[kidney]

I've read a lot of these posts and being a self admitted tool abuser, I've yet to spread or break a Craftsman raised panel. I've done the "put the box end of a wrench in the open end of another and make a breaker bar" or " use your wrench as a slugging wrench" more times than I'd like to admit. However, since my tool collection has grown, those days are over. I have two sets that I picked up at auction. One is a full polished Williams set, and the other is an Armstrong set, which are much longer than the Williams and the raised panels that I have. The old raised panels still hang around b/c they are all 6 point and the others are all 12. I just grab what ever is closest, and none have failed me. Although, I wouldn't mind having a full set of one of the truck brands.

 

[Spookrider]

Boy this thread is going off the deep end! Or has it already?
But, I'm from Indiana and we got plenty of corn to go around.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Boy this thread is going off the deep end! Or has it already?
But, I'm from Indiana and we got plenty of corn to go around.

Atta boy, now yur gettin the hang of it!

 

[MarkH]

On the serious side without adding to the popcorn munch.

First look at where and how you will be working. Will you require tool truck service and what is available locally. I like Cornwell, but damm hard to find many of the places we live, Snap On always seems to be around. As a pro you live with one realization - tools will break. If you need to be supplied that way go for the best service and then price you get locally, it varies.

If you work in a style that Craftsman - SK - Wright - Armstrong - Proto work and you can go shopping for them (or it can be done for you) and have them available locally, for the MOST part they work. There are a few things better from the tool truck and that varies by the type of work you do. Usually a step down in price when you get out of school from truck tools.

If you can do the second one or really any of them, check what fits your hands, that is the key over the wow factor with other people. Use what is comfortable, it makes the days easier. Set what you want to pay and get that use it well. That is what makes the pro.

It looks like you are already versed in avoid the junk labeled as pro that is really for the, well I really do not know who it is for, found in many of the tool depts at big boxes, hardware stores, etc.

FYI, as explained about every 4-8 weeks we have a Sears vs Snap on discussion around here that lets to put it politely can degenerate into an interesting thread. When that happens pop some corn and watch. Still the what you can learn here is great, from people who use tools from DYI to fixing some of the heaviest machines you can imagine. Welcome

 

[ColdDuckTime]

Coupla thoughts on wrenches (as an example hand tool).

It would be interesting to see one of the tool websites, a money making one hopefully, actually buy a standard wrench (1/2 inch combination maybe) from all of the major vendors. Then they could take a close in set of pictures, followed by measurements, followed by test to failure. It wouldn't be that big a deal to do and there might be something learned that violates people's personal wrench religion.

Also, it suprises the heck out of me that someone (maybe it *has* happened) hasn't taken a set of Snap-On wrenches to Taiwan and had exact duplicates made for cheap. The prices really are stupid for something as simple as that and a country that can build perfectly fine musical instruments can obviously build lumps of steel in the shape of hand tools at a fairly high level.

 

[ColdDuckTime]

As a side note, it kind of odd to me that 'low cost' manufacture of something like a automotive hand tools means overseas in this day and age. What I'm getting at is that it seems weird that labor prices really matter very much or that there is much labor at all with increasing automation in manufacture.

Maybe there is just too much setup time due to the zillions of variants a plant is expected to crank out...or maybe it's cheaper to dump the manufacturing waste in the creek rather than hew to first world environmental standards. Dunno.

 

[kythri]

Not again.

Aww, come on, wilby!

This one has been remarkably civil.

In fact, there's very little mention of Craftsman in this thread - and I've even somewhat reccomended a tool-truck brand.

Did the earth stop spinning? Did the poles switch?

Something's wrong!

 

[Coach James]

It's not just the hourly wage. It's also workmen's comp, federal and state unemployment insurance, liability insurance, corporate taxes(hidden cost passed on to consumers), property taxes, land use regulations, documenting compliance with federal regulations, dealing unions, and environmental regulations and compliance.

Also, commercial structures and equipment in the US is depreciated over ~30 years while some countries allow it to be done in as little as 5 years.

All those things factor into the manufacturing cost.

When Stanley was fined by the FTC for branding Husky as made in USA when it actually wasn't, Stanley's defense was based on cost. They wrote that while the tools were only given final polish and packaging in the US, that accounted for 75% of the total cost from start to store shelf of those tools. Their claim was that since 75% of the tool cost was in the US, they could claim they were USA made. The FTC disagreed.

Coach

 

[Coach James]

Also, don't cross Wright off your list if they are available to you. They are top notch tools and can be had for a good price. Our local welding supply sells me Wright combo wrenches for about the same cost as Craftsman raised panel stuff and Wright ratchets for less than Craftsman Pro.

And you guys are right, this has been a very cordial thread.

With that in mind, "some guy" told me that since those master mechanics at Orange County Choppers switched from Snap On to NAPA hand tools, that proves that Snap On is over priced and over rated. What are your opinions of that?

Coach

 

[kythri]

As well the FTC should have.

I'm one of those fence-riders on the whole USA vs. Foriegn product war.

I'd prefer my stuff to be made in the United States, but I just can't justify spending premium prices for stuff - sometimes 2-3 times the cost of the foriegn alternative...

I dunno. Sears has proven that you can continue to make a product in the United States, give it an unbeatable warranty and low cost, and people will continue to buy it.

If Danaher can produce the Craftsman stuff, why can't Stanley produce stuff domestically for comparable prices? Their foriegn stuff ends up being about the same price as the Craftsman stuff.

 

[Coach James]

I think Stanley could do that they just prefer the higher profit margins of making tools overseas. I think they market Husky for close to Craftsman prices because they present Husky as being the same or better quality as Craftsman. If they sold Husky for 25 or 30% less, many people would put it in the same category as Great Neck, Olympia and the other Chinese junk.

I really prefer to buy American, but in some cases the American is so expensive, my choices are buy foreign or buy nothing.

Coach

 

[Uncle Buck]

I think Stanley could do that they just prefer the higher profit margins of making tools overseas. I think they market Husky for close to Craftsman prices because they present Husky as being the same or better quality as Craftsman. If they sold Husky for 25 or 30% less, many people would put it in the same category as Great Neck, Olympia and the other Chinese junk.

I really prefer to buy American, but in some cases the American is so expensive, my choices are buy foreign or buy nothing.

Coach

Nope you have a few other choices. If funds are limited, as mine always are; I buy stuff used as I encounter it and can afford it. I almost never need what I have just bought, but I do anticipate use at some point. I never pay more for a used, pawn shop, flea mkt purchase than I think I could resell the tool for, so that means new tools are few and far between. As you can imagine I am sure about 50% of all the tools I have ever bought were used and not new when they came to me. So see, you don't have to buy foreign **** when you can buy the American stuff used.

 

[eschoendorff]

With that in mind, "some guy" told me that since those master mechanics at Orange County Choppers switched from Snap On to NAPA hand tools, that proves that Snap On is over priced and over rated. What are your opinions of that?

Coach

I've been wondering about that myself. Then again, they're building new bikes - not very hard on tools. No rusted fasteners or neglected parts....

 

[Uncle Buck]

I think the Snap-On bike they did a couple years back must have had some parts fall off! Thus creating some hard feelings!

 

[eschoendorff]

I think the Snap-On bike they did a couple years back must have had some parts fall off! Thus creating some hard feelings!

seriously?

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

The Answer is , don't go into this business to make a living . I cannot think of a harder way to make money , go to a real school , get a job that pays real money without fighting for it , then buy the best tools , Snap On of course