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Snap On and Craftsman rethreading sets...hmmmm.

spencerian

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Is it just me or do these sets look the same?
I mean, they aren't really the same sets, just rebadged...right?
 

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eschoendorff

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Yup... same thing. Both made by Kastar. And highly recommended. I don't how I got along before I bought my set...
 

MAD

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How are these better than taps and dies?

Thread restorers like these are less likely to undercut good threads. They are made from softer steel and the taper is designed to "find" the good threads and line up the tool properly. Most often the first few threads are the ones that are damaged and it is easy to start cutting new threads slightly offset from the original ones when you use a standard tap/die to restore damaged threads.

There is nothing wrong in most cases with using standard taps and dies to restore threads as long as it is done with care and as long as the tolerance of the tap/die is not sloppier than the original threads in critical applications.
 

Major Ramifications

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Very thorough reply, MAD. Thanks.

When are the Snap-On guys going to chime in and explain that Snap-On is not being greedy, their stuff is really better, the guy comes to their shop, blah blah blah...?
 

fourfeathers

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I have 2 sets of this style product in Matco name, and they seem much better than this Craftsman set I had bought and have since sold off. I didn't pay full price for any of them, and will rarely keep tools just for the name anymore. All 3 sets are probably 5-8 years old, if that matters.
 

le6920

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Thread restorers like these are less likely to undercut good threads. They are made from softer steel and the taper is designed to "find" the good threads and line up the tool properly. Most often the first few threads are the ones that are damaged and it is easy to start cutting new threads slightly offset from the original ones when you use a standard tap/die to restore damaged threads.

There is nothing wrong in most cases with using standard taps and dies to restore threads as long as it is done with care and as long as the tolerance of the tap/die is not sloppier than the original threads in critical applications.

Good reply I always wondered the difference. Thanks.
 

rsanter

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this is easy to understand

sears buys them, shippes them to the store and makes money
cost+shipping+profit= sell price


snap on buys them, sells them to the dealer who sells them to you
cost+shipping+so profit+dealer profit=cost to you

now that will account for part of the difference

the other part is in the name and the market segment. wht does a cadilac escalade cost more than a tahoe?
its because the emblems cost more
cadillac escalade 16 letters
chevrolet tahoe 14 letters

sears 4 letters
snap on 6 letters

see the cost dfference really is in the name

bob
 

Stuey

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rsanter, it's the apostrophe in the name that makes the huge difference, not the two letters by themselves. Sears = Sears Holding Company, or something like that, so technically Sears has more letters than Snap-On.

It must be the apostrophe!!
 

jay50

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I have the Cman set; it has saved my a$$ many times on late night repairs...
 
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Jbullfrog

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Snap-On charges more because they warranty the individual pieces in the set. Sears doesn't. I just had my 5/8" coarse die replaced because it had a chipped tooth.
 

rsanter

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rsanter, it's the apostrophe in the name that makes the huge difference, not the two letters by themselves. Sears = Sears Holding Company, or something like that, so technically Sears has more letters than Snap-On.

It must be the apostrophe!!

well if its not that then SO must be using more expensive ink to print the label on the inside then

bob
 

Detroit Diesel Man

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Very thorough reply, MAD. Thanks.

When are the Snap-On guys going to chime in and explain that Snap-On is not being greedy, their stuff is really better, the guy comes to their shop, blah blah blah...?



We wont because of people who constantly seem to bash Snap-On and continually argue that Craftsman.Mac/Matco whatever is just as good.

I have a set from SO and a guy at work has a set from sears...SO replaced a single broken die for me and sears wouldnt replace a broken tap for the guy I work with. is the SO all that much better? Probably not..but their warranty sure is.

DDM
 

toolfreak

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We wont because of people who constantly seem to bash Snap-On and continually argue that Craftsman.Mac/Matco whatever is just as good.

I have a set from SO and a guy at work has a set from sears...SO replaced a single broken die for me and sears wouldnt replace a broken tap for the guy I work with. is the SO all that much better? Probably not..but their warranty sure is.

DDM


That is what alot of people don't understand, alot of tools that are considered consumables by other companies are warrantied by snap on. Some of these are thread chasers, extractors, and the sockets made for rounded bolts. Therefore, they are more expensive due to the fact they will warranty them as often as needed.
 

rsanter

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We wont because of people who constantly seem to bash Snap-On and continually argue that Craftsman.Mac/Matco whatever is just as good.

I have a set from SO and a guy at work has a set from sears...SO replaced a single broken die for me and sears wouldnt replace a broken tap for the guy I work with. is the SO all that much better? Probably not..but their warranty sure is.

DDM

mmmm...
did not know that was covered
that might make me buy the SO over the other guy

bob
 
OP
S

spencerian

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Columbus, Ohio
I bought the Snap On set on Wednesday. I did feel uneasy when I found that Sears had the same thing. Our dealer had 15% off all taps/rethreading.

I did make myself feel better. Last night I went to Sears to replace a missing 8mm 1/4" deep socket. Cost me $4. The Snap On was $16.50.
 

daveblank

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We wont because of people who constantly seem to bash Snap-On and continually argue that Craftsman.Mac/Matco whatever is just as good.

I have a set from SO and a guy at work has a set from sears...SO replaced a single broken die for me and sears wouldnt replace a broken tap for the guy I work with. is the SO all that much better? Probably not..but their warranty sure is.

DDM

You can't put Mac & Matco on the same level as Craftsman. They are both a better product. & I know for a fact that Matco will warranty these thread chasers also.
 

Tool Pants

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San Jose CA
Since I am an old guy, and I look for old threads....

I bought this 2 years ago when it was on sale at Sears fo $49.99.

Made by Kastar. Repackaged and sold under different names. For more money.
 

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Danglerb

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My set gets USED plenty, and it does have the 14 mm for lug nuts, as well as a full set of files to clean up threads too messed up for the die.

Taps and dies cut the thread deeper each time they are used, making the fit looser.

Chasers and thread restorers don't cut, just reshape and clean debris out of the thread.

The Kastar set everybody sells seems reasonable for the average user, but "real" thread chasers can cost as much for a single size as the whole set. I don't know what all is different in the "industrial" types, but some chasers come apart to work backwards through the thread.
 

Pedro-snapon

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SO warranty them, and we sell them for the same if not less than matco and mac.

buy the s-o one, when you lose one goto sears and replace it, when it breaks get your s-o to do the warranty

- good day
 

krusty the clown

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niangua, mo
You can't put Mac & Matco on the same level as Craftsman. they are both a better product.

come on dave.........most of the cman tools are exactly the same as matco. take the pinless impact swivels for one example, other than the shape of the handle the ratchets are the same and the product in this thread are the same. the only difference is the price.
 

Stephenw

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I've always been told that if an item carries the Snap-On brand name that is made by Snap-On.

If these aren't made by Snap-On, I wonder why they don't have a Blue Point brand on them.

I have the Snap-On set. :mad:
 

nightrain00

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Jul 30, 2008
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I have two sets one a Mac set I bought 10-12 years ago and a Craftsman set I got for home use for Cristmas last year they are identical they just changed the box a little. Just like my Mac tap and die set thats the same as the Snap -On both made by Vermont American.
 

Jbullfrog

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I've always been told that if an item carries the Snap-On brand name that is made by Snap-On.

If these aren't made by Snap-On, I wonder why they don't have a Blue Point brand on them.

I have the Snap-On set. :mad:

Snap-on has lots of suppliers that build tools for them. They only put Snap-On on tools built in the USA for them.
 
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