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Snap-On/Mac/Cornwell vs Craftsman

Salem747

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Hello,

I am a backyard kind of guy, I don't work in a shop and I am not a mechanic. What I don't understand is the price difference between the big brands and other brands like Craftsman.

I have always been puzzled by this. I recently bought a combo wrench set from Sears from 3/8" (maybe smaller, can't remember for sure) all the way to 1-1/4" for $44.

I just had a quick look and the price for a Blue Point set from 3/8-1" is $169USD. Is it even physically or mathematically possible that the SO wrenches are 4 times better than the Craftsman ones?

I just don't get it! Like how does a guy who putters around in their home garage justify the massive cost of these big brand names.

Another example I bought a Torin tool box from Costco for $399. It has pretty good roller drawers, hammer finish, foam liners etc. A similar SO beast would probably be a couple thousand dollars. Who has the money for that for a hobby garage?

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind paying for good tools, that's why I bought a Miller welder and a Hypertherm plasma instead of chinese junk that has proven to be junk.

I just don't see how these big brands can be worth SO much more!
 
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y20dth

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Price sometimes reflects the difference in quality, sometimes however it also reflects warranty and customer care (meaning they calculate a % for tools you might return), sometimes price also reflects marketing.... High-end brands of any industry have a tendency to markup on marketing/brandname for a big part.

Since I've been on this forum, I've been amazed at the prices of Snap-On, Matco and others.
I'm thinking it's a completely different market. Since Techs are buying tools for themselfs, it seems it's a very brandname-sensitive market.I'm thinking it's like wearing a Hugo-Boss jeans or driving a BMW instead of Walmart and Ford or Chevrolet.

I've seen Snap-On prices that are 3 to 4 times as high as the top European brands like Stahlwille, Hazet and Facom. I cannot believe SO is 4 times as good as them.

Bear in mind that (except for the UK) most countries in Europe state that the employer has to provide all tools to the worker. Hence the buyer of tools here is less brand-aware then in the US.

Therefore I think the price difference is at least partely explained by:

1. Warranty (I can't image buying used and wornout Hazet wrenches and having them traded for new ones (I've read here that SO appaerantly does that).
2. Customer service (a sales-rep driving around in a truck coming to your shop).
3. Nationalism (Made in the USA is a selling point, and some people are willing to pay for that).
4. Status symbol. A Tech who can push his fully equipped Snap-On box could get a bigger ego-boost then the one pushing his HF-box.
5. Market price (Price of goods are established by researching what people are willing to pay as a maximum and how many people are willing to pay that maximum).
 
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fordbroncodave

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threads like this need to be banned. countless times this question has been asked.

price reflects quality in my opinion. if you don't have the money for snap on wrenches then fine, stay with craftsman. if you have some extra money and you want to put it to good use, get a set of used snap on wrenches. from there on out you will be hooked and will continue to see an empty wallet
 

sk farmer

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the simple answer is. no, they are not four times better. are the other brands 2,3 or 4 times better. maybe or maybe not. it all depends on what you like and can justify. better tools are worth more but it is to the point of diminishing returns. your 40 dollar wrenches are almost guarenteed to be 4 times better than 10 to 15 dollar set but is a 100,200 or 300 dollar set 4 times better than a 50 dollar set? probably not. is it worth the extra price to buy them? if "you" think it is worth it, then it is. i have some snappy wrenches that would cost close to 400 to replace. i also have some cman pros tha cost less than 100 for the set. would i buy the cman again? in a minute. the snappy wrenches? i like them alot but imop they are not worth the price difference if i had to buy them new. used well that again is a judgement call. with that, let the fight begin. just kidding, i hope it does not.
 
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Mickey O

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Oct 25, 2009
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Hello,

I am a backyard kind of guy, I don't work in a shop and I am not a mechanic. What I don't understand is the price difference between the big brands and other brands like Craftsman.

I have always been puzzled by this. I recently bought a combo wrench set from Sears from 3/8" (maybe smaller, can't remember for sure) all the way to 1-1/4" for $44.

I just had a quick look and the price for a Blue Point set from 3/8-1" is $169USD. Is it even physically or mathematically possible that the SO wrenches are 4 times better than the Craftsman ones?

I just don't get it! Like how does a guy who putters around in their home garage justify the massive cost of these big brand names.

Another example I bought a Torin tool box from Costco for $399. It has pretty good roller drawers, hammer finish, foam liners etc. A similar SO beast would probably be a couple thousand dollars. Who has the money for that for a hobby garage?

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind paying for good tools, that's why I bought a Miller welder and a Hypertherm plasma instead of chinese junk that has proven to be junk.

I just don't see how these big brands can be worth SO much more!

The CEO's at Snap-On, MAC, Matco, Cornwell, etc. have really big houses and fancy cars, with those big houses and fancy cars there are large bills hence the higher price for their tools, it's as simple as that, the tools are basically all the same quality.
 

sk farmer

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The CEO's at Snap-On, MAC, Matco, Cornwell, etc. have really big houses and fancy cars, with those big houses and fancy cars there are large bills hence the higher price for their tools, it's as simple as that, the tools are basically all the same quality.

i agree with that statement but i bet the big dudes from sears have some pretty nice stuff also.
 

chadster1

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The CEO's at Snap-On, MAC, Matco, Cornwell, etc. have really big houses and fancy cars, with those big houses and fancy cars there are large bills hence the higher price for their tools, it's as simple as that, the tools are basically all the same quality.

The dealers gotta eat too. :thumbup:
 

z28snksknr

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I think it is relative to the user. A home hobbyist is probably not using the tools enough to see any justification for the higer price. Someone who uses them as a necessary part of their employment and income has a certain dependency on the reliability and quality of the tools they use.

If you think about it, if you were a mechanic and bought a craftsman wrench that you used every day until one day it broke, (assuming you only had one) you would have to clock out, drive to the closest Sears, exchange it for a new one, and drive back. That's time away from work that you are losing money vs. earning it. Think, if that happened once or twice a year, in two years, it would pay for a Snap-on model that has a dealer that visits YOU to replace the warranty part, and the expectation is that it will happen less frequently as well.
 

gc11090

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It is just quality and service....

The truck brands biggest selling point is that they come to the shop every week to sell and warranty stuff. But for a around the hose tinkering, unless you got deep pockets it is not 100% needed. When your living depends 100% on the tools you use, it is worth it to get the stuff that holds up strong, and makes the job go faster. I personally use a mixture of everything from harbor freight, up to snap on. I go based on deals, and what I use at the most. It is always nice to have friends with nice tools that you can check out before you go buy lots of stuff. Before I have ever used a snapon ratchet, I loved my craftsman ones compared to my china brand ones, but after using snap on ratchets, I nearly never use my craftsman ones because the snap on ones are just so much nicer.
 

sk farmer

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I think it is relative to the user. A home hobbyist is probably not using the tools enough to see any justification for the higer price. Someone who uses them as a necessary part of their employment and income has a certain dependency on the reliability and quality of the tools they use.

If you think about it, if you were a mechanic and bought a craftsman wrench that you used every day until one day it broke, (assuming you only had one) you would have to clock out, drive to the closest Sears, exchange it for a new one, and drive back. That's time away from work that you are losing money vs. earning it. Think, if that happened once or twice a year, in two years, it would pay for a Snap-on model that has a dealer that visits YOU to replace the warranty part, and the expectation is that it will happen less frequently as well.

i call bs on that point. if you believe it fine, but i don't. any mechanic who only has one wrench to do his job is not well enough equipped to do much of anything. if you are that hard up that you have to leave work to replace one wrench from sears or wherever, you sure as hell don't have enough money to buy any truck stuff. if that is your reasoning then if a truck wrench breaks on monday and the truck comes on friday, you have to take the whole week off. please explain it to me. if you need to quit working when a wrench breaks you better not buy it from a truck that only come once or twice a week, you better get it from someplace that has 24 hour access.:bounce:
 

chadster1

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That's right, I hear all the Snap-On dealers are driving around in Porsche's and Ferrari's and eat caviar with every meal, another reason for the bigger price.

I prefer Mercedes myself. Caviar is not really something I care for but my dogs like it.
 

nato

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Until you've actually used a top line, truck brand "X" tool in an atmosphere that benefitted (?) from a particular design or application of it's nature, then you really don't know. The easiest way I can give an example is go find a cheap poorly built run of the mill 72 tooth fine tooth ratchet and get another Dual80 or Matco 88 for agruments sake, and try working with them for comparison. You feel the difference alone. I've had my Matco 88 tooth ratchets on stuff that shoulda been broken loose with a long 1/2" ratchet of breaker bar.
I take them apart often to clean & lubricate and also to inspect the damage I bestow on them. They sure do take the abuse.
I've DESTROYED HF & Craftsman ratchets/sockets before, putting them through the same hurt.

And...nothing feels bettern than a well balanced & forged wrench. This simple attribute changes or enhances everything about something as simple in forethought as a combination wrench. All the little details play in and that's what you pay for.:thumbup:

you get what you pay for and that's why I buy those tools. It's alos how I make my living, so they go hand in hand. It depends on what you do ,too. Shadetree work doesn't require the extra $$$$, necessarily. I know some guys who also seem to get by fine on lesser brand tool lines and they also are mechanics.
 

Mike83

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I think it is relative to the user. A home hobbyist is probably not using the tools enough to see any justification for the higer price. Someone who uses them as a necessary part of their employment and income has a certain dependency on the reliability and quality of the tools they use.

If you think about it, if you were a mechanic and bought a craftsman wrench that you used every day until one day it broke, (assuming you only had one) you would have to clock out, drive to the closest Sears, exchange it for a new one, and drive back. That's time away from work that you are losing money vs. earning it. Think, if that happened once or twice a year, in two years, it would pay for a Snap-on model that has a dealer that visits YOU to replace the warranty part, and the expectation is that it will happen less frequently as well.

You make a very generous assumption that a Snap-on dealer sits next to your work bay whenever you are working, ready to exchange a tool you break. What if a tool breaks 15 minutes after the dealer leaves and you have to wait another week for him to come back?
 

chadster1

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Your expensive pedigree show dogs?

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Teken

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Only thing to add from my point of view is thank God for on line competition, and the used market! :bowdown:

I could not have assembled as many hard line tools in such a short period if it wasn't for them . . . :thumbup:

Getting back to is there 4x better performance and quality: On the extreme side if you go to the dollar store and purchase a open ended wrench and apply enough pressure.

You will see the jaws spread . . . Now move up to any consumer brand, that same test will take a bit of effort to do the same . . . Next, move up to one of the hard line tool makers . . . The odds of you spreading the jaws on that wrench is almost zero!

Please keep in mind, there have been many of **** stick that I have seen take a little tiny 6-8 mm wrench and apply 300 plus ft. lbs of force, all the while they should have been using the box side, or a socket!

What's the point? :headscrat Tool performance, reliability, is only as high as the person using said tool . . . If he is a fucken ***** and decides to use his ratchet as a hammer, what does that tell you? :spit:

So back to the 4x Q: I don't believe there is 4x the quality to reflect the price, but I know and believe that at a certain price point there is strength in the numbers . . .
 

z28snksknr

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i call bs on that point. if you believe it fine, but i don't. any mechanic who only has one wrench to do his job is not well enough equipped to do much of anything. if you are that hard up that you have to leave work to replace one wrench from sears or wherever, you sure as hell don't have enough money to buy any truck stuff. if that is your reasoning then if a truck wrench breaks on monday and the truck comes on friday, you have to take the whole week off. please explain it to me. if you need to quit working when a wrench breaks you better not buy it from a truck that only come once or twice a week, you better get it from someplace that has 24 hour access.:bounce:

You're reading too much into my example. I'm approaching it from an economics point of view. It's an opportunity cost - time spent replacing the tool at the store vs. spending that time working making money. You have that time greatly diminished with truck brands since they come to you.

If you figure you can make $50 in a working hour, driving to Sears to replace the tool and back (say 1 hour total), that just cost you $50 above the price you paid for the tool.
 

tonydanzah

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you can still spread a high end wrench or any wrench pretty easy. Remember the thread that was on here where oldtools bought another member a new snap on wrench after he spread the jaw.
 
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Mickey O

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Alright then.

10 piece Snap-On Metric Combination wrench set, 10-19 mm (OEXM710B) $280.70 new.

Lets say you have them for forty years (even though we know they will last a lifetime and be passed on to the next generation or sold for a decent buck), so that's about $7 a year, 2 cents a day.

What price did you want to pay for tools? Quality USA made tools are one of the best values in the world and if you're a cheap *** you can buy used, I do.
 

Brandon_K

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At this point in my life, my tools are at home and I'm a home wrencher. I've always bought Craftsman (and for lesser, non quality items like 3/4" drive sockets for axle nuts, HF).

Dad started selling Snap On years ago, meh, I didn't know there was a difference, until he gave me a set of soft grip Instinct screw drivers. I can't imagine using a different screwdriver now. They don't cam out, the grips are comfortable and you can put a wrench on it if you really need the extra force.

Then I got a set of flank drive wrenche's and a set of sockets. Wow, unbelievable, it seems like these 12pt tools actually grip better than my Craftsman 6pt stuff.

It depends on what you put a value on. If I can buy a wrench that will remove a fastner and not round it off to the point that I have to get out an extractor or other means of removal, then in that case yes, it's worth 4 times to cost in that situation. Are the screwdrivers worth 4 times as much? At any given point, yes, to me they are. Again, they don't cam out nearly as much, they don't destroy the fastner, they're far more comfortably to use, blah blah blah.

I guess it also depends on what you're doing in your home. Are you a car/truck guy? Or do you do nothing more than change your own oil? I'm into offroading. The body, some of the interior and frame is the only stock thing on my Jeep. The axles have been swapped, the T-case has been beefed up and modified, the trans is out of a completely different vehicle, the 4.0L motor has been rebuilt into a 4.7L stroker. Yes, spending the money is worth it to me as a home hobbyist.

As far as tool storage goes, I've had it with the Craftsman boxes. I had an old Craftsman box, loaded down with sockets that was a really nice box, the drawers actually slid. We got a newer Craftsman box at work, one drawer loaded with nothing but wrenches barely opens. When you want to go to a larger box, please let me know how much Sears\Costco\Sam's\Walmart gives you on trade for your old box. I had a KRA2306 that I quickly outgrew, a year after I bought it I was given what I paid for it towards a new KRL1023.

Am I a Snappy fanboy? Maybe. But that being said, I still have some HF **** in my box as well. Buying their entire 3/4" 8pc impact set cost me less than the single Craftsman socket that I needed to get the axle nuts off of my Deere 318.

It's also an investment. I can part out my Snappy stuff and get a lot more for it than what I can get for my Craftsman stuff. The HF stuff I would just take to the scrapyard. One day my kids are going to have one hell of a tool collection, hopefully they'll love it just as much as I love the old SK and SK Wayne stuff my father gave me.

As the saying on the back of my Dad's truck said "There is a difference".

Mind you, he's retired now, so it's not like I'm getting tools for cost or anything... That doesn't effect my decision. I still buy used quite often.
 
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sk farmer

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You're reading too much into my example. I'm approaching it from an economics point of view. It's an opportunity cost - time spent replacing the tool at the store vs. spending that time working making money. You have that time greatly diminished with truck brands since they come to you.

If you figure you can make $50 in a working hour, driving to Sears to replace the tool and back (say 1 hour total), that just cost you $50 above the price you paid for the tool.

i don't think i am as this argument is made many times over and i don't think it holds water. i had a scwann's truck stop at my home last night. they sell frozen food and it is delivered to my door. we buy ice cream and frozen treats and rarely anything else. we buy it because it is may be slightly better and sometimes healthier than the store brand. our small stack of food was over forty dollars. i know i could have gotten the same type and similar quality for less than 20 at the grocery store. i payed for conveniance but not necessarily quality. i cannot afford to feed my family full time from that truck as i can do it much cheaper in my "off" time at the grocery store. also when the food is gone or i want something differant i have to wait for the truck. sound familiar? if you spend ten minutes a week with your tool truck driver at 50 dollars an hour for 50 weeks, (you have vacation right?) that equals 8.3 hours or 416.33 dollars. using your numbers you could do that 8 times per year and have change left over. the time you spend on the truck or talking to the driver is not free either.

i think people need to be honest. if you like the truck stuff and want to buy it that is great, but to say that it saves you money, is vastly superior than some other choices or is so much better because they come to you is a stretch. if you like the bling, like to say you own and use brand x or need something that is specific to that brand by all means buy it. hey, i own some truck brands and am not knocking them i just don't buy into the notion of how much it costs to get an exchange made on non-truck brands. :beer:
 

Skyline

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I think a major difference is that the truck brands seem to be much more tuned in to auto technicians. Craftsman is more focused on the home user. If you use a wrench all day, how it feels is MUCH more important. A tech will not be satisfied with wrench and socket sets that skip sizes, because to be missing a certain size at the wrong time can bring their income to a standstill. The technology of the tools is more important to the professional; if a tool works marginally better on stuck fasteners, it's the only one for the job. If the home user can't get the air cleaner off their push mower....it's just not that big a deal; they'll drag it in to some professional. And these days, cars are so complicated that there is a vast array of special tools needed to do many jobs, and Craftsman only sells a small fraction of these.

While I'm not a pro tech, I buy professional tools, (mostly used) because I take the work I do on my family vehicles seriously, AND I can afford them and prefer them. I have four cars and a boat, plus the normal array of power yard equipment, and whenever I can handle a job myself, I do. Because at $100/hr for most shops, it pays to do your own work. And if you're going to do it, you may as well do it right, and reasonably efficiently.
 

RickMan

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When I first started in the trade. I had all craftsmen tool because I could buy a 400+pc set for $400.

The shop foreman who has been turning wrenches for about 30 years had his vintage old snap on tools.

one day I was removing a fuel pump out of gas tank and I was stripping the phillips screw with my craftsmen phillips screw driver. Foreman came over and handed me his Snap on phillips and it took the screws out with no effort. From that point on. I was sold on Snap On.

Ever use a Craftsmen 10mm flarenut wrench on a brake bleed screw? Compare that to a Snap on 10 flarenut wrench. Its no comparison.

Overall this is what I can say about Snap On vs Craftsmen. Snap On can seriously remove stubborn nuts, bolts, screws without doing damage to the fastener. Craftsmens rounds and strips fasteners alot more than Snap On. There is no doubt about that.

I dont know about you guys. But when I work. I like to exert as little energy and want as little fustration as possible. I get that with Snap On.
 

pawscal

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In my opinion the best brand for a backyard mechanic is Mastercraft, your in Canada so your clear.
 

cruiser808

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Alright then.

10 piece Snap-On Metric Combination wrench set, 10-19 mm (OEXM710B) $280.70 new.

Lets say you have them for forty years (even though we know they will last a lifetime and be passed on to the next generation or sold for a decent buck), so that's about $7 a year, 2 cents a day.

What price did you want to pay for tools? Quality USA made tools are one of the best values in the world and if you're a cheap *** you can buy used, I do.

Well said Mickey. :thumbup:
 

Teken

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In my opinion the best brand for a backyard mechanic is Mastercraft, your in Canada so your clear.

I would suggest he move up to the pro grade, the standard Mastercraft will leave you wanting . . .

The older Mastercraft Professionals, before the transition to Maxxium (very lame btw) were first rate!
 

Davefr

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The CEO's at Snap-On, MAC, Matco, Cornwell, etc. have really big houses and fancy cars, with those big houses and fancy cars there are large bills hence the higher price for their tools, it's as simple as that, the tools are basically all the same quality.


Eric Smidt's home in Camarillo is pretty big too!!



The home of the late billionaire Marvin Davis has sold, though for far below the original asking price, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Knoll, which occupies about ten acres in Beverly Hills, was listed more than a year ago for $70 million. The price tag made it one of the most expensive single-family homes in California history, and even after the price was slashed by $10 million, it still made the Forbes.com list Most Expensive Homes In America 2004.

The house reportedly sold for around $46 million. The buyers were Eric L. Smidt, president of Harbor Freight Tools USA, a privately-held Camarillo, Calif.-based tool and equipment retailer, and his wife, Susan.

Marvin Davis

How much mansion did the Smidt's get for their money? The Georgian-style estate has 25,000 square feet of living space, two pools, a tennis court, two guesthouses, a screening room and, of course, two wine cellars. With 13 bedrooms and 12 baths, there's plenty of room for guests. The home was built in 1955 for the widow of an oil heir, and was previously owned by country-singer Kenny Rogers.
 
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Mickey O

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Eric Smidt's home in Camarillo is pretty big too!!



The home of the late billionaire Marvin Davis has sold, though for far below the original asking price, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Knoll, which occupies about ten acres in Beverly Hills, was listed more than a year ago for $70 million. The price tag made it one of the most expensive single-family homes in California history, and even after the price was slashed by $10 million, it still made the Forbes.com list Most Expensive Homes In America 2004.

The house reportedly sold for around $46 million. The buyers were Eric L. Smidt, president of Harbor Freight Tools USA, a privately-held Camarillo, Calif.-based tool and equipment retailer, and his wife, Susan.

Marvin Davis

How much mansion did the Smidt's get for their money? The Georgian-style estate has 25,000 square feet of living space, two pools, a tennis court, two guesthouses, a screening room and, of course, two wine cellars. With 13 bedrooms and 12 baths, there's plenty of room for guests. The home was built in 1955 for the widow of an oil heir, and was previously owned by country-singer Kenny Rogers.

I was just kidding about the US tool company CEO's, but we now have two more reasons not to buy HF junk, thank you. If you want to see the other reason do a google search for "Eric L. Smidt, president of Harbor Freight Tools" and have a look at his political contributions.
 

woody 73

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Wow,

All the previous posters have done a great job! I think it boils down to trying each tool in order to find the right fit. I have many different tools as do many of the other members. Someone posted how the Matco 88 was a top notch tool,Snap-on screwdrivers are very good along with their sockets.

I enjoy old craftsman sockets because they hold up well over time. One poster mentioned buying used tools in order to off set the high price of new tools,very good advise.

Well it looks like this horse has some more miles to go before we beat it to death!

Woody.
 

WSMC633

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i think people need to be honest. if you like the truck stuff and want to buy it that is great, but to say that it saves you money, is vastly superior than some other choices or is so much better because they come to you is a stretch. if you like the bling, like to say you own and use brand x or need something that is specific to that brand by all means buy it. hey, i own some truck brands and am not knocking them i just don't buy into the notion of how much it costs to get an exchange made on non-truck brands. :beer:

These days I no longer use my tools 10 hours a day. It's more like 5 on weekdays and 8 on weekends. I still consider myself a semi-pro since I'm building projects for clients (and myself!). Anyway, Truth be told a broken tool doesn't really cost me much these days but a little aggravation. But I very rarely have tool failures. I do have a SO box and most of my tools are SO, some Mac, some CMAN, some Toptul, and some HF. There are some tools that SO is miles ahead of everything else. Some stuff the difference in price is hard to justify. However, I totally admit that I like the feel of premium tools, and I enjoy using them, and yes... I LOVE THE BLING!!! I may not be able to afford every SO tool in the catalog, but I can afford some of them. So why shouldn't I own them if that's what I want.

Hell, there is a guy at work with a GT3 Porsche. I'm pretty sure it's never seen a track, and he spends most of the time in traffic, but if that's what makes him happy, then more power to him and I hope he enjoys it. I'm pretty sure a Toyota Camry would make the commute just as well though!

To answer the OP's question. The price difference probably wouldn't be worth it to you on a value vs. functionality scale. You'll know when a tool doesn't make you happy and you want to upgrade. You won't need to ask people on the internet if you need them.
 

porphyre

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The dealers gotta eat too. :thumbup:

Bingo.

Tools are not really consumable items. I don't know how many stops an SO dealer makes a day - 6 or 8 in 10 hours? But he's probably got to pull down $1000-1500 gross a week to make ends meet....

If I had a hot-dog cart and I stopped by your office every Monday and asked you to buy a $5 hot-dog, would you do it?

Now what if I was selling office supplies? How many staplers do you need? Mouse pads? Chairs, white boards, paper, post-it notes... oops, paper and post-its are consumables.
 

Mickey O

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 25, 2009
Messages
6,153
Location
Chicago, IL
They're not. But many will swear that the "feel better" in your hand... :rolleyes2

Not true, I have broken many Craftsman ratchets and very few truck brand and those usually from abuse or heavy use. I've also broken quite a few Craftsman sockets but I blame that on myself.
 
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