Snap On Price Increase

[BigT69]

Thanks Zrexxer. I checked tag on toolbox and it is a KRA59, made in Canada.

 

[TheRobotCow]

Inflation.
Just think of it this way, a 1969 Chevy Camaro Z28 were sold for under $5000 back when they were new. Now a 2015 Z28 sells for $75,000.

Not to mention the cost of making a wrench from the time it arrives at the factory to the moment it reaches your hand. There's a number of people involved.

 

[thieltech]

Inflation.
Just think of it this way, a 1969 Chevy Camaro Z28 were sold for under $5000 back when they were new. Now a 2015 Z28 sells for $75,000.

Not to mention the cost of making a wrench from the time it arrives at the factory to the moment it reaches your hand. There's a number of people involved.

holy wow 75 grand for a Z28!!!!!!!!!!!! is it plated in gold !!!!!!

i could see 35 or 40 but 75!!!!!!!!!

 

[TheRobotCow]

holy wow 75 grand for a Z28!!!!!!!!!!!! is it plated in gold !!!!!!



i could see 35 or 40 but 75!!!!!!!!!

Yep, correct me if I'm wrong but the Z28 seems to be their all-out high performance model, oh and it starts at $75k haha(I checked Chevy's website to make sure I had that price correct). The Zl1 which is below the Z28 starts at about $50k, and a base SS is about $35k? I could get into details but let's not get too off-topic.


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[Adam.C]

Yep, correct me if I'm wrong but the Z28 seems to be their all-out high performance model, oh and it starts at $75k haha(I checked Chevy's website to make sure I had that price correct). The ZL1 which is below the Z28 starts at about $50k, and a base SS is about $35k? I could get into details but let's not get too off-topic.


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Maybe worth exploring a bit further. Today's Z28 is a track car. Not comparable to a 69. The ZL1 might be more comparable in that it is an actual street car. The ZL1 is a 580hp super car, comparable to cars costing several times its $56k MSRP. I believe in comparison to its competitors, it is a FAR better vehicle.

Point is, American manufacturing has bought into CQI (continuous Quality Improvement*). Everything costs more now than it did, but the product we are buying are also better. Snap On offers products far and away superior to those they made 20 years ago. Flank drive plus? Dual 80? Better chrome, better finishes, wider range of tools, high performance series wrenches, ratchet wrenches, the list goes on.

Looking at the increase in cost, even adjusted for inflation, isn't really indicative of an increase in cost "for the same product". Cars are a great example of this. We pay more for cars now, but we get far better value from them.

BTW, the bottom of the pile Chinese manufacturers have openly admitted to doing the opposite of CQI. They get a contract for a product at a price that is at their cost or even below it, then they reduce the quality over time to increase profit. They call it "quality fade". They do it with tools, they do it with building supplies, and even food, adding sawdust to bulk up foods for example. Very possible the tools you bought from HF a few years back are superior to those on the shelf today. All they need are a few good reviews here, on HF's website, a bit of word of mouth, and they are set. Then they can back off on quality so they can actually make money producing a $10 socket set.

 

[arz71]

INFLATION plain and simple

China made tools/trinkets made by people making 10 cents an hour. Gov creating new rules/regulations against businesses. Business moves operations to China where they are welcomed with opened arms. With an unlimited supply of labor where (CASTE) system people live in a dorm 8-10 people in a room. Making less than $28 a MONTH!

Food prices do a comparison it has went up over 400% on some items, don't think I would blame a corp in a anti-business env.

 

[sberry]

This gets spun off and I give it some time b4 my 2 cents. We got some good points and some bad in some of the same posts. As for Snap, they never been cheap so most of this is irrelevant other than that they have been modest with increases I guess.
Where the rubber had really hittin the road is in the race to the bottom, this has been great for the consumer and Sears tools are no worse than they were from 80 or so and now some are better but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, they is a whole lot cheaper.

I bought every hard line tool they got 2x and each time it was cheaper and they all try to beat each other and now they can shop in China not only for absolute bottom price but for quality as well.
A new guy picks up one of my adjustables the other day sand says, that's quite a wrench. The inked on label that said China is worn off. We bought it in a white box on its way to the brander.
Sears cost less today in dollars than it did then, not adjusted for inflation but in dollars. Welding equipment has done well and they got to bring new features to raise the price, some of the brand basic models are within 100 of what they were 25 yrs or more ago.
Its not that I don't like Snap but this look at inflation and cost should be a staggering realization of where tools have really gone vs the almost religious promotion of emotion that aint got squat to do with getting a bolt out.
It isn't that Snap is so good that is so amazing but the absolute availability and proliferation of so much so good and so cheap. Like it or not Walmart got a 25$ wrench set that's really good, sold under other labels too at higher prices, same wrench but I used a few, seen a lot hammered on, they work fine and in my mind exceptional especially if one compares t to the extreme other end at 25X its cost and with other more competitive brands at 10 to one and only HF could come near that price etc.

 

[sberry]

I don't even have the damaged fasteners I did earlier on in my career and do way less brutal hard line work. I asked one of my techs,, when was the last time you used a ratchet? Ha.
I love the real world ability to own something outright without payments, not have to make each piece a gut wrenching ordeal and never once did I got to Walmart and get a bits I needed for 14 a set and feel robbed other than the price hasn't moved much in the last good long time.

 

[sberry]

I can see a questionable argument to the old question,,, is the best worth it???? But no way does it make any logical sense leave the impression that HF is outright grifting someone if they buy a 10$ set of sockets they likely need. This is a false argument if there ever was one really shows how deeply ingrained marketing has become.
When you could wipe adequate off the table yearly for half the cost of investment in good why would anyone suggest some alternative as some good deal?
Might you have to buy twice??? Maybe so but it aint like we were spending top dollar either, some of these prices are so low they could be considered near disposable or consumable.
This is why I am still a huge Sears fan. They offer up a 309 for 200 on sale yet we got people here can argue how that isn't a good deal is beyond me. We applaud some guy for making 300 a week payment yet tell some sprout that Sears is out to screw him with a totally inferior tool he might hurt himself with.

 

[Wizzard]

INFLATION plain and simple

China made tools/trinkets made by people making 10 cents an hour. Gov creating new rules/regulations against businesses. Business moves operations to China where they are welcomed with opened arms. With an unlimited supply of labor where (CASTE) system people live in a dorm 8-10 people in a room. Making less than $28 a MONTH!

Food prices do a comparison it has went up over 400% on some items, don't think I would blame a corp in a anti-business env.

Very well put. Many people fail to realize how Govt regulations are making things more expensive for everyone. The EPA has turned into a taxation/revenue machine. A few years ago they mandated a new ECU flash for our diesel truck, the updated flash slightly reduced emissions but decreased gas mileage by 2-3 mpg for everyone who received the flash. Economics 101 = anytime additional taxes/costs are imposed on a business they will simply make job cuts to offset those costs...not going to get there by cutting back on office supplies.

 

[sberry]

As Adam C eluded to, the car cost mor but the value has went up,,, but look at the cheap tool, the cost has remained low in the face of huge material cost increase and the quality has gone up.
A lot of pressure on MFG to do this and the value has been brought by Walmart and HF, Sears and other vendors , willing to sell on lower margins. If we followed inflation the import wrench set of 15 dollars a short time ago, about 20 now but would be in the 50$ + range it was found in common hwd stores of 3 decades ago.
Many of these "old vendors" were not as philanthropic as we would like to think but rather predatory. The only reason you see all this now is Walmart and the likes brought shopping to the masses.

 

[arz71]

Very well put. Many people fail to realize how Govt regulations are making things more expensive for everyone. The EPA has turned into a taxation/revenue machine. A few years ago they mandated a new ECU flash for our diesel truck, the updated flash slightly reduced emissions but decreased gas mileage by 2-3 mpg for everyone who received the flash. Economics 101 = anytime additional taxes/costs are imposed on a business they will simply make job cuts to offset those costs...not going to get there by cutting back on office supplies.

Detroit was a shining example of USA productivity, now it is a lawless/destitute/depressing worse than a 3rd world country.

Loss of jobs, wage stagflation, inflation, food cost, labor cost, gov mandates, EPA, regulations. Fast food jobs and dollar stores will not support the MASSIVE DEBT that is being piled on with no end in site.

 

[arz71]

Yep, correct me if I'm wrong but the Z28 seems to be their all-out high performance model, oh and it starts at $75k haha(I checked Chevy's website to make sure I had that price correct). The Zl1 which is below the Z28 starts at about $50k, and a base SS is about $35k? I could get into details but let's not get too off-topic.


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Not off topic, but a truck now is $50,000 with a diesel 3/4 can be $75,000.

The only reason why people can buy Chinese products is the currency is manipulated to where the dollar is worth more than the Chinese currency. NO one can sell USA made products and compete with a worker in China making $28 a month living in a dormitory working non-stop with 8-10 people in a tiny room. Basically making anywhere from 10 cents to 35 cents an hour.

All of this raving about buying Chinese made products will not last forever, eventually they will be priced out of reach.

 

[Fcvapor05]

This gets spun off and I give it some time b4 my 2 cents. We got some good points and some bad in some of the same posts. As for Snap, they never been cheap so most of this is irrelevant other than that they have been modest with increases I guess.
Where the rubber had really hittin the road is in the race to the bottom, this has been great for the consumer and Sears tools are no worse than they were from 80 or so and now some are better but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, they is a whole lot cheaper.

I bought every hard line tool they got 2x and each time it was cheaper and they all try to beat each other and now they can shop in China not only for absolute bottom price but for quality as well.
A new guy picks up one of my adjustables the other day sand says, that's quite a wrench. The inked on label that said China is worn off. We bought it in a white box on its way to the brander.
Sears cost less today in dollars than it did then, not adjusted for inflation but in dollars. Welding equipment has done well and they got to bring new features to raise the price, some of the brand basic models are within 100 of what they were 25 yrs or more ago.
Its not that I don't like Snap but this look at inflation and cost should be a staggering realization of where tools have really gone vs the almost religious promotion of emotion that aint got squat to do with getting a bolt out.
It isn't that Snap is so good that is so amazing but the absolute availability and proliferation of so much so good and so cheap. Like it or not Walmart got a 25$ wrench set that's really good, sold under other labels too at higher prices, same wrench but I used a few, seen a lot hammered on, they work fine and in my mind exceptional especially if one compares t to the extreme other end at 25X its cost and with other more competitive brands at 10 to one and only HF could come near that price etc.

Dude, you've GOT to start using periods. And breaks. And proofreading.

 

[Scooterfish]

Zrexxer, I`m curious about list price for the following combo wrench sets.

OEX709 sae wrench set 9 pc 3/8 -7/8

OEXM710 metric wrench set 10pc 10mm -19mm

Thanks

 

[kythri]

not bad at all compare to gas price.

Gas prices are PHENOMENAL when compared against the inflation rate...

In all reality, current gas prices are either at parity with the rate of inflation, or have dropped below it again.

 

[kythri]

How much was the F936 when it first came out? Would be interesting to compare it to the price of a B-52EHA today.

 

[michiganman18]

I think a lot of people overlook that. It is almost impossible for most people to understand this idea and it is probably useless to try and explain it.

pick and choose battles. im with ya