To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Snap-on Tools - Worth the Hassle?

W

wharvey

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2008
Messages
49
Location
North Carolina
Hey folks,

I've been reading lots of good things about these tools so I went to the website and started to check things out. Does it frustrate any one else that every time you click on a tool category it opens up a totally different website? There doesn't seem to be much continuity to their site(s) if you ask me.

I'm also a bit confused about dealers. I did the "locate a dealer" thing - there were about 12! I sent one of them an email/request 3 days ago and never got a reply - nothing. Is it worth going through a dealer or should I just order the tools from the site?

I hope their tools are better than everything else I've seen so far!

I'm not a business and have a personal shop so maybe that's why the dealer never contacted me. I'm not sure, but I was planning on buying $600 worth of stuff and more down the road as I replace my budget stuff with tools of higher quality.

Is my first impression of them wrong?
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
W

wantedabiggergarage

Member Emeritus
Joined
Feb 25, 2006
Messages
3,897
Location
Independence, MO, USA.
Never had it open up another website for me. It goes to the shopping cart software, where you can buy.

As for dealers, GOOD LUCK.

Tried to get whoever NOW has our area into our shop, and he won't. 54 year old shop, isn't worth his time, as it would probably be more warranty then new.
Snap~on does make good tools, they also rebrand good tools (like Williams). I still have and use a lot of Craftsman, as does the rest of the shop (you have to know the bargains from the chaff). This is in part why so many people on this board buy used.

And look at their warranty and decide for yourself.
 
R

rsanter

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 22, 2007
Messages
18,505
Location
visalia ca
I called the customer service and was given the phone number of the dealer in my area.
I am an engineer, not a mechanic so I am not a regualr stop for him.
when I need something I will call him and if its on the truck he will stop in when he is by me and if its not on the truck he will order it for me

alot will depend on the dealer you have. if they work with you great. if not screw it

bob
 
G

goodfellow

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 17, 2006
Messages
2,288
Location
NoVA
wharvey said:
Hey folks,

II'm not sure, but I was planning on buying $600 worth of stuff and more down the road as I replace my budget stuff with tools of higher quality.
Click to expand...

I'm not quite sure, but $600 with SNAP-ON will get you two wrenches, three sockets, a free screwdriver and magnetic calendar :lol_hitti


Good luck! Hope you find a good dealer to work with. :thumbup:
 
T

tdkkart

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 17, 2006
Messages
6,887
Location
Eastern Iowa
The dealer situation is the 2nd reason that I don't seek out Snap-on, MAC, or the other "truck" brands. When I have 1/2 a dozen other places, including Sears, to buy tools on my way to work, I don't need to chase down a truck.

The other issue of course is price.
The vast majority of my tools at home and work are Craftsman, some of them as much as 30 years old. I simply do not have any reason to believe that paying as much for a Snap-On ratchet as I do a whole set of Craftsman is going to change my ability to do my work enough to justify the cost. I've had next to zero problems with my craftsman stuff and when I have I've had no warranty issues either.
 
OP
W

wharvey

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2008
Messages
49
Location
North Carolina
The biggest reason I was thinking about buying from them was for that cool TechAngle torque wrench... it's pricey but looked pretty sweet. I'll check again with Craftsman or maybe the Kobalt brand has a decent 250ftlb 1/2inch ratchet. Kobalt is a Snap-on brand right?
 
B

billspit

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 21, 2008
Messages
1,889
Location
SC
I use and pretty much like Craftsman tools. They aren't as good as they used to be but the convenience cannot be beat. Stay away from the Craftsman torque wrench! Ued to be any thing that had Craftsman on it had a lifetime warranty. Not the torque wrench. It has a plastic adjuster that is very prone to break. The worst Craftsman tools are the screw drivers. I seem to round off the tips fairly quickly. But I take a couple of them in every few years and get replacments pretty much with no questions.

I recently bought a box of used tools from an uncle that was moving to a retirement center. I got them home and opened the box. Most of the stuff is SK brand and they are sweeeeet.
 
R

Romanova

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 22, 2008
Messages
634
Location
Cypress, TX
Back when I lived in WA, the SnapOn truck that came by the dealership I worked at was awesome. The guy gave out tons of stuff... I have a SnapOn pool cue, several hats, a shirt, etc... though I spent quite a bit of money on his truck every week.

Now that I do auto repair as a hobby only, I get by with some SnapOn pieces and lots of Craftsman.
 
OP
W

wharvey

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2008
Messages
49
Location
North Carolina
Well it looks like I finally got a call from the dealer. He's coming by next week so we'll see what happens!
 
B

BigChevy80

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 23, 2008
Messages
212
Location
Illinois
I live 2 blocks away from the Snap-On guy in my area. if I ever need anything it's just a short walk down to his house!
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
F

FunfDreisig

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 12, 2008
Messages
413
You don't need to go though the hassle of talking to a Snap-on salesman....

I've built up quite a collection of Snap-on tools by taking my wife's X5 to the dealership during the warranty period. The bozo's that call themselves BMW mechanics have left more high end Snap-on tools in the engine compartment in 4 years than I have lost in over 40 yrs of doing my own maintenance, repairs and restoration on EVERY other vehicle we have ever owned :)

Funf Dreisig

p.s. I'm still using ALL of the Craftsman tools that I struggled to purchase as a staving student maintaining my first car some 40 years ago. Oh I do own a few specialty Snap-on tools I actually bought. But I find they haven't worked or held up any better than my Craftsman tools.
 
Last edited:
H

hevnbnd

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 31, 2008
Messages
213
Location
Arkansas
Probably a dumb question but why would you need the Techangle version of the torque wrench? Are you only supposed to use a torque wrench on a level flat plane?
 
F

FunfDreisig

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 12, 2008
Messages
413
hevnbnd said:
Probably a dumb question but why would you need the Techangle version of the torque wrench? Are you only supposed to use a torque wrench on a level flat plane?
Click to expand...
The concept is that a "standard" torque wrench is not very accurate because of variable friction on fasteners.

If you have ever tried to set rod or main bearing bolts using a 'standard' torque wrench and then checked the actual tolerance achieved by the thickness of the pasti-guage, you'll notice that the same torque can produce quite different tolerances on repeated attempts. But using an angle gauge produces more consistent results.

Funf Dreisig
 
Last edited:
B

Blacknwhitepit

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 19, 2005
Messages
3,176
Location
Eastern Tennessee
Coach James said:
Where do you get this from? I haven't seen anything stating that Danaher lost the contract to make Kobalt wrenches.

Coach
Click to expand...

You are right on the money Coach... Kobalt is made by Danaher now. Haven't been made by Williams (Subsidiary of Snap on) for almost half a decade.

Dant has some dated information.

Oh, by the way, I tried to use the website to have a dealer contact me in 3 different geographical locations... never heard back from anyone..


-BWP
 
Last edited:
F

Fleetwood

Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2008
Messages
17
Are snap-on dealer is ****, but ar cornwell dealer will go out of his way for customer service. I also like some of there tools better.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom