Snap-on vs. Cornwell

[autoace]

I have noticed that Snap-on seems to be the Bad Leroy Brown of this site. I have alot of it, and think it is good. I also think Snap-on is getting too big for it's britches, with unreliable, cocky truck vendors, also warranty duckers. Any hardline item from Cornwell is as good or whips SO from screwdrivers to sockets. So far with bend over backwards service. I see multiple SO "snap off" threads every day. Snap-on tools are as over done as Chevy Camaros are in the hot rod mags. I don't buy much from SO anymore, Cornwell,Hazet,Wiha,Wright,&Witte are all better than comparable choices. I think SO is starting to charge for name only, with quality being second, their field service is horrible, but that varies dealer to dealer. Sorry Snap-on worshipers, they are not the ONLY game in town.

 

[Merkava_4]

I've got Snap-on AND Cornwell; you got nothin' on me brother.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Considering I've never seen a cornwell truck, haven't seen a matco truck, the mac truck is sketchy at best for showing up, Snap-On pretty much is the only game in town here.

Edit: Just looked at Cornwells site. The dealer locator *****, the online catalog ***** (Can't even call it a catalog, IMHO), and 30 tooth ratchets ****. *shrug* I have yet to see much convincing.

 

[autoace]

I've got Snap-on AND Cornwell; you got nothin' on me brother.

Maybe you have a good SO vendor. When the SO guy saw the Cornwell guy at my shop he told my employees he would not warranty any SO tools if he caught them with Cornwell, he also started charging for bit socket inserts, ratchet kits, and refused anything unless he felt like it. He was the third A-hole Snap-on guy in a row. I'm about ready to sell off all my SO stuff on ebay, SO representatives have the misconceived notion, that the pro tool buyers cannot do without them.

 

[Merkava_4]

Maybe you have a good SO vendor. When the SO guy saw the Cornwell guy at my shop he told my employees he would not warranty any SO tools if he caught them with Cornwell, he also started charging for bit socket inserts, ratchet kits, and refused anything unless he felt like it. He was the third A-hole Snap-on guy in a row. I'm about ready to sell off all my SO stuff on ebay, SO representatives have the misconceived notion, that the pro tool buyers cannot do without them.

I'll tell you the same thing I tell all the other guys:

It's not the tool's fault; it has no personality.

 

[autoace]

Considering I've never seen a cornwell truck, haven't seen a matco truck, the mac truck is sketchy at best for showing up, Snap-On pretty much is the only game in town here.

Edit: Just looked at Cornwells site. The dealer locator *****, the online catalog ***** (Can't even call it a catalog, IMHO), and 30 tooth ratchets ****. *shrug* I have yet to see much convincing.

Cornwell does not sell to the general public, fine tooth ratchets are coming soon, with hard handle! Cornwell will happily sell you Wright, Witte, Hazet, Sir,AST,etc.etc.I like the brand flexibility and the service.

 

[autoace]

I'll tell you the same thing I tell all the other guys:

It's not the tool's fault; it has no personality.

I agree,SO tools are very good,I won't pay for belligerence, and crappy service, what I need/want will come from SO online, like the tech angle torque wrench,etc. But the SO "milkmen" will have to learn a valuable lesson.

 

[nissan_crawler]

I brought my one month old ratcheting screwdriver in to Ann (Snap-On lady) because it didn't loosen up and didn't feel right to me. She handed me her stock and told me to pick what I wanted.

She GIVES ME ratchet rebuild kits, I rebuild them myself (no wait), and give her the old guts the next week.

I ordered a new LED stinger flashlight from her because my charger broke and the switch is flaky on my old regular bulb stinger. She gave me a new regular bulb stinger and charger to use until the new one shows up (two weeks now).

She also gave me a $55 trade in on my old streamlight which has a bad switch, bad lens, and no charger.

I got a 1/4" and 3/8" long handle flex, comfort grip 936 ratchets with green grips for $120.

I wanted to know how an air tool worked, she told me to take it for a week, and come back next week and return it if I didn't like it, or pay for it.

I've broken many tools that she carries (non snap-on stuff), but I didn't buy from her, and she sends them off for warranty, no questions asked.

The point? Your dealer *****. My old Snap-On dealer sucked ***, too. I walked into his truck once, he got lippy, I threw the tools on the floor of his truck and walked out, never came back.

If you have a warranty issue, contact corporate, they'll take care of it.

The old Snap-On dealer was asked to never show up again finally due to too many mechanics being screwed, and lost business on 500 mechanics. He "retired" very shortly after.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Cornwell does not sell to the general public, fine tooth ratchets are coming soon, with hard handle! Cornwell will happily sell you Wright, Witte, Hazet, Sir,AST,etc.etc.I like the brand flexibility and the service.

Ok, no truck, no internet sales, apparently they aren't too happy to sell to me. Hell, you can't even find a dealer without entering a bunch of BS info.

 

[DaBears18]

Jim Croce!

 

[Merkava_4]

But the SO "milkmen" will have to learn a valuable lesson.

You're not teaching them a lesson; you're depriving yourself of a great tool. When is the last time you had a Snap-on screwdriver cuss you out and call you bad names?

Find yourself a different dealer or buy off the website.

 

[autoace]

Ok, no truck, no internet sales, apparently they aren't too happy to sell to me. Hell, you can't even find a dealer without entering a bunch of BS info.

You will see one once they have enough vendors, they have to put on gloves with the Snap-on nation, they are a small company compared to Snap-on, they are on the rise, still family owned, they are the only tool company that is still "governed" by the original families' descendants. I am a Hazet fan, and like the fact they will warranty any lifetime tool you buy from them for you, even if it's not theirs. I hope they don't sell online and stay small enough to maintain their service, they have no choice that way, pros are their ONLY customer so they cater to us only.

 

[nissan_crawler]

I'm a pro, and they're not catering to my shop of 500 mechanics, so, not impressed. *shrug*

My Snap-On dealer honors the warranty on whatever non Snap-On tool you buy, so that changes nothing for me.

 

[autoace]

You're not teaching them a lesson; you're depriving yourself of a great tool. When is the last time you had a Snap-on screwdriver cuss you out and call you bad names?

Find yourself a different dealer or buy off the website.

Are you a SO dealer??????I can do without SO without any deprivation, I've used just about every brand there is, SO is just another very good tool company, I've had soo much trouble with their employees, I'm finding them inconvienient. Do you think they are better than Wiha??Hazet???Witte?Wright?Cornwell,definitely not, they just don't know it. I'm not arguing with you per say, I respect your perspective on the posts you have wrote, and you seem to be fairly bright. I need to stir the SO pot the other direction, it's a healthy perspective in my opinion.

 

[billymade]

It seems there is a direct correlation between the brands people choose to buy from and how well their dealer services them and what they sell. This makes perfect sense to me and was my experience when I worked at a body shop in Northern California; the Snap-oOn guy was the nicest guy to work with, had the most tools in stock on the truck, sold the most tools to everyone at the shop and his warranty replacements were done without complaint or hassle. If he switched to a different brand of truck/tool; everyone probably would have followed him and purchased whatever brand he sold...... I think the brand was less of an issue but the service was what people were loyal to and paying for...

 

[Merkava_4]

I like Cornwell tools and I'm glad you're happy with them; but I don't want to see you deprive yourself of SO tools based on the actions of some of their distributors.

I've been exposed to an A-ho dealer too, but I don't let him stop me from buying SO tools from other sources.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Do I think they're better? Yes, I do. I dislike witte/wiha screwdrivers. Wright/cornwell...they're good, but I have yet to see how they're better than Snap-On.

I can't speak as to hazet, as I've never touched one.

I find Cornwell not only inconvenient, but IMPOSSIBLE with no internet sales or dealer. They're not even an option.

The tool doesn't make the service, the person in the truck does. I'll flat out say right now, that there is no way a cornwell truck could provide better service than my Snap-On truck, unless they sell everything at cost.

Hell, I'm not even a big pro Snap-On person.

 

[autoace]

I'm a pro, and they're not catering to my shop of 500 mechanics, so, not impressed. *shrug*

My Snap-On dealer honors the warranty on whatever non Snap-On tool you buy, so that changes nothing for me.

In my area, it's too bad there has been soo many bad vendors, I have an alternative, I was reluctant of Cornwell when they first arrived, but pleasantly surprised. If the day comes when, your SO vendor/rep is a TOOL and you have a Cornwell dealer, you might see what I mean, if you have a good SO dealer, great, if I had one, Cornwell might not of had a chance.

 

[Merkava_4]

If I want a tool bad enough, I don't care who sells it or doesn't sell it, I'm gonna get it.

 

[autoace]

If I want a tool bad enough, I don't care who sells it or doesn't sell it, I'm gonna get it.

Well the Tech angle torque wrench and those T-handle ratchet wrenches are on my wish list, but I will buy them online. I don't need a dealer for the few things I really WANT, that are exclusive to SO. I can do without most of it though.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Make your own t-handle wrenches, much cheaper. I made mine, although they aren't ratcheting.

 

[autoace]

Make your own t-handle wrenches, much cheaper. I made mine, although they aren't ratcheting.

For some reason SO online isn't coming up for me,must have sensed my thread Anyway I was refering to the RTBM605 AND RTBM505 sets and RTB607

 

[nissan_crawler]

It works for me. That's what I was talking about, I made my own set of 1/4"-9/16" for $9. They're non-ratcheting, needed the clearance.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?item_ID=5032&group_ID=545

 

[billymade]

You mean these?

Set, Wrench, Ratcheting Box, T-Handle, 12-Point (7 pcs.) (1/4" to 9/16")
Stock#: RTB607 $235.50
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?item_ID=5026&group_ID=544

 

[Merkava_4]

^

Those are the MoFo's he's talking about yes.

 

[nissan_crawler]

I only have one handle, it's not like I use 5 sizes at once. I cut a piece of 5/16" brass rod for the handle part, and tapped it for 3/16", and sanded a flat on it for a jam nut. I took a piece of 3/16" brass rod, threaded it, screwed it on the handle, tightened the jam nut. On the other end, I had a clevis with male thread, so I drilled another piece of 5/16" rod about 1" long, thread it with 3/16" all the way through, screwed it on, jam nutted it, then threaded the clevis in and jam nutted it. I used a clevis, a simple pin and hairpin clip, then bought a set of $9 HF wrenches, chopped them up so they were 2" long on each end, drilled holes in them, and had a $9 set of 1/4"-9/16" open end and box end t wrenches.

If you look closely, in the right front part of the drawer, you can see several "t" handle brass tools, and one of them had a chrome wrench dangling on it.

 

[autoace]

You mean these?

Set, Wrench, Ratcheting Box, T-Handle, 12-Point (7 pcs.) (1/4" to 9/16")
Stock#: RTB607 $235.50
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?item_ID=5026&group_ID=544

those and the two metric sets

 

[autoace]

Oh my goodness, I am advertising SO,snap off post of my ownsee it's like a poison, back to Cornwell,etc...

 

[autoace]

I only have one handle, it's not like I use 5 sizes at once. I used brass rod for the handle, a clevis, a simple pin and hairpin clip, then bought a set of $9 HF wrenches, chopped them up so they were 2" long on each end, drilled holes in them, and had a $9 set of 1/4"-9/16" open end and box end t wrenches.

If you look closely, in the right front part of the drawer, you can see several "t" handle brass tools, and one of them had a chrome wrench dangling on it.

very clever! I have a prybar cut at the tip with a modified handle to use with stubby wrenches to break loose confined stuff, Lisle makes a nice air hammer version.

 

[nissan_crawler]

The clevis looked like this one, a female thread would have eliminated the adapter, but I had a male thread one in the toolbox:

This could easily be done with whatever ratcheting wrenches you wanted. I just couldn't fit them on the fasteners I use them on.

At work, they're called "jackoff" wrenches. SOmebody is always borrowing mine. For $9 set of tools, it gets around. I just couldn't stomach the cost of a SNap-ON set.

 

[billymade]

nissan_crawler, if you get a chance; I would like to see a close up pic to understand what you did... would be cool to check it out..

 

[nissan_crawler]

I cna't really, no pictures at work with out the head mans permission.

Camera in building = fired.

 

[Merkava_4]

Oh my goodness, I am advertising SO,snap off post of my ownsee it's like a poison, back to Cornwell,etc...

Lets advertise Cornwell then.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Here's the best I can do:

BLack is 5/16" brass rod, blue is 3/16" brass rod, gray is the clevis, red is jamnuts. All threads are 3/16" NF.

*The one inch piece of 5/16" brass threaded all the way through could be eliminated with a female thread clevis, again, I had a male thread, so I just did that to make it work.

Clevis like this:

Clevis pin like this:

Hairpin clip like this:

 

[autoace]

Lets advertise Cornwell then.

Sure are quick with that camera Merkava,good pics. too. My Canon doesn't like close-ups for some reason,too much reflection from the tool??thanks for the pics. I e-mailed my Cornwell guy, maybe he has some pics. of their way cool double flex joint ratcheting wrenches. He'll be to busy to do it, too busy servicing his customers.

 

[billymade]

Hey, Merk! Those Corwells look almost identical to a old school extra long Mac combo wrench I have; whats up with that?

 

[krusty the clown]

Hey, Merk! Those Corwells look almost identical to a old school extra long Mac combo wrench I have; whats up with that?

there is a good reason for that. as legend goes the men that founded mechanics tool and forge left the cornwell tool company to start a company of thier own. the story i got from the matco district manager when i was a dealer (he had been with mac before the split), was that mechanics tool and forge purchased some used equipment from the cornwell company to make wrenches. mac has continued to use the same style of square beam to this day. also note that cornwell and mac wrenches are backwards compared to other mfr's. if you hold a mac/cw wrench looking at the logo the box end will be on the left with the open end offset facing down other brands will have the box on the right. this show a common ancestry.

 

[AutoTech]

You will see one once they have enough vendors, they have to put on gloves with the Snap-on nation, they are a small company compared to Snap-on, they are on the rise, still family owned, they are the only tool company that is still "governed" by the original families' descendants. I am a Hazet fan, and like the fact they will warranty any lifetime tool you buy from them for you, even if it's not theirs. I hope they don't sell online and stay small enough to maintain their service, they have no choice that way, pros are their ONLY customer so they cater to us only.

I like Cornwell tools, have a few of there wrenches bought at flea markets. I wish we had a Cornwell dealer but I've never seen a vendor in my area. There website is no help at all, can't even buy anything, and thats pretty sorry in this day and time! I contacted Cornwell buy email about 5 years ago asking if they sold tools online and was told that it was in the works and to hang on that I would be able to purchase tools in a few weeks when everything was set up. It's 5 years later and you still can't buy tools from there website.

 

[billymade]

krusty the clown, fascinating "family tree" connection; I guess I did see a family resemblence.... "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree".. The numbering scheme is similar and the stamped markings has a similar style as well...

 

[Diesel-Mech]

I have several cornwell socket sets and I'm not to impressed with how easy the sockets fracture. I also have a few other cornwell hardline tools that I really like including one of those double flex ratcheting wrenches which I bought for a specific purpose and all though I like it I have not bought the rest of the set yet. As far as service goes I cant praise the two cornwell dealers I have had enough they were both friendly stand up guys that backed the tools that they sold 100%.