Snap On
- Thread starter gmm213
- Start date
It has been documented that snappy tools are getting lower in quality.
They are still 10x the cost of cheap stuff.
That being said, there are a couple of positives.
The designs are better, for the most part.
They still spend alot on good enginers and industial designers.
But standard sockets? I'd basically say no way.
If you are looking for a list of snappy stuff that is "worth it", there is alot
googe will turn up some threads here on the best of the best lists
then you can see if that stuff matters to you.
If you don't work on high performance applications or work professionally
things will change up your view.
A snap-on wrench on lawnmover or for IKea furniture is not needed.
They are still 10x the cost of cheap stuff.
That being said, there are a couple of positives.
The designs are better, for the most part.
They still spend alot on good enginers and industial designers.
But standard sockets? I'd basically say no way.
If you are looking for a list of snappy stuff that is "worth it", there is alot
googe will turn up some threads here on the best of the best lists
then you can see if that stuff matters to you.
If you don't work on high performance applications or work professionally
things will change up your view.
A snap-on wrench on lawnmover or for IKea furniture is not needed.
Cato
Well-known member
Worth it? As in you are trying to get the most bang for you buck?
No Way!
There's nothing special about Snap On. Some of their tools, like every other brand, comes with flaws and it will be up to you to deal with their warranty process which is probably the worst in the industry. I speak from experience trying to get some brand new flank drive wrenches replaced.
Despite what everyone says, they don't last longer or are more durable. They aren't made from 'space age' steel or by hardworking union men in the Midwest. Nope, just regular steel and a bunch of nobs who might be better employed as greeters at Walmart. Seriously, the only difference is the price - which is 10x what other brands are offering.
Now if you have money to burn, or you like to pretend you have money to burn to impress your friends to compensate for a childhood love your daddy didn't give, then Snap On might be the brand for you.
No Way!
There's nothing special about Snap On. Some of their tools, like every other brand, comes with flaws and it will be up to you to deal with their warranty process which is probably the worst in the industry. I speak from experience trying to get some brand new flank drive wrenches replaced.
Despite what everyone says, they don't last longer or are more durable. They aren't made from 'space age' steel or by hardworking union men in the Midwest. Nope, just regular steel and a bunch of nobs who might be better employed as greeters at Walmart. Seriously, the only difference is the price - which is 10x what other brands are offering.
Now if you have money to burn, or you like to pretend you have money to burn to impress your friends to compensate for a childhood love your daddy didn't give, then Snap On might be the brand for you.
Herod
Banned
Some people hold themselves to a higher standard.
Cato, that answer is sort of missing the point.
snap on makes open ends in at least 6 differnt lengths,
(none of which overlap with a "standard" euro manufactures length).
They also make open-end jaws that vary in thickness by at least 4 grades.
But the point is you don't need always need that type of complete portfolio.
If you're joe average homeowner or whatever.
If you do need that type of coverage, you don't need to ask people why its worth it.
Snappy is happy to cater to people like this, and happy to do waranty work for them.
Again, their business market is not the casual user or flea-market buyer.
snap on makes open ends in at least 6 differnt lengths,
(none of which overlap with a "standard" euro manufactures length).
They also make open-end jaws that vary in thickness by at least 4 grades.
But the point is you don't need always need that type of complete portfolio.
If you're joe average homeowner or whatever.
If you do need that type of coverage, you don't need to ask people why its worth it.
Snappy is happy to cater to people like this, and happy to do waranty work for them.
Again, their business market is not the casual user or flea-market buyer.
Rosso
Well-known member
I'm going to stay neutral in a sense for the argument about SO tools, i know what i know.
But as an eye opener a very interesting thing happened on the SO truck just last week that paints a picture.
The dealer had 4 x 10mm sockets with a screwdriver fixing (demo purpose i guess) in a neat little box... Ever the curious i asked what it was for.
1 socket was a SO, the other a Mac, Craftsman and Britool. He said take a look at them.
The mac wasn't forged/stamped/machined correctly, the 10mm hex was offset so one side of the socket was thick the other wafer thin.
The Craftsman was the same and the Britool was so poor you could probably have used it as an 11mm socket.
Only the SO socket had a step inside it too to stop the nut from falling all the way into the bottom of the socket.
The dealer made the point that when people say xxxxx is just as good as SO, he can easily demonstrate that it isn't.
But as an eye opener a very interesting thing happened on the SO truck just last week that paints a picture.
The dealer had 4 x 10mm sockets with a screwdriver fixing (demo purpose i guess) in a neat little box... Ever the curious i asked what it was for.
1 socket was a SO, the other a Mac, Craftsman and Britool. He said take a look at them.
The mac wasn't forged/stamped/machined correctly, the 10mm hex was offset so one side of the socket was thick the other wafer thin.
The Craftsman was the same and the Britool was so poor you could probably have used it as an 11mm socket.
Only the SO socket had a step inside it too to stop the nut from falling all the way into the bottom of the socket.
The dealer made the point that when people say xxxxx is just as good as SO, he can easily demonstrate that it isn't.
Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
Here we go again! Another thread where people get **** hurt........
Snap On is overpriced.........
Snap On warranty *****........
Snap On is the best.........
Snap On warranty is the best.........
Has anyone mentioned Harbor Freight or Country of Origin yet?
Snap On is overpriced.........
Snap On warranty *****........
Snap On is the best.........
Snap On warranty is the best.........
Has anyone mentioned Harbor Freight or Country of Origin yet?
warmpancakes
Well-known member
FreeTenthsDiag
Banned
The amount of stupidity in this post is staggering.
I don't care what tools people buy with their own money, but when people point at my SO tools or other truck brand tools and tell me they are overpriced garbage, I immediately recognize their envy.
I don't care what tools people buy with their own money, but when people point at my SO tools or other truck brand tools and tell me they are overpriced garbage, I immediately recognize their envy.
warmpancakes
Well-known member
Haters gonna Hate
FMC1959
Well-known member
SantaAna12
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2012
- Messages
- 1,091
Herod
Banned
Read this. ^^ ^^ ^^ Should be end of thread. But it won't be.
So here's more........some people DO hold themselves to a higher level. All the harbor fright and lowes kobalt and craftman people.....cool....get on with your bad-selves.
But you come on here and soil a tool company you're envious of....? ?.......Come on, now.
Tell you how an old man put it....he said, "A man who owns china tools is a man with no self respect.....same kinda guy piss in a swimming pool".
Yes but the detractors are never going to step on a truck to find out.
& they are afraid the dealer will make them drink kool aid.
t4runner
Well-known member
Lets see by replacing the words Snap On with Milwaukee I can save time and skip reading both threads.
FreeTenthsDiag
Banned
I guarantee you the vast majority of people also saying the warranty ***** also are not in professional shops dealing with a static driver. I guarantee they are average guys who may have an interaction with a driver here or there.
My warranty experience through all my drivers, the good and the bad.
Me: This broke. (Hands it to the truck driver, go back to work.)
Then scenario A or B happened.
A: Dealer comes back in and hands me a fixed or completely new tool.
B. Dealer comes back in to let me know he has to send it out, here is a time frame, here is a loaner.
Me: (Happy)
JAKE-THE-TOOL-MAN
Well-known member
x2 Same **** different day...
Sometimes several times a day...
Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
I wonder what this forum would be like if people discussed the merits of a tool individually rather than a brand as a whole?
I agree. Only possible contention is what specifically mission critical tools are. For me, I consider a large portion of my tools mission critical, and most are Snap On.
What I don't support are the snap on rebrands. No reason to buy rebranded items from snap on if you dont get or value SO warranty. But I agree, there ARE tools that do not need to be super high quality to be functional. My guess is, we could start a big argument trying to identify them.
Wamsutta
Well-known member
That depends on how "tool sensitive" you are. If you're like me and notice every single minute detail in how a tool functions, it's definitely worth it to save my sanity. Other guys out there can't tell the difference between an SO wrench and a Kobalt wrench even if they used it all day.
I am actually an independent consultant and do not work in any one shop.
Several of his customers are mine also, some for race engineering others for harness and connector repair.
Where there are some trucks owners here on GJ that would not deal with me since I am not in a shop, you can get a interesting mix of different driver personalities.
Not everything is perfect in the SO line, I have ordered a screw driver bit for the interchangeable handle with the 1/4 square and both bits have been manufactured incorrectly <differently>and will not fit in the handle. So it is a little of humor between the driver and myself. I had told him early on that I will order weird stuff and strange things will happen.
Couple of months ago I ordered a locking 1/4 drive extension set Snap-On distributing sent it to an address in an other town here on LI.
He followed up on it and nobody at SO could explain why it was sent to that address and not his regular shipping address.
Early in the summer he made my wife very happy by giving us a small snap on cooler filled with just caught fluke.
JAKE-THE-TOOL-MAN
Well-known member
Probably a whole lot better, I love this site for the tool **** and the garage tips. I'm a firm believer that you can learn something new from everyone, that is why I waste my time skimming through threads like this. You never know, there might be that one post in the entire thread that golden info.
FreeTenthsDiag
Banned
No one said everything is perfect in the SO line. My current driver ***** as far as a salesman and person goes, the warranty is still honored.
You will not find a company in the world that no one has never had a bad experience from. The problem I am seeing on this board is "well I had this experience but 10 people had a completely positive experience, but those 10 people's experience is not typical, my isolated experience is."
Snap-on makes great professional tools, intended for professionals, with services catering to professionals which is why professionals will continue to support them. That is perfectly fine, just as the opposite, average DIYers and hobbyists will find other, less expensive options to be a much better value.
The people who put down Snap-on almost universally have limited to no experience with them. I have been doing my line of work for a good long time now and I have heard all the same things over and over again from techs in the shop who work with their Craftsman tools out of their Craftsman box and didn't like that the tool some other tech has that they want costs money and then they go off on tirades about a tool truck brand not being worth it, they are junk, blah, blah, blah.
I respect everyone's right to buy the tools they like for whichever reason. I don't respect the people who come in and just put down my tools, which are perfect for me, feel good for me and perform me, or tell others that a brand is not worth it, overpriced, ****, whatever.
OP, in short, go pick up a few different brands, your hands will tell you which one is right for you and then price won't be as big of a factor.
BDT/NWMN
Well-known member
My warranty experience over the years was excellent.. I did allot of business with them without leaving my work bay.. Excellent sales and service for sure.... If there was a sales promotion, he would bring a tray of tools with as he made the rounds...
FiendFX
Well-known member
This is why I buy many brands.
My guy uses low key approach to selling, he actually will tell me when there is some thing not to bother with.
But I have learned my first words to him are what are the specials of the week? And I give him a spreadsheet of stuff I want so he can place order if specials come over phone while talking to SO office.
He has been doing this for 30 plus years and I wander through his tool drawers and pick out discontinued stuff, like 1/4 inch flexible deep sockets.
My dealer has a good relationship with his clients they all speak well of him, he is fair and does not play games.
What part of NE you in, spend a bunch of time fishing in Hull?
Yea I agree with you 100%. My grandpa told me when I started working in an auto shop last year (just for fun) to never buy Chinese tools, and that Snap On is the best. He only has SO, MAC, some SK, old Craftsman, and Matco stuff in his boxes. I took some of his SO stuff and loved it, and bought a lot of new stuff. The driver is great and gives me discounts due to my age. The warranty is excellent and the driver comes around consistently to my shop.
To the OP, if you don't like SO, don't buy it, but you don't need to bag on them here, they are great tools and although pricey, are worth it to a professional.
espyking83
Well-known member
Hehehe. For what you pay for a set of Snap sockets, I can buy a better socket set made by a different company and a better wrench set than Snap On can make. All have lifetime warranties, the only problem is that I might have to wait a few more calender days for a replacement. Name one tool that Snap On actually makes (not rebrands) that another company cant do better for a hell of a lot less.
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FreeTenthsDiag
Banned
espyking83
Well-known member
The only tool that Snap On makes that is clearly better than the rest are their ratcheting screwdrivers. And I can buy the same damned thing in Williams or Bahco for less than half the price.
Does Snap On make the best wrenches? No.
Sockets? No.
Screwdrivers? No
Taps/Dies/Extractors/Bits? No, they dont even make their own.
Hammers? LoL
Air/Power tools? No, better can be bought at Lowes.
Do they have the best service? Yes, easily. No contest.
Does Snap On make the best wrenches? No.
Sockets? No.
Screwdrivers? No
Taps/Dies/Extractors/Bits? No, they dont even make their own.
Hammers? LoL
Air/Power tools? No, better can be bought at Lowes.
Do they have the best service? Yes, easily. No contest.
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espyking83
Well-known member
Sure it does.
espyking83
Well-known member
I will say that Snap On, from top to bottom, is the best well rounded company out there. Meaning they have a very diverse line of tools, and for the most part they are quality. Overpriced--but quality. But that doesnt mean they make the best tools, not by a long shot.
Herod
Banned
Try....all of them.
Snap on is top dog.
That's why all you inferior dogs are always barking at the wolf.
FreeTenthsDiag
Banned
This comment right here nullifies your opinion actually.
espyking83
Well-known member
Lets see your toolbox, and where it's located.
espyking83
Well-known member
Surely it doesn't.
FreeTenthsDiag
Banned
Anyone that proclaims their opinion as more valid than another's is not a person I would take seriously and I bet the same goes for many others.
85camaro
Banned
Happy wrenching to all, no matter which brand of tools you use.