Stupid Snap-on question

[scab]

Forgive my ignorance but what is the significance of the different Snap-on colors? And do people swap these handles just for aesthetics or is there another reason. Most of my stuff is Craftsman so I don't know much about about SO. Thanks.

 

[canuckian]

Different people prefer different colors. Same reason cars, homes and socks are different colors. There are some instances however where different sets of tools have different colored handles for easy identification. The SAE nut driver set is one example.

 

[SpawnedX]

Forgive my ignorance but what is the significance of the different Snap-on colors? And do people swap these handles just for aesthetics or is there another reason. Most of my stuff is Craftsman so I don't know much about about SO. Thanks.

Tools are made for being used to fix stuff. Since I think tool collecting is an effeminate twist on tools, I also think anyone who believes there is anything to gain by getting petty colors on their handles doesn't even know what tools are anyway.

Simply Put: There is no real significance. They all do the same thing.

 

[franzdom]

It's nice having bright colored things so they are not left behind in an engine bay, and I changed out my comfort grip breaker bars to the green so I could quickly see the difference between breaker bars and ratchets. Those are just a couple reasons. Also, colors are just for fun lots of times.

 

[Chipmunk]

Tools are made for being used to fix stuff. Since I think tool collecting is an effeminate twist on tools, I also think anyone who believes there is anything to gain by getting petty colors on their handles doesn't even know what tools are anyway.

Simply Put: There is no real significance. They all do the same thing.

The Amish would appreciate your philosophy regarding tools.

 

[woody 73]

Tool colors, a flock of die hard collectors ,plus a web-site like the GJ make for an E-Bay cocktail of delight for all sellers; Kind of like adding gasoline to the fire!

Kind of like:
Wow how many vises do you own?
Oh my gosh those little 4" crescent wrenches are so cute.
Snap-on baby and nothing else.
Ma bell all the way.
Plumb pebble finish to die for.

 

[scab]

Cool, I was beginning to think that the colors represented different price points or something. Thanks for the replies.

 

[gbh]

Colour coding anything makes it easier when calling on someone with little or no experience to pass you something whilst under a vehicle.....and they look purty.

 

[Hiball]

Cool, I was beginning to think that the colors represented different price points or something. Thanks for the replies.

The only significance that colors represent (from a price point) is that some where limited production runs, thus they are highly sought after in the collector world. I think since Snap on re-introduced the hard handles drivers, most of the craziness has died down in the secondary markets, flip the calendar back 2-3 years and if you had "new " condition colored handles you really had something. When i say "something", I mean something that would fetch generally more than it listed for, not something that was better based off its handle color.

 

[redwrench60]

I think the origional point was to have a brightly colored tool that stand out in a dark engine bay or poorly lit corner of the shop. Maybe to distuinguish your tools from everybodys else in the shop. Maybe it reflects your favorite teams colors, or just your favorite color. I tend to buy orange (go Vols) but I have a spattering of everything, it doesn't really matter.

BTW, I always viewed collecting behavior as a man thing. Trucks, cars, guns, tools, arrow heads, hunting trophies, zippo lighters, the list goes on. I don't know many women that collect anything, but all men I know seem to collect something.

 

[Toolman12]

I work inside vehicle interiors (building law enforcement vehicles) and sometimes the lighting is not so good so when i use a tool with a neon orange handle it is a lot easier to spot when they roll under the seat or out of sight. I pay a lot of money for my professional tools and like to keep them.Any one talking about that there is no real significance or does not know what tools are anyway. is talking out of their ***

 

[ironmutt]

about the only thing i am ocd about is tools in sets . if i have orange pry bars i want every thing in the drawer with them to match . same with plyers i have a bluepoint set so when i went to buy the long handle boot set i got blue point cause they match . its kinda like you wouldn't put a green hutch on a black box , and a red side cab .

 

[Pedro86]

well, also, when most everyone in your shop has the same tool- same snap-on socket, same ratchet and so on, by going with a different color, it makes it a little easier to spot your own tools

I mean, if you got 10 guys with all snap-on tools.. even if 3 of them buy green handled tools- that means its still easier to identify whose tool... so thats why i generally buy different colors...

 

[SpawnedX]

Colour coding anything makes it easier when calling on someone with little or no experience to pass you something whilst under a vehicle.....and they look purty.

Can I come work at your shop? I have never had the luxury of a slave, er apprentice, to stand around and hand me the tools I need.

 

[EvilWelder]

I was buying the orange hard handle stuff years ago, simply because it was easier to find than the black if you dropped it.

 

[cgv69]

Tools are made for being used to fix stuff. Since I think tool collecting is an effeminate twist on tools, I also think anyone who believes there is anything to gain by getting petty colors on their handles doesn't even know what tools are anyway.

And cars are made to move cargo or people from point A to point B but people do all sorts of stuff with them and to them that they were never designed for. I guess those people are fags (or effeminate as you cleverly put it) too?

Pride and enjoyment of ownership, be it tools, cars, guns, fishing poles or what have you is not a bad thing. Just because it's not your thing doesn't make it "effeminate"

To answer the OP's question... for the amateur working in his private space the different colors mean little more then appealing to the owners taste. For the pro working in a large shop with other techs, different colors are sometimes selected so they can easily identify their tools from the other guys stuff. I've even read about some guys who have painted their tools pink, not only to make them easily to find and identify but also to make them less appealing to thieves but I guess Spawn would think those guys are queer too :tard:

 

[gbh]

Can I come work at your shop? I have never had the luxury of a slave, er apprentice, to stand around and hand me the tools I need.

Yes, I should have clarified that those passing me the tools were more often the owner of the vehicle that I was helping out for free.....rather than slaves.

 

[SpawnedX]

And cars are made to move cargo or people from point A to point B but people do all sorts of stuff with them and to them that they were never designed for. I guess those people are fags (or effeminate as you cleverly put it) too?

Pride and enjoyment of ownership, be it tools, cars, guns, fishing poles or what have you is not a bad thing. Just because it's not your thing doesn't make it "effeminate"

To answer the OP's question... for the amateur working in his private space the different colors mean little more then appealing to the owners taste. For the pro working in a large shop with other techs, different colors are sometimes selected so they can easily identify their tools from the other guys stuff. I've even read about some guys who have painted their tools pink, not only to make them easily to find and identify but also to make them less appealing to thieves but I guess Spawn would think those guys are queer too :tard:

A pocket book, er screwdriver, to match every pair of shoes you have? The only color your tools should be is grease stained.

 

[lennoxlennox]

A pocket book, er screwdriver, to match every pair of shoes you have? The only color your tools should be is grease stained.

that's the funny part... i look at my tools in the box and i don't see any new colors

so the OP has a good question


(i always chuckle on peoples pics with shiny tools with no nics and brightly colored handles on the "show me your..." threads -- to me it's like the harley princess who has his bike garaged and takes it out 3 times a year to go through the drive though of some place and brings it back again for a waxing)

 

[Man of Many Vices]

Tool colors, a flock of die hard collectors ,plus a web-site like the GJ make for an E-Bay cocktail of delight for all sellers; Kind of like adding gasoline to the fire!

Kind of like:
Wow how many vises do you own?
Oh my gosh those little 4" crescent wrenches are so cute.
Snap-on baby and nothing else.
Ma bell all the way.
Plumb pebble finish to die for.

Ouch, Woody. I fit squarely in several of the categories named above.

I collect vises because I like good quality American made products of yesterday. My 100 vises: maybe more, maybe less, depends on if you count my wood, drill press, mill, post and hand vises, I guess. I buy them from people who don't know what they have other than that it is worth more than its weight as scrap iron.

It won't be long before I will be turning them loose (along with a small mountain of other old tools) so that some young guy just hired in a shop, or older guy retired to his garage, can take pride that he is using every day a tool that is more than 50, 75 or even 100 years old, and works as good as the day it was made.

A 4-inch adjustable wrench easily fits in the pocket. My 5'-0" 110 lb. wife, who is indifferent to most tools, lights up at the sight of a "miniature" wrench, hammer or other tool that seems to be made just for her. I imagine youngsters would enjoy learning to use smaller tools that they properly handle, and tend to fit the gadgets and gizmos kids build and tear apart.

This wonderful forum is where I learned that Snap-on tools are among a LONG list of exceptional tools. We tend to admire what we cannot afford. You and others on GJ helped me realize that I really can afford high quality American tools, made by many manufacturers.

If by "Ma-Bell," you mean Bell System tools, I take a second look whenever I see them. I imagine Ma Bell did not want her boys climbing to the top of a utility pole with a pouch full of junk tools. If, on the other hand, you mean Ma Bell, aka Verizon, I couldn't agree with you more. That's why I severed the underground phone line running through my property with a backhoe. Now I'm stuck with cell phone only service.

Pebble Plumbs. We will just have to disagree on that one. I consider pebbles to be among the nicest architecturally designed mechanics tools ever made. Beauty, strength, quality, perfect for the purpose it was designed and engineered to fulfill. That this brand name has endured as a topic of daily discussion a 3/4 of a century after its demise is a tribute to this fine tool.

Colors? I remember when Ma Bell, herself, first came out with phones in various colors. It wasn't long before basic black disappeared from kitchens and desktops all across America. The color change opened American consumer eyes that choices are available. It would not be long before MCI rolled into the picture.

Collectors? They keep the value and quality of all tools higher. Because older, finer high quality USABLE American made tools are readily available and can compete on price, toolmakers who wish to survive must continue to improve their offerings.

And if it wasn't for the "collectors," many more wonderful tools would have been scrapped before everybody else realized what they gave up.

Dan
Indio, CA

 

[Chipmunk]

I have a friend who has one of the nicest, cleanest, most well equipped wood working shop in the United States. He never makes anything, not even a wood coaster. He wouldn’t know Oak from Walnut and doesn’t care.

His hobby is the shop itself and the tools within. His tools are laid in his Snap-On Tool Wagon with the precision of the table service at one of Queen Elizabeth’s banquets.

I used to laugh at him, until I grew older and came to realize they were his tools, purchased with his money and his time caring for them.

That’s what made him happy, and that’s worth more than disparaging someone because they like different color tool handles. Having drab tools does not make you more manly, it simply means you may lack imagination. Sort of like having the vary same thing for dinner everyday.

 

[SpawnedX]

I have a friend who has one of the nicest, cleanest, most well equipped wood working shop in the United States. He never makes anything, not even a wood coaster. He wouldn’t know Oak from Walnut and doesn’t care.

His hobby is the shop itself and the tools within. His tools are laid in his Snap-On Tool Wagon with the precision of the table service at one of Queen Elizabeth’s banquets.

I used to laugh at him, until I grew older and came to realize they were his tools, purchased with his money and his time caring for them.

That’s what made him happy, and that’s worth more than disparaging someone because they like different color tool handles. Having drab tools does not make you more manly, it simply means you may lack imagination. Sort of like having the vary same thing for dinner everyday.

Or maybe it is more like seeing a pantry full of food that is rotting while the masses are starving.

 

[2oolhound]

We've all seen the tenement buildings in china (or pictures of) and conversely the architecture of Prague. Even in north america the old homes built before 1900 have ginger bread frills not seen in todays structures. People added some artistic flare to their work at one time. Today design is based on nickels and dimes. We now have tenement tools to work with and our lives are getting mundane.

 

[woody 73]

Dan the Web is Fantastic but at the same time it is a Curse, gone are the days of the quick in and out now anyone can type in a name and get a boat load of valuable information. What took me years of learning can be had in seconds and what people are looking for is out in the open for all to see.

 

[otis66]

I bought a set of yellow and a set of blue handled screwdrivers because all of the other Snap Colors were already being used by other people on the job. Red,Orange, and Green. If I saw a yellow or blue screwdriver I knew it was mine. Also yellow is easy to spot when drop in the engine compartment or under the bus. I bought the yellow set first then a couple years later I bought the blue. No on on my job had Yellow or blue Snap On Screw Drivers.

 

[Man of Many Vices]

Dan the Web is Fantastic but at the same time it is a Curse, gone are the days of the quick in and out now anyone can type in a name and get a boat load of valuable information. What took me years of learning can be had in seconds and what people are looking for is out in the open for all to see.

Woody:

What you have is wisdom, which cannot be acquired simply by having access to information, no matter how easily obtained.

I deeply admire and respect your lifetime accumulation of wisdom and experience, and that of other members of Garage Journal. What you know, and how you have applied that knowledge over the years, is unique to you. It can only be passed on to others in small doses, as you have in these forums. Your thoughts give fuel to my thoughts.

We have arrived at a time when "access to information" is considered more valuable by some than wisdom and experience. Yet, wisdom will always prevail, because "information" requires context. A library card never made anyone smart, nor will access to the internet make them wise.

I restore and collect old tools that people like you proudly used until it was time to put them back in the box for the last time. Yet, having your tools, even having access to your accumulated knowledge -- if that was possible -- doesn't even come close to having your wisdom and experience.

Those guys with the green handled Snap-ons can learn a lot from you. Pick one day each week to take one or two to lunch. Rotate among the different colors: green, red, blue, orange, even pink.

Dan
Indio, CA

 

[Beerman]

Ouch, Woody. I fit squarely in several of the categories named above.

I collect vises because I like good quality American made products of yesterday. My 100 vises: maybe more, maybe less, depends on if you count my wood, drill press, mill, post and hand vises, I guess. I buy them from people who don't know what they have other than that it is worth more than its weight as scrap iron.

It won't be long before I will be turning them loose (along with a small mountain of other old tools) so that some young guy just hired in a shop, or older guy retired to his garage, can take pride that he is using every day a tool that is more than 50, 75 or even 100 years old, and works as good as the day it was made.

A 4-inch adjustable wrench easily fits in the pocket. My 5'-0" 110 lb. wife, who is indifferent to most tools, lights up at the sight of a "miniature" wrench, hammer or other tool that seems to be made just for her. I imagine youngsters would enjoy learning to use smaller tools that they properly handle, and tend to fit the gadgets and gizmos kids build and tear apart.

This wonderful forum is where I learned that Snap-on tools are among a LONG list of exceptional tools. We tend to admire what we cannot afford. You and others on GJ helped me realize that I really can afford high quality American tools, made by many manufacturers.

If by "Ma-Bell," you mean Bell System tools, I take a second look whenever I see them. I imagine Ma Bell did not want her boys climbing to the top of a utility pole with a pouch full of junk tools. If, on the other hand, you mean Ma Bell, aka Verizon, I couldn't agree with you more. That's why I severed the underground phone line running through my property with a backhoe. Now I'm stuck with cell phone only service.

Pebble Plumbs. We will just have to disagree on that one. I consider pebbles to be among the nicest architecturally designed mechanics tools ever made. Beauty, strength, quality, perfect for the purpose it was designed and engineered to fulfill. That this brand name has endured as a topic of daily discussion a 3/4 of a century after its demise is a tribute to this fine tool.

Colors? I remember when Ma Bell, herself, first came out with phones in various colors. It wasn't long before basic black disappeared from kitchens and desktops all across America. The color change opened American consumer eyes that choices are available. It would not be long before MCI rolled into the picture.

Collectors? They keep the value and quality of all tools higher. Because older, finer high quality USABLE American made tools are readily available and can compete on price, toolmakers who wish to survive must continue to improve their offerings.

And if it wasn't for the "collectors," many more wonderful tools would have been scrapped before everybody else realized what they gave up.

Dan
Indio, CA

A most excellent post, Sir. I'm going to recommend to the rest of the committee that you be promoted to Senior Member immediately!!!!


Beerman

 

[greasemonkey44]

colors make it easier to prevent loss and identify which tools belong to whom
im a green man; the boss prefers orange

 

[cgv69]

Or maybe it is more like seeing a pantry full of food that is rotting while the masses are starving.

Ah I get it now, it's a jealously thing. You can't stand the fact that there are people out there with better, nicer tools then you and that those people may not use them as much as you think you would.

Get over it. I work hard to stock my pantry and "the masses" aren't starving because my pantry is full. They are starving because they failed to stock their own pantry and that's no ones fault but their own.

Let me let you in on a little secret of life... spend more time taking care of your own pantry and less time worrying about others. You will be much happy and better stocked in the end.

 

[Man of Many Vices]

A most excellent post, Sir. I'm going to recommend to the rest of the committee that you be promoted to Senior Member immediately!


Beerman:
Thank you for your gracious comment. I was feeling bad again that I can't keep my big mouth shut. I have too little genuine knowledge and experience to qualify as a Senior Member. As a slow learner, I may never get there. I spent the last 30 years making a living talking and writing. I want to start DOING SOMETHING. At least in this forum I can read and write about doing something.

Dan

 

[jeffmoss26]

Man of many vices, THANK YOU.
You have said what I and many others feel. Everyone has something that interests them, everyone collects 'something'!

 

[PT Doc]

Or maybe it is more like seeing a pantry full of food that is rotting while the masses are starving.

Not a good analogy at all. Sorry. Envy might be one of the deadly sins for a reason.

Make the necessary changes to make your life great in your own eyes, not through someone elses eye.

Peace at you.

 

[Brownsfan]

I think the origional point was to have a brightly colored tool that stand out in a dark engine bay or poorly lit corner of the shop. Maybe to distuinguish your tools from everybodys else in the shop. Maybe it reflects your favorite teams colors, or just your favorite color. I tend to buy orange (go Vols) but I have a spattering of everything, it doesn't really matter.

BTW, I always viewed collecting behavior as a man thing. Trucks, cars, guns, tools, arrow heads, hunting trophies, zippo lighters, the list goes on. I don't know many women that collect anything, but all men I know seem to collect something.

My wifes purse and shoe collection begs to differ with you

 

[redwrench60]

My wifes purse and shoe collection begs to differ with you

Yeah you got me there. Then again is she on a purse and shoe forum every night arguing the finer points of purse COO and the "let's see your shoes" thread? Lol

 

[PinkLinc]

Tools are made for being used to fix stuff. Since I think tool collecting is an effeminate twist on tools, I also think anyone who believes there is anything to gain by getting petty colors on their handles doesn't even know what tools are anyway.

Simply Put: There is no real significance. They all do the same thing.

Can I come work at your shop? I have never had the luxury of a slave, er apprentice, to stand around and hand me the tools I need.

A pocket book, er screwdriver, to match every pair of shoes you have? The only color your tools should be is grease stained.

Or maybe it is more like seeing a pantry full of food that is rotting while the masses are starving.

The new guy sure knows how to make friends!

 

[warmpancakes]

I have red screwdrivers for flat heads and yellow for phillips, thats as fancy as i get