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The first scratch is always the hardest...

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Mike83

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Joined
Jan 24, 2008
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2,156
Location
Wisconsin
I used my shiny new Snappy S80 to take off and put back on a wheel yesterday. I had to cringe a little as I placed the ratchet on the concrete driveway, but certainly the first scratch is the hardest. After that all bets are off :beer:

Btw the S80 is sweet except for the aluminum selector switch that is already worn down a bit from one use :(
 
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Stu.C

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Jan 22, 2007
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20
Location
Lancashire, UK
Can't say a scratch on a ratchet handle has ever stopped me from being able to undo a wheelnut.

Guess I just don't get it - different strokes and all that...
 
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fordracing200

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Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Messages
629
I've never even used my long handle locking flex 1/2 or 3/8 ratchets, nor my t72, and my friend use the 1/2" 80, I only used the normal 3/8 80 once :-(
 
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wreckercologist

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Joined
May 17, 2009
Messages
1,813
Location
cyber-tool hell
I just walk off the Snap on truck with my new tools and then drop them on the ground. Then I can quit worrying about scuffing up the chrome.:thumbup:

I do, however, lay a shop rag on the concrete and then lay my tools on that. If for no other reason than to get in the habit of keeping them together while under a truck. Getting a creeper stuck on a tool doesn't do any favors for the chrome plating either, plus it's a pain to deal with.

My precision measuring instruments are another story altogether!:shocking:
 
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billymade

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Apr 2, 2008
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7,461
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New Mexico
This issue is one of the primary reasons I like to get used tools; I don't have to worry about scratches, they are already "broken in" and I usually get them for 50% or less of retail! Its kinda like having a new pair of sneakers as a kid; the first scuff was a killer (you tried to remove any scuffs/dirt that first couple of days you wore them) but after that everything was ok! :)
 
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Big Bad Jon

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Jun 14, 2008
Messages
719
In a way I can kind of understand what you are saying... it is a beautiful tool. but to me, its beauty is foremost in the mechanism. I have a policy, if i cant scratch something and not feel guilty about it... I do not need to have it. Be careful if you keep using it, it might even develop something called patina :bounce:
 
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Hoot

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Joined
Nov 12, 2007
Messages
238
Location
Huntsville, Al
You know, I never used to worry about getting scratches on my tools until I lived in a house that had a "repaired" section in the garage floor. For some reason, it had a brushed finish that was as rough as all get out. My old house (with a somewhat smooth garage floor), I'd sling tools along the floor to get them out from under the car, and then gather them up. With the rough floor, I'd gather everything up in my arms (even if it meant multiple trips) and take it back to the workbench. Dragging anything chrome across that floor would instantly take it down to the copper.

Thankfully, I've moved to a place with a smooth garage floor again......
 
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G-Tech

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Jul 14, 2009
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26
Location
Ontario / Michigan The Automotive Corridor
billymade said:
This issue is one of the primary reasons I like to get used tools; I don't have to worry about scratches, they are already "broken in" and I usually get them for 50% or less of retail! Its kinda like having a new pair of sneakers as a kid; the first scuff was a killer (you tried to remove any scuffs/dirt that first couple of days you wore them) but after that everything was ok! :)
Click to expand...

+1
Considering that if you start with quality tools, they are still great secondhand....!!! and you dont have to worry to much about their appearance. I consider the scratches and gauges as battle bruises....that either I or someone else have won given the fact that the tool still performs as it was designed to do.

I Feel the same way about show cars. I have much more appreciation for a guy car/owner that takes his ride on the street and beats on it, then the guy that just throws chrome on it...the street ride has battle bruises.....and it is enjoyed the way it was meant to be....just like a ratchet should be....

To each their own...:beer:
 
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autoace

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Oct 20, 2008
Messages
3,440
Location
Maine,USA
Buy one of those cheap utility carts, and only use the bottom tray and wheels. Then you have a rolling tool tray. I line it with the drawer liner stuff, and keep a mag tray handy for the hardware, and another so sockets dont roll around. Beats messing with card board, and you can roll the tools around as a whole.
 
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metal1313

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Apr 28, 2009
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3,416
Location
clinton NJ
i dont know if i really care too much to lay something out to prevent my tools from looking like someone uses them. now i do lay a 4x8 sheet of masonite out under my truck or cars to make it easier to roll the creeper around on and to keep spills off the drive, but i have abused my tools and they are by no means snap-on quality but they really dont show any wear.

well except for a 1 1/8 socket that was thrown to the ground once and thrown thru a window another time( it cracked while stripping a parts truck, and i caved in a door that i needed WITH MY FACE)
 
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nate379

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Feb 2, 2009
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7,279
Location
Palmer, AK
Pillows and carpet LOL!

The floor works fine for me. I hate it when I get something jammed under the creeper and it drags it all over the floor though.

Sure I try not to drag the $$ stuff around the floor too much, but a $40 ratchet... eh... no biggie.
 
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BB26

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May 2, 2009
Messages
583
Location
oregon
ImportTuner said:
I usually have a oil drip pan near the car I'm working on .. that's where I put my tools on :)
Click to expand...

+1 on using the drip pan. If I don't have the drip pan out I carry a small plastic tray with a handle. Similar to the removable top inserts in portable hand tool boxes.
 
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cruiser808

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Mar 9, 2008
Messages
1,921
Location
Hawaii
Merkava_4 said:
Get the cardboard trays from Costco that the Skippy peanut butter comes in; that's what I do. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Makes sense to me. I put out large flat cardboard boxes under my jobs because:

1) I get them for free;
2) I dress like a guy in the tropics;
2) in my driveway, if I work on auto repair, it's nasty for grip and it will slice you up if you dress like a guy in the tropics.
4) when these need to be disposed, H-Power Hawaii will do the eco-friendly thing through burning and converting the waste to energy per the City's environmental disposal program.
5) It's eco friendly (see #4) and will not trigger NSPDES standards dictated by the EPA. In Hawaii, because of the constant possibilty of illegal ocean dumping, the MS4 drainage systems of the C&C are a priority for my code enforcement. Think about it folks, would you want to spend your hard earned money to vacation in Hawaii, only to find the offshore waters are contaminated? Part of my job is to see that it doesn't happen.
 
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speed bump

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May 28, 2008
Messages
6,317
Location
Butte Montana
Normal tool use scratches never bother me. I bought the tool to use and that's what I am going to do with it. Now welding helmets and precision measuring tools are another thing. I baby them like crazy.
 
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cruiser808

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Joined
Mar 9, 2008
Messages
1,921
Location
Hawaii
cruiser808 said:
Makes sense to me. I put out large flat cardboard boxes under my jobs because:

1) I get them for free;
2) I dress like a guy in the tropics;
2) in my driveway, if I work on auto repair, it's nasty for grip and it will slice you up if you dress like a guy in the tropics.
4) when these need to be disposed, H-Power Hawaii will do the eco-friendly thing through burning and converting the waste to energy per the City's environmental disposal program.
5) It's eco friendly (see #4) and will not trigger NSPDES standards dictated by the EPA. In Hawaii, because of the constant possibilty of illegal ocean dumping, the MS4 drainage systems of the C&C are a priority for my code enforcement. Think about it folks, would you want to spend your hard earned money to vacation in Hawaii, only to find the offshore waters are contaminated? Part of my job is to see that it doesn't happen.
Click to expand...

I suppose I over reacted on the thread as we're just talking about tool protection and not oil spills from driveways. Unfortunately, I see alot of oil dumping into our storm drains which eventually go into the ocean and they come from individual property owners that just don't care.
 
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Thedroid

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Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
718
Location
New Mexico
How could you wear down the selector switch by taking off a wheel and putting it back on?? What kind of aluminum are they using these days? I bet the plastic CMan selectors would not look worn after taking off a wheel.
 
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