what brought you over to the dark side ?

[K-Dog]

How did you get your start in "high end tools "?

For me, I was a helper in the body shop. Happy as could be with my craftsman stuff. One day I was trying to take a side mirror off of a Volvo. I was twisting for all I was worth and the screw would not break for nothing. A coworker saw my struggles and handed me his Snap-On screw driver.
With what seemed like half the effort, *POP* the screw broke loose.

I was amazed, and shortly there after, in debt....
The rest is history.

What about you? How did you get started in collecting high end tools ?

 

[General Geoff]

Witnessing a friend break two Harbor Freight and three Craftsman 10mm allen sockets, trying to break a Subaru cylinder head bolt loose. He flagged down a Snap-On truck, bought a 10mm allen socket, and proceeded to bust the head bolt loose.

It was like a lightbulb turning on in my head.

 

[Ruger_556]

Used a friend's dual 80... Never looked back.

 

[countryroad82]

I have always had SOME high end ****. Then I joined this friggin' place..... I started buying more aaannnnnddddd now I have all kinds of good stuff!

 

[AndrewV]

When i was working at my uncles body shop at 16, and my uncle made me try to take a rustd out, grease packed, over tightened hood bolts out, and my cmans just couldn't handle it.
Now i dont own all s.o. tools. But i wish. An amalgamation of daily tools.

 

[Loudpipes66]

A former boss who turned into my mentor when I bought my own truck always used Snap On. Working out of his garage I got to work with the best. With craftsman moving to china and my need for heavy duty and specialized tools sent me to the tool truck to spend my money.

 

[Mr.3-5-7]

Nothing spectacular, bought the CT661 cordless impact, saw its power, portability, and reliability and decided you get what you pay for.

 

[cjn1014]

talk about going down the rabbit hole.

someone on this board has a sig that's basically "craftsman was good enough, until garage journal".

 

[ZRX61]

Nothing. Been wrenching for $$ since '76, never bought into the SnapOn image & the stuff I use seems to work just fine on Multi-million$$ aircraft etc.

 

[rsanter]

I got tired of busting knuckles because a tool broke

Bob

 

[GTA Matt]

I was content with my hodge-podge of craftsman and great neck tools when I first started out and didn't know there was a difference. Snap on man was the only one that would give me the time of day. The rest is history, I thought he was just being a nice guy. Turns out he was actually a brilliant business man

 

[Moose-LandTran]

What about you? How did you get started in collecting high end tools ?

I started out as a tyre fitter. My boss had a small Snap-on box, nothing in there really stood out except for a 3/8" ratchet with an orange palstic handle.

That was it, i had to have one. Now i'm about 40k deep in tools.

 

[canuckian]

I was perfectly happy with my mastercraft tools in a Rubbermaid hand box. Went to a car show where a snap on truck had set up shop and had some deals running. Picked up a set of picks and a pistol grip ratcheting screwdriver on recommendation from a couple other car audio installers I worked with. That was the beginning of the end for me. I still have the same set of picks and the screwdriver. They've been to hell and back and have never given me an issue. I also still have the Rubbermaid box lol.

 

[juiced10]

"Tried to get bolt off with inferior tools and Snap On required no effort" LOL Glad I have never run into those types of problems. But to me having nice stuff isn't dark at all.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

Survived and made a living just fine with my old Powerbuilt and Craftsman tools for years. Had a week long job helping a guy move his dad's 32 Ford and 56 Thunderbird to his place. After everything was moved, he told me I could have whatever tools in the shop I wanted. Loaded down my friend's van with WWII-1970s era Craftman, Sears, Plomb, Proto, Williams, Snap-On, Blue Point, Bonney, SK and MAC hand tools. Used those for a long time with no complaints.

Worked in a couple of shops and was amazed now nice it was to use a coworker's fine tooth ratchet. Went back to school and joined GJ and have been upgrading the work tools ever since (Williams, Gearwrench, CM Pro, Snap-On, Matco, SK, IR, etc.)

Luckily I stay off of the trucks, so I haven't spent more than I can afford at the time (thank you student discounts, ebay and Cripe!)

 

[trpearcy]

Always had Cman tools and worked out of my home garage with a few tools breaking here and there on tough bolts (think SOHC Honda Crank bolts and Subaru head bolts) and then once I started wrenching professionally, I started noticing that my cman screwdrivers break all the time, and the china cman ratchets last about a week. I bought an fll80 long handle dual 80 3/8 for adjusting clutches on Semi tractors, and then that was is for me. Shortly thereafter, I bought a blue point air drill, SO torx set, Cornwell hex set, and the list goes on. And I wouldn't go back. There's a special feeling that comes from knowing that the tools in your box arn't going to break or fail you when you really need it. Strangely enough, my co-workers that tell me that they'd never spend that much money on a ratchet are the ones going every weekend to sears to exchange theirs and asking to use my SO tools because they're just better to use.
For example, something I noticed today=my co-worker's SK torx set bits have a slight curve at the top of the bit, and my SO bits are flat. So they get farther into the bolt. And they were the only ones that could get the nut out that we were working on....Hmm.

 

[The Ratchet Man]

I started out as a tyre fitter. My boss had a small Snap-on box, nothing in there really stood out except for a 3/8" ratchet with an orange palstic handle.

That was it, i had to have one. Now i'm about 40k deep in tools.

The orange got me too, except I saw it on a Snap-On truck. They ought to teach the dangers of orange a little better in school.

And what's a tyre?

 

[youngridge]

Dont own one snap on tool, bit of mac, lots of napa and evercraft, and more recently gw and carlyle never had a problem.....except the evercraft full polish wrenches are a tad to short for my taste, I am definitely eying up a new set of wrenches, more than likely ill go with the Carlyle. In due time ill get em, but for now they do the job 100%.

 

[abvw]

I was perfectly content with what my boss provided, but then I started buying my own tools because I got tired of looking around in the shop. Thought all tools were the same things just different names (they did look the same....), as my local CanadianTire and HomeDepot only carried the standard length Stanley stuff. Ultimately bought everything I thought I needed at CanadianTire at 73% off (not much, a 150pc spline socket set and some GWs).

Went next door to the heavy duty shop to borrow a 3/4" impact, saw another mechanic using a SHL80 and thought "damn, nice looking ratchet!". I have never seen a 1/2" ratchet that long with a soft grip. It all went downhill from there that day, I never got to play with the ratchet, but the 3/4" Ingersoll Rand composite impact I borrowed was lighter and handles better than my boss's 1/2" IR231 knock off (and stronger than the 3/4" cheapie we had). I asked "how much is this gun?" "$650" he replied.. I was shocked, and realized good tools cost money.

Thankfully I wasn't heavily invested in cheap tools like my boss had.

 

[bobcatdan]

I grew up around good tools. Pa is an SK man, dad has mostly SK, but always talked very highly about his snap on tools. I was brainwash from the get go. Bought my first brand new tool box, a Kra 4107 and 4114 combo the day after I turned 17 and filled it with Mac tools by the time I graduated high school.

 

[D-bak]

I had never used a "high end" tool really, but when my grandpa died I reached in his box and grabbed a ratchet I had always seen him using. SK 45170. Been hooked every since.

 

[bonneyman]

I had never used a "high end" tool really, but when my grandpa died I reached in his box and grabbed a ratchet I had always seen him using. SK 45170. Been hooked every since.

S-K and Bonney kept me on the bright side.

 

[brit road garage]

Been very happy with my mish mash of American and German tools, then my grandfather handed me down some swivel3/8 sockets and I was holy **** these are great but there's no way I can afford to buy more snap on stuff, anyway today the truck came so I jumped on it and he offered me a engineering screwdriver set for £20 quid so I bought them....I'm scared for my wallet


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[cotjocky]

Started out with junk. Never had what I needed. Always had to improvise or borrow tools. Always caused headaches and made every job a chore. Tried to build up my own decent tools. Had a good bit of craftsman. Wrenches always seem to spread on the open end, or round off a rusty bolt on the box end. Allen sockets were a pita, bits constantly came out of the socket end, they shattered or just rounded out the allen. Sockets busted on a regular basis. I kept 3 extra 13mm deep wells due to them breaking so often. Was constantly having ratchets rebuilt. I wore out a 45 minute one way trail to Sears for quite some time. Seems I couldn't hardly ever make it through one job without some kind of issue.

Realized their were specialty tools for certain things. Saw how much easier it made life to have the right tool for the job. I saw how friends/co-workers were using Snap-on and Mac and were just working right along with next to no issues. Figured out it wasn't me, it wasn't necessarily the job or the way I was doing the work. I started buying old worn out Snap-on stuff from flea markets and realized no matter how crappy they looked, they still worked out better than any of my other tools. Rarely cracked sockets, the allen's rocked, open ends rarely spread and box ends never slipped, the extensions were knurled and were a nice feature. Everything I had Snap-on just performed better and allowed me to do the work without constantly having to fight for it. I was able to enjoy the work. This made me a believer in quality tools.

Not every single tool I have is "high end" and not every single "low end" tool is junk. I take all tools on a one on one basis. I don't care what brand is stamped on it if it does a job that earns a spot in my box. The simple fact is that Snap-on wins out 90% of the time (for me).

Some people may not have had the experiences I've had and may not feel the way I feel, but I choose high end tools because of my experiences with lower end stuff. I don't buy it because I can polish them or brag to other people about what I have. I have them simply because they allow me to do what I want and enjoy it as much as possible. I don't regret a single penny I have spent on high end tools.

My only regret is how long it has taken me to accumulate nice tools, and I'm still no where near where I want to be. YMMV

 

[Hpozzuoli]

Back when we had the Sunoco station we had a snap on guy who just started in the area. He was half Snap on and half SK (Circa 1970). Just out of necessity we started buying SK stuff. We gradually incorporated snap on into the mix since sk didn't make everything we needed. After we sold the shop we sold a ton of tools with it. My dad and I also kept a ton. After joining this site I have added some Matco and Mac to my collection since I still take in some project cars from time to time.. Oddly I don't have any cornwell and I see the cornwell guy almost daily.

 

[zosk]

When I bought a house, I wanted my own tools. I had inherited some that belonged to my Dad, but I also knew I wouldn't want to break them because they have sentimental value. I couldn't figure out why I liked Dad's ratchets (indestro super) better than the current Craftsman offerings. Somehow I wound up here. After doing some research, wound up searching local pawn shops and flea markets. How did I get all these tools? It's your fault guys...

 

[DieselSaves]

I thought high end tools, or at least really nice tools, were what most mechanics aspired to own until I found this forum. Like a carpenter in a minivan wants a truck someday, the kid on a mini bike wants a real motorcycle, or a farmer wants a cab on his tractor.

I had friends try to make me feel bad about buying good tools like it was excessively expensive or some sort of extravagance. Then I realized some of them were spending as much on beer and smokes a week as I spent on tools. Guilt trip over.

 

[BK13]

Buddy of mine dropped out of high school and went to work for an oil change place, and started slowly buying stuff. He let me try it, but it took a while for the fever to take hold...

 

[92integra]

most of my stuff is value based actually, you see i'm new to the wrenching for bread and shelter buisness, so i'd rather have an ok tool than not have a tool becuase i couldnt afford it.... i currently owe the S.O. man 0 dollars =)..... but i love high end tools they just get things done the best that things can be done. what brought me to the dark side was a nice air conditioned truck on a hot summer day! that and i'm an impulse buyer so if some guy wave so super awsome tools right in front of me and tells me i dont have to pay for the whole thing right now, well why wouldn't i join the dark side?

 

[r22yu]

Well I'm more into wood working tools than all this talk about wrenches and snap-on... but I had a small collection of Mastercraft tools and they were fine until I got to doing the mitred border for my deck. Let's just say the corners are not pretty and I'll be planning to put a nice railing or planter overtop of them this summer.

Now everything I have is Makita, Bosch, Milwaukee, Dewalt, and Delta.

 

[amlv20]

I worked at sears repairing lawnmowers and then moved to appliances while in tech school.i always grew up with craftsman and at sears we had boxes and boxes of tools.if a tool broke,report it and then grab a new one, I thought it was the coolest thing.then went through tech school and used snap on tools,but I still wasn't sold on high end tools and defended craftsman through it.then started noticing at work breaking sockets and ratchets daily on lawn mowers!

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I have always bought Made in USA tools, but there are certain items that I insist on buying only from Snap On or Proto. I had a real change of heart towards low end tools when I was at my buddy's race shop working on my buggy and had a miserable time dealing with **** tools. 6 things in particular stick out in my head:

1) Snapped a HF breaker bar with minimal effort
2) Every HF hammer had a loose handle
3) I started rounding new grade 8 bolts with Craftsman raised panel wrenches that were spread wider than a ******.
4)There were 4, yes 4, Husky torque wrenches that were boxed up to be returned as they had all failed.
5) I spent 45 minutes trying to swap a power steering pump pulley with a HF kit when it would have taken me 5 minutes with my Kastar kit.
6) I got tired of Craftsman ratchets that would constantly skip or go into reverse.

 

[Outlawmws]

Working on trouble shooting a car for one of my sponsors as a favor, I was using one of his mechanic's tools and it was all snap-on. I wound up loving the flex head ratchet and put it on my birthday slit, and dang if it didn't show up. First modern SO I ever owned. (I can't hardly count the old 40's SO sockets and one 1/4" drive ratchet my dad had, They were not really any different/better than the Proto/Plvmbs..)

The wrenches were also impressive as I could pull on them harder than my Craftsman raised panels.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Dad was from Construction, so I knew quality in that field. But grew up with old Craftsman and Husky from HD for auto stuff.

Then GJ (b/c of a disc sander I bought and researched)...cleaned and lubed CMan & Husky ratchets...thought that was good. One night on a CL buy I spotted a FLF936...grabbed it for 20 bux...crack cocaine from there. Have since upgraded to all dual 80s, even bought new Armstrong and GW 120xp's.

Have been upgrading everything since. I go to my buddies shop every Monday at 18:30 and meet up with the SO truck now.

So, like most, Craftsman->GJ->Snap On....

 

[techenthusiast]

All I knew growing up was craftsman until tech school. Through my first year I disregarded snap on as a scam... Now I own about 10 grand of tools that I paid half price for through student discount. It helped me to get more serious about my schooling knowing that I got such good deals and knowing that I have the best of the best tools


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[sk farmer]

remember when the dark side was the gazette?

aahhhhhh...........the good old days.

 

[pepi]

How did you get your start in "high end tools "?

For me, I was a helper in the body shop. Happy as could be with my craftsman stuff. One day I was trying to take a side mirror off of a Volvo. I was twisting for all I was worth and the screw would not break for nothing. A coworker saw my struggles and handed me his Snap-On screw driver.
With what seemed like half the effort, *POP* the screw broke loose.

I was amazed, and shortly there after, in debt....
The rest is history.

What about you? How did you get started in collecting high end tools ?

Has it ever occurred to you that all the pre twisting effort freed the fastener ? Wrenches and screw drives are pretty much the same when used correctly. That is excluding the really cheep **** that is out here, nothing wrong with Craftsman, used them successfully for 40 years. Enjoy the Kool-aid.

Want a high end tool try out Hutchins sanders.

 

[Trey T]

The OP mentioned "debt"...... I heard a lot of SO tool owners finance or make payments on their tools, even stuff under $1k. Is that true?

 

[n8n]

A couple of things stick in my head... 1) trying to get off a stuck lug nut. Was using Blue Point (Williams?) Turbo sockets but couldn't turn them... Every 1/2 to 3/8 adapter I could find, including a new impact one from Advance, twisted like cheese when I put my breaker to it. Could have really used a Snap-On man that day. 2) Craftsman RP flare wrenches. Enough said? 3) using a Snap-On PIT120 back to back with my no-name hand impact driver on rotor screws.

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[just a noob]

student discounts