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Why are Snap-On toolboxes so expensive?

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Silver Lexus

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I had the same experience when I bought my box. Although it was some time ago. Snap On had a KiQ line. Same box, except the chrome trim strips on the drawers are black. I worked in a R&D facility that had a large machine shop. The Snap On industrial rep visited often. He was competing with Kennedy etc.

The boxes I bought were much less expensive than the ones sold on the truck. I had pricing sheets for both. The industrial rep also sold the full line of SO tools at a significant discount. No financing. Delivery to the loading dock at work.
How does one get in touch with the SO industrial rep? Is there a minimum order?
 
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whateg01

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Saying that, if you live in a decent sized metro area like I do, you should be able to get a like new SO box on FB for 30-40% of the list price, which can put it at a similar price to Icon. And you can typically get replacement parts, free, for SO boxes decades later- this is also what you're paying for.
Krl722 lists for $8150. 56 inch icon is $2500. HF even points that out. That's some screwy math you have there.

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Cruzan80

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you should be able to get a like new SO box on FB for 30-40% of the list price, which can put it at a similar price to Icon.

Krl722 lists for $8150. 56 inch icon is $2500. HF even points that out. That's some screwy math you have there.

30% of $8150 is $2445, which is almost exactly what the Icon is. So less screwy than you might imagine.

Now, finding a KRL722 for that price may be a different discussion, but the math checks out.
 

Cruzan80

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Sorry. Read that as 30% off of list. My bad!
All good. Percent of and percent off are only a letter apart. Like I said, finding one for the specified amount may be a different discussion (and gets into the "excitement of the hunt" vs "walk in/walk out/available now" differences).
 

whateg01

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All good. Percent of and percent off are only a letter apart. Like I said, finding one for the specified amount may be a different discussion (and gets into the "excitement of the hunt" vs "walk in/walk out/available now" differences).
Walk in/walk out may not apply. I asked about the icon last weekend at one of my local stores and was told 4-6 weeks. I'll admit I'm a bit impulsive at times so that can play a role in which thing I buy.
 

crewchief888

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ive had my (work) SO boxes for 40 years. most bought brand new off the truck, others were used off a truck as my tool selection grew. they were in daily use for almost 20 years in a heavy equipment dealers shop
they had been sitting unused in my garage for 20 years, because i'd been in a service truck for 20 years, until last week...
i switched positions and moved into one of our smaller, slower locations and put the boxes back to work again.

they were well worth the money i paid for them "back in the day"
 

Rt jam

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This is a case of 30% better is 130% more to buy.

We have Rousseau cabinets at work. I had no idea until today, they made toolboxes.
Every time I slide open a cabinet at work. I can't believe how well they slide open with a pile of weight inside.

If their toolboxes are anything like their cabinets, they are the ones to buy.
 
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ATC

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I just watched a video of a new Porsche 911Gt3 having a $120k aftermarket race kit added to it and the mechanic was using US General/Harborfreight toolboxes. Thought that was pretty interesting...

My buddy is going on 8-10 years as a mechanic at a shop/dealer for bucket trucks and cranes. His original US General 44" with top and both side boxes, and 5-drawer cart are still doing just fine.
 

AJHD

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Too much non-sense and overthinking...

Snap On tools and tool boxes cost what they do simply because customers are willing to pay the asking price. Nothing more.

Quality, reputation, warranty, materials, labor cost, whatever the hell else... are only minor considerations that factor very little into the eventual retail price tag.

I don't blame Snap On. If customers are willing to pay upwards of $10,000-$30,000+ for a tool box, or say $610+ for an imported rebranded made overseas hex and torx socket set (random example), then why not charge those prices?

Their financing and interest rates only add to their profit margin.
 

CV428

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A good portion of it is branding/brand-recognition (extra profit margin...). At the same time, they're really good tool chests. I have a 14' long arrangement of their KRL and KRA series chests in my garage and I don't regret it whatsoever. The trick is to buy them used. People buy these things at top dollar when they work for a shop, rack up a bill with the SnapOn truck guy, and then sell them off at a fraction of the new price when they quit.

At the end of the day, could you just go to Harbor Freight and buy their US General stuff, or a bunch of clearance Husky chests at HD around Christmas? After all, it's just holding tools, right? The sheet metal doesn't know what brand it has slapped to the front, right? Sure. It's not quite the same though.

My father has vintage SK tool chests from the 60's. Those are heirloom items that will last longer than any of us and were manufactured better than anything modern. I'm hoping my Snap-on stuff will be the same for my son someday.
 

theoldwizard1

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I spent a lot of time researching toolboxes and one thing that shocked me about the garage upgrade I was doing for both myself and my clients was the multi-$10K prices of Snap-On.

Now I get that Snap-On makes great tools and has a very impressive branding and heritage. And they offer financing which is a big help…
You are paying for a brand name !

Most Snap-On tools and boxes are made in North America.
 
OP
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Silver Lexus

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A good portion of it is branding/brand-recognition (extra profit margin...). At the same time, they're really good tool chests. I have a 14' long arrangement of their KRL and KRA series chests in my garage and I don't regret it whatsoever. The trick is to buy them used. People buy these things at top dollar when they work for a shop, rack up a bill with the SnapOn truck guy, and then sell them off at a fraction of the new price when they quit.

At the end of the day, could you just go to Harbor Freight and buy their US General stuff, or a bunch of clearance Husky chests at HD around Christmas? After all, it's just holding tools, right? The sheet metal doesn't know what brand it has slapped to the front, right? Sure. It's not quite the same though.

My father has vintage SK tool chests from the 60's. Those are heirloom items that will last longer than any of us and were manufactured better than anything modern. I'm hoping my Snap-on stuff will be the same for my son someday.

I have a Husky Heavy Duty box and it is a very solid box.
 
OP
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Silver Lexus

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This is a case of 30% better is 130% more to buy.

We have Rousseau cabinets at work. I had no idea until today, they made toolboxes.
Every time I slide open a cabinet at work. I can't believe how well they slide open with a pile of weight inside.

If they toolboxes are anything like their cabinets, they are the ones to buy.

The drawer action and capacity of the Rousseau is arguably the best out there, based on my own research.
 

DGersic

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I have a 50 year old taco box have had many other boxes and none put up with abuse that my SO boxes have. When we used to clean the shop floor we put the formula car on the Taco box made it easier to move about.

Pictures of this?
 
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pi_guy

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Pictures of this?
No
It was mid 80's we didn't run about with cell phone cameras. To be really honest I am so glad we didn't have them so many things are better enjoyed unrecorded and reviewed by the general public.
The car weighed 950lbs which is really not that much.
 

DGersic

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No
It was mid 80's we didn't run about with cell phone cameras. To be really honest I am so glad we didn't have them so many things are better enjoyed unrecorded and reviewed by the general public.
The car weighed 950lbs which is really not that much.

Too bad. A friend is a mechanic and was on a race team for a while. He’d get a kick out of seeing a picture of this.

For the rear, yeah, I’m kinda happy that we didn’t have cameras everywhere all of the time back when I was young and we didn’t stupid stuff. But there’s no proof, only stories.
 

gleman

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I'm assuming you pay cash for your house and cars?
It's a little inelegant but he's got a point.

The last car I financed was paid off five years ago, I still make that payment to myself in a separate savings account.

The house is tricky, unless you caught one of the real estate waves and invested into additional houses(risky), it'll take years to avoid financing.

I bought into the idea of enveloping money for specific things e.g. boat, vacations, emergencies etc. It's kept me out of financing unnecessary things.

I'm strictly a middle-class guy but it is doable with time and effort.
 

JasonMcElroy

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I'm assuming you pay cash for your house and cars?

I knew this would be asked . . . but was too lazy to come back and edit to include the phrase "in most cases".

Had I spent some more time posting instead of doing a drive-by on the way to a work meeting, I would have said something like . . .

Financing helps companies selling relatively expensive (dare I say overpriced) goods make that high price more palatable. For me it's more about companies trying to make prices easier to swallow than it is about people buying above their means.

And no, I do not pay cash for large ticket items, or small ticket items either. I'm in the enviable position of having enough money at this stage of my life to use financing and credit cards as tools rather than crutches. Grew up dirt poor, cold, and hungry. Now I use credit cards for everything and pay off statement balance each month so as not to pay finance fees. I will take a loan on a car or house only if the rate is below what I'd earn with the money invested.

Sorry if I caused offense.

Jason
 
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Bunsen Honeydew

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Why do they charge so much?
Short answer: Because they can.
Through marketing, word of mouth, peer pressure, Snap-On has convinced people that their tool box is a must have. That creates a high demand. High demand in Capitalism means they can charge whatever they want, as long as people are willing to pay.
 

ChefRex

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I bought a new 68' EPIQ a couple of years ago because I needed more room, I liked it and my dealer gave me silly money for the SO box I had used for 25 years.
Was it cheap, no but it's an awesome box and I payed the balance in a couple of months.
Now everything is contained in one unit, maybe I should replace my cart to match, ;)
 

CJM8515

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I was told by a Snap-on dealer years ago to use a Craftsman toolbox and fill it with Snap-on tools. Apply the money saved on the box to acquire better quality tools that actually do the work. It always seemed like good advice. However, I had a home shop and didn't need a rugged toolbox for a more demanding environment.
dont get me wrong they are awesome boxes. but id rather buy 3 harbor freight boxes in 20 years then 1 snap on. 1 good snap on box can buy you dang near every hand tool one could want.

friend of mine got a 8ft wide box (idk the model) with side locker and hutch for like 12k..its in his home garage. he is a pro, but even that being the case..for what does he need the box for?
 
OP
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Silver Lexus

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Why do they charge so much?
Short answer: Because they can.
Through marketing, word of mouth, peer pressure, Snap-On has convinced people that their tool box is a must have. That creates a high demand. High demand in Capitalism means they can charge whatever they want, as long as people are willing to pay.

That works for a while…but I see a lot of Icon and US General boxes on the tool box tour channels. I would bet it is eating into SO market share.
 

jetlag

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And no, I do not pay cash for large ticket items, or small ticket items either. I'm in the enviable position of having enough money at this stage of my life to use financing and credit cards as tools rather than crutches. Grew up dirt poor, cold, and hungry. Now I use credit cards for everything and pay off statement balance each month so as not to pay finance fees. I will take a loan on a car or house only if the rate is below what I'd earn with the money invested.
Likewise. All of it. I'd be embarrassed to admit how much consumer credit we once had. We decided we'd rather keep that money ourselves, and scraped, and hustled and penny pinched until we had no consumer credit. I don't buy tools on impulse any more, only when I already have the cash in hand.

My SnapOn KR761/791 combo is, like me, well used but still sturdy and serviceable. I wouldn't pay new prices for a new equivalent set off the truck, but I also wouldn't spend 80k for a new diesel pickup to replace my 2007 Ram. Everything was s too expensive now. I have yet to find a tool box that's as good as Snap On that wasn't almost as expensive. Part of the cost for SO is paying for a lifetime warrantee, and they've replaced drawer slides for my box without any hassle.

I would loooove to find a SO taco cart. They were also KR series, would go quite nicely in my shop. Unfortunately, they've become a bit collectible, so people ask stupid money for the ones that are in good condition.
 

575cat

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They are tough i love mine can pull a drawer out use as a bench to sit on or use the ladder to climb on top of the chest even my old 40 year old chest do the same
 

ATC

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I wouldn't pay new prices for a new equivalent set off the truck, but I also wouldn't spend 80k for a new diesel pickup to replace my 2007 Ram. Everything was s too expensive now.


You don't have to...
(but yes, everything is ridiculously expensive for what you get)


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CJM8515

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thats a tradesman, lowest model they sell 80k buys you the middleof the range model that most want
 

Blk04Snake

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thats a tradesman, lowest model they sell 80k buys you the middleof the range model that most want
That may be true, but a new Tradesman likely has as much or more standard equipment than a 2007 Laramie did except maybe the leather seats and carpet. Yes new vehicle prices are out of control, but all this added tech in the past 10 years certainly hasn't helped keep the price down. We have almost new 2024 Ford XL Super Duty's at work that have as many gizmos and a larger screen in them than my 2020 Lariat Ultimate Super Duty
 
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