Williams slotted driver defect?

[rshadd]

I received a response from Williams (i.e. Snap-on Industrial brands). They claimed to be aware of the issue but claim that I must contact the place where I purchased the items (MRO Center) because they have to be the ones to set up the return. Snap-On Industrial brands will only credit the place where I bought the items and they will not credit me.

I tried to contact MRO Center and they don't appear to be in business any longer.

I'm very disappointed with Williams warranty. It's their tool, they admit to the defect, yet I still cannot get a replacement because the place where I bought is out-of-business.

"Hello- We are actually aware of this issue. Unfortunately please keep trying to contact where you purchased it from because they have to be the ones to set up the return. because we credit them and they credit you. I am sorry

Best Regards,
Ashley Kizer
Phone: 800.446.7404
Fax: 800.877.5687

Snap-onIndustrial Brands
19 KeystonePark
Throop, PA 18512
Website: www.snaponindustrialbrands.com

 

[jeffmoss26]

I'd explain to them that the vendor you bought from is out of business.

 

[southalabama]

I'd bet they direct you to another vendor in your area.

 

[rshadd]

I explained that the place where I bought the Williams set was out-of-business and they're having me return it directly to Snap-on Industrial Brands warranty department for replacement.

Please send it to:

Snap-on Industrial Brands
Attn: Warranty Dept
6969 Jamesson Road
Midland, GA 31820

Include your contact information, keep a tracking record of the shipment and please allow 2-3 weeks for processing.

Kim Vail
Customer Service Rep
Snap-on Industrial Brands
19 Keystone Industrial Park
Throop, PA 18512

Office: 1-800-446-7404
Fax: 1-800-877-5687
www.facebook.com/bahcobandsawblades

 

[ihateminimumwage]

I explained that the place where I bought the Williams set was out-of-business and they're having me return it directly to Snap-on Industrial Brands warranty department for replacement.

Good to hear.

MRO Center quickly went from great to deal with, to shady at best, to then non-existent (at least if you wanted your order/refund).

 

[bareass172]

Glad they sorted it out for you. The option to return directly to them was always on the table for me, but since mine was brand new I felt that I shouldn't have to pay again to ship since I'd just paid to ship the defective one to me.

No further updates from my contact on this yet.

 

[Loscaldazar]

MRO center still owes me a $6 dollar socket. Forgot about my order and couldn't charge back on my CC. Oh well...

 

[rshadd]

Well I got my replacement SDS-33 back from Snap-on today. The replacement that they sent me has the same defect as the one that I returned.





No harden tip on this one either.
Who's got a pic of an SDS-33 with the correct hardened tip?

 

[ADSR]

This *****. I want to order the 19pc set. I hope they hurry up and fix this problem.

 

[SMKS]

This *****. I want to order the 19pc set. I hope they hurry up and fix this problem.

But this is a really large size. What would you use it for? As noted previously, this is a size more used as a pry bar than a screwdriver. I personally wouldn't even use a driver this size for ever driving screws.

I suspect the reason this "defect" hasn't been corrected in the past is it doesn't really matter that much because most people won't even use this for driving screws.

Who's got a pic of an SDS-33 with the correct hardened tip?

I think they've been making them this way for a long while. The picture on Amazon clearly shows a driver with the same tip as the ones pictured in this thread.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007YRASUY/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[bob15]

What defect? Twenty year old Snap On....same screwdriver and the same tip as yours.

 

[SMKS]

What defect? Twenty year old Snap On....same screwdriver and the same tip as yours.

Now there's some interesting info. Perhaps these are just made this way.

Williams maybe should have just said "we always made them this way. That's just the way that size is made."

 

[ADSR]

Well if it's only the one size, i can live with it, or knock it off with a file.

 

[1950mercury]

Well I got my replacement SDS-33 back from Snap-on today. The replacement that they sent me has the same defect as the one that I returned.





No harden tip on this one either.
Who's got a pic of an SDS-33 with the correct hardened tip?

Your screw driver looks nothing like the op. How do you k.ow its not hardened. The color change on the other tips is from a blasting process. Most large screwdrivers are not blasted yours looks fine. A screwdriver that big is not a percision tool

 

[ihateminimumwage]

No harden tip on this one either.
Who's got a pic of an SDS-33 with the correct hardened tip?

Those don't come with the same tips as the rest of the screwdrivers. That looks just like mine.

 

[SMKS]

Well if it's only the one size, i can live with it, or knock it off with a file.

Look at the pics posted by rshadd. I think his looks OK and probably doesn't need to be filed on the end. The one posted in the original post doesn't look too good because the end comes to a point. It apparently missed a final grinding step. But neither of rshadd's drivers look like that.

Actually, now that we have more info, it looks like rshadd didn't even need to warranty his first driver. Look at how his first one actually is flat on the end because it had the final tip grinding that was missed on the OP's driver.

I think the OP got one that was legitimately bad because the tip wasn't flat. Everyone else now may be concerned over nothing, since it looks like that size of driver just is made differently.

I think Williams didn't handle this well. They should have pointed out that the SDS-33 driver is just different than the other sizes. It looks like people here may blowing this out of proportion because Williams didn't clarify.

It now appears we shouldn't expect the tip of this driver to look like the other sizes with the vapor blasting marks found on other sizes.

 

[ADSR]

Look at the pics posted by rshadd. I think his looks OK and probably doesn't need to be filed on the end. The one posted in the original post doesn't look too good because the end comes to a point, but rshadd's drivers don't look like that.

I think the OP got one that was legitimately bad because the tip wasn't flat. Everyone else now may be concerned over nothing, since it looks like that size of driver just is made differently.

I think Williams didn't handle this well. They should have pointed out that the SD-33 driver is just different than the other sizes.

Yeah, Rshadd's look good enough for me.

 

[Trucky]

Well I got my replacement SDS-33 back from Snap-on today. The replacement that they sent me has the same defect as the one that I returned.

No harden tip on this one either.
Who's got a pic of an SDS-33 with the correct hardened tip?

You really are from Bucks LOL.

 

[cheechi]

rshadd that driver looks just like mine. perfectly functional and exactly how it is supposed to look. These drivers are not blasted just ground on the end.

You really are from Bucks LOL.

I'm from Warminster. Please explain yourself sir.

 

[Brownsfan]

Mine looks just like that. Ground to a point but not vapor blasted. I have NEVER used this driver to turn a screw. I have only used it as a small pry bar. Yea I know what the handle says.

 

[Trucky]

I'm from Warminster. Please explain yourself sir.

Had a roommate from Doylestown. Threatened to kill me while I slept so he was thrown out of school.. which was his third go at it. So I'm rather suspicious of the area. Also, supposedly contains most of the hicks around philly-ish. But I think that's just Pennsylvania in general

 

[rancherbill]

Who's got a pic of an SDS-33 with the correct hardened tip?

Which come from this page. Quick info
http://www.snaponindustrialbrands.com/cat-20-1-215/slotted.htm

I really think this is a case where the marketing materials do not match the product. I think only GJers actually read the marketing material. Most people use them as prybars. They are labeled as NOT A PRYBAR so they don't get them back for warranty.

I looking forward to the the final resolution of the situation.

 

[SMKS]

Which come from this page. Quick info
http://www.snaponindustrialbrands.com/cat-20-1-215/slotted.htm

I really think this is a case where the marketing materials do not match the product. I think only GJers actually read the marketing material. Most people use them as prybars. They are labeled as NOT A PRYBAR so they don't get them back for warranty.

I looking forward to the the final resolution of the situation.

That's not a picture of the SDS-33. The proportions are all wrong. Compare that picture to the photos of the SDS-33 drivers in this thread. The picture you posted is one of the smaller drivers.

Look at this. They use the same picture for every slotted driver. Here's the same image shown with the listing for a stubby driver.
View attachment 346191

I suspect the situation has been resolved, since we are figuring out that the SDS-33 is just different than the other drivers. It doesn't have a vapor blasted tip. The OP got one that missed the final grind on the tip, but look at the other photos posted in this thread to see that they aren't all that way. Rshadd's drivers both had the proper tip grinding and it appears neither one of Rshadd's drivers were defective.

 

[Wamsutta]

bareass172,

Williams SDS-33 = Snap-on SDD12.

Take your new Williams screwdriver to a Snap-on dealer and have him install screwdriver shank part# SDD12ARB. If he's a decent guy, he'll do it for free with a smile.

 

[bob15]

bareass172,

Williams SDS-33 = Snap-on SDD12.

Take your new Williams screwdriver to a Snap-on dealer and have him install screwdriver shank part# SDD12ARB. If he's a decent guy, he'll do it for free with a smile.

SDD12 is a round shank screwdriver. The SDD412 is the original screwdriver that the Williams SDS-33 replaces. Square shank and it doesn't have the blasted tip. The Williams catalog doesn't mention the lack of a blasted tip, but it even says, square shank (NOT round like the SDD12).

The picture below is the Snap On version. Same screwdriver, square shank and 12" long. the only difference is the Snappy handle of 20 years ago is slightly long than the newer Williams. Blade is the same.

 

[rshadd]

You see, I was under the impression that the SSD-33 was supposed to have the "vapor blasted" hardened tip like the of drivers in the set. If that's not the case, I can accept
that.

I was merely looking at the visual differences between the driver tips and assumed they should all be the same.


I still think it's a bit odd that when I wrote to Snap-on and included pictures they acknowledged the defect with the driver and offered to replace it. Two Snap-on reps told me about the manufacturing defect with SDS-33 driver, but perhaps they were referring to the tips not being ground.

My guess is that they never bothered to look at the pictures that I sent, told me to return it and then let the warranty dept. deal with the (non) issue. The warranty dept. probably never read the email trail that I had included with the return and simply just exchanged it. I think this was simply poor communication on Snap-on's part.

I would have accepted, "that's just they way they are" or "the tips on the SDS-33 are different from the smaller drivers" as an answer.

Truth be told, its a driver I rarely use. It'll get thrown back in the toolbox and ignored until I need a small pry bar, since I don't ever see screws that size.

I regret exchanging the driver since there really wasn't anything wrong with it and the lettering on the handle of the driver I returned was perfect and the one I got back isn't.

 

[SMKS]

You see, I was under the impression that the SSD-33 was supposed to have the "vapor blasted" hardened tip like the of drivers in the set. If that's not the case, I can accept
that.

Vapor blasting doesn't have to do with hardening. Vapor blasting is what gives it the matte finish and it's supposed to help with grip. In a video, Snap-on says it also prevents chrome chipping because it takes the chrome off the tips. Hardening is something different and it's very likely the SDS-33 is hardened.

Two Snap-on reps told me about the manufacturing defect with SDS-33 driver, but perhaps they were referring to the tips not being ground.... I think this was simply poor communication on Snap-on's part.

Yup, I think this is the issue. When Snap-on acknowledged there was a problem, they didn't make it super clear that they were talking about the grinding on the end.

Now that I go back and look at the email received by the OP, this is all explained.

The tips had missed a grinding step. That is being corrected. I am then looking at whether to make a screwdriver to match the others or eliminate the one from the set. That is part of a square shank set that does not have a vapor blasted tip because the finish does not require it. We used to sell a square shank set but I guess we didn’t sell enough of them in Williams. They were great because you could use a wrench anywhere on the blade for power. Anyway I guess the immediate fix will be to get you a screwdriver with the properly ground tip. Sorting out the rest will take more analysis on volume and reviewing drawings but I do want to get the square shank out of a round blade set. Our team is proud of what we do and want to make sure we delight the customer in every way and if something isn’t right we can’t not act. We are in a catalog cycle for Williams so it is a good time for a change if we need to make it.

 

[cheechi]

a little late but hopefully this can help anyone else who needs it.

 

[ADSR]

Just got mine in the mail today from Denver tool supply. It looks like they fixed the problem or mine is old stock. My problem is, my camera is a POS!

It is flat at the end.

 

[ADSR]

BTW........ Which is the chinese part of the driver?

I thought the whole Williams driver was USA and the smaller drivers were Spain.

Where did the chinese come from?

 

[cheechi]

the plastic pouch is made in china. Mine only said made in china & usa, my handles & shanks are all USA according to ToolsDelivered.

Your set must include one or more Bahco driver. Some (all?) of those are made in Spain.

 

[rancherbill]

the plastic pouch is made in china. Mine only said made in china & usa, my handles & shanks are all USA according to ToolsDelivered.

It is a sad sad commentary on US manufacturing that they can not make the packaging for a competitive price.

Seeing people are in contact with Williams, I would be interested to know if it is the packaging.

 

[rshadd]

 

[nicksnothereman]

It is a sad sad commentary on US manufacturing that they can not make the packaging for a competitive price.

Seeing people are in contact with Williams, I would be interested to know if it is the packaging.

Well it could be mexico...but that might cost too much.

If you've ever use a sewing machine you will no longer see simple manufactured items as simple as they look. To do it without significant defect takes many moons and too much patience, so I gave up and started pouches things inside out. Actually and oddly, this makes them supremely durable. The problem is that besides the craftsmanship the material can be expensive as well. Looks like simple stuff, ain't in reality when it comes to something like a wrench roll.

 

[bareass172]

I haven't been on here in a few weeks, just been busy, but I'm glad this thread got bumped when I was on so I'd see it. What was mentioned above is all right - the original I have is square shank, no vapor blasted tip, but my tip missed the proper grinding step. The rep I've been dealing with acknowledged early on that there was also a discrepancy in the set itself and the marketing material for it. My understanding is that they are actually moving to add vapor blasting to this driver because they want it to match the rest of the set. The rep told me that it wasn't necessary, but he feels the lack of vapor blast and square shank on this driver make it look like it doesn't belong in the set.

I guess my biggest surprise in all this is that you guys have replacement drivers with proper tips while the rep who's supposed to be handling this for me keeps telling me to wait longer. This is, of course, after almost a months time and 3 or 4 unanswered emails. I just dropped him an email this evening asking for an update, I may wait for his reply before bringing up that you guys have proper replacements already.

My situation is that, believe it or not, there is a very specific job I do often that requires this size. I wish the shank were a little shorter, but otherwise I do regularly use this as a DRIVER instead of a prybar.

I also had to laugh when I saw the tag said "China" on it, it took me a second to realize it was the pouch...

I'll update again once they finally get me mine.

 

[nanofrog]

Well it could be mexico...but that might cost too much.

Actually, Mexico is cheaper than China now for both labor and shipping (example).

 

[bareass172]

OK, so here's where this stands right now. I got a call from my local SO Industrial Brands rep today, he had my driver so we met up and he handed me a nice, properly ground, SDS-33. Super nice guy, really knowledgeable, been with the company 20 some-odd years. He was cool enough to also toss me a Industrial Brands catalog and a Snap-On wool beanie which I will anxiously hang onto until winter.

My new SDS-33 does not have the vapor blasted tip, so I'm assuming that this was either a misunderstanding or they're still working on that. I did send an email to the regional rep who was helping me on this just to clarify if that is a change we should expect in the future. I'll update again whenever I hear back from him.

I do want to throw one more thing out, after speaking with both of these guys it is pretty clear to me that there are a few differences between mother Snappy and the "industrial brands" when it comes to tools. These Williams drivers are touted here as identical to Snappy's old hard handles, and many claim the Bahco ratchets are dual 80 clones with dual 80 internals. This stuff is not true. It's not that these aren't good tools, possibly very similar to the SO versions or sharing similar tech - but the big difference at the end of the day is the metal used to make them. The industrial rep explained to me the nuanced differences in metallurgy that make a tool quintessentially Snap-On versus the other, less expensive, brands. I don't think it's a huge deal, but if we're going to say that these tools are "identical" in any way, we should be honest and clear in what we know.

 

[bareass172]

I got the final word from Williams today:

At this time they do not plan to change the tip to vapor blast. They corrected the grinding step that had been missed so the tip would be finished properly. The round blades come from a profilator and the SDS-33 actually comes from square shank material more like a crow bar and they decided that for that size blade the vapor blast would not add the value to justify the cost.

So that's it. Those who have gotten proper replacements (no vapor blast tip) are all set, as am I. I hope that this helps anyone who runs into this same problem in the future (from old stock), or discovers that they have one that looks the same already in their box.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I do want to throw one more thing out, after speaking with both of these guys it is pretty clear to me that there are a few differences between mother Snappy and the "industrial brands" when it comes to tools. These Williams drivers are touted here as identical to Snappy's old hard handles, and many claim the Bahco ratchets are dual 80 clones with dual 80 internals. This stuff is not true. It's not that these aren't good tools, possibly very similar to the SO versions or sharing similar tech - but the big difference at the end of the day is the metal used to make them. The industrial rep explained to me the nuanced differences in metallurgy that make a tool quintessentially Snap-On versus the other, less expensive, brands. I don't think it's a huge deal, but if we're going to say that these tools are "identical" in any way, we should be honest and clear in what we know.

I find this kind of difficult to believe. I'm willing to bet that it would cost significantly more to run two different types of steel than to just make them all the same and tell people there are slight differences. Setting up variations in manufacturing is expensive, which is why many car manufacturers have started better equipping lower end models; i.e., automatic transmissions and power windows/locks as standard features.

It could be true, but I doubt it........especially on ratchet pawls.

Either way, thanks for the update.

 

[ADSR]

I find this kind of difficult to believe. I'm willing to bet that it would cost significantly more to run two different types of steel than to just make them all the same and tell people there are slight differences. Setting up variations in manufacturing is expensive, which is why many car manufacturers have started better equipping lower end models; i.e., automatic transmissions and power windows/locks as standard features.

It could be true, but I doubt it........especially on ratchet pawls.

Either way, thanks for the update.

Agreed. Ihate posted a...how it's made clip at the snap-on factory, and they were stamping snap on and williams sockets on the same line.