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We all know it, the tool trucks push it and technicians with exclusively Snap-on tools, coats, hats etc who bash anyone who uses anything but. This…to me is unacceptable. These people who push Snap-on they are more elitist than any other. I cannot say I have encountered a MAC, Matco, Cornwell or Craftsman elitist to the same degree. The Snap-on guys make it seem like their tools are forged of divine steel by Hephaestus himself. Look, Snap-on is no better than any other top tier tool brand out there. In fact, Snap-on is just as guilty of outsourcing and re-branding just like any other tool maker. At my previous workplace, the Snap-On truck guy was cool sure but I didn’t really buy much from him. Mainly bought from the SK truck. When you charge premium prices for a brand name that you can get with MAC, Matco, or Cornwell for much cheaper, I feel obliged to go to the “underdogs”. Elitism is not a good thing. I know some people on here prefer Snap-On and that’s fine but being exclusive to one brand because it is “the best” is not healthy for you or your wallet. I have Snap-On tools, MAC tools, Gearwrench, Craftsman Pro, Craftsman and Dewalt. Being brand loyal is one thing, being a brand Elitist is another.
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I agree Fopeano. Yes I did buy a large expensive snap on box, but for what it was I got a hell of a deal and I shouldn’t need a bigger one like ever haha, and I have just about every brand of tool too. Snap on is over priced by far and for me owning snap on tools is more of a convenience than anything, just because I can buy more expensive tools and not have to pay full price right off, and if it breaks he comes by every week. I have spent a lot with my dealer but if I feel I can get a good quality tool for cheaper I will.
Unless its from a truck, which means expensive, you will have a tough time finding a good quality tools. To many container ships full of soft metal invadin the shores. You can buy a cheaper tool than Snap-on, but you certainly cannot get a better tool.
I enjoy the Snap-on rescue rig videos from Snap-on. Guy saving mechanics from the perils of cheap tools.
My toolbox as a professional, is a heavy duty Craftsman box made in the Good Ol’ USA. Alright guys have your laughs, but I saved tons of money by going Craftsman on the box. Hasn’t failed me yet. Why would I pay 2k+ on a Snap-On Box when a Craftsman box made here does the exact same job for less? I see tools the same way. Why should I go into debt to be “Elite”? Give me one good reason aside from “you’ll get your balls busted for having anything but SO”. Ya, I’ve got the assortment of tools I mentioned previously in this thread among others. No reason to limit myself to one brand. Oh ya, my Craftsman box is red and black, just like a SO.
No hard feelings. I did something that would piss the Snap on guys off even worse. Not a topic for here though. No box is with 5000, not a chance.
[quote=”andrewbutton442″ post=129355]No hard feelings. I did something that would piss the Snap on guys off even worse. Not a topic for here though. No box is with 5000, not a chance.[/quote] Hah ya, SO boxes are way overpriced for what they are. It’s just a toolbox! I get it, It has SO on it and may be slightly better made…but that’s robbery almost criminal pricing.
Early on in my career I asked the technician who was mentoring me about what tools I should get. His advice was to buy quality, don’t buy the name. I do own SO tools but I also have a lot of Craftsman, Klein, Ingersoll Rand, Gearwrench, Irwin/Hanson, Channel Lock, etc. I just couldn’t see paying 2-3 times as much for the same thing (sometimes literally with all the rebranding going on). Best ratchets and wrenches I have are my SO’s but just about everything else I have is by someone else. I do like the warranty service I have received direct from SO. I don’t have a rep here anymore but I just call them direct and 4-5 days later my replacement is in the mailbox. Not quite as convenient as my old rep was but those guys can be hit or miss as well. I had one rep years ago who was a lazy PITA. Having worked at or with a number of shops over the years you are pretty much guaranteed at least one SO elitist per crew.
All the shops I have ever been involved with, and serious and seasoned techs who know was up always ended up with the same brands of tools for the majority of their work. Give you one clue, it wasn’t mac, and they didn’t come from matco, and they were definatly not from a store. Its like this, when people race, some people like Mopar, some like Fords, lots of like Chevy, few like Hondas, however when it comes to their tools, Ford guys use SO, mopar guys use SO, Chevy guys use SO, import guys use SO, because they are the nicest. There are some other decent truck tools out there, yes, for certain things, but for something like a ratchet, or socket, or wrench, So is the only game in town. Mac is a close second, although its just as expensive, and their boxes are beautiful, but it might still cause contoversy in the shop. Cornwell is nice stuff too, but I despise that shade of cornflower blue on their stuff, just simply cannot stand it.
[quote=”andrewbutton442″ post=129414]All the shops I have ever been involved with, and serious and seasoned techs who know was up always ended up with the same brands of tools for the majority of their work. Give you one clue, it wasn’t mac, and they didn’t come from matco, and they were definatly not from a store. Its like this, when people race, some people like Mopar, some like Fords, lots of like Chevy, few like Hondas, however when it comes to their tools, Ford guys use SO, mopar guys use SO, Chevy guys use SO, import guys use SO, because they are the nicest. There are some other decent truck tools out there, yes, for certain things, but for something like a ratchet, or socket, or wrench, So is the only game in town. Mac is a close second, although its just as expensive, and their boxes are beautiful, but it might still cause contoversy in the shop. Cornwell is nice stuff too, but I despise that shade of cornflower blue on their stuff, just simply cannot stand it.[/quote] I’ve actually seen MAC come down in price compared to SO. I’m actually getting a set of flare nut combo wrenches from MAC that are of the same quality as SO but nearly 100 bucks cheaper. SO also doesn’t include the 8 and 9mm in the set nor a tray to hold them in…MAC does. Matco is also cheaper(but more expensive than MAC) at 255.50. Compare that to $215 and MAC is the obvious choice. SO prices are going up or MAC are going down, but they certainly are not the same.
PS: I know a guy who tested all the big 3(Matco, SO, and MAC) over the course of time in his garage. He broke more SO than MAC. Hes used the SO less. 5 SO sockets were broke and in the same time with more use, only 1 MAC socket was broken. He never did give me the benchmark on Matco. Also, SO service and sales department(corporate) is sup-par compared to the other 2(Matco, and MAC). They are not the best to deal with..let me tell ya.
The way I see it the only way you get my business is to give me the best tool for the best price.PSS: Speaking of Racing Cars: http://www.mactools.com/en-us/about-mac-tools/mac-tools-motorsports
I just bought a Matco distributor wrench off of Ebay. I got a better deal used than SO, and its not like its a high torque piece. Anyway, So still sells the same type of wrench, for more of course, here is one funny thing I did notice however. When I went back to price that Matco wrench new, they no longer sell it. What they have for a distributor wrench is the pile of doo that every other chain store has, which for my application does not work. Mac has the nice type as SO, but they are crazy expensive. I best most young techs today don’t even own distributor wrenches which is some cases are the ONLY thing that fits, unless of course somebody makes a tool from other pieces which is worse than having DongGongWang built tools.
[quote=”andrewbutton442″ post=129419]I just bought a Matco distributor wrench off of Ebay. I got a better deal used than SO, and its not like its a high torque piece. Anyway, So still sells the same type of wrench, for more of course, here is one funny thing I did notice however. When I went back to price that Matco wrench new, they no longer sell it. What they have for a distributor wrench is the pile of doo that every other chain store has, which for my application does not work. Mac has the nice type as SO, but they are crazy expensive. I best most young techs today don’t even own distributor wrenches which is some cases are the ONLY thing that fits, unless of course somebody makes a tool from other pieces which is worse than having DongGongWang built tools.[/quote] I’ve got the MAC distributor wrench. It is quite nice. Most of the younger guys don’t have them for sure.
I have a mix of tools but lately I’ve only been buying snap on (because I have snap on credit). I have a balance of 2200$ and only have to pay 20$ a week. I do think they are more expensive than they should be so I pick and choose what I get off of the truck and what I get elsewhere. But the Matco guy is so unreliable at my work. If I break one of my Matco ratchets I might have to wait 3 weeks for him to come around.
One thing is that there is a stereotype that if someone has a big snap on box, they are serious techs. This is usually true I am afraid. Not always, but usually.
I used to buy everything off the Snap-On truck. I ended up with a lot of debt. I actually sold them back my toolbox just to get out of debt. I believe that they are the best, but not always worth the price tag, especially if it’s a tool you don’t use much or is nessasary to be “perfect”. One thing about Snap-On tools is that they just work, while most of the others, you have to work at it a bit.
Their tool boxes is what really amazes me. The 3 bank 72″ series bottom roller is starting near thirteen grand. My next box will be the Extreme series from strictly toolboxes. 1/4 of the price, made here in the USA, and actually heavier duty.
I agree. Serious techs have big snap-ons. Tools just work. Work better. Lots of debt sometimes. Worth it, you bet your arse they are worth it. Crappy customer service from SO, you can count on it. Taken seriously in dealership without a So box, most definatley no. Would I buy Snap again ? Of course, and if I had to do it over, I would get SO again. Would I want anything else, nope. Are there things SO doesn’t have. yep. My biggest fear with tools is not the usability, or the cost, or any other detail, my biggest fear is other mechanics laughing at me for not having ENTIRELY snap on stuff which I don’t. (I work alone, in a cold dark place, so NOBODY sees what I have, but If I was working in a busy shop, with lots of light, I suppose I would have to throw half of my tools in the dealership dumpster because they were not truck tools. I mean I have a Dewalt Vacuum, some SO fanboy out there would probably laugh at that, or my Milwaukee cordless tools that are the best cordless tools made. I knew a guy who put his kids through college with a Devilbiss spray gun, and NO snap on tools; meanwhile, otherside of town a guy who doesn’t paint anything pays 3 times as much for a Snap-on spray gun which he tells me is really a Sharpe brand, which I knew of NO painters using. The he dies and it all gets repoed. Meanwhile, otherside of town, other guy STILL using the same Devilbiss gun he bought in the 1970s that he didn’t finance or get off a truck. It came from a paint store. But some young guy would probably laugh at him for NOT having a snap on spray gun.
[quote=”Jasonw1178″ post=129664]One thing is that there is a stereotype that if someone has a big snap on box, they are serious techs. This is usually true I am afraid. Not always, but usually.
I used to buy everything off the Snap-On truck. I ended up with a lot of debt. I actually sold them back my toolbox just to get out of debt. I believe that they are the best, but not always worth the price tag, especially if it’s a tool you don’t use much or is nessasary to be “perfect”. One thing about Snap-On tools is that they just work, while most of the others, you have to work at it a bit.
Their tool boxes is what really amazes me. The 3 bank 72″ series bottom roller is starting near thirteen grand. My next box will be the Extreme series from strictly toolboxes. 1/4 of the price, made here in the USA, and actually heavier duty.[/quote]
My next is going to be the top for my 44″ U.S. general tool box… I do have to admit that I did buy a bluepoint tool cart recently but only because it was the only one I felt would fit my needs and it was a good value at 840$ (krbc30ta if your curious). It put my SO balance at 2500$. This will be my one and only truck brand tool storage item.. If I outgrow my 44″ then harbor freight sells the 72″ for 1100$.
The trick with SO credit is to pay more than your minimum payment every week. My minimum is 16$ a week, so I make 32$ weekly payments and the extra goes towards the principle and lowers the amount of interest I’ll pay.
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