Instead of Snap-On tools

[gumby]

Buy Blue Point. Made by Snap-On, their second grade? set. Another alternative, is that Snap-On makes a Black Oxidized tool that is much cheaper than the chrome stuff they sell.
I bought a huge socket set of Blue Point off EBay of Metric and standard short sockets for the fraction of the price of Snap-On. Yet made by the same people.
If you don't want chrome, Black Oxide is also a finish for the fraction of the price. You won't have to ID your tools, because no one else has them.
Snap-On dealers won't tell you about them, because they are so much cheaper. No chrome flaking, same quality.

[Rich G.]

I thought I heard the black was a military grade and not guaranteed. I'll ask my snap on guy when he comes in.

[gumby]

It will be interesting what he says? The Snap-On dealer years ago tried to talk me out of them be cause they would be hard to find if you dropped them on a
dirty floor, and that was about it. They don't really advertise them. How could they be different? I wanted them, because I was in a "black period" just having bought a Grand National.
No chrome is a plus for me?

Same as for the Blue Point line. They don't make as much money off them. But they are far superior for home use or light shop use than anything else.

[dodj]

I thought I heard the black was a military grade

I hear the term 'military grade' more and more. Anybody know what it really means?
Ford likes to say their truck is made from 'military grade' aluminium. What's that supposed to mean? It can take a few bullet hits?

[RUNCHARGER]

Black is hard to see. For Canadians, Mastercraft wrenches are good quality for the price.

[Chryco Psycho]

Years ago you bought Snap on or you got junk not so much anymore you can buy decent tools for reasonable prices & at the cost they are disposable .
There are always exceptions .. Flare wrenches for example where cheap tools the jaws will flex open & strip the nut .
At $25 for 15 wrenches you can cut them or bend them to work in difficult spots . Mastercraft is better than Craftsman & decent price especially when they are on sale they almost pay you to take them away !

[gumby]

I remember years ago, a couple of guys were tring to take apart hydraulic fittings.  like 1 1/2 inch? The craftsman back then (1980's) and a Snap-On
The Craftsman would bow its jaws out? The Snap-On held tight. That was back then when Craftsman was "good stuff"

One could not beat Snap-On. The Craftsman bent, but didn't break? To it's credit. The Snap-On didn't even bend? No one is likely to encounter that in a home garage.
That's why I reccomennded Blue Point or the black oxide tools. No one will ever really need the full Snap-On tools for every day use at home.

Yeah, I get all of the other chinese crap garbage that you all are recommending. Holy SCHNIEKIE? just buy something decent - not full blown?
Not professional everyday? The 2nd tier at a cost savings?
Giving you the opportunity to buy some thing decent at a decent price for home use. Chineese crap will end up hurting you? I'm just pointing out
alternatives from cheap chineese crap. Do what you want to do. You will anyway! lol. 

Blue Point is good stuff. Last I knew, it wasn't china crap?

[7E-Bodies]

After making payments to snap-off through much of the 80's, I'm surprised they don't own my first born son. I now have 3 ratchets, and a slide hammer attachment that are useless. When I try to get them to a truck, I get the cold shoulder over the phone...sometimes downright rude. I don't even want to know how much I spent with them through the years.
As a self dare, I bought a 3/8 ratchet set in Harbor Freight for under $20. I just knew they'd not hold up. Wrong. It's now my favorite ratchet. I buy American as much as possible, but I simply refuse to deal with arrogance or rudeness. JMO 

[JS29]

Some snap-on dealers are like that! You cant beat the flank drive wrenches. Blue point tools are good, I like my gear drive wrenches design from blue point better than the snap-on design. @7E-Bodies If you send me your broken snap-on tools I WILL get them warrantied for you.   

[kawahonda]

Everytime you want to buy a tool, just do your research. Some cheapies are actually pretty good and can last a long time. Others, not so much.

Some stuff at Harbor Freight is actually the same tool as branded ones.

Many people on Youtube have done tool "tests" which really allows you to make an informed decision. For example, the Pittsburgh harbor freight breaker bar actually tested better than many $200 tools.

My torque wrench is from the company that OEMs Snap On and for a fraction of the price (still about $100). I've posted it before, but I absolutely love it.

[gumby]

That's why I brought this thread up. I had really nice MATCO stuff. The chrome started peeling. They said pound sand. Stuff doesn't last forever.
I have a mix of Snapon, Matco and Craftsman. Snap-On tubing wrenches. Snap-on impact. Everything else, is junk. Or doesn't need the level of quality
of Snap-On for light use. Or Blue Point.
That's why I pointed out Blue Point. Not everyone knows Snap-On makes a second tier tool. Far superior to the chinees crap.

Bust your knuckles once, you'll wish you had bought better. That's all.

Just trying to enlighten people to make better choices. That's all.

My Harbor Frieght POS powered drain auger (sink snake) cleared my pipe, but broke off 2-3 foot at the end while I was retracting it. Thank god, the broken piece
stuck out enough for me to pull it out by hand. One use, first time! Is that what you expect out of your cheap chineese stuff? Learned my lesson.
Wait till it breaks when you most need it - and ends in injury or death? Did you get your moneys worth then?

People get what they deserve. I was trying to point out a lower cost solution to the Chinees stuff, for good quality. You do what you want. Just trying to help out.

[7E-Bodies]

@JS29 I appreciate that very much. However, I plan to either make the local driver make good, or I plan to write the company. I wish I had a recording of his attitude when he realized I only needed things warrantied/repaired. "Well, I might be in that area tomorrow and I might not...you just need to find me. I don't do reservations" (paraphrasing, but that was the gist). His tone of voice was seemingly resentful. Bad move on his part as I'm continually trying to "tool up" my shop as I re-enter this e body hobby.

[BIGSHCLUNK]

Here's a little tidbit..... some Snap-on is made in India..... ssshhhhh don't tell

[kawahonda]

And china too....for example the Harbor Freight Daytona jack (best jack for the money...it's a damn beast) is basically the same jack as the Snap-on. I'd bet they are both made in China. One may be "assembled" in the US, but I bet sourced from the same exact place....

Another tidbit: Snap-on doesn't typically manufacture their own stuff. They pick out what they feel are good OEM tools and brand them as their own. Sometimes it's US...sometimes it's india....sometimes it's China.

Nothing wrong with a "Chinese" tool if it's a good tool....much of those expensive brands are Chinese tools...

Just like people think that Craftsman is US...they haven't been for as long as I can remember.

btw, no tool has ever pissed me off as much as my Craftsman torque wrench. Terrible design. I threw it away with massive force to let it know how much I hate it.

It shouldn't bother you the origins of where a tool is made. My point is to do some research. Youtube is killer these days for tool comparisons that are put through some pretty damn good tests.

I have $80 Matco calipers....but I find myself using the $10 plastic harbor freight one more often. It's pretty much the same reading and still on the same battery after 6 years now. It has a crack in the LCD screen because I've dropped and thrown it around so much. But it still keeps ticking. The Matco calipers I've already had to replace the battery twice and it's had far less use!

[headejm]

My Craftsman set from 1976 is still going strong. Used to be super simple to get broken Craftsman tools replaced but not so much anymore. Stanley bought Craftsman in 2017 and now you can buy them almost anywhere. I'm not sure of the current level of quality but I can definitely vouch for the quality back in 1976.