Instead of Snap-On tools

[jimynick]

I started buying Snap-on in 1971 and they were expensive, then. The guarantee was good, but I also bought Herbrand and SK tools as well and still have most of them. THEN came the Professional series from Canadian Tire and if your vision was a wee bit dim, you'd swear they were Snap-on. They look just like them and they fit/work like them, too. AND, you can buy a set on sale, as mentioned, for what you'd pay for one wrench from S-O with a lifetime guarantee that they don't give you any grief about. Craftsman tools were considered just right- to fix your tractor. Sorry to all aficionados. 

[7E-Bodies]

@kawahonda excellent commentary! I couldn't disagree with a single word of it. I took a chance and dragged home a HF 3/8 torque wrench the other day for some non critical stuff. I had the snap-off 1/4" one that's quite nice, but had a small job that was just out of its reach at 12.5' pounds. I'll probably never need it again, but at $11, hey.

[JH27N0B]

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?

It's a nonsense term that gets used so often everyone assumes it means something but it doesn't.  Similiar to terms like "assault weapon".  As an engineer hearing it irritates a lot.  I've worked on products for military and their contracts cite "mil specs" which are their standards, not "military grade".  If in Ford commercials Dennis O Leary did his tough guy narration boasting about how Ford trucks aluminum body panels meet tough Mil Spec 123-ABC standards, you could be impressed, but when he starts spewing that military grade BS, its a good excuse to buy a Ram instead!
BTW Snap On made Kobalt tools for Lowes at one point, I'm not sure when that stopped but it's been a while.  I did work for a hand tool company for a couple years, and a few former Snap On people worked there.  They do manufacture most of their own tools, but like all the tool companies, they buy other tools and put their name on it. Danaher used to make a lot of tools that were sold under other names like Craftsman, maybe still do, but I've been out of that industry since getting canned toward the end of 2008 when the economy was crashing by the backstabbing company I worked for, and havent kept up with the industry since I left it.

[Chryco Psycho]

Back in the day of limited choices for tools I had craftsman & hated them , the Snap on guy showed me but putting my Craftsman using the box end  on one end of a nylon hex that the Snap on would hold while the Craftsman stripped , no doubt right !! But then he reversed the 2 wrenches & put the Snap on the nylon hex  where the craftsman wrench had stripped the nylon hex & pulled the 2 wrenches together again as he had before & the Snap on held better on the stripped part & the craftsman stripped the other end of the hex .

[JS29]

My snap-on flank drive wrench's will take a flare nut off and not strip it. I don't even reach for the brake line wrench set anymore.     

[JS29]

@7E-Bodies If you don't buy tools on a regular bases, they don't want to know you! O I get people that get tools at a garage sail and want to get a brand new tool from me. so i blow them off. They don't buy any tools from me Quoted from my Snap-on salesman.     

[WCC]

Been using Snapon for many years for all of my bikes and cars and they have never let me down, while some other brands did. Of course everybody have their own experience but for me they have been worth the investment and if I had to do it all over again I would definitely buy them again any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

[Rich G.]

Talked to my snap on dealer today and this is what he said about the black tools ( not the impact)  They are not a military grade they are what they call industrial grade. Same exact as the chrome but they will rust and they are guaranteed. Just a little cheaper.

[Brads70]

I have a few "specialty" tools from snap -on but most of my stuff is Mastercraft from Canadian Tire. I have some tools from Princess Auto ( like harbor freight in the USA) that are PRO-POINT brand , they seem good, had them for a few years now, warranty is good. I really like and use the gear wrenches quite a bit.

[MoparLeo]

 A large percentage of the cost of any tool sold on a tool truck is the cost of giving credit/payments for no interest to buyers who generally have poor to no credit. They live from paycheck to paycheck and move alot from place to place. Not all, but a lot of them do nationwide. The tool truck owners used to have a hard time tracking down guys that had accounts but now with the internet, cell phones and just new tech it is much easier to track people down. The tools if sold in a brick and mortar store would be much more reasonable. After the initial investment in tooling and other mfg. equipment the cost to produce the tool is very low, regardless of "quality". Made in Japan had a poor image after WW2 because they lacked resources/raw materials and relied on scrap to rebuild their country and economy. Just like Made in Japan no longer means low quality neither do most other major economies. At least made in Japan or made in China likely means that a Japanese or Chinese person is doing the manual labor part of the mfg. Made in USA , Who really knows who made it .? 

[torredcuda]

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?

I laugh every time I hear an ad that says that as there is really no such thing as "military grade", same for "aircraft aluminum", it`s just sales hype. What they are referring to is the product meets a certain military (MS) or aerospace (AS) specification for the material or coating process but those are widely used in commercial applications as well.

[torredcuda]

When I was doing bodywork for a living I bought mostly Snap-On, Blue Point and Mac with some Cornwell and Matco mixed in as well as some Craftsman I had, after years of use the Snap-On and Mac have held up the best but the others are close behind. My opinion now - Snap-On is worth the money for certain items, others are just fine and are less expensive for most other tools especially for home use, Harbor Freight and comparable is considered light use and throw away when it breaks stuff.

[pbajeff]

I went to school at Okmulgee, OK in 76 majoring in Diesel Mechanics. The school had a contract with Snap-On to furnish all the students tools. It was a 20 year contract that was signed in 1957 and the prices for the basic starter set were set in the contract. The starter set included 1/2" drive socket set, end wrenches, screwdrivers, and a few misc items. You would not believe the prices I could get those tools for at that time at the local pawn shops and the other kids that were quitting school or wanting some party money. I told all my family all I wanted for Christmas and birthdays was money. I would buy all I could money for at the time from the kids around school and the pawn shops then I would bring them home and trade out with the local Snap On dealer for other stuff I did not have. In the 40+ years since then I have added to my tool collection by picking up Snap On and Mac at swap meets or pawn shops here and there. I have also tried other brands occasionally but I always go back to those 2 brands. They just feel better to me. I have broken a few of them over the years and the warranty is only as good as your local dealer.
I have recently bought some Williams brand tools for the plant where I am manager and they seem to be holding up really well and the guys like them also.
All that said - for me personally I wont buy anything else any more.