Rapey Snap-On Tools

[xr-nut]

Bingo. Poorly organized tools drive me nuts. I bought more box to allow for the use of the trays. Easy quick ID and grab for the job at hand.

And when you are done and cleaning up you know if everything is back in the box or hidden on the frame rail under the car.

 

[[486]]

don't you know that is why you buy a tool box that large? Everything has a place and everything in its place. Clean that shit before you put it back too. its an investment, treat it as such.

my shitty li'l off-brand 41" box probably weighs more than yours
you just pack them in there real tight and you'll know when things are missing because there's room for stuff to move around

I had to make a frame for underneath it because the casters were crumpling the box floor, lol

 

[Chevy_man]

Are they still? A little over a year ago they were bought out by the chinese and I thought they shut down the USA factory?
I bought a bunch of SK tools on clearance at the time.

Well that sucks.

I haven't needed anything in the last year or two.

 

[[486]]

And when you are done and cleaning up you know if everything is back in the box or hidden on the frame rail under the car.

rip Mister Stabby
you may have been the shittiest no-name straight blade screwdriver known to man, found on the road and reground hundreds of times
but you were my favorite

 

[skyhiranger]

The only snap-on stuff I have is some 1/4" stuff (breaker bar, extensions, screwdriver handle, etc.), maybe some 3/8" extensions. I paid a $1 or maybe $2 each used, when I found them at various places. I may also have some random sockets that I picked up somewhere for a quarter to a $1 each.
I also have a few craftsman wrenches, sockets, etc. that I've picked up for pennies on the dollar at various places.
Most of the stuff I have is HF...wrenches, sockets, extensions, breaker bars, ratchets, etc. Never broke anything and I've had cheater bars on them, hammered on combo and ratchet wrenches with a 5lb hammer to break bolts/nuts loose, etc. lots of times. So I really see a need to buy tools that are 10x the price. All my stuff has the same lifetime warranty as the high $$$ stuff does.
I stay away from the corded electric drills from HF. But I've had good luck with some other HF corded tools. I've used the shit out of those old orange 4.5" grinders and they have been great. And I do have portaband and a stationary bandsaw that have been great too.
I may not have tools that are worth $10,000 to pass down to my kids. But I have $9,000 cash that I didn't spend on tools to give them (or spend on something else for myself).
We all can justify what we spend, or don't spend, on tools in whatever way makes sense to us and that supports our decision.

 

[Landslide]

I've bought plenty of SO shit new. Almost all of it is/was purchased on sale, typically 30-50% off. There's also the various clearances of older versions (I got my 7pcs. snap ring plier kit for a bit over $100 when the new quick release ones came out). I'll never buy a new box off the truck, too many divorced dudes selling them
There's a few things I'll pay full price for. Typically smaller stuff that is hard to get elsewhere. Like this thing that I bought 2 days ago:

I've had one at work forever, I wanted one in my home box. Locking 1/4" drive handle. For all the times you need a nut driver in a shitty spot that's also an odd size. Interweb sirch says MAC makes one too. Tekton makes a locking extention, but not as good IMO.
I've also bought tons of auction tools over the years that are SO, MAC, Matco, Cornwell, S-K, New Britain. I'd rather have a quality old tool (assuming it's not shot) than a new chink tool if I can help it.
Tangent: New Britain was the supplier for NAPA until they closed. Old NAPA/New Britain tools are fucking awesome. /tangent

I buy HF stuff too, and NAPA, and Gearwrench, and other stuff, but I grew up with good tools working in the shop and all the Pittsburg and Amazon stuff just depresses me to hold in my hand.
Now, if you want to carry something in a vehicle, I'd go with APEX (Crescent, Gearwrench) Edge goes to Crescent as they come in a nicer to toss in a truck case.

Something like this

I've got a much older version of this that throws in a vehicle easy. Decent enough quality, though the ratchets aren't great. Though my version is probably 16y old so I'd assume the newer ratchets have less back drag and more teeth.

I bought only two new boxes off of tool truck guys. First one was from Matco. It was a total pos and started breaking apart after less than a year. I tried to get the tool guy to warranty it but he wouldn’t do anything about it. Snappy came in and I traded it in on my first tamale cart (wide tool box) from snap on. This was in the early 90’s and I still use that box as my main box in my shop. Since then I have purchased two more just like it but they are used in great shape.

I like gear wrench tools and a few other brands but I’m pretty picky about what hand tools I buy and always have been.

People on here that buy crappy China HF type tools will spend dumb money on other things I wouldn’t drop a dime on. We all have our twitches that make us tick.

 

[Landslide]

So you never bought there tools, but can attest to how they perform and hold up....

Interesting.

And we all have a thing we do that is financially irresponsible or just bad with money, yeah... this may be yours.

Collecting tools since I was 12 and using them for a living for around ten years of my life, I have a pretty good idea of what I’m looking at quality wise wether you believe it or not.

Everyone has their twitch or addiction like drugs, gambling, RC cars/planes etc. mine is tools and I feed it quite often. Out of addictions someone could have, I don’t think this is really a bad one. But you do you.

 

[Landslide]

I charge $200 an hour to turn wrenches. Currently sitting at a 2 week wait period.

Not a single one of those wrenches are the overpriced princess tools sold by the rape truck.

Some people know they are a good mechanic. Some people need to make others think they are a good mechanic because the bank owns all their tools. Meh. Says more about them than it does me. 🤷🏼‍♂️

So you relate a persons mechanical abilities by the brand tools he/she buys? You’re a judgmental idiot that sounds off jealous and thinks you’re better then everyone else in the shop imo.

 

[ManNamedJed]

I took a few auto classes at the local community college. The Snap On guy would come by and offered 50% off for students. I thought I'd take advantage an upgrade some of my stuff.

Holy crap, even at 50% off it was a rip off. I don't know what kind of back room handjob arrangement they had with the school, but they were pushing it hard on the students.

I made a point of bringing in my Tekton, Gearwrench and other tools to show the students. Some of the specialty tools Snap On sells were just rebranded import stuff that can be bought for 1/5th the price online.

 

[Mvanhelden]

We’ve got a mix of Snap On and Carlyle tools at our shop. Snap On has some awesome tools that are worth the money for sure, but a lot of tools we have are Carlyle from Napa and are also very good quality tools. Heck some things between the two are made in the same factory and identical. In my work pickup I have a pretty large collection of Carlyle stuff and I love it. Our mechanic at the shop loves the Snap On truck, so that’s what most of our shop tools consist of.

 

[Alpine4x4]

I outfitted my box at home and box at work with SK wrenches, screwdrivers, sockets and ratchets. Everything else is other brands I like

Wiha
Knipex
Klein
Proto
Wera
Nichols

Sucks because up until 5 years ago I could get any SK tool I wanted right in town.


From their website

SK Tools USA, LLC is now a sister company of Shop-Vac USA, LLC in Williamsport, PA USA. We have relocated our manufacturing and distribution from Sycamore, IL to Williamsport, PA USA in November 2021. This move allows us to leverage the facilities and technical capabilities of Shop-Vac who also shares our pride of quality, precision, innovation, service, and country.

Under the ownership of GreatStar Industrial USA and its portfolio of brands including Arrow Fastener, Pony Jorgensen, Goldblatt we now have far greater resources and global scale to improve our service and innovate while building on our 100-year reputation. We will continue to manufacture many products in our new Williamsport facility while leveraging the experience and resources of Shop-Vac and our parent company, GreatStar Industrial. This blended approach will allow us to focus our manufacturing, procurement and innovation while improving our service and maintaining our reputation as the premium tools for American professionals.

I really like Wera and Wiha for screwdrivers, pretty much on par with my Snap-on ones. The Wera precision roll up kit is fantastic for the money if you work on little shit like key fobs as is the Wiha metal cased precision bit set.

 

[Gtrplyr78]

What if I need to put the rotor back on?

I've got a mini map torch that works well. But I'm rather impatient most days.

Why not tap the T30 with a hammer prior to getting at it with a ratchet?

This method works well for me.

 

[Muckin_Slusher]

he was here briefly
got upset about da jooz or some shit and left

then he came back for a while, then ???

Edit: Just searched his user name here scott cee something 4drx4 and nothing at all comes up. I've noticed that about more than 1 user here. Names just gone???

 

[MuntCuffin]

So you relate a persons mechanical abilities by the brand tools he/she buys?

That, combined with time in the industry, and if they financed them are sure as shit good indicators.

Stupid people make stupid decisions.

What you think of me relating to that doesn't bother me in the slightest.

 

[Vinman]

I purchased about 6-7g worth of Snap-on tools back in the 80’s, Not only do I still have every single piece with the exception of a 3/8” extension which my brother lost decades ago, I have all he receipts.
My favourite ratchet cost me $165.00 back in the day when I was getting paid a whopping $8.00/hr.
I probably had to work almost 30 hours to pay for that after taxes.

 

[94toytruck]

Knipex stuff is awesome, I'll admit I'm a Knipex fan boi. I'd rather buy something from them than Snappy any day of the week. Lowes sells them and so does my tool guy and no one gives a crap about warranting them.

 

[95stepside]

I bought all of my tool truck stuff with the student discount and that was reasonable. Or I'm misremembering how big of a check it was because it was 15 years ago. At that time, I think it was the way to go, it was definitely before HF had stuff you would trust to use every day, and craftsman was on its way down. In the time since then, I've only bought cheap HF/hardware store/ amazon stuff mostly because I don't use any of it professionally

 

[TrailTamer]

Holy crap, even at 50% off it was a rip off.

This little tool bag with Snap-On tools retail at over $10,000, probably closer to $12,000. ~$2,500 with student discount. Yes I know a plier is rusty.

It’s my emergency grab and go tool set.

 

[Gtrplyr78]

I have some Snap On stuff, bought used/part of the larger purchase. For the right price I will acrue more as the need arises...

Primarily my go to sockets these days are 3/8" impact duty Icon. Have a 1/2" set as well, that one doesn't see as much use.
Have deep and shallow sockets for both drive sizes.

Ratchets are old Craftsman/HF.

Other sockets are HF, SK, Craftsman (US), etc... Mix of Metric/SAE.

Go to screwdrivers are PB Swiss. Very good quality.

Pliers are a mix of Knipex, Craftsman, HF, Tekton, Klein Tools, specialty stuff.

Milwaukee for M12/18 Fuel cordless addiction, a couple DeWalt in there as well.

As a shade tree/home wrench I buy and upgrade as needed. That likely applies to a lot of you on here.

My tool boxes are cheap/falling apart Waterloo-Cratfsman (been around for 24 yrs plus), I still cannot bring myself to invest in their replacements. All they do is provide me with tool storage

No kids, a large majority of people I am friends with hold zero interest in wrenching, once I am gone zero fucks given about resale value of anything, including house/vehicles and what not.

 

[the conservative atheist]

Why not tap the T30 with a hammer prior to getting at it with a ratchet?

This method works well for me.

My go-to is an impact driver no matter if I think it's seized or not. I'm not worried about breaking a $0.25 Chinese bit. If the screw and rotor are obviously badly rusted sometimes I will give them a preemptive smack. The ones that are stripped piss me off even more. I find drilling the head off easier than getting the torch. Sometimes they will spin out with an air hammer and chisel.

 

[DWT]

I'm not the self proclaimed "broke ass mechanic" financing tools...
If you are an actual mechanic, an inherent problem solver, you'll never be broke.

But hey, keep keepin on with the Joneses. Finance them tools and let others tell you how much you're worth...

Werd. I was unemployed through most of the scamdemic and swinging a hammer or turning wrenches for cash the whole time making dumb money. One day I was talking to my parents and Mom asked how much I'd been saving since I was taking it in. I told her not a single cent, it's all gone into tools to make more money because as long as I can move I can make money no matter what. She was appalled but right after the shit opened back up I ended up getting out of the truck and started wrenching for a living so I needed all the shiny new shit I'd bought.




Fap off makes some decent tools, most is stupid over priced. I have tools from most all the old US brands and I've picked up some icon stuff and I'm happy as could be with it. Icon ratchets are pumptacular, as are their long double box end ratchet wrenches. Pittsburgh impact sockets are the best value on the market. Been beating on some since the 90s.

 

[welndmn]

Kinda on topic, with the power of todays electric impacts, I am cracking a lot more chrome sockets.
I use 1"+, all different brands, some Snap ons that are 30+ years old and the ol' M18 is now cracking them.
I know, blah blah use an impact, you are not a real mechanic unless you impact on chromes.

It's just funny that a chrome that I used for 30+ years on my pneumatic impacts was always fine, but the new electrics are cracking them :(

 

[Gtrplyr78]

Kinda on topic, with the power of todays electric impacts, I am cracking a lot more chrome sockets.
I use 1"+, all different brands, some Snap ons that are 30+ years old and the ol' M18 is now cracking them.
I know, blah blah use an impact, you are not a real mechanic unless you impact on chromes.

It's just funny that a chrome that I used for 30+ years on my pneumatic impacts was always fine, but the new electrics are cracking them :(

Look into Grey Pneumatic Duo sockets when on sale.
They are a hybrid, can be used for both, impact and ratchet duty.

 

[Steve300xcw]

They are a hybrid, can be used for both, impact and ratchet duty.

Thats what chrome sockets are

 

[94toytruck]

Fatigued old sockets break. That IR231 you had BIDT has a fraction of the power a new Milwaukee 1/2 impact has.

 

[IowaOffRoad]

Look into Grey Pneumatic Duo sockets when on sale.
They are a hybrid, can be used for both, impact and ratchet duty.

Theys good sockets

 

[Gtrplyr78]

I imagine


Thats what chrome sockets are

With Duo they have a decent warranty should one snap.

Your old, abused chrome set is plotting a revenge

 

[Landslide]

That, combined with time in the industry, and if they financed them are sure as shit good indicators.

Stupid people make stupid decisions.

What you think of me relating to that doesn't bother me in the slightest.

I don’t judge people by what tools they buy as I don’t think it has anything to do with their mechanical ability much at all. I know a guy who buys cheap ass harbor freight tools and he’s a freakin hack I wouldn’t trust rotating my wheels and tires around. And I know a guy with expensive name brand tools I wouldn’t let him do a brake job for me.

It boils down to two types of mechanics. One is a parts replacer and has the computer tell him what’s wrong the vehicle. The other is a true technician that diagnoses the issue and looks into what caused the failure as well.

What are you?

 

[Steve300xcw]

Your old, abused chrome set is plotting a revenge

That was the other day. But I fucked it back

 

[Landslide]

Knipex stuff is awesome, I'll admit I'm a Knipex fan boi. I'd rather buy something from them than Snappy any day of the week. Lowes sells them and so does my tool guy and no one gives a crap about warranting them.

I bought my first pair of Knipex adjustable pliers back in the early 90’s. I own a fair amount of their products now and love everything I’ve bought of theirs. I buy what I can at swap meets or eBay when I need something or like what I see.