Snap on tools

[GregLaROCHE]

I want to refurbish my toolbox with good quality tools. I’ve always thought of snap as the top of the line. Is that still true? Do they have different qualities within their brand, as so many other brands have done? What do I need to look for to get the best quality? Where are they made today? Any chance it’s not China? I want to start with a 1/4 inch drive socket set, then buy more each month.

[dangitgriff]

Snap-On is hard to beat.

[tradbear55]

Most Snapon tools are still made in the USA. However, they also carry a cheaper line called Bluepoint. Not all their tools are made in America. You have to look closely before you buy.

[Carrier]

I have a price of a house in tools as I’ve been a heavy duty and a transport refrigeration mechanic for 40 years. It all depends on what you will use them for and how much you want to spend. There is no doubt Snap On is the best followed by Mac and others. I find Mac wrenches fit my hands better than Snap On but Snap On sockets, ratchets and other socket type tools are the best hands down.
I have some of just about every brand made but about 90% are Snap On.

[wddodge]

Snap-On is top of the line. Pricey but you won't find a higher quality tool.

[country gent]

Snap on is very good and the warranty is hard to beat. Mac and proto are very good also. A Lot of shops have these trucks stop once a week or month. So that helps offset the higher costs as they save you the time of shopping and the travel.

Being a tool maker they didnt carry a lot for us, more auto related

[rancher1913]

you will pay top dollar for snap-on. we had all the tool trucks stopping by at the oil field shop and I've found that around here cornwell tools have the best bang for the buck, they have the same warranty as snap-on and are about 1/2 the price. most of our mechanics started out with snap-on stuff but over time have gone to cornwell tools.

[GregLaROCHE]

I see they have a 100 year anniversary set. It’s 1/4 inch drive. Just what I’m looking for. Where can I buy it? They don’t still only sell from their trucks, do they? Can’t I find them online somewhere?

[GregLaROCHE]

I found out how much the 1/4” drive anniversary socket set costs. Over $2400. I may have to pass.
https://youtu.be/tgAZdtUPE-I

[metricmonkeywrench]

Concur, Snap-On is top of the line, and suited well for pro work but can be costly. I have gotten great service from my older Craftsman tools, but walked away when quality started to decline. I started buying Kobalt, but it looks like they are going away with the the new Craftsman (Stanley) line. There's even room in the box for Horrible Freight, the impact sockets are nearly indestructable. Some of my favorite tools are off brand.

In the military I probably used and broke them all, in the end it all comes down to preference and what your willing to spend. Local availability is my key driver.

[30calflash]

Snap on sockets and wrenches are great tools, no comparison with others. They have a flank drive that grips the nut or bolt by the flats, not the corners. Makes a huge difference on regular vehicles as rust really wreaks havoc on underbody parts and most other brands will strip out before a rusty bolt will break loose.

Snap on rep demonstrated this with a piece of plastic hex stock, Snap on vs Mac. The Mac 6 point wrench stripped out first. He then came back the next week wit a Snap on 12 point wrench vs Mac 6 point, and the Mac stripped out again. That sold me!

I was told he tried it later, Snap on 12 point on the stripped end and Mac 6 point on the clean end and the Mac stripped again. Very outstanding performance.

That said if you are working on a lot of rusted stuff, cars trucks whatever Snap on could be worth it.

If you're assembling new items, lawnmowers, bicycles, around the house stuff most any will do. Other brands are or were very popular with Nascar but they're using new bolts that get changed a lot.

[shell70634]

Years ago I bought Proto. Top quality and warranty. They had a cheaper brand called Challenger. The Proto brand was on par with Snap On IMO.
Shelly

[Butler Ford]

Their sockets are the best! Their ratchets aren't much better than the old Craftsman. Their wrenches are too thin, not that they break, they just become uncomfortable when a lot of pressure is applied. MAC wrenches are the best I've used. Split ring pliers are better than any other that I've used. Screw drivers are good. Pliers are iffy some are outstanding others not so much. The good ones, the groves on one jaw will meet the ridges on the opposite. That's about all I remember, that box of tools was stolen a few years ago and I just replaced most everything with Craftsman.

[Jsm180]

I've made a good living over the last 40+ years with mostly craftsman tools. A few of the snap-on tools I have I found in airplanes and likely the owner is still making payments on it. I have never broken a craftsman wrench and the only sockets I have split were ground thin for a single use anyway.

[GregLaROCHE]

I used to have the old craftsman tools and a few snap ons thrown in. With moving and kids, I am missing a lot. Life changed and mechanics was much less a part of my life. Now that I am retiring, I was hoping to replace cheap stuff that has found its way into my box and is often not up to the job. Unfortunately, I’m not 25 anymore, with fifty years left to amortize the investment.

[tazman]

The company I retired from after 42 years, made the ball pein hammers for Snap On the entire time I worked there. They had a lifetime guarantee that we backed up.
I assume they still do since it was a point of pride for the company.
The company name was Vaughan and Bushnell. They make hammers, hatchets, axes, and pry bars for a number of different labels as well as their own.

[alamogunr]

Wasn't Proto bought out by Stanley. I haven't seen them in a long time. I have a few Proto tools. The first wrenches I bought after college was a set of Proto metric combination wrenches. Went from 10mm to 19 mm. Since then I've ended up with a few more Proto tools but most have been Craftsman or something else I had to have immediately with no time to shop. I never have turned wrenches for a living, it's all been personal use. That doesn't prevent me from appreciating quality. Have never been well off enough to buy Snap On.

[Shawlerbrook]

Unless you are a pro or independently wealthy, I find that some of the lesser brand suit me fine.

[Carrier]

Snap on sockets and wrenches are great tools, no comparison with others. They have a flank drive that grips the nut or bolt by the flats, not the corners. Makes a huge difference on regular vehicles as rust really wreaks havoc on underbody parts and most other brands will strip out before a rusty bolt will break loose.

Snap on rep demonstrated this with a piece of plastic hex stock, Snap on vs Mac. The Mac 6 point wrench stripped out first. He then came back the next week wit a Snap on 12 point wrench vs Mac 6 point, and the Mac stripped out again. That sold me!

I was told he tried it later, Snap on 12 point on the stripped end and Mac 6 point on the clean end and the Mac stripped again. Very outstanding performance.

That said if you are working on a lot of rusted stuff, cars trucks whatever Snap on could be worth it.

If you're assembling new items, lawnmowers, bicycles, around the house stuff most any will do. Other brands are or were very popular with Nascar but they're using new bolts that get changed a lot.

Snap On dealer did the same thing with us but I guess he figured we were all stupid as he was comparing the flank drive with a plain Mac wrench. I have both of Snap On flank drive and Mac knuckle buster and problem with the Snap On is it will mess up the fastener head or nut. They work slightly better than the Mac knuckle buster if you are replacing the bolt or nut though Mac has a new wrench out that is similar but at my age I’m done buying any new tools.
I prefer Mac wrenches for the simple fact they are thicker and more square which fits my hand better but because they are thicker can give issues in tight places and that’s were the Snap On work better.
It’s really comes down to what one is doing as if I was just doing some weekend wrenching on my own things I sure wouldn’t be spending the money on tools and would be going with Craftsman or similar.
But there are some tools that only Snap On, Mac and a couple others make so you have no choice. I have tools from decades ago for Cat, Cummins and Detroit that cost big money and haven’t used in years as those engines are long gone up here anyways.

[rcslotcar]

I've grown my "Snap-on" tool sets inexpensively by shopping flea mkts and pawn shops. I keep a list on my phone and buy sockets /wrenches as I find them to fill/complete sets. This is not the fastest method but can build sets for about 1/4 the retail cost. Sockets can be had for as little as a couple of dollars each. Wrenches can be five dollars each. You can also search Ebay but condition can be hard to determine and shipping can be prohibitive. For my in vehicle tools I keep inexpensive Harbor Freight stuff. Good luck in getting together a quality tool box that can last forever.