jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I've been working on cars and making things out of wood since I was a kid, so I tend to watch tool reviews online. Reviews and comparisons of Snap-On tolls surprised me. I've never bought anything from Snap-On. My basic socket set is a Craftsman set from about 1960.

What I have observed in Snap-On comparisons is that their tools are no better than any other name brand, but they cost four or five times more. Whether they are hand tools or power tools, buying S-O will get you moderate performance, a shorter warranty, and very high prices. In a comparison of cordless impact wrenches, Milwaukee walked away as the winner, at less than half the price and with a five-year vs one-year warranty. The Harbor Freight impact wrench did very well against the S-O, even out-performing it in one test.

A comparison to tool cabinets produced the same results. Comparing large cabinets, the very expensive S-O came up short against offerings from Harbor Freight and Home Depot. As the reviewer said, they are both made in China of similar material, with almost identical configurations. So why does the S-O cost several times what the H-F cost?

I know some of you will tell us how good S-O tools are, but I'm just commenting on comparisons I've seen online.

https://www.google.com/search?q=snap-on+tools+vs+others&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS925US925&oq=snap-on+tools+vs+others&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i22i29i30l3.5359j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=snap-on+tools+vs+others

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

But Snap-On is the best.

So everyone says.....

(I never bought Snap-On either.)


Yea, buy the best.
(The best being relative.)

GPappy Loc: Finally decided to plop down, Clover, S.C.

Snap On and a couple of the other hand tool companies have trucks that go around to all the auto repair garages in business and sell their tools. You have to pay for convenience. Professional mechanics I've dealt with over the years are willing to pay more for that personal experience.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Maybe not.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Haha. We need a facetious smiley face.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

That was the best I could find.

Jaackil Loc: Massachusetts

I don’t know if the Snap-On tools you can buy retail are the same quality as the ones you buy off the truck. The attraction of Snap-On tools is they come right to mechanics shops. They are convienent and they finance purchases. Mechanics can pay for them weekly a little bit every week. Yes they are a lot more expensive but they get you with small payments every week. Like the old craftsman tools they are guaranteed for life. If you break one the Snap-On guy will replace it in the spot right off his truck. Are they any better? Hard to say. But for a mechanic who needs a tool while working there certainly is some value to be able to call the Snap-On guy and have it brought to them and not have to leave the shop while working. Your old Craftsman tools from the 60’s are most definitely better quality, but they are also better than the craftsman junk sold today.

fourlocks Loc: Londonderry, NH

Very interesting...and not that much of a surprise. I mean, maybe Snap On chrome plates their sockets a little thicker or has a slightly better metal composition than others but my Sears Craftsman tools are still going strong since I acquired them in the early '70's.

And let's not forget Craftsman's unconditional lifetime guarantee. I've turned screwdrivers in for free replacements and I've seen other owners return an entire set of tools for a new set. It was a sad day when that ended since to me, it meant Sears might be skimping on quality to protect their profit margin and would no longer stand behind their product.

rustfarmer

Some tool brands (Mac for example) have unique features like sockets with the tips of the socket cutout so that the pressure is placed on the flat part of a fastener rather that on the tip (kind of poor explanation I know). Some ratchets have finer teeth movements that make it easier to use in tight places. Some spot rivet cutters use batter grade of metal and thus cut better and last longer. The strange thing is no one brand seems better at all these things but Mac tools generally perform well for me.

FRENCHY Loc: Stone Mountain , Ga

Yes, yes yes!.

My S O Box's in the garage, still full of tools collecting dust, cost a lot, look good...thats it. like a person here say it , S O was and is along with Mc Tools " user-oriented ", they come to you and, this is the trick.

FRENCHY Loc: Stone Mountain , Ga

john boots

As a retired auto tech for over 40 years, yes Snap on is higher priced than most other tools ,but they come to your shop ,they warranty what is broken (mostly from abuse ) . I did not have to run to Sears to purchase or replace a Craftsman tool after work ,or tried to get the S&K tool at the local hardware store . Everyone has an opinion which I respect, as for me the dependability of a Snap on truck coming around once a week was a welcome choice .

Bigmike1 Loc: I am from Gaffney, S.C. but live in Utah.

My tools are a mix of anything I could find at the time I needed them. I always considered Craftsman to have the best warranty. With cameras I have only bought one new one in my life. It is an Olympus, which I bought in 2000 at the time I retired from the military. I went online to the online PX. They offered the Olympus for a thousand dollars. I had looked at a Canon, which I liked but it was $1700 at the local camera store so I went with the Olympus. At the PX I didn't have to pay sales tax and they shipped it for free. If I am not mistaken it was shipped from Japan.

Jack 13088 Loc: Central NY

I have a small number of Snap-On tools, mostly Whitworth for 1950 MGTD. They are precisely sized and feel good in the hand. Sort of like a Leica of the same vintage. The vast majority of my SAE sized tools are Craftsman or Montgomery Ward Powr Kraft tools which are of high quality. These days they lay mostly fallow replaced by metric sizes. Crapsman tools declined in quality in the 80s to the bottom. Recently the house branded tools at the home centers are satisfactory except maybe Lowe’s now. I have been disappointed in nearly everything from Harbor Freight. BTW Sears wood working tools have always been the worst.

ELNikkor

Marketing and service are often the differences that make same quality items higher-priced.