Are Snap-on tools really better ?

I like my USED Snap On box. The rollers were all shot so I had them replaced for FREE.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy that big stainless box that Sam's Club sells or the big box at Harbor Freight.

 

I buy a lot of Snap On stuff on Ebay. I always get a good price, never pay near retail. Most of it is used, but they are always in great shape. My tool box is a Professional series from Canadian Tire, roll cabinet that I bought when they first came out about 15 years go. I bought the extra drawer sliders for the big top main drawer with all my sockets in it. Box is still in great shape.

 

Buy the biggest Craftsman or comparable set you can afford. Then, buy Snap On to replace things you break or don't like the way they work. Snap On sockets will remove bolts that other brands just round off the corners on. There is a difference in quality, but with a huge price tag. Consider use also, my 1 inch drive set came from Harbor Freight as I don't use it often. I use them with impact with 175 PSI air and had a 8ft pipe on the ratchet when changing main bearings, I haven't broke one yet. If I win the lottery I will have a full set of Snap On though.

 

snaps are expencive, that's why I have generally cheaper tools, like topex and only two snap on kits (wrenches, sockets and torx bits). wanna have all tools by snap on

 

I think he means Kobalt brand. They are actually manufactured by the same company that made crafstman tools in the 70's and 80's before sears started farming it out to china. Their higher end crome-polished sets are every bit as strong and reliable as the snap-on and other higher end tool companies. I used to abuse the crap out of 3/8" ratchets when replacing ram-caps with long cheeter pipes on a daily basis because a 1/2 driver would not fit between the 2 large hydraulic press heads without disasembling the press. The ratchet is expendable in this case and is cheaper to replace than the labor costs of opening the press head further. I can tell you first hand that the newer, best of the crafstman ratchets would not make it through all 16 bolts (87 nm torque i think) before snapping the gears out of them. Every off-brand northern tool, harbor freight brand would snap 1 or 2 bolts in, and the cheaper home depot/lowes brands maybe you get all 16 bolts before a snap, maybe not. Most of them, the handle would bend too,....but,....those longer handled, chrome polished Kobalt 3/8" ratchets would hold up to about 10 or 12 entire ram cap changes (16 bolts each) before showing signs of failure. We did NOT exchange the wrenches when they broke. We purposfully abused them and considered them expendable. I actually used to have have a small collection of bent and busted ratchets just to show the new guys what would and would not hold up to that kind of abuse.

Just some input on this subject,...Rawze

 

You have to watch a lot of the Craftsman stuff, more & more has Made in China stamped on it. That & every few months in the news they keep talking about Sears losing money. Not thinking the Craftsman brand would be thrown away if Sears went bankrupt, but something to keep in mind for the warranty thing.

...& some of you may know, didn't Stanley make a lot of the old tools for Craftsman years ago? Do they still have a decent line? Know they have some cheap import stuff too, but thinking they mfg'd more than most people knew about in various lines.

 

Going to get a kit for home and now not sure about the craftsman. Just hate to send the money over. Maybe I better look at the lowes for the kobalt.

 

Blue point are like Snap On's cheaper line.

 

its also imported