Are Snap-on tools really better ?

I have yet to purchase any craftsman tools that haven't said made in the USA on them.

 

Maybe Lowes in a larger city keeps more inventory? Bought some larger wrenches from there on clearance & they are great, but they have since changed what they stock in Springpatch...

Craftsman sets will vary $150 in final price out the door pending sales at any given time. Their ratchets as mentioned above by Rawze are not what they use to be though.

 

I have older sets that are down from lost or damaged. Thinking about getting a new set.

 

+1 for the harbor freight impact sockets. Iv had the same set for 8 years and haven't broken one. Snap-on ratchets are great. The best Snap-on deals are found in eBay. Or wait for the tool truck to have sales. I picked up 1/4 drive flex head ratchet 3/8 drive ratchet,( the fine tooth ratchets) 3 Phillips, and 3 straight Screw drivers for $150 seems expensive but cheap for Snap-on.

 

You have to watch Ebay. Some people are selling tools for higher than the truck price. I would love to know what they are thinking. Just look at the ratcheting screwdrivers for example!!!

 

I noticed that the new craftsman wrenches no longer say USA on them and if you read the fine print in the box it does say made in china.

 

I did a lot of engines, and on a Cummins you need a 5/8 socket 6 point a lot and it must be thin walled to get in on a lot of places, I bought a cheap 5/8 socket, because I broke the one I had been using, I believe it was a CR. I used it for 15 years it looks like new. On an N14 jake head the 7/16. 12 point bolts are recessed, a 3/8 drive is what is needed to get in there. a CR socket with a 1/2 to 3/8 adapter and I was good to go, the torque is 75 lbs.
Snap-on chisels, they are dangerous, Proto made the best, Gray was a close second, I have Craftsman chisels and punches I use to drive in bearings used them for 40 years.
I do not have a single Snap-on wrench, they hurt your hands.
For the newer Mechanics buy the biggest rollaway you can afford when you start out you can always buy the top box when you have more money, side cabinets, come later.
Always do the best job you can and when a mistake is made admit it and it can be corrected, if it goes out the door, then there is trouble.
When and if a manager calls you into the office and preaches to you, about mistakes, look at the pencils on his desk, they all have erasers.
Just a thought!

 

<<zips fire suit>> the scary thing, Craftsman, Rigid, Husky, Snap-On, Mac all share similar manufacturer for certain, not all hand, hand tools. There's a company in Colorado Springs that made pliers, wrenches, and snap-ring pliers for all of them. We used to pick up loads for Sears there all the time, they had large totes full of pliers, each with different color handles, and marked where they were going to.

As for warranty, in '96 I bent a Craftsman 1/2-9/16 wrench into a U shape trying to take a bolt loose. It was 24 yrs old and purchased in Ohio, we returned it to a Sears in Colorado, they gave us a new one without question. My grandfather gave me a bunch of tools back in '03, amongst them was a few Craftsman from the very early 60's. They have a weight to them that the new ones don't.

 

You haven't bought any in a while then.

 

Craftsman you can replace for free yea snap on is top notch but way overpriced I've pulled motors, trans and everything in between with craftsman for a fraction of the cost.