Snap On versus Craftsman

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by Gary in La.

I to am a retired aircraft mechanic but in my opinion Snap On tools are pretty and shiney only to be harder to hold on to down here in the south when you are sweaty. Especially in the cramped space of an aircraft when doing the wrenching by feel only as you can't see what you are doing. I will say the Snap On screwdrivers are 2'nd to none. Craftsman screwdrivers are junk. Most of my tools are Craftsman that were bought in the'50's. Terrific quality! Their tools now are still very good but not the same as the old ones. Snap on does have some great specialty tools. For the antique auto guy they are not worth the heavy investment. OMHO

Agreed about the lucite handled screw drivers. There was/is a line of Professional US-made Craftsman rubber handled screw drivers. They are same as one of the major tool manufactures. They have blasted tips. These are by far one of the best screw drivers I've ever used.

If you are lucky, some Sears have them in their blow out boxes. Prices range from $2-3. Most of these are picked over, but it live in a out of the way town you may get lucky.

Do a search on Ebay and you'll see these are in high demand for they are great bang for your buck tool. I was lucky to find almost every size they made so I'm set.

[mercman from oz]

My Son-in-law is a Professional Mechanic and loves his Snap-On Tool Kit. Over the years, he has collected a very comprehensive set of Tools. It is interesting about his Cabinets. The large original one with the wheels on was made in the USA. When he needed more space to store his ever expanding collection, he had to but a second cabinet to mount on the top of the original. Would you believe that this smaller cabinet was made in China. It seems that even Snap-On gets some of their items made in China?

[CarlG]

Most of my wrenches are Craftsman -- the old Made in USA ones. I have refrained from buying any more of the new china made stuff, and rather go to eBay or pawn shops for "new" stuff I need/want, just making sure it's the old USA made stuff. I've actually had pretty good luck on eBay by watching, picking & choosing. Of course, the new Craftsman stuff is available lots of places other than Sears now days. K-Mart, True Value, Costco, just to name a few.

On the flip side, my son has mostly Snap-On. He uses his tools to make his living, has the Snap-On truck stop by his shop every week. Of course it's pretty much like the Tennessee Ernie Ford song "I Owe My Soul . . ." to the Snap-On man. He will never get his account paid off!

[flatford8]

I think all my stuff I got used. The Snap-on truck used to come to a place I worked and I would go right to the card board box in the back and buy the "trade in" stuff. Now I buy at garage/yard sales and swap meets. I don't care what brand they are. It does seem the older they are,the better the quality...... Mark

[flatjack9]

I'm with you Mark.

[mrtexas]

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Well one reason Snap On is so popular with mechanics is they come every week and have an installment plan. How else could they pay those sky high prices! Great tools though.

Chinese junk hand tools at Harbor Freight are pretty good however. HF is close by as well. Here is my Chinese tool box. It is very high quality. I'd like to get a caboose for the box but even a Chinese one is $2,000, as much as the box itself! As well as the Delta drill press and Bendpak lifts sad to say all made in China as well.

I have a few snap on tools bought used on ebay, some very specialized ones not made in China yet.

[rotorwrench]

Near all my stuff still has the old Snap-On script and none of my tool boxes are currently being produced. If you have a Snap-On tool that has Milwaukee, Wis on it, you really found some old stuff. I think they moved to Kenosha in 1923. They sort of stopped putting that stuff on the later manufactured tools since they have more locations now. They were not the first to have sockets that snap on to a ratchet or handle but their designs were such that they were awarded patents early on for a lot of them. Most every tool still has a date code on it so you can tell when it was made.

[Binx]

Originally Posted by Gary in La.

I to am a retired aircraft mechanic but in my opinion Snap On tools are pretty and shiney only to be harder to hold on to down here in the south when you are sweaty. Especially in the cramped space of an aircraft when doing the wrenching by feel only as you can't see what you are doing. I will say the Snap On screwdrivers are 2'nd to none. Craftsman screwdrivers are junk. Most of my tools are Craftsman that were bought in the'50's. Terrific quality! Their tools now are still very good but not the same as the old ones. Snap on does have some great specialty tools. For the antique auto guy they are not worth the heavy investment. OMHO

I agree. In the Air Force, my first experience with Snap-On was in the '90s when GSA allowed them. Their thin, smooth chrome knife-edged wrenches sucked while covered in hydraulic fluid and trying to break loose smoking-tight B-nuts. The old rectangle grip Bonney wrenches GSA offered were my favorite.

Lonnie

[Kube]

Originally Posted by mercman from oz

My Son-in-law is a Professional Mechanic and loves his Snap-On Tool Kit. Over the years, he has collected a very comprehensive set of Tools. It is interesting about his Cabinets. The large original one with the wheels on was made in the USA. When he needed more space to store his ever expanding collection, he had to but a second cabinet to mount on the top of the original. Would you believe that this smaller cabinet was made in China. It seems that even Snap-On gets some of their items made in China?

Some? Try nearly all... I live about 5 miles from their world headquarters. Very little, compared to years ago, is actually manufactured there anymore.

[rotorwrench]

My set of short open end wrenches is half Bonney and half Armstrong. Snap On never made any like them and they are the best when working in close quarters engine and equipment bays. Not too many folks know about them any more. I have several tools that were made under their aerospace line but they discontinued that line years ago. They even had an aerospace tool catalog a long time ago.

A lot of Snap On stuff under the"Blue Point" name has been made off shore for years. The forged, plated & polished stuff is likely still made here in US but it's getting harder to find actual US manufactured stuff. Snap On bought up a lot of other US companies for there name brand products and they might have the manufacturing spread around but it's hard to say any more.

[DavidG]

Dave,

For what it is worth, I've used nothing but Craftsman tools for 60 years and none have disappointed me, including the six point sockets and 'spanners', which I use almost exclusively in my restoration projects, including some recent purchases. Nothing's ever broken or wore out, except the tips of the blades of screw drivers which they replaced without question even though I would consider that normal wear and not covered by their warranty. Perhaps they no longer do that where the fault is not in the tool, but of the user.

[Fordors]

While I have never broken a Craftsman ratchet I have heard that they now give you a repaired ratchet that had been turned in previously. Still a functional tool but not new like you used to get. On a side note anybody remember when your screwdriver drawer smelled like somebody threw up in it? Craftsman became aware of that when a woman complained about her tools, they eventually changed the composition of the plastic.

[SofaKing]

Most of my tools are Craftsman, like others I prefer my 30 year old ratchets to the new ones. But I put this photo on to illustrate that sometimes a Snap_On tool is worth it. The offset wrenches are a Mac, snap on and a ref craftsman. You can see the offsets on both ends of the snap on is different than the standard offset, (15 degrees?). This has made a difference many times in my experience in getting a bolt out or not. The box ends of the Proto wrench is thinner than the craftsman, sometimes useful. The ratcheting snap on screw driver was 50$ 25 years ago and worth every penny. The shank is thinner at the apex bit so you can get to recessed screws that are inaccessible with the craftsman shown next to it. I would say choose wisely, each has a purpose.

[richard crow]

i have worked in maney places trucking co. dealers airlines one thing i have found is the worst mechanics had the big shiny tool boxes loaded with fancy tools.

[stangblue]

Have both wrenches mixed in different lengths but a complete set of Craftsman open box end. I always seem to grab a shop rag when I reach for the Snap On on a larger wrench for a better grip...maybe just me. Craftsman fit my hand better because of the thicker styled handle. Also a lot less expensive. I have replaced Craftsman wrenches (from rounding out the open end Jaw) but never on a Sap On. My favorite wrenches are Snap On socket wrenches, crows feet, swivel sockets, line wrenches and ratchets 3/8", i/2" breaker bar, sockets both 3/8 and 1/2" 6 point and 12 point and case hardened. I love my 1/4 "Craftsman ratchet and socket set also my Craftsman ignition wrenches. Mind you most of these tools where purchased in the 60s so the quality surpasses what is made today in my opinion!

[Cecil/WV]

I own a few Snap on tools, but mostly craftsman due to cost. I have found that a Snap on will grip a worn bolt head and take it out when a craftsman will round it off.

[Tim Ayers]

If you are in a hurry, get a complete set. If you have time and are willing to hunt a bit, I've found great deals out there. Once, at a yard sale of all things, I found new in the metal boxes Snap-On 3/8th's and 1/2" SAE sets with ratchets, breaker bars and speed wrenches. $50 ea. I couldn't get the money out of my pocket fast enough.

Like I said earlier, check out The Garage Journal. Seems like there are a fair number of of guys are shade tree mechanics who get sucked in to I have to have Snap On thing.

They go hog wild and then realize they can't afford it then sell it off. I've gotten killer deals there. Ebay is also a great place to get new or near new Snap On at 1/2 off or more.

[G.M.]

In the late 40's my buddy's father was Eastern manager for Snap On.
They used an old house down in the center of Philadelphia as a
warehouse where the drivers picked up their supply of tools to stock
their trucks. We would go down on Saturdays once in a while and the
Manager, Mort would give us all the broken Craftsman tools they took
as trade in's. We would go to Sears and get brand new wrenches and
ratchets. I always had at least a half dozen ratchets. His father said
Sears had the best warrantee on tools there was. A number of years
later my buddy and I went into making iron railings and fire escapes.
His father had a bad stroke, very poor speech and the right side of his
body didn't work to good. He wanted to do something so he came to
help us and went out on the truck to help his son install railings. Later
I got tired of the railings and sold out my half. Went on to selling welding
supplies and later manufacturing MIG welders. I built the first MIG's for
body shops called "Fender Menders" and in turn made them for Snap ON.
That was close to 60 years ago, I sold the company 30 years ago and they
are still building the MIG welders for Snap On. G.M.

[51 MERC-CT]

I have consulted with all the various nuts and bolts that I have removed or installed and the consensus is, that they "don't give a damn".

[oldandtired]

Craftsman has a lifetime warranty and I have owned and used them for a lot of years. I do wonder what will happen when Sears finally turns belly-up. In the past I just took anything that broke, usually a screwdriver or ratchet, down to Sears and they handed me a replacement. There is no longer a local Sears store with the nearest one around 35 miles and the writing on the wall for its demise is pretty clearly written.