Only hand tools are lifetime warranty, other things, floor jacks air tools specailty tools mostly only have a one year warranty, some a two year. I like certian snap-on things, and certian matco things, matco boxes for example a beefier and half the cost. But snap-on sockets and wracthets, are more pleaseing to the eye. I buy whatever looks cooler to me, cause there mainly the same tools, and I have to look at them everyday. This is my box I have at the house, I have the double at the shop.

 

Nice box.

 

i end up losing sockets before i break them so i get craftsman and never have any problems, as far as ratchets i started buying the new snapon ratchets with the rubber handles and i think they are poop compared to my craftsman professionals, but for speacialty tools etc, craftsman doesnt have much of a variety

 

used to use snap-on exclusively at my last job, and I use craftsman at home. If you try and get the "professional" craftsman line, it's a really good deal, and the tools are nice.

 

Yeah I had to wait about 2 weeks to get it. Bucket of ****>craftsman

 

I have Craftsman in my garage. I have used Snap-On, Matco and others. As far as hand tools the Craftsman have been top notch for me. I broke a socket and Sears threw it in a box and said grab another one, same with a rachet.

Snap-On is way to expensive for me, and there is always a Sears near by and the quality is awesome, that is why I will stay with Craftsman.

 

i think that "if your making a living, snap on sit he way to go" and craftsman is crap is complete bullshit. sure, they make great tools, but thats not the only way to make a living. my buddy's dad is a road tech for a construction company. basically he maintains and fixes machines onsite. so he has a "shop truck" he uses craftsman exclusively. and has done so for the past 20 years. i asked why he didnt use mac or snap on. he said when starting out, when he needed a tool, tool truck was where he needed it, but sears was. then he realized craftsman tool worked fine and were a quater of the price. the point, snap on is great, but come on, stop saying craftsman or any other "non tool truck" brand is crap. craftsman tools can take a part a car just like a snap on can.

 

Tools are like women they,ll all work in a jam but you only want the best!

 

I'll throw in a tad bit of input and a question here.

I've always ehard and thought craftsmen tools to be excellent, especially for the DIY guys at home. However in the last couple months I keep hearing stuff about how the customer service isnt' there, harder to get new tools somtimes, and I hear and see stuff like quality going down. I'm doing a heads cam swap with a couple of my friends, and my friend just got the brand new set they have on sale right now, in the red and black plastic box. 1 of his ratchets is pretty much DOA, it will ratchet for a few inches, and just stop. It keeps wanting to kick the toggle back to loosen or tighten. I'm pretty sure now its just flat locked up. Another ratchet in the set he was having problems with too, right out of the box, first time use. We ended up referring to a ratchet from Famous Barr as the good ratchet, until my other buddy busted out his tools.

I also work for a parts store delivering parts to mechanics all dayh, so its always pretty intresting to hear there opinions of tools and the xperiences they have. It seems that the majority of them buy tools based on the service they get. Most of them tend to prefer snappy, but they wont buy from them if the guy starts getting shady or doesn't show up all the time. Doesn't seem that a lot of them only have a one brand prefrence.

The question I have is, my grandpa had some snappy tools, and passed them on to me. I used a 24" breaker bar last night, and its not broke, but i can wiggle the damn part that goes in the socket back and forth quite a bit. When i'm on a bolt, i've probably got a good 6 inches before it catches. Not sure if this is to be expected or normal. I wouldn' texpect that slopiness from a snap on tool. Do you think they will replace this?

 

snapon matco craftsman there all good.with snapon you are mostly just buying the name

 

just call 'em and ask - 262-656-5200

Craftsman/Sears has really been slacking lately - I've got a 3ton jack I purchased maybe 2 months ago that started leaking fluid whenever I attempted to lift anything. Took it back and got another one - it leaked too - took it back and got a 3rd. Big surprise, it leaks also. Now they're refusing to exchange that one and wont give me store credit to purchase something else

For christmas, I told my family (immediate and in-laws) to buy me Sears gift cards (I cant stand the Wal-mart cheap plastic roadside 'tool kit's I get every year) so I can combine them to get a few large items from the Craftsman catalog... so now I've got almost $2k in gift cards burning a hole in my pocket but the good 'ole Sears store can't order "Catalog/Online Exclusive" items from Craftsman... ok cool. So I go online but literally every item I want is out of stock.. so far, Ive received 3 different dates when those items should be back in stock but they've come and gone and no such luck. So I call the catalog # to place a backorder... but they dont accept gift cards over the phone... thanks a lot guys. I go back to the store to get cash for my cards and get an expected 'no' along with a copy of the next Craftsman sale... great... considering half the items are still out of stock...

 

online, just give them your email and they will send out a notice when the product is available. i've done that and it works..usually 2 or so weeks. maybe when your checking they have sold out AGAIN

 

I use Crapsman when I work on the home projects but I own Snao-On and Mac (mostly Mac) for work. I put food on the table with my tools and depend on their quality. I,ve returned broken tools over the years and never had an issue with anyone but Crapsman. They have given me the third degree almost every time I take a tool back for warranty. I just went past the 20 year mark as a Airframe & Powerplant mechanic. My advice is to buy a large enough box to expand into as the years pass, invest heavly in 1/4 drive items, buy stubby, standard and long combination wrenches, a good set of gear wrenches, a good flashlight and hardened tip screwdrivers. Remember that if you have to borrow a tool more than twice, you need to own it. Hope it helps. Good luck in aviation.

Mec

 

I am a distributor for Craftsman (a.k.a Danaher), no not Sears. Craftsman and Snap-on are not at the same price point (quality). Craftsman are made by Danaher but Sears own the brand name. Armstrong tools would be the equivalent to Snap-on and are also made by Danaher. Craftsman has about 2000 sku's and Armstrong and Snap-On about 5000 sku's each. So this comparison is not really apples to apples.

I agree with many of you on here saying Craftsman is good for home, when you lose'm before you break'em, etc. Go to a Fastenal store (or other large Industrial Distributor) and ask your Rep about Armstrong vs. Snap-on. Proto is Stanley's equivalent to Craftsman an is mostly distributed by Grainger. You are paying for a name and a good service with Snap-on and Matco......

 

Lifted straight off the internet but pretty much "dead on ***** accurate"



Home Depot's Husky brand is made by Stanley Mechanics Tools, a division of the Stanley Works. Husky are also good tools and have a good lifetime warranty (they'll even replace your broken Craftsman with an equivalent Husky).

Until 1994 or so, Stanley also made Sears Craftsman tools. Sears Craftsman is now made by Danaher Tools. They beat out Stanley on the contract over price. Danaher also manufactures MatCo Tools, the third largest player in the Mobile Automotive industry (behind MAC and Snap-On). Odds are, if you own any Craftsman tools that are older than about five years ago, they were made by Stanley in plants in Dallas, Texas, Witchita Falls, Texas, and Sabina, Ohio.

Stanley also owns MAC Tools and manufactures MAC tools in the same plants. Now here's the kicker: MAC Tools, Proto Tools (a very expensive industrial brand), Husky Tools, and, (prior to five or so years ago) Craftsman Tools are all made from the same forgings in the same plants. Proto is unique because it goes through addtional testing and certification because it is used by NASA, the military, and industrial customers (including General Motors).

There are three MAJOR players in the USA mechanics tool business: Stanley, Danaher, and Snap-On. Stanley and Danaher (almost identical in sales revenue at about $28 billion each) are the biggest followed by Snap-On. Each of these three manufacture and sell tools under a variety of brands (there are many other brands that Stanley makes that I haven't even named). The quality between these three manufacturers is roughly the same. I know its a bit of a let-down to hear that, but its a simple fact.

There are a hand full of other minor players (Vermont American, etc) and an endless list of Taiwanese import tool companies (some of which Stanley own as well as Danaher to serve the lower end consumer import brands at WalMart, etc). How do I know all of this? I work for Stanley Mechanics Tools, specifically with the Proto Industrial brand. I personally do not think that MAC, MatCo, or Snap-On branded tools are worth the extra markup since they use the same forgings and manufacturing processes that make Husky and Kobalt and pre-1994 Craftsman. Where you need to pay attention are things like ratchets and torque wrenches. There are different specifications of ratchets and you do pay for the difference. Some mechanics require a finer, more precise ratcheting mechanism than guys like me who just bang around in the garage on the weekends. By the way, Metwrench is basically considered a "gimick" infomercial tool brand that is not considered as a serious competitor to Danaher, Snap-On, or Stanley. Then again, IBM once didn't see Microsoft as a serious force in the personal computer business. Hmmmm...

 

Wow, that's some good info. I've always wondered about the Husky tool quality. I guesse when I need a quick tool I will run to Home Depot instead of driving 25 miles to Sears.

 

BE careful! That information is already a few years old. The Husky tools taht you see at Home Depot are Made by Stanley in either Taiwan or China now.

 

Hi
Heres the thing, Im not going to plug a company but in this case I have to save you a bunch of cash and headaches.
Being an aircraft mechanic before sshit hit the fan in new york.
A bunch of us in school went out to buy tools and pretty much everyone bought craftsman and mastercraft(canadian) amoung others. Now went out and researched a little longer. I'm also a mechanic, which made me a little partial to snap on. However snapon prices are a little obsurd. That being said. Im not sure what you guys did in school or what a/c's you practiced with but in the feild it becomes a whole new thing. Heres is something you may have heard this before, and if not here is your first lesson on the job. Forget everything you learned will be the first thing someone tells you when you start. Ok back to tools.
I started working on interiors for the summer on 757, L1011, 737's. I had order a few tools from snapon got a good deal. I waited for three weeks to get them. In those three weeks I had used the tools I had acumulated throughout my career. Those were the longest three weeks ever. I cant tell you how much crap I went through using cheap tool. Not that they dont work its they DONT FIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was told off by alot of guys by buying snapon but those same guys had to rebuy their tools.
Here is a small list of what you should be snap on everything else let your continuing experience dictate it.
*Off set wrenches (vs805b) do not!! use flank drive
*ratcheting screw driver!!! (ssdmr4b0)and stubby version if you can afford it
*reversing screwdriver (sddd42)youll love this
*small lock wire pliers ( reversable)
*1/4 in ratchet
*wrenches 1/4" upto 3/4" over that the area is usually ample for larger wrenches and are really not used as often so sears pro version are ok (again no flank)
I would get also a set of thier screwdrivers. No cheapies they alway break the
tips at the worst time (sddx500)
mini screw drivers they are cheap (sddx400)
and mini pics (asa204a0)
side cutters (they last longer) if you want their duck bills better grip
Maglight!!!( three D size) Min mag!!! Homedept kit/costco which have both
1/4" dr. 12point socker set (short) used alot for the deep you can go with craftsman
but depending on what you are doing youll wear them and be replacing them alot.
take that by ear cheap enough to buy then you can always purchase a good set later(deep set)
same goes with the short 3/8" -I hardly used my deep set which did cost quite a pretty penny craftsam for that
This is the one you will hate 1/4" universal 12point just the most used sizes 3/16", 1/4", 5/16", the rest of the sizes up or down buy as you go if you use it once buy it because youll use it over and over. ( us can use save a bit by buying the industrial finish ones)
stubby wrench use the craftsman set which is great ( the largest set avaible)
crows feet craftsman again.
believe it or not I would buy the 1/4" extention set with the knurles(106btmx it worth it) on wobble 2"
I would go as far as buying a few of the 3/8" extention again long med short one of each. One wobble in 1"
dead blow mallats, brass drift punches, soft face hammers whatever you want but the dead blow snapon last longer without cracking after a few blows which the cheap ones do.
Pocket mirror and magnet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
steel ruler (homedepot)
If you do engine changes in the hanger youll want a 1/4" air ratchet
speedhandle snapon works better and smoother than the others.
everything else is FBO provided

If you need any other advice or want to know something about this buis let me know, but if you ask I will not sugar coat the answer I will tell you the truth. Better now than call me a lier later

P.S. keep a tighter leash on your tools than your woman. The woman can punch back and bite but the tools are speachless & defenceless

 

I personally do not think that MAC, MatCo, or Snap-On branded tools are worth the extra markup since they use the same forgings and manufacturing processes that make Husky and Kobalt and pre-1994 Craftsman.QUOTE

Curious whos forgings do the snap on products come from?

If the forging are the same then the final product should perform and look 100% identical to one another. However I do see similarities between certain companies on certain tools. Now when I purchase tools I try to find out who the manufacture is that make and distributes them. Then I find out who carries the same product under different names ( as long as they are identical not only in appearance) and if it saves me money then Ill buy it. But if its something that costs a few dollars more fpr the identical tool from say snapon and i know that I may break it and its easier to replace than to send away for it ill spend the extra.
For example mac tools body hammers are actually manufactured by martin tools and us the same part number. I purchased them through eastwood and saved a few bucks. By the way those body hammers and dollies are awsome.

ID LOVE TO FIND OUT WHO MAKES THE MATCO, MAC, SNAPON TOOL BOXES

 

Snap-On tool boxes ( at least the higher end ones) are made by snap-on, in Wisconsin. Matco boxes (all as far as I know) are made in Jamestown, PA. Thats where mine came from at least. Mac boxes I am unsure about. Snap-on loves to point out that the other makes can't put "made in USA on their boxes" I asked my Matco salesman about this, he was unsure and emailed someone in the company. He showed me the reply he got from some dude in the company saying the only non-US components on the high end boxes are the rubber drawer liners and the ball bearing slides. Every thing else is US sourced. It is my understanding that any hand tool branded Snap-On is done in house, again in Wisconsin. Their Blue-Point line can come from almost anywhere.