raptere

Hey guys, i am taking a special car class with my local college during my high school junior and sinior years. They are giving me the option of getting a craftsman set of tools or a snapon set of tools for each i am getting a discount because it is for shcool. the craftsman one has the 151 piece set with the five pice wrench set and a test light and it is about 130 dollars. The snap on one seems to come with mostly similar parts but they are obviously snap on parts some extra tools too compared to craftsman, that one is about450 dollars added up on websight for about a grand. I am tryign to decide which to get i hear the snap on is a much better tool but how? and is it worth the extra 300 dollars.

Thanks for all of the suggestions.

Raptere
ELi Jacobson

deepstage69

iTrader: (2)

I have mostly Craftsman, and some Snap on, you cant beat the liftime warranty on Craftsman, especially when there is a sears almost anywhere.

SSC

You get a better deal with craftsmen tools and they are perfectly fine for DIY guys like most on this board.
Professional tools are a different story.
Snap-off are much better quality tools and a quality tool can make a difference. Lesser quality tools can strip nuts and bolts, craftsmen tools are of a lesser quality. In general CM ratchets are good, the pro grade impact sockets and swivel sockets work well also, but wrenches, screwdrivers and the standard chrome sockets don’t hold up well. It wouldn’t be a major problem if sears was open 24 hours a day.

If you plan on wrenching for a career, Snap on, Mac and Matco are your best bet for reliable tools and other mechanics wont laugh their A**’s off when you wheel in a box that says Craftsmen on it, although their boxes are nice and 50% less then the mentioned tool companies.

raptere

thankns guys keep the suggestions/ opinions/ experiences with the tools comming

Bandit5

Crafstman and Snap-On tools are EXACTLY THE SAME!!! They are made in the same plant and are very good tools. The only difference is that the snap on tools are a little more ergonomicaly designed.

automec

Snap-on !!! i have around 40k (or more) in snap on tools including a 7k box. of course i have been building up all this for 20 years and a full time self employed mechanic for 24 , my dad has snap on tools from the 50's that still work great. you can tell the age by the script wrighting . dad opened the shop in 70 and now it has been all mine for 8 years, we were partners from 82 to 95. yes we have had some craftsman,mac and matco but if i need to get something loose , you bet i'll be using snap on
oh ya they are warrentied for life

mike

GKK

Craftsman tools are very good quality tools for professionals or home mechanics. I have used both Craftsman and Snap-On tools and within three years I have already had to replace a Snap-On 1/4" drive ratchet wrench because of worn gears. I had to use a ten year old Craftsman 1/4" drive ratchet as a replacement.

Both Craftsman and Snap-On tools as well as other quality brands carry a lifetime warranty.

For the money you can't go wrong with Craftman tools and since they are sold in a big department store, they have tool sales all the time since the store can make it up in other departments. Snap-On tools are only sold by distributors that come by the workplace once a week.

Kaps

I would say snap on are better, but not $300 better, plus if you dont stay in shops its harder to track down Snap-On for the warrantee. I have a mix of both Snap-On and craftsman, can tell the ratchets are a lil better design from Snap-On. But once again, not worth more than 2x's the amount, the ones I have I have "acquired" from my father when his school didn't really give him a choice in the matter.. hth

badone07

I wouldn't go crazy worrying about a name brand. I also wouldn't go crazy buying up tools as a beginner. You may not become an automotive mechanic. You might go into a field where you would need more specialized tools. You might have a change of heart and want to pursue a different career. You also don't want to hand over a good portion of your weekly earnings to the tool trucks, when they roll in. As far as snap-on goes, I would only buy their wrenches. I particularly like their angle and flare nut wrenches. I don't care for the mac or matco variants. I primarily use SK sockets, unless I need a something over 1 1/2", then I'll buy off the truck.

One thing you have to learn is mac, matco and snap-on do not make a lot of the stuff they sell. The items just get their labels, which is what your paying for, plus the so -called warranty, which depends on the salesman. You're also paying for the truck coming to you, for "your" convienence. Have some cobalt drill bits break and see how much that warranty is worth with mac. For example, most of mac's air tools were IR, but they do have a nice swivel headed wiz wheel. A lot of snap-on stuff is Leslie. I really don't buy from Matco, although I know I have someting in a box with their name on it. Second hand tools are also great, as long as they haven't been altered and carry a no questions asked, lifetime warranty. If it's going to be your profession, you just have to be smart about it and learn to shop around a little.

When it comes to boxes, do yourself a big favor, avoid high dollar items, that become car notes. The tool box has ONE function... to hold your tools. It makes you absolutely ZERO dollars. A high dollar box doesn't make you a better mechanic and it won't put food on the table. Personally, I use a set of cheap Husky boxes. There is also Kobalt or Craftsman to store your tools in. Someone breaks into a shop... guess whose boxes will be hit first? Not the cheap ones. Generally the guys with the huge roll arounds are lacking in other areas. I could careless what some numb skull thinks of my boxes. Spend your money more wisely on the tools inside.

Hard to say which set I would buy without knowing exactly what's in each set. Then you have to determine how much use you will get out of all the tools included in each set. It might be more advantageous to buy the cheaper set now and then buy what you need as you go along.

John

88Camaro350

I like craftsman...Ive never had to many problems with them. Work well and a sears is about 2 minutes away if something does happen.

25THRSS

They are both very good brands, but if I had to choose I would say MAC, lol. That's only because my dad used to sell them. I have a pretty nice craftsmen set among other tools and the quality is outstanding. Either one will do just fine.

raptere

i also have heard while they both have lifetime warrentees the craftsman one is open to any thing they will replace any thing, but with the snap on they will examine the tool and if they decide you were using it incorrectly weather you were or not they will not replace the brocken one.

is this true?

25THRSS

yes

Cronic3rd

I woted for craftsman just because there is a sears anywhere you go and if you break one ("NO dad i didn't throw it") all you have to do is slap it on the counter and say "it's brokeded" and you get a brand new one. how easy is that?

ede

there is no comparasion between snap on and craftsman, only good point craftsman has is price to quality. if you use tools very much nothing even comes close to snap on. if you can afford it buy snap on. i'm sure snap on stuff breaks like anything else but in the few years i've wrenched it's unusuall for snap on tools to give problems and you can count on craftsman breaking. i do like the looks of the craftsman profession series tools, but have very limited experience with them. the argumant about having a sear everywhere dosn't work for me, i'm much closer to a snap on dealer, just call their branch and get the local guys number, sears is over 40 miles from me

Merlin

Easco? Wright? Matco? Mac? Danaher? Armstrong? K-D? Proto? Anyone ever hear of these? Call your Snap-On sales rep and ask for them to arrange a tour of the "Snap-On manufacturing" plant in Kenosha. In a few remaining scattered plants, they still make some wrenches, air tools, a few power tools, and some software/scanners, but the shift to outsourcing and importing is pretty heavy. The procurement division is almost as large as the manufacturing division. Their big advantage is that they still design and specify all their products, even if they are made in a third-party plant. The disadvantage is that those same third-party producers can sell the same designs to anyone else after a few years of production. That's why you'll see some very familiar looking designs at many other outlets.

Their hand wrenches and ratchets are probably among the best made. Maybe not worth the high price by comparison, but certainly not inferior in quality to anything else until you get into sizes above 1¼". Their air tools are almost as good as Ingersoll-Rand, and are priced about the same. Their mechanical torque wrenches are premier quality devices (especially the Dial-A-Torque). Their pliers are almost as good as ChanNelLock or Klein, but cost twice as much, and aren't as complete a line. Their electronic test instruments are about half as good as John Fluke or OTC devices, and are about twice the price. Puller sets? You might just as well go directly to the source and buy from OTC. In other words, you really have to watch what you buy. If you don't use them 24/7, it's hard to justify the huge price markup for an incrementally small advantage in quality. Except for a very few specialty items, you'd probably do just as well (or better) buying somewhere else. For those few specialty items (especially mechanical torque wrences) Snap-On is still the king. Another Snap-On advantage (same for MAC and Matco) is the franchised dealer network that basically delivers a huge variety of tools right to your doorstep. All you need to do is point to the item you want in their catalogs and get out your checkbook. If you don't mind roaming the countryside to gather what you need, you can save a few bucks.

GTA-SPD

Wrong, wrong, wrong. First, Snap-On tools are all designed exclusively for Snap-On, which is whay all of their tools are patent pending (can you say Flank Drive Plus baby). And second Snap-On is waaaaaaaaaay better for longevity.

I worked on cars professionally (I was Shop Manager at a salvage yard) for 8 years, and still have the scars on my knuckles from the Crap-man wrenches spreading and slipping. I finally got to the point where I neede new wrenches (the Craps-man ones were too short for me) so I looked into Snap-On Flank Drive Plus wrenches. Sure they were quite a bit more, but I never had the slip/smash/mutilate/cuss/bleed/duct tape issues again. Both tools have a great warranty, but with the Craps-man you WILL use it, not so much with the Snap-On tools. I still have all but One of my original wrenches (I kept on losing the 10mm) and they all look and work great. Snap-On's air tools are by far superior to Craftsman, but that is a whole other thread.... Bottom line that I'm trying to get across here is this, I'd take the Pepsi Challenge with my Snap-On tools against anything you could bring any day. I actually got myself two kick-*** stork pliers from the Mac guy doing just that, We took their flank drive wrench and tested it against mine. We took a Subaru lug nut and ran it down with the Mac wrench until it slipped of and damaged the nut. I then put my Snap-on Flank Drive on there, and continued to tighten it until I broke the lug stud.

I'd say if you can get the Snap-on's for that price, do it. You can always buy other brands of tools to fill out your box later, if you don't want to continue on with the Snap-On tools. I have just over $20,000 invested in my box (big *** Snap-On roll cab & top box) and tools and haven't had one second thought about the money I spent.

SSC

If you guys want to nit pic tools some more.

Snap-on designes 90% of air tools avalible. They only have a limited patent on thier items because air tools are all similiar. Most of the Craftsmen air ratchets and impacts are snap-on design or IR. IR makes sevral quality products labeld craftsmen like the 1107 and 1102 IR air ratchet. 1107 composite is a great ratchet BTW. Mac are mostly IR design made in Japan.

Wreches, there is no comparison, Mac and snap on are much better, Kobalt use to be good also when they were a division of snap on, now thier similar to craftsmen. If you get over 1-7/8 craftsmen are fine and alot more affordable.

Screw drivers. Craftsmen suck. Thier red/blue handle series dull and bend too easy. Mac, Snap On, Matco and Cornwel make nice sets that will outlast any craftsmen.

Standard sockets, Matco makes a better quality 3/8 set, mac is next followed by snap-on, Cornwell are similar to Craftsmen.
1/4 inch are all similar enough not to worry about. A $20 set of Bench Top (Kmart) will do fine as long as you have a good 1/4 inch ratchet, Mac would be choice there.

Swivel sockets (impact) Mac-SO-MC are all similar in the 3/8 and 1/4 variety snap on has a guide ring on some designs thats usefull. Regular swivels (finger killers) are all similar and you cant tell a craftsmen from a snap on without looking for the print.

A far as boxes. Yes Craftsmen do have a few nice ones like I mentioned before they are better priced compared to other makesand serve a pourpose, to hold tools. My car serves a pourpose to get me from point A to point B. A pinto could do the same but would you drive one instead of your Fbody?

lykan

Hrmm if I were going to buy a kit...

I have been working on my own cars for 17 years.. and the neighbors. I have never seen the inside of a snap on truck so they are a bit of a mystery. I have purchased several of snap-on tools from yard sales, and I like them too.

But, if you want a good collection and i mean collection of tools here's my advice for you.

Go to sears.. buy the craftsman set that will get you by (save your money I'll explain). When you need a tool, and have to have it, buy it for your collection new. take the money you saved and put it away so you can have access whenever you need it.

Now, check prices on all tools, snap on, mac mtco-kline craftsman.

Go to yards sales (im dead serious) go to estate sales. Go to pawn shops.

My neighbor sold me a 3/4 dirve (big bastage) craftsman socket set. It came with 1"-2 /12 sockets. A breaker bar, 2 foot ratchet, a slider bar, a 2 foot extension, all of this for $20

Another yard sale I stopped by sold me a set about 7 ridgid pipe wrenchs for $35.00.

Across the freeway here, I bought a newer box full of tools all craftsman for $75.00 It included metric and sae wrenches, a few craftsman ratches, and the accompaning sockets.. now the box alone was worth $100.

I now have a huge roll away box, full to the rim with tools. I have snap-on, kline, s-k snap on rigid etc. I don\'t have 40k invested either maybe like 1k total.

My advice, buy what you need, with the quality you need to get you by. Then don't go on a scavenger hunt, but keep your eyes open. You see a yard sale, have time.. stop in make a quick pass for tools, and jet... have more time, stop by a hawk shop.

In this lifelong quest to obtain the tools I need, I have also learned how to tell a quality tool by it's looks. Everyone makes mistakes, even snap-on and crafstman.

Sometimes you stop, and an get a $25 ratchet for a buck, others you find a whole tool box woth $1k for $150.. go through the box, give all the tiawan stuff to your kid, or friends keep the good stuff, your money ahead.

So buy what you need, and aquire what you want through bargain hunting )

JeffW

i would have to say since i own both.....

snap on is by far the better quality. down side is if your not a professional you will have a hard time getting replacements for the warrenty. Snap on makes the best wrenches and sockets and their screwdrivers are incredable for taking abuse. While working truck tires for 10+years i have used all brands of tools. And snap on is the only tool that held up to my abuse. that was being used professionaly in an every day setting. for example i would use a 3/4 inch drive 12 point chrome 1"1/4 socket on an 1" drive impact gun for removing wheels. Snap on is the only socket that would hold up to the hammering. yes it is not an impact i know that but an 1"1/4 1' impact drive socket was to thick for most wheels and would beat up that paint job.

I have lots of crafstman tools if your just using them for yourself not going to be a professional go with the craftsman. easy to replace and will hold up to your use level.

If you have the extra money get the snap on they work very nice and feel so good in your hands. Imo

another good guage for pricing is to look on e bay do a search on snap on. it is an investment you can get your money back on if you wanted too.

wyclefsirocz

i use craftsman tools. every one i have is a craftsman maybe because my cuz workes in sears hardware and i get them for alot less. so i can't complain but even for full price they are great-

Matt87GTA

With the discount it is a no-brainer... Get the Snap Ons. They are ENDLESSLY superior in EVERY way and you may never have the ability to buy them again (as retail prices on them are pretty ridiculous). Get the biggest box and biggest first year set they will let you get. You will thank yourself later on.

You can always buy cheap tools that get you buy as you need them later on but your core tool set needs to be a quality set if you plan on using them even somewhat often. Nothing worse than breaking a tool when you need it the most and bring a project to a screeching halt.

I have used all, bought all, and broken all but RARELY the Snap Ons... You can stand on a pair of double-wrenched Snap Ons . Try that with a Crapsman and you are taking your life into your hands.

That being said, the yard sale and pawn shop stuff is good advice. Lots of poor suckers end up having to sell them off or their wives slip them into the garage sale when they aren't looking and you can get good deals on nice stuff. Check the classifieds section of the paper and eBay as well.

92 zzz28

I like many of you work as a professional technician. As well I have a various assortment of tools from various manufacturers. All of my sockets are Craftsman. My hand wreches are mostly Crafts. some Matco, Snap off, and Mac. I even have two Husky wrenches in there. As for specialty stuff it is mostly Mac and Snap off. I like so many others will tell ya to just get good tools. The old analogy of buying a cheap ladder and having fall apart underneith you comes to mind here. I know a few guys who have all top dollar tools from Snap off, Mac, or Matco. That's fine for them, but I don't think is necessary.

Craftsman tools are just fine. I even once for fun measured the inside width of a Snap off wrench and Craftsman one and they were very close, within a ten thousandth, .0001.


I was just reading some of the above about the great quality of Snap off, I have broken a few of there wrenches while using them PROPERLY and have broken quite a few of their 3/8 ratchets. I also broke a 1/4 and 3/8 Crapsman ratchet. The Snap off guy gave me a really hard time about ( I don't buy Snap on anymore cause of him, and he knows it) and at Sears, they didn't make a sound, straight replacement I was out of the store in 5 min...

I know not all Snap on tool guys are the same, but hey, one was a jerk...

Merlin

I know that I can't stand on a SnapOn wrench. I P.O.ed a SnapOn route driver who used to frequent my plant. He proudly brought in a set of the "new" (back in 1984) cam-lobe drive box wrenches for the crew to try out. A quick trip to the crib for a 5/8" allen wrench and an Armstrong 5/8" hex wrench, and I was ready. Clamping the wrench in an 8" vise, I proceeded to rip the lobes/teeth out of the cam-lobe drive 5/8" SnapOn wrench (by hand, mind you), twist up the head, and fight it off the allen wrench. Try it sometime. I guess that technically it didn't break, but it was certainly useless. A Craftsman (Easco) would probably not fare any better than the SnapOn.

By the way, the "regular" 12-point Armstrong black oxide finish wrench twisted the allen wrench with the help of a cheater bar. The teeth were also damaged, but it didn't slip. Needless to say, every header, threader, and forge in the place was still equipped with Armstrong box and striking wrenches. To me, sales people are usually just asking for it. I couldn't afford lost time injuries just because they said they had a better product.

I can break anything you can make. Then again, I'm rather an *** at times when it comes to proving a point (as in this reply). I did something similar to a saleswoman for TPC wire and cable who had a sample of indestructable multicondictor that had an "uncuttable" outer jacket. Maybe my pocket knife is just too sharp. I just get annoyed with wild claims. I've also snapped the handles of ChanNelLock pliers (not imports or imitations) right in my hand.

Incidentally, SnapOn did NOT invent lobe drive technology. Camcar/Textron did. They still have the original patent. That's what you get for listening to sales people.

88 350 tpi formula

iTrader: (9)

I had a crafts man box at work at yes there is a huge differance the crafts man box will and did fall apart after a few years, I use it at home now and have a nice snap on box at work. they hold by far more weight! if you only plane to use the box for side jobs or personal use it will last almost forever but, every day use where you are using heavy tools all day the box just can't take it. I bought the box used so I got it even cheaper than I could get a similar crafts man box new plus it just looks way better. I work with guys that have crafts man boxes and no one laughs or really gives a care in the world that they have one I just had to get a differant box and so have a few others I work with. the snap on ratches are way better than craftsman ratchets I can't count howmany times the craftsman ratchets gave out and left my hands bloody. I have broken snap on ratchets but, not nearly as many times. I still use mostly crafts man sockets even though the snap on are better It is just something I fell is ok, and sears is 1 block from my work. If you buy snap on don't buy there cheap over sea stuff "bluepoint" this is junk and they really have no warr. I don't know what you guys do to your tools for snap on not to warr. them? I guess heating them up and welding them might do it I have never had any problems with snap on warr.

92 zzz28

The Snap off guy who used to give me a hard time and just about anyone else in his area that had a warranty issue is no longer with Snap on. I guess he left them when he was unable to make a living because he was an ***.

As for tool boxes, I agree that Craftsman boxes are okay for light duty use. I have had a Mac box for about 2 years now. Nothing ever goes wrong with it.

I just don't think that much of the "name brand" tool companies when it comes to basic hand tools. My Craftsman stuff never fails me...Nor do any on the specialty and hard to find things I have from Snap on, Mac, and Matco...

Merlin

And most of Sears' better quality tool chests are made by Waterloo. There again, cut out the middle man and go to the source if you can.

RJR99SS

I like craftsman myself. Snap on are pretty nice....but they're always at least twice as expensive as craftsman. I buy snap on sometimes, but i always end up kicking myself...wondering why i paid so much more for snap on when the difference isnt all that impressive.

Snap on looks prettier, slightly more comfortable to handle. Thats about it. It really dosnt warrent the price they charge for their stuff in my opinion.

Of course...craftsman has a limit. You're not going to find a complete full injection pressure testing system or ball joint press from crafstman.

You can only get basic stuff from craftsman, you basically have to go with snap on or mac or whatever when it comes to very specialized handy dandy stuff.

The the i hate about snap on and mac is their dealers. I really can not stand those guys. They come by our garage once a week...well at least they're suppose to. Basically they're never around when you need something replaced. They're only around when you're in the middle of something important and they want to sell you a new tool box for 10 grand or something.

I wouldnt worry about proffesional mechanics laughing at you for using craftsman. Most i know would use a craftsman tool just as easily as everything else.

Pablo

iTrader: (1)

I pretty much agree with the guy above.

I wrench with mostly snap on tools a good 50 to 60 hours weekly.

Snap on makes a sharp looking and smooth feeling set of tools, their tools with moving parts tend to have very little slop and generally tend to have a more solid feel in the hand. I REALLY like their wrenches allthough I cant say that ive compared them to comparably priced crafstman wrenches (i see the fancy polished ones at the store but own the cheaper variety)

At the same time though, their prices are pretty high considering the failure rate of the stuff I use at home (crafstman) and the fact that you cant just show up at the snap on store at 8:45 on saturday night looking to get your busted socket replaced ( though i have never outright broken a craftsman socket)
another HUGE pet peeve of mine is the amount of force required to remove a snapon socket from its wrench. It is damn near the force of ***. As an aircraft hydraulic component mechanic I pretty much loathe having to use their ratchet on anything that ill have to change the socket size for. With even the tinyiest hint of hyd fluid on a socket you pretty much need to grab the nearest screwdriver to pry the thing off.
I think i read somewhere that it requires 9 lbs of force to remove a snap on socket. Entirely too much if you ask me allthough I think they tout this as a FOD control measure in the aviation industry.

So for me the little push button craftsman has is great. Of course the crafstman tends to fit more sloppily on the wrench.

I could go on and on but basically, if you are just a car guy at home, crafstman can pretty much meet your needs and youd never notice the difference.

EvilCartman

iTrader: (1)

Anything but Snap on. The nickname around the shop for Snap on stuff is Snap Off if that gives you any ideas hehe. (doh, seen many of you already have said that) www.sptool.com has specialty tools and are of good quality even if their website isn't lol. I'm actually friends with the owner since him and my dad's biz used to be next door to each other. Snap on boxes are nice but mega bucks.

wyclefsirocz

oh i hav eowned a crafstman box b4, it was a POS then my dad got me a craftsman professional and it is more than great. never had a problem and has even fallen over twice. but still works like the day i got it.

Morley

Craftsman & Snapon have the exact same lifetime replacement warrenty, why spend more for the Snapon name? Now granted, Snapon does sell some tools that Craftsman doesn't, and vice-versa.
There is one place where NEITHER company makes a good tool, ViceGrips, the Actual ViceGrip brand is the ONLY one that actually works correctly and that will last.

Morley

I HATE those "smooth" wrenches, you get some Skydrol on your hands/wrench and its worse than trying to hold onto a wet bar of soap in a moving shower stall.
Personally, for aviation I like the "cheap" twanese (sp?) wrenches, their wrenches are usually thinner and smaller than craftsman or snapon, making them ideal for those tight spots on aircraft.

Matt87GTA

My point is that considering he is going to get an awesome discount (I assume it is like the one I got when I was in school (ASEP) on my first year set) he should get the better tool (those of you that are argueing that Snap Ons aren't better than Craftsman likely have issues with facing reality) and the biggest box they will let you buy/you can afford. If you cut corners now you will only pay for it later.

And your relationship with your dealer works both ways... If you constantly b*tch at him about how much the tools are and make a big theatrical deal about when one breaks or doesn't live up to your expectations - of course he is going to treat you the same way you treat him... Like crap! Not pointing fingers at anyone in particular on this thread, but I was in the trenches once too and I know how it goes. I certainly don't envy the dealers in the least.

Morley

Exactly how are they better? I am a professional mechanic (A&P) and I use Craftsman tools almost exclusively, I have never had one fail, never. On the other hand, I had a pair of snapon duckbill pliers break a jaw with no abuse, I had to wait a week for the dealer to come around to get a replacement.

SSC

The failure rate is mostly due to abuse like anything. If im working on somthing that requires a hand ratchet and move to the next bolt that I can use an impact on I'm not going to the box to grab a impact socket I like everyone else am going to transfer that socket from the ratchet to the impact, this is where we seperate craftsmen from others. Ive got a pair of crasftsmen needel nose wire pliers I use on brake springs Ive replaced them 6 times in 2 years. Ive broken the noses off just gripping the spring hard enough to pull it loose. All my other specialty pliers are Mac, much better then snap on.
Ive got tons of craftsmen sockets too, most of my metric sets are craftsmen and I havent had many issues with them most are replacments for lost snap on & mac .

I'd personaly would not lock into a certian brand tool for life but the original post mentioned discount so Its better to go with the better tools and Snap on are better tools.

Morley

I'm sorry but that would be a matter of opinion. Since both come with the EXACT same replacement warrenty and my Snapon dealer only comes around once a week, Craftsman is the better tool in my opinion, since I can just drop by sears and get a replacement whenever I need.
The only Craftsman tool I have ever seen fail during "normal" use was a 2 1/2" socket that broke into pieces while torquing a prop nut and Sears had no problem replacing it. We tried a snapon socket but it just rounded out, finally ended up getting an SK socket (they had much thicker walls).

Also, I have seen 3 snapon 1/2" breakerbars up and "snap off" trying to break a trunnion bolt loose. Those people also had to wait a week for the snapon man. That and the price are the biggest detractors for snapon

89RsPower!

both have the same warranty for hand tools. Snap-on tools are however much better quality tools but are much more expensive, I have sets of both and personally I love my snap-on tools. Craftsman however are much cheaper and pretty decent quality tools themselves. They are great tools for the at home do it yourself mechanic. Unless you plan on doing this kinda work for a living it's really not worth the extra expense, but as long as your getting a discount now its really up to you. As long as you have your discount though I'd buy up all the snap-on tools I could get. Also back to the toolbox thing, I have all snap-on tools and I have a craftsman box, the box is a pos, it was only 1200 bucks though and very affordable so I got it rather then paying 5 grand for a box of the same size from snap-on, the way I figure the box doesn't make me any money, it simply holds my tools, but yeah its no where near the quality of a snap-on box.

92 zzz28

Okay, HERE IS WHAT IT ALL COMES DOWN TO: The NAME

A quality tool is a quality tool...

Craftsman, Snap On, Mac, Matco, SK...these are all quality tools(the list can go on!!)

When it comes to the big names, Snap On, Mac, and Matco, you are paying for the name. Sure they make things that the others don't because they cater to the industry while Craftsman are marketed towards anyone who needs tools. I have a wide range of tools from all of the above names. When it comes to wrenches, sockets, the common hand tools, you buy the name when you buy from the big three...

MdFormula350

Craftsman

Morley

One more thing..Snapon tool boxes are junk, I have one and it is always falling apart, the drawer glides are all ballbearing and held together by plastic, so needless to say they wear out in about 6 months. If you want a GOOD box from snapon you'll have to get one of the ones you have to mortgage (5k-7k range)
Mac makes a nice box, but you didn't mention getting any discount from them.

89RsPower!

mac boxes are ok quality wise but their designs suck, some have like 2 inches of wasted space between drawers, etc...

RJR99SS

i have a craftsman proffesional tool box. The top and roller base costed me about $1500.

Not bad considering it has twice the space as most $7-10g snap on boxes.

Yeah, it dosnt have neat things like the little gas charged lifting mechanism for the top and all that junk.

But like someone else said...its just a box to put your tools in. It's not making you any money. But if you want to impress people go ahead and shell out the extra couple grand and get less space for a snap on one.

Of course i have to hear the snap on guy badmouthing my tool box every time he comes in.

Matt87GTA

Morley, I think you said it all with your claim of using Craftsman "exclusively". Gee.... biased maybe? I mean seriously. It's called your personal preference or your opinion - nothing more. But Snap Ons are better made than Craftsmans - it is a matter of fact and since I obviously won't be convincing you of it, might as well drop it at that...

FWIW, I have a little bit of everything in my box. I can count how many times my Snap Ons have failed me on one hand.... Craftsmans on the other hand......

I think Mac and Matco are pretty much on par with Snap On though.... and SK isn't far off. My opinion of (based on usage of) Craftsmans is they are for light duty home-use.

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

Sorry - Gotta call on that one. The Snap-on plant is like...down the street from my house. They don't make Craftsman ANYTHING. Not saying Craftsman tools are bad either...

1991tealRSt-topGuy

craftsmen tools are decent, but...........

i now own $15K worth of tools (gotta love being a parts swapper........errrr i mean C-tech) every single tool i own is either snap on, matco, or mac

i own one craftsmen adjustable wrench, only because i found it laying in the street

my box is a Snap-On, and i havent had a problem with it yet

the reason i have so many tools, is because a large amount i got from when i entered GM ASEP school and Snap On gave me that special offer
something like $4000 worth of tools for $1500

great deal and i am happy i did not pass it up

but i must confess, i just got approved for a Sears card, so i ordered a craftsman air compressor for home

my $.02

1991tealRSt-topGuy

to bring up a point before, i agree that the blue point power tools suck, i have a die grinder and its so under powered its not even funny

some of my blue point hand tools say made in USA, and their just as good as the regular snap ons

ede

this is interesting, everyones take on quality and service compared to the price. like was said earlier a pinto would serve the same purpose as a camaro but it's not really the same thing. few years back i bought a rolex and you wouldn't believe the people that told me how stupid it was to spend that much on a watch, but i like it and i could afford it. buy what you like and what works for you. the advice about yard sales is good as is looking at flea markets, car shows, and e bay. i've bought a lot of tools second hand and other than cosmetic problems all have worked as well as new

NastyL98_T/A

Whatever is in your budget and suits your needs. I got started with Craftsman, then when I got into my shop I started buying stuff to supplement that set with MAC tools. I started with the basic set of ratchets, sockets, and wrenches and added some screwdrivers, then deep impact sockets, inpact swivel sockets, and then the fancy things like gearwrenches. After you've got the basics it's good to buy stuff as you need it. When you come across a time when you need a special tool, write it down and next time the tool truck comes by but it. One thing to remember is to buy your tools in order of importance. There's nothing like not having the right wrench( that need to use every day )but having a bunch of other things in your box that you've never used that you bought b/c you thought they were neat.

89RsPower!

"Of course i have to hear the snap on guy badmouthing my tool box every time he comes in."

LOL! I hear the same thing every week, "So, ready to buy a real tool box yet?" the one thing I really love about my craftsman box.. ever see someone get a scratch on their 15k snap-on box? **** I can kick my box when I get mad and not even worry about it.. The best thing though was when I first got it and took it out of the box, the craftsman emblem fell off. haha