Any Snap-on experts on here

[Phil Pascoe]

I think the selling point for snap on is the lifetime no quibble garantee on most of their tools ...

Also, many people buy them through the firms they work for - it can spread the cost. £100 a tool sounds expensive but £25 a month for four months doesn't.

 

[Fergie 307]

Have to

I've had loads of mechanics tools over the years and they have a fairly hard life for a DIYer. The best I've found are the Halford Professional stuff. Rarely had a breakage and when I have had a problem (with a screwdriver socket losing the little retainer and a ratchet that broke a pawl), the item has been replaced immediately. Their stuff is my go to if I need a mechanics tool.

Have to agree, I have quite a bit of their stuff and have been impressed with it.

 

[Fergie 307]

Also, many people buy them through the firms they work for - it can spread the cost. £100 a tool sounds expensive but £25 a month for four months doesn't.

And of course if you are buying them for use in a business then the cost is tax deductible, and VAT offset against whatever you are getting back from your customers.

 

[stuart little]

That's a nice find at a car boot. Please let us know how you get on with it. I'm another of the brigade that doesn't know how to rate snap-on because I've never owned any.

We have a better range of quality options than our American chums I suspect.
Stahlwille is my go to, plus old (not current) Facom, some Beta and the good Japanese brands like Koken. That's before we start on Wera, Knipex and Bahco.

Don't forget Kamasa, Hilka, Britool, Gedore, Elora, etc.
I bought a Gedore 1/2" socket set in 1963, when I had my first car ('35 Austin 10), I still had it when I retired in 2009. The ratchet had been replaced twice, & the 'speed' wrench once, when the grip fell apart. 45 years of that time was in use in the motor trade. Although, much of the time, I favoured a 3/8" drive set. Elora, I think. I sold the majority of my tools on retirement, just keeping enough basic ones for DIY use. My 1/2" drive set, at present, is a 25 year-old Screwfix one, which is good quality, but little used now. No have car now.

 

[Fergie 307]

I've had a Craftsman socket set with poorly applied chrome, they all got replaced.
None of my Snap-On tools have ever flaked the chrome, I used to work on tractor trailers, they did not have an easy or clean life. YMMV

I have had several snap on sockets start flaking around the end, very much less than any other make I can think of. They were replaced FOC. Many years ago now when I was wielding them for a living. Still have a few bits left. Couldn't afford them now.
One thing I would say is that I don't think they have ever downgraded the quality, unlike many others. Facom, Britool and others are nothing like as well made as they used to be, or so it seems to me.
Looking at recent Snap On stuff I have seen it appears to be as well made and finished as always.

 

[DRC]

I have a mountain of Snap-on and have been using them until very recently from 1964 ( which I bought in Ohio when I was on a training course at Mansfield) now I'm too disabled for any big jobs. The one thing I will say about Snap-on is, their range of tools is huge better than any of the other big names. They will even make a tool for a particular use I've heard.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

My 1/2" drive set, at present, is a 25 year-old Screwfix one, which is good quality, but little used now. No have car now.

The one in the red plastic case that's catch breaks off? A good set shame about the case.
I have that set, a Kamasa 3/8" set that's good, thought not as good as the two Kamasa made in USA sets that I had in the '70s, and a 1/4" Bahco set that's OK.
Also miscellaneous Britool, Gordon, Gedore, Elora, Stahlwille ... and a CK ratchet that's excellent.

 

[Ed Weber]

Bahco bought Sandvik, then Snap-On bought Bahco
https://www.snapon.com/EN/Our-Company/Our-Brands

It's hard to keep up with who owns who.
This is the most recent I could find.
https://www.protoolreviews.com/power-tool-manufacturers-who-owns-them/

 

[Sideways]

This was handy too, but less recent
https://toolguyd.com/tool-brands-corporate-affiliations/

The thread is interesting and made me wonder how do you figure out what's good without getting hands on ? Most of us won't have experience of every brand, and we may know tools from back in the day when they were better than they are now, or vice versa.

I don't know the answer. I'm too tempted to buy and try

 

[Ed Weber]

Straying a bit from ratchets and mechanics tools but there are brands I try to avoid. Not because they're necessarily poor quality tools but the management of the company.

Here in the states, a while back, Porter cable (one of the most popular router brands for decades) announced they were just done, no more routers, no parts, no support, nothing.
It turns out the parent company wanted to launch yet another battery tool platform under the Porter Cable badge. Even though it already had three other platforms from Dewalt, Craftsman and Black & Decker.

When you buy a tool from a trusted, long lived brand, you sort of think you have a safe bet when it comes to support. With Stanley/Black & Decker I'm not willing to take that bet any longer, from any of their brands. I do own many tools from them still may purchase a "simple" hand tool if the need arises but there are plenty of other quality tools available to choose from and I'd rather not give S B&D my business.
https://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/brands/tools

 

[carpenteire2009]

I have only one Snap On tool, a combination wrench that I picked up cheap at a bootsale many years ago. Lovely quality, but could never afford to buy their tools new as a DIYer. Plenty of other decent alternatives, some that I prefer include Stahlwille, Gedore, Teng, King **** and vintage Gordon if you can get them. I also have a lot of stuff from CK/ CeKa which are excellent. The Halfords advanced are not bad wither, if a little chunky.

 

[flying haggis]

To carry on this thread I do have other snap on tools, all of which were purchased for silly money at car boots including my go to most used ratchet screwdriver which was faulty when I bought it but was swapped without questionn by a snap on rep that I happened to spot parked outside a local garage!
If I spot the rep I will show him the ratchet and see if he can shed more light on it.

 

[stuart little]

The one in the red plastic case that's catch breaks off? A good set shame about the case.
I have that set, a Kamasa 3/8" set that's good, thought not as good as the two Kamasa made in USA sets that I had in the '70s, and a 1/4" Bahco set that's OK.
Also miscellaneous Britool, Gordon, Gedore, Elora, Stahlwille ... and a CK ratchet that's excellent.

It is in a red plastic case, but, so far the catches are still good, although it hasn't had much use, I kept it originally in the rear locker of my motorhome just for emergency. Now it just lurks in the workshop just in case. (no motorhome now)

 

[cerro]

Snap-on tools or Blue point as they were originally called are the best in the world used by all mechanics. Dealers are self employed are helped to buy a van and fitted out they then have their own area and go round garages and firms and sell the tools on a weekly round with a book and the mechanics pay £10 a week. They are made in the USA and Canada but the USA ones are the best. The sockets are rounded in the corners so the pressure is put on the flat and not the corners like other sockets you can buy the insides of the ratchets so they do last forever go to any garage and ask what day and time the Snap on Van comes and you can buy or change anything there.

I have enclose a Photo of my socket drawer all snap on and blupoint the two air ratchets one is Snap on the other is Bluepoint If anyone needs more info please ask.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

"Used by all mechanics". That's a rather broad statement - I know garage owners whose mechanics don't use them. I asked what they used and was told mostly Laser - they're good enough and if they get stolen or lost it doesn't matter.

 

[cerro]

The Posi drive screwdrivers and the Philips drivers is a contention for the guarantee as they can be abused and then are refused to be changed the Posi has a cross on the screw and mechanics tend to use the Philips and damage the end and It happens a lot. The long nose pliers are very good you can get a two pence coin and hold it a quarter inch on it with the long nose pliers and get someone to hold the opposite end with normal pliers fully on the coin and they can’t pull it off the long nose pliers grip with a strait pull.

 

[cerro]

"Used by all mechanics". That's a rather broad statement - I know garage owners whose mechanics don't use them. I asked what they used and was told mostly Laser - they're good enough and if they get stolen or lost it doesn't matter.

I was talking about mechanics not tyre fitters

 

[Bingy man]

Also, many people buy them through the firms they work for - it can spread the cost. £100 a tool sounds expensive but £25 a month for four months doesn't.

My phone is having a senior moment…you’re correct and when my mate had his garage the snap on rep would take any amount until the tool was paid for . Larger purchases like tool cabinets / or large workshop equipment were treated as usual credit agreements and you paid a set amount each week but you had the tool or ghe equipment usually by the following week . I got my tool cabinet from the rep as the previous owner had failed to complete payment so I took over - he’d paid almost 1/2 but never used it so for me it was brand new but 1/2 price .
A good mix of snap on and blue point and a few Halfords pro ..

Also, many people buy them through the firms they work for - it can spread the cost. £100 a tool sounds expensive but £25 a month for four months doesnt sound like much.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I also have odd bits of Draper Expert that are fine.

 

[Bingy man]

In essence most quality brand tools are more than adequate for the average consumer but I like the no argument guarantee. Snap on used to do specials where you paid for say a set of sockets and got a shallow set for free or various other tools sometimes blue point but still a good buy .