[Blackdog]

I was robbed a month ago, they took my restored Scout and about $40,000 worth of tools and equipment. I have classic car insurance so the vehicle was covered 100 %.

The tools and shop equipment are another story, I'm only getting $20,000 for that. I had mostly Snap-on and Mac tools in a 41" wide Cornwell roll away. I checked Snap-on and their priced so high I could never hope to replace all my missing tools. Been thinking about going with Matco or Mac this time. I've used a lot of SK tools in the past and I like them too. All have a life time guarantee, SK is probably easier to replace as you can just go to the dealer instead of having to track down a truck.

What are you guys using and what do you like? Any experience with Matco? Thanks

[Rambo_The_Dog]

Originally Posted by Blackdog

I was robbed a month ago, they took my restored Scout and about $40,000 worth of tools and equipment. I have classic car insurance so the vehicle was covered 100 %.

The tools and shop equipment are another story, I'm only getting $20,000 for that. I had mostly Snap-on and Mac tools in a 41" wide Cornwell roll away. I checked Snap-on and their priced so high I could never hope to replace all my missing tools. Been thinking about going with Matco or Mac this time. I've used a lot of SK tools in the past and I like them too. All have a life time guarantee, SK is probably easier to replace as you can just go to the dealer instead of having to track down a truck.

What are you guys using and what do you like? Any experience with Matco? Thanks

Blackdog - that sux

I had mostly Matco and a little Snap-On tools many years ago when I was doing bodywork and painting for a living (80.s - yikes)

Snap-On makes a great product - I swear by there body hammers - but, expensive to purchase outright so I went with Matco for the price and the guy came by once a week like the Snap-On truck.

Fast-forward 25 years to 2006, by now I had only parts of sets of tools, some had broken, some had "walked away" and I was getting back into working on old cars so I decided to buy a complete new toolset.

I ended up buying Craftsman - but not the standard line -
I bought all their professional line hand tools , better tool design and plating but I bought only the sets of tools I wanted not one of the pre-packaged sets - which are a good buy,but always include tools I never use.

I've been using the Craftsman Hand tools for 2 years now and have been happy with the quality for the money.

[F&J]

I had to replace a "portable roadside box" that went missing.

I was shocked when I priced out what was in that small box. A lot of it was vintage SK Wayne from 1970 from my first big set.

It was a real pain in the arse, but I did score some close to new snap-on socket sets on ebay. Those were all 3/8 drive. The 1/2s just kept going for too much in the big name brands, so I hit Sears on sale. Check those socket sets at sears! ..they look good to me.

I did notice that the newest snap-on is NOT the same quality as the 30 year old stuff as far as finish & detail. They used to be almost too nice to use

I beat the heck out of my tools and have had good luck with Mac, Matco, Cornwell, Proto, Blackhawk, Herbrand. etc. Wrenches & ratchets need to feel right so tastes vary on those.

[cboy]

Originally Posted by Blackdog

I was robbed a month ago, they took my restored Scout and about $40,000 worth of tools and equipment.

Huge bummer Blackdog. I can't imagine the difficulty of trying to replace all my tools.

Tis a reminder, however, to take a video or pics of one's tool collection from time to time for insurance purposes. I add something here and there almost every week...and would have a very hard time even remembering every tool that I have...not to mention the brand, model etc. etc.

Anyhow, good luck with the shopping.

[redsdad]

I have had good experiences with Snap-on, Mac, and Matco. My experiences with Craftsman has been mixed. (Haven't checked out their professional line - may have to do that next visit.)
I was working at well known muffler chain. Someone broke in and took the shop truck loaded with our top boxes. The company's insurance company paid us about 69 cents on the dollar for what was taken.
Fortunately, one of the guys knew the owner of a local loan company that had repossessed a lot of Snap-on and Mac tools. I didn't replace exactly what I lost, but I did get a lot of great tools for approx. 50 cents on the dollar. This allowed me to almost fill in the blanks at $ for $ from the dealers.
Find out who lends money for tools in your town and see if you can find out what they have repossessed.

[59 wagon man]

sorry to hear about your loss if you filed an insurance claim(homeowners may cover this belive me been down the same road) and don't think the settlement was fair see if you can find a public insurance adjuster. they represent you and not the insurance company.had a claim where ins.company offered me $3500 my public adjuster counteroffered $27,000 they settled for $13,000 minus the adjuster fee of $2000 still left me with $11,000. .Pawn shops also can be a good place to shop but beware know what the price normally is on what your buying because sometimes the pawnshops want as much as the part cost new

[dinger]

I had a friend that just went through this when he had a fire on his tow rig. There was proof that all his tools had a lifetime warranty (still able to read the logo on the tools), meaning the tool could be exchanged with no cost if it broke or wore out, no depreciation of the tools was implemented. Looking at this in perspective, what you bought 10 years ago may actually be worth more in todays dollar amount, accounting for inflation. He was paid replacement value. Had to squawk a little, but he got what he should have gotten in the beginning of insurance settlements. Dan

[speedydude]

Originally Posted by dinger

I had a friend that just went through this when he had a fire on his tow rig. There was proof that all his tools had a lifetime warranty (still able to read the logo on the tools), meaning the tool could be exchanged with no cost if it broke or wore out, no depreciation of the tools was implemented. Looking at this in perspective, what you bought 10 years ago may actually be worth more in todays dollar amount, accounting for inflation. He was paid replacement value. Had to squawk a little, but he got what he should have gotten in the beginning of insurance settlements. Dan

Nothin worse than having tools stolen, sorry to hear it. As Dinger said, squawk and squawk loud. Insurance adjusters only job is to make sure the company pays as little as possible.

This pales in comparison but some low-lifer took about 1500.00 worth of tools I had in one of those portable bags. It had alot of Snap-on stuff in it.

My insurance guy said I should just try to replace it on my own as filing a claim for this amount will most likely raise my rates.

I watched the local paper and found 2 really good tool collections being sold off as the guys were retiring or whatever. Found good Snap-on and Matco stuff for about 20-30% of new. Be patient and look for good used stuff that may be available. I have no problem with other brands for some stuff, (I've got a little of all of them, but sockets, ratchets, combos, universals.......Snappie is hard to beat for quality. A tool may be guaranteed for life but I don't want it to break period, especially when I'm in the middle of something. There are some new tool lines hitting the market I should probably check out, Sears pro line as mentioned above for example. Problem is, I'll most likely like it,buy a bunch of it, and shrink the bank account.

Every time I hear someone got tools stolen, I want to bolt my box to the floor!!! Good luck with replacing what is missing. Hope this helps.

[ChevyTruckGuy]

I'm a Craftsman guy and I have a set of cheapo tool too, HF stuff for the kids.

I could never bring my self to buy Snap on Way over price to me! And I like the fact that if I broke a tool It was a quick trip to Sear and not trying to find the local snap on guy.

Craig

[KULTULZ]

I'm an SK guy (from the sixties) with most other being MAC.

Consider E-Bay, pawn shops to replace SNAP-ON and MAC and -this is where I buy now-. If they don't have it, they will get it.

[59 wagon man]

Originally Posted by speedydude

Nothin worse than having tools stolen, sorry to hear it. As Dinger said, squawk and squawk loud. Insurance adjusters only job is to make sure the company pays as little as possible.

This pales in comparison but some low-lifer took about 1500.00 worth of tools I had in one of those portable bags. It had alot of Snap-on stuff in it.

My insurance guy said I should just try to replace it on my own as filing a claim for this amount will most likely raise my rates.

I watched the local paper and found 2 really good tool collections being sold off as the guys were retiring or whatever. Found good Snap-on and Matco stuff for about 20-30% of new. Be patient and look for good used stuff that may be available. I have no problem with other brands for some stuff, (I've got a little of all of them, but sockets, ratchets, combos, universals.......Snappie is hard to beat for quality. A tool may be guaranteed for life but I don't want it to break period, especially when I'm in the middle of something. There are some new tool lines hitting the market I should probably check out, Sears pro line as mentioned above for example. Problem is, I'll most likely like it,buy a bunch of it, and shrink the bank account.

Every time I hear someone got tools stolen, I want to bolt my box to the floor!!! Good luck with replacing what is missing. Hope this helps.

sorry to say but your are 100% incorrect a public adjuster works for the consumer not the insurance company he represents the consumer and generally works on a commission basis which is neg. so it is in his best interest to get the consumer as much as possible and in my particular case resulted in an additiontial payment to me of $7500 after the adjuster's fee

[speedydude]

My bad, not meaning to sound like the insurance expert. Past experience for me was not great. I had to squawk pretty loud to be fairly compensated for losses.

A PUBLIC adjuster must be different. I've had slimy reps call and one time in particular, I will be so kind to share. After one of my many motorcycle accidents, this one broke my back, other driver lady's fault, (OK now), someone from the insurance co came out to see the damaged scooter. I thought he was the adjuster??? Asked me to open the garage door, wanting to see if I would bend over to open a rather large door. I looked at him as if he were nuts. "Doc said no bending for 6 months"!!!

He opened the door, took a couple pics and gave me squat for it. Had to fight for medical expenses and such. I guess the only way to have gotten more was to sue. This I was told by a lawyer could take up to 2 years. Settled for a somewhat reasonable sum and went on my way. There are other stories but I already feel I'm hijacking this thread.

Blackdog only got 20k for 40k worth of tools and now has to somehow replace what he had for half the money when, with inflation, it's even harder to do now. That's why I suggested looking at used stuff locally or even on ebay.

I consider myself now educated on the adjuster thing.............

[Vortech 4.3]

i buy craftsman for the home garage. works just fine. i don't need fancy pants EXPENSIVE tools. craftsman gets the job done.


my mother/father inlaws' house was just broken into, they were out of town. they took his car. and they took part of his coin collection. perhaps the biggest thing they took, a black pearl necklace, about 40" long . i was doing internet research on it. its possible it was worth $90,000. she has had it for 40+ years, and didn't know its value. the insurance co is offering $3000 for it. i didn't know there were public adjusters, i am going to look into that, thanx

[59 wagon man]

sorry to hear bout your tough luck also speedy. i only know about the adjuster thing due to my work as a plumbing contractor and trying to help the homeowner to fix thier problem . as for black dogs problem look up in the phone book or if you want send me your email and city where you live i will forward it to the adjuster for you . i believe he said he can reopen a claim for up to 5 yrs and even if you have a different insurance company .a public adjuster is like your lawyer if you go to court

[Notorious]

I believe I remember reading about your rip-off here when it first happened. Sorry to hear nothing was recovered. S-K tools are not bad and good quality for the money. I've bought some in recent years so I could take more of my Snap-Ons home from work. Most of my Snap-On stuff is 20 to 35 years old and I consider most of it to be superior to the stuff they make today. Hence I don't want to lose it and/or wear it out at work.
There's a major vendor who shows up at the Autofair at Charlotte Speedway that's held twice a year. They sell older Snap-On stuff for half of current prices. I've bought from them before but have no contact info, unfortunately. At the next event in April, I'll get it though. I wish I had it now to help you out. What happened to you is one of my worst nightmares, you have my sympathy. The best of luck in re-equipping your shop.