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Snap-On tools are for fools

122K views 87 replies 50 participants last post by  Carlos Murphy 
#1 · (Edited)
This is the first post( I will be posting the same on all the forums I am a member of as well as running a local ad indefinetly) of my press on Snap -On tools (trolls??) to get me some dealer service. I have been a Tech since 1969 and have app.$40-$60K in Snap-On tools( that is at the purchase price, not current costs) I have purchased in the last 30 years. I have been unable to get a Snap-On rep to visit my shop in over 5 years. Warrantees are worthless if there is no service. I have contacted Snap-On corp at least a dozen times in the last 5 years by phone and e-mail. Their position is that dealers are independent business owners and they can't make them do anything. Pretty much what I was told a decade ago when one of the dealers overcharged me for an impact wrench. Keep that in mind when you look at the tool prices. I now have to contact a shop that is 15 miles away and then make time to leave my business in order to give that shop a tool and wait until the Sanp -On dealer gets it replaced. Oddly when I owed them for the tools I saw them every week.
If you are a new Tech and looking at buying tools, let me give you some info. Snap-on, like most tool companies, don't make their tools they subcontract out just like Sears,Matco or Mac ( as well as all others). They pride themselves on their quality and service. That only exists while you owe them money, it doesn't seem to apply when you own everything.
Let's see, if I had not chosen Snap-On tools..how would things be different?? I would still possesss the same knowledge, they didn't supply any of it. I would have saved more than enough money to allow me to waste my time trying to get a tool warranteed. The credit that Snap-On extended to purchase tools doesn't go toward your home loan application...or really any credit score...the Sears one does. After buying tools for 40 years from Sears, I would have had some credit to go on my home loan or other loans, plus if I needed a tool replaced..Sears is in the same place as it had been for 35 years. I wouldn't have had to make some of the decisions about what I could get for my children because I wouldn't have been financially leveraged to Snap-Off. I also wouldn't have put my dealers kids through college while I was couldn't afford to put my kids through. BUT, I did it because they SAID that they would always service me...BULL*****.
If you are a starting Tech DO NOT buy into the Snap-OFF propaganda. Save yourself a lot of money and buy from someone that will be there even when you have paid them off. It will help your credit rating as well as cut down some of the spats with your spouse over the amount you spend on tools. I hope they go the route of the Tupperware party, they have a similar business model.
As a final note, although I wouldn't neccesarily do it( I already bought my tools form the charlatans that represent Snap-on)...BUT...for the amount you would spend on virtually any Snap-OFF tool you could buy a dozen at Harbor Freight and never even need to see a dealer. As they break you pick up a new one and throw the other in the trash, pretty much what I am going to be doing with my Snap-OFF tools over the next bunch of years.
I contacted, for the final time, Snap-OFF corporation with my intentions to run this as well as the local ads and gave them more than 2 weeks to respond and they apparently thought I was bluffing...I am not.
 
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#2 ·
Over the last year I have heard many complaints of Snap-On. Mostly lousy customer service, rumors of bankruptcy, reluctance to honor warranties. I just googled them, this site with this post should start showing up early in the search. I am not a professional, I have 30-40 Snap-On tools, but after this I will stick to Sears and H.F. And to say, H.F. before S-O is a terrible insult..lmao. Bite me, Snap On. Take care of your customers.
 
#3 ·
It is not just snap on it is also Mac And cornwell I opend my shop over two years ago all of them came by every week to get my money. As I paid them off they stoped coming. Call any of there home office and all you get is sorry we can't help you. This is the first time in 30 years that i have not had to pay a tool man. Feels kind a good. I think they all have bad service
 
#4 · (Edited)
I am not a pro, but I went through a phase where I chased down the snap-on guy and bought a ton of stuff from him, always with cash. I spent over 10k with the guy.

I brought him some tools to warranty, 2 large screw drivers and a locking flex head ratchet (which was my fav. tool) he said he did not have what he needed to warranty them and that he would hold on to them fix them then give them to me the next time I saw him. I never saw the guy again. I called and beeped called and beeped for 2 years.

On 2 seperate ocasasions I contacted his district manager. Both times I told they were going to fix the problem, they didn't.

I think many of their tools are good, great even, but not worth the money nor the time needed to get a warranty (if you can get it).

Snap-on can kiss my butt I am forever mat at that company, I look at it as though they stole from me.

Sears on the other hand has tools that are way cheaper and on the rare occasion I need to get something warrantied it's painless.

I hope you are sucessful in getting people to not buy tools from them.
 
#5 ·
This is interesting. Nice work exercising your right to speak out, woodz428. I saw your posts in a couple of other forums too; looks like there is a lot of support for your point of view.

Prairie dog said:
It is not just snap on it is also Mac And cornwell I opend my shop over two years ago all of them came by every week to get my money. As I paid them off they stoped coming. Call any of there home office and all you get is sorry we can't help you. This is the first time in 30 years that i have not had to pay a tool man. Feels kind a good. I think they all have bad service
When you Google for "mac tools", the #3 result is a whistleblower site: MacToolsSuck.com. $15 million defamation lawsuit, massive class action suit, etc. There's even a documentary in the works.

Also, see:

StanleySucks.com
Mac-Tools-Class-Action-Lawsuit.info
 
#6 ·
woodz,

I know the feeling I have worked at the same place for the last 18 years, once I accumulated my tools and the buying slowed down then the snap on dealer stopped coming around!! I have several broken 3/8 drive impact swivals and no way of fixing them.. we do still have a matco guy though.... one thing you mentioned harbour freight, I would be a little carefull buying from them I would stick to sears, homedepot , and lowes... these are all very good tools... you will find it you buy tools from say HF. say a line wrench that it will stretch and strip the nut.. and that a few of the larger sockets for axle nuts etc won't fit in the hub of a lot of cars so I would stick to the three I mentioned above.... I must say I feel your frustration!!!! there are alot of younger (even though I am pretty young) guys out there that think the tool makes the mechanic.. don't fall into this trap... the tool is just that a tool does nothing for the skills of the mechanic... so don't go out buying a Motis 11,000.00 dollars for a scanner and think you are a great tech now... I bought an otc genysis and think it is better than the motis ... the motis is just the vantage and a scanner .. a vantage is just a DVOM so don't buy that either... anyway woodz you present a good lession that many of us have fallen victim too and that is wanting what is said to be the best when why do we need the best, it doesn't make us any better just poorer... and once you have enough tools where you arn't buying many anymore you will see your dealer dissapear... anyway that is my 2 cents...
 
#7 ·
Snap-on, the most slipperiest tools I ever tried to hold on to! I've wasted more time trying to retrieve them from under a car, out of the undercarriage,
and trying to get socket's off the ratchet that any other tool I've owned.
I've always said they were over-rated and over-priced.
As far as tool truck salesmen go, they are all like loan sharks. They are all your best buddy when you buy stuff, but miss a payment and see what happens! I did once, had an emergency payment with one of my kids when she broke an arm and it was a couple of weeks before I had the money (32 bucks). He even threatened to re-posses the 12" 3/8 extension I bought.
After I got him paid, I informed him that I would no longer do any business with Matco tools and he could take his tool truck some where else.
 
#9 ·
When I worked for Sears, they would not replace sockets which rounded out. Had a 12 point do just that. Took it to the vise to crack it. It smashed flat! Would not crack. Ended up with a flat blade screwdriver for my rachet. A soft one at that. Have not bought from them since. Hope the quality of their steel has improved.
 
#10 ·
Just a reply to a few comments. As I said, I don't know that I would do it...but at the cost of Snap-On tools you could buy enough of the same tool from H-F and they would last the rest of your life...you wouldn't care if the tool pusher ever came around. If one breaks you could just pick up a new one that was waiting on the sideline.
Shine is right on, I don't want to think about how many tools I have...but some are Craftsmen. I have never, NEVER had any salesman look at a tool and question anything, they just give a new on. If the product has inproved, which a lot of Craftsmen tools have, you get a better product. I can't even get a replacement from the Snap-off dweebs.
I realize that it is a broad issue. About 20 years ago( well maybe longer) Matco upgraded the quality of their tools and I bought a complete metric 12 point wrench set(6-14 mm). About a month later the 6 point wrench bent and broke( it's only about 3 inches long, so the amount of leverage I could apply is small. The dealer said it was abused and he wouldn't replace it......WHAT. I wasted no time, probably after he left the shop, calling MATCO corp. To their credit and completely different than how Snap-OFF runs their show, they made the dealer bring me a new wrench and I had to sign a note for MATCO saying that he had replaced it. I never had any problems with that dealer again.
The funniest part about my experience is that I have had several apprentices that were needing to buy tools..and they WANTED Snap-On. But after seeing the poor service I received from them( especially in relation to the amount of tools I have),they have realized that it is similar to the Wizard of Oz...looks are decieving and hype is...well,hype. They purchase Craftsmen now, and anything else that isn't from snap-off.
 
#11 ·
The years I worked as a professional auto mechanic (Ford factory trained) I used Craftsman tools. I had a few Snap-On tools that were not available from Craftsman, but most of my tools were Craftsman. Contrary to some opinions I didn't break many Craftsman tools, and the ones I did break were from improper use by me. They were replaced without question I might add. I saw many younger guys fresh from auto tech schools buy into the Snap-On fraternity. They worked solely to pay the Snap-On tool man. If that is what you want, go for it. My experience with Craftsman tools was and still is vastly different from opinions voiced here.

Vince
 
#12 ·
I'm not a mechanic by trade but I know several who are. The reason they purchased Snap On was the importance of showing customers they have quality tools, and hopefully working with quality tools that will last. For the most part, I think my friends are happy with their tools, however I am seeing them purchasing tools from Craftsmen due to saving money. I take pride in my tools as well, but as a backyard mechanic and weekend warrior, the Craftsmen tools work fine. In fact, I've never had problems with them. I've even bought wrenches from Harbor Freight, that I enjoy using more than my Protos or Craftsmen. Just like any other business these days, (sad but true) Customer service and quality is a thing of the past. And they wonder why people stop purchasing and they have to file bankruptcy?

Just my two pennies folks.
Ed
 
#13 ·
kleen56 said:
I'm not a mechanic by trade but I know several who are. The reason they purchased Snap On was the importance of showing customers they have quality tools, and hopefully working with quality tools that will last. For the most part, I think my friends are happy with their tools, however I am seeing them purchasing tools from Craftsmen due to saving money. I take pride in my tools as well, but as a backyard mechanic and weekend warrior, the Craftsmen tools work fine. In fact, I've never had problems with them. I've even bought wrenches from Harbor Freight, that I enjoy using more than my Protos or Craftsmen. Just like any other business these days, (sad but true) Customer service and quality is a thing of the past. And they wonder why people stop purchasing and they have to file bankruptcy?

Just my two pennies folks.
Ed
I agree with all your comments. I think one of the reasons that you are seeing them buy more Craftsmen tools is that the quality is higher than it was. I don't mean that they broke, but as far as finish,etc. they have improved enormously in the last few decades. They as well as other tool companies( remember what I said about tool manufacturing) have upgraded to the standard that was once a Snap-OFF exclusive. IT no longer is and since Snap-OFF cares little for customer service, they really offer NOTHING. Especially to young Techs that are under the false assumption that all the tool loans that they have with them will help their credit rating, it doesn't, won't and never will. However a Sears credit card that you can buy Craftsmen tools with DOES.
Tell the Snap-OFF dealer to take a hike and tell them I told you to. I'd love to have one of those greedy b@stards confront me over it. Really!
 
#14 ·
In the heavy machinery repair trade the quality, or lack of, will show pretty quick on a tool and when the chips were down it was Snap-On, S&K, Proto and Mac that could be counted on. I have seen Craftsman (not just Craftsman but several brands) tried more than once and results were not all that good but then to be fair what we were doing was asking far more than they were designed for or priced for, for this reason I have always recommended Snap-On for the beginning professional but the facts can not be denied. Snap-On service has fallen off badly in the last few years and we keep hearing it more and more, there is no question about the truth of what woods is saying and he is not alone in his plight! Snap-on service has sunk to a new low lately and with the improvement in quality of some of the "off" brand tools I would think Snap-On is a short timer which is going to leave a lot of people with some VERY expensive orphaned tools. I would no longer buy Snap-On and would no longer recommend them to anyone because dependable as they are the after sales service was supposed to be a big part of what the buyer was paying for and without it no tool is worth the prices they charge!

We were lucky at my shop and the Snap-On man could be counted on, he should have been dependable because the local shops and the mines have made him a heck of a lot of money!
 
#15 ·
I have a few Snap Off tools but only a few that I really needed like their long handled wrenches and one very special tool...a 3/8" drive inch/pound torque wrench. It has a fine tooth ratchet and was very expensive at the time, I used it mainly for adjusting Ford transmisson bands.

When I borrowed it to a friend he (like an idiot) used it to remove a fastener and promptly broke the ratchet.

I would see the Snap On dealer regularly and gave him the tool for ratchet replacement, he told me he could only give me a coarse tooth insert for repair and handed me the kit for me to replace. I asked him to order the fine tooth ratchet and I would pay for it when he came again.

I tried to install the coarse insert but it did not fit the special shaped head of the torque wrench, it was obviously for a normal 3/8 ratchet.

Over the next three years I bugged him during every visit for that fine tooth insert and it was always some excuse. One week its on backorder, the next its out of stock blah blah blah.

I never did get a replacement ratchet insert and eventually just welded the thing in one position, I can use the tool without the ratchet feature for the jobs I have for it.

Years later I was driving out of town and seen him driving on the highway in a heavy snowfall, I was right behind him. Suddenly he veered off the road and plowed into the ditch, I stopped and asked if he was OK. He was OK and I offered to give him a ride. He asked if I could phone his house for his wife to come and pick him up once I got into cellphone range since he didn't want to leave the truck unattended as it would get robbed blind if he left it, I told him I would try to remember to call his wife. :D

Never seen him again, never did call his wife.
 
#16 ·
Some of the experiences with Snap On I have had havent been enjoyable either. Started at a new shop that appeared to be busy. I bought $300 worth of stuff from Snap On, and everything was fine as long as the shop had customers. Nobody came back and it was the low season Nov-March, the shop folded three months after I got there. Couldnt find work so I worked out of my backyard garage building transmissions and doing brake work.

I called and let him know it would be a month or so before I could get him paid. I showed with the cash and he had tacked on 50% interest for that month. Gave me the song and dance I was late and he owed on the stuff he sold me, etc. So I stopped by to pay him after the next trans, and now the bill was $700 for $300 worth of stuff that I already had paid $300 on. I told him in no uncertain terms to get bent and he woudnt be seeing any more cash from me. Needless to say I dont bother with them anymore. If I need a tool that only they have, or I break the ones from everyone else, I will order it online and cut out the guys on the truck.

I found the wrenches from CarQuest work pretty well, Craftsman has come a long way. I used to round off every fastener I touched with their wrenches particularly the line wrenches, lately the stuff I have gotten from Sears has been much better. I wont bother with HF stuff, the only thing of theirs I bought that hasnt broken is a small press I use for pinion bearings and the like. I have SK at one of the parts stores, and they are still decent, so if I need something I get it from anyone but the truck, and I always pay cash to avoid usury.
 
#17 ·
No question Snap-On has great quality tools and fortunately we have an excellent rep. We never have an issue with returns. But I have heard a lot of bad stories in the past couple of years and that is not a good thing for them. I don't mind spending the money for quality and service but you better give it or your out the door. Quickly. There are plenty of shops in pretty small area to keep him very busy so I think it must be easier for him to service the customers. We have talked about it and he said frankly it lands on the guy driving the truck. If he doesn't stay on top of requests and returns or keep a proper stock level it's going to piss people off. And if you become a collection Nazi no one will buy more from you once they are paid up. Less hassle to buy elsewhere.
 
#18 ·
Woodz , I agree with you 100 and 20 %. When I first started mechanics (for a living ) it was with a foreign car dealership so I had to buy a lot of metric wrenches and socket sets. When the Snap-on truck came by the shop I went and looked to see what he had and his prices, he was way out of my price range. We had a new baby and I just could not afford the money he wanted. So after talking to the mechanics in the shop all of them told me to go to Sears ,who set me up a affordable account and I bought almost every thing I needed. Just about every mechanic in this shop had been burned by Snap-on or Mac.Every body finally quit buying off of these trucks and they quit coming to the shop. I guess that the way these people do business must be part of dealer training ( if they have any!) because this is the same way of doing business that I have heard of for the last 35-40 years.
On returning broken tools .....This reminds me of a time when I went with my cousin to return a broken 3/4 breaker bar to Sears. This was in the late 60's I was home on leave and I went by the shop where he worked. Now he was a heavy equipment mechanic ,mainly bull dozers he had been doing this since he was 14 and he was in his late 30's. We took the breaker bar to Sears and he laid the breaker bar on the counter and told the man he needed a replacement. Now the bar was not broke but the drive piece had rotated in the head and bent the rotation pin so badly that the head was jammed so badly the head would not move .The man behind the counter picked it up looked at it and said "Dam man how long of cheater pipe did you use on this to do this!....These things are just about impossible to break ." Gilbert pulled his arms up in a strongman pose and said "Never needed one."His upper body was massive and his fore arm and biceps were big as the average mans leg muscles .Paul Sr. on OCC reminds me of Gilbert only Gilbert was taller and maybe little more built.He was a gentle giant .
Kenny
 
#19 ·
I'm not a car wrench, but I do work with tools for a living. I believe that Snap-on builds a better quality tool than Craftsman.

But I prefer Craftsman over Snap-on. The reason? Same warranty, and I don't have to chase the Sears guy down. Sears has been in the same place for 50 years, and I couldn't find the damn Snap-on guy if you put a gun to my head.
 
#20 ·
I agree with most every thing posted here but I think the title of the thread is a little off base. I know a lot of sharp people that have Snap On tools in their boxes and I have seen a lot of them I would like to have but would never spend the money on them. I still have most of the Craftsman I bought at a Sears Grand Opening Sale in Dec, 1970. I have modified one of the line wrenches and a 9/16-5/8 long box, thinking at the time I could replace them. Well, the "newer stuff" is bigger, bulkier and just not the same. I have been plowing through the used tools at Charlotte every year looking for replacements but can't find them. When I see tools listed at garage sales, I stop and look. All but one of my original ratchets have been replace after about 35 years of use and I screwed up by taking a new one instead of the repair kit that I was offered. I have replaced both of the replacements after a couple of years use and need to replace them again. I have added them to my list of used ones to look for. I have two Cresent Kits that I picked up for cheap at Sams Club and those tools seem to be as good a quality as my original Craftsman tools. Only time will tell. They get used a lot and are my "go any where" travel kits, though one has been mounted to the wall in the new shop.

Snap On and the other "direct vendors" need to re look at their marketing and distribution methods and practices or they are going to be gone. In my opinion, they are in the death throws already by lowering their quality and keeping the same high prices. Does not work very long.

Trees
 
#21 ·
I have used both S&K and Snap-On under brutal conditions, far above anything a socket should be expected to endure and the S&K will hold up with the best of them. The Snap-On flank drive design makes it one of the very best sockets for gripping a fastener and it will remove some that would be rounded off by most brands but the S&K works really good in this respect too. What has impressed me about S&K is the pounding those things will take without breaking and I am talking about major abuse not just heavy use, S&K tools are not cheap but they are not over-priced either when you consider what you get and overall they are probably a better bargain than Snap-On. Of course considering that what this thread is about is not an isolated case I have to admit that as much as I like Snap-On quality I think they have become a terrible investment, I never would have thought I would be saying that but facts are facts and what Snap-On is doing to their customers just can't be ignored!
 
#23 ·
Strap-on sucks as's ......bought my last one 15yrs ago 6months old and wouldnt replace it, right then off the truck...told him its the last one I'll ever buy.....he stopped by once a month after that insted of weekly ,till he figured out I was serious...havent missed them at all ....Three times what thier worth....Its Sears for me too....and HF.....They better not come asking for a bailout too,Thier pulling the same credit BS ...no credit no problem,but they dont get the tools back they end up in pawn shops... :confused:
 
#24 ·
I'll keep my Snap-ons. In 50 yearsThey have never given me a problem except for the 3/8" rachets. I've lost a coupleof wrenches, but I can't blame that on the seller. If you're not buying, of course they don't come around, but I have always gave them a call when I needed something and they were there in a few days.
Seems like I was always the one the other mechanics came to when their brand x tools gave up the ghost on them in the middle of the job.
I've been away from professional mechanics for a couple years now, but the local dealer stopped by the house a while back just to see if I needed anything. Maybe it's something you said.
 
#25 ·
61bone said:
Seems like I was always the one the other mechanics came to when their brand x tools gave up the ghost on them in the middle of the job.


I know what you mean on that one! Seems most of the new guys would try to buy cheaper tools, usually Craftsman, because the Snap-On prices were too high- or so they thought until they worked a while. When a tool breaks out there you can't just take off and go get one and it gets embarrassing having to borrow from the guys who bought the right tools in the first place so the new guys learned real quick. If the brand "X" tools would hold up as well as the pro stuff that's what most of the people out there would be using but all those guys who own Snap-On and other pro quality tools know what counts and they know the good stuff is worth the price. My Snap-On dealer was like yours and was very helpful with any kind of problem but unfortunately it has gotten to the point that the problem Woods is having is more common than not. The way some Snap-On dealers are doing their customers well that is simply inexcusable and the big wigs at the corporate headquarters better get their act together and line these guys out or they are not going to be able to sell anything!
 
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