[detroitiron]

As long as you respect your tools they should hold up, If you put a 4ft cheater bar on a ratchet, then your taking the risk of breaking it. If you put a purpose built breaker bar on it to get it loose then go to the ratchet then you dont have to worry about breaking gears. Same goes with the people that crank up the torque to max on their impact guns and use them as as breakers and wonder why their guns break.

Am I afraid to buy Snapon knowing there is no warranty behind them if theres no truck? Not at all. Having a Plan B is a smart idea. Im not afraid to admit I have a craftsman backup set just in case a snapon tool breaks and vise versa.

[SuthnCustoms]

Originally Posted by detroitiron

As long as you respect your tools they should hold up, If you put a 4ft cheater bar on a ratchet, then your taking the risk of breaking it. If you put a purpose built breaker bar on it to get it loose then go to the ratchet then you dont have to worry about breaking gears. Same goes with the people that crank up the torque to max on their impact guns and use them as as breakers and wonder why their guns break.

Am I afraid to buy Snapon knowing there is no warranty behind them if theres no truck? Not at all. Having a Plan B is a smart idea. Im not afraid to admit I have a craftsman backup set just in case a snapon tool breaks and vise versa.

I've had very different expereinces with the newer snap-ons,they are MUCH less quaility then they used to be.
Ratchets stripping,sockets cracking and fitting poorly,etc..these days they must be taking shortcuts to keep manufacturing costs down to keep alive in the slow economy right now is all i can figure.

Since the quality of them has went downhill,i would rather have a craftsmen or Kobalt where if something does break,i can just drive to the store and get a new one for free with no questions asked,rather than try and wait on a snap-on rep or truck come out to replace it and wonder if he's gonna say it was abused...

Just my 2 cents worth

.....and by the way,i don't over abuse my tools,never a cheater bar on a wrench or ratchet,never beating on them with a hammer..etc...i have plenty of breaker bars,and on that note,i had a 1/2 drive snap-on breaker bar that snapped at the head breaking loose a pinion nut,and then grabbed a craftsmen breaker bar and it broke the nut loose without any damage to the breaker bar at all..

I loved the older snap-ons,but the newer ones seem to be turning into junk anymore,and i've used them over and over daily on jobs where the tools supplied were mostly snap-ons,they have since ditched buying snap-ons,it's just not worth the extra money for a snap-on to them anymore to get the job done that is on a tight schedule and have to wait for someone to come by the jobsite/plant to replace it when it breaks to get the job finished.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by SuthnCustoms

I've had very different expereinces with the newer snap-ons,they are MUCH less quaility then they used to be.
Ratchets stripping,sockets cracking and fitting poorly,etc..these days they must be taking shortcuts to keep manufacturing costs down to keep alive in the slow economy right now is all i can figure.

Since the quality of them has went downhill,i would rather have a craftsmen or Kobalt where if something does break,i can just drive to the store and get a new one for free with no questions asked,rather than try and wait on a snap-on rep or truck come out to replace it and wonder if he's gonna say it was abused...

Just my 2 cents worth

.....and by the way,i don't over abuse my tools,never a cheater bar on a wrench or ratchet,never beating on them with a hammer..etc...i have plenty of breaker bars,and on that note,i had a 1/2 drive snap-on breaker bar that snapped at the head breaking loose a pinion nut,and then grabbed a craftsmen breaker bar and it broke the nut loose without any damage to the breaker bar at all..

I loved the older snap-ons,but the newer ones seem to be turning into junk anymore,and i've used them over and over daily on jobs where the tools supplied were mostly snap-ons,they have since ditched buying snap-ons,it's just not worth the extra money for a snap-on to them anymore to get the job done that is on a tight schedule and have to wait for someone to come by the jobsite/plant to replace it when it breaks to get the job finished.

I am with you on this as I have seen the same thing. Like I have said the quality of the "tool truck" tools and the "Mid grade" tools like Craftsmen, S&K and the like has gotten so close, there is no real reason to by most of the Tool truck tools. HOWEVER, there are still a few that are going to be better.
Even the cheapie junk tools have gotten MUCH better the last few decades.

But again, it really does take someone who is familiar with the tool to know if it is indeed a quality tool or junk. By the "odds" one is better off buying the best if they don't know the difference. But damn, those mid grade tools are usually DAMN nice and absolutely plenty for the home hobbyist.

Brian

[cobalt327]

I have a couple full sets of the Husky branded wrenches (metric and inch) from H Depot that were bought some time ago. They are the polished finish tools, not the cast finish wrenches- not so much for the shiny finish, but because the wrenches are longer and look/feel to be better made than the cast finish Husky wrenches.

The last time I was in my Home Depot store, their selection was WAY down from what it had been about 8-10 years ago- no "specialty" wrenches (stubby, gear wrench-type, no torque wrenches, etc.). I don't know if it's because the Husky brand didn't re-catch on (there were Husky tools WAY before Depot came along) or Kobalt beat them on sales, or what.

What I do not like about the H Depot Husky tools, is the markings on them are way too lightly stamped- I cannot read one w/o straining. Especially the sockets- of which I have a ton of, as well.

Kobalt are far better in this regard. But I didn't care for the "angularity" of the hand tools by Kobalt, preferring instead the smoother, ergonomic feel of the Husky.

That said, I have had zero defects or broken Husky tools. But then, I don't break tools, period. Just lucky that way, I suppose- but then I don't abuse them, either. I prefer to have the "right" tool for the job whenever possible. Plus I do take the time to stop and go get what tool is needed, instead of doing what I have often seen done by some guys- that is to use whatever falls to hand and MAKE it work, even if that's outside of its design.

[cobalt327]

OT- I often think back on my Dad and the tools he made do with. If he would have has a quarter of the tools I own, he'd have been in hog's heaven! Yet he was the best damned mechanic I have ever seen use a tool, w/more innate ability than I will EVER have- even if I worked on it for the rest of my life. He was... special.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by cobalt327

That said, I have had zero defects or broken Husky tools. But then, I don't break tools, period. Just lucky that way, I suppose- but then I don't abuse them, either. I prefer to have the "right" tool for the job whenever possible. Plus I do take the time to stop and go get what tool is needed, instead of doing what I have often seen done by some guys- that is to use whatever falls to hand and MAKE it work, even if that's outside of its design.

If that isn't the truth! I VERY seldom break a tool, but when I do I know why, it was abused! The last one I broke was a 6'' allen socket I put on my "Butterfly" impact to break a hood bolt loose on a Mercedes. Sorry, the bolt stayed and my socket broke. But I don't blame the S&K socket, it was my impact that broke it, with me at the wheel.

And it would have broken if I had used a ratchet as well, the bolt was simply stronger than the socket. Another guy in the shop had already broke his socket on it. But the impact set on low with a "banging" action it gives will often break loose a tight bolt that a ratchet can't do. But once in a while you will break a socket.

But other than that, my tools last FOREVER, literally.

Brian

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by cobalt327

OT- I often think back on my Dad and the tools he made do with. If he would have has a quarter of the tools I own, he'd have been in hog's heaven! Yet he was the best damned mechanic I have ever seen use a tool, w/more innate ability than I will EVER have- even if I worked on it for the rest of my life. He was... special.

That's my older brother, our dad, he couldn't remove a license plate! Isn't that funny, he honestly did have zero mechanical ability and we often joked about it. He worked his butt off as a salesmen, and again, something my brother and I couldn't do though we tried. I am so glad I was in sales for a few years before he passed away, so I could appreciate how hard he worked and tell him so. It isn't as easy as people make it out to be, and I learned that!

Brian

[35terraplane]

On another thread, I said Some of the guys I hung around with and I had broken 6 sockets , and a breaker bar, the breaker bar and 3 sockets were snap-on, 3 sockets craftsman. We had used a pipe on the breaker bar, and it broke along with the sockets. some of the guys got on me for misuse of tools, some for turning in the tools plus one said I more than likely would take a new car out and misuse that and turn it in to get a free fix WE were 15 or so when we broke the tools, and self taught our dads didn't know anything about tools. The only car I misused, if you can call it that, was taking off from a dead stop at 9000 RPM. oh that was our pro stock HEMI PLY. I did ask those guys if they had ever misused a tool from the age of 12 on. That was when I got my first tools. I never heard a word. I said I have been around long enough to know 99.9% of the guys that use tools have misused them at one time or another, that other .1% they either sell tools with warranties or own company's that do. Over the years I have bought just about every make tool that is made, some new, some used. There were very few truck tools I got new, because the truck never came around. the new ones were craftsman, now they make two different grades of tools one made in the US, and one off shore. or so I have been told. In the last 54years I have gotten 2 ratchets replaced, both used snap-ons that I got used, I have know idea if they had the chit beat out of them before I got them or not , never the less they would skip in one spot, I had to carry them in my truck, a good 6 months before I saw a truck I could turn them into, the guy replaced my 3/8 drive, but didn't have my 1/2 " . It took me 3 more months before I got a hold of him, and then they would only give me a rebuilt one. My wife still has to put her foot on my throat to hold me back when I get near tools, I will buy them if I like the looks of them , and I have no use for them at all, I bought a crimping tool to crimp one thing the tool was a $130.00 bucks. I just like tools.
I think that they all have there place Sure some of the tool company's started the free replacement, to sell their tools, just like cars. But thats not what made them go offshore or just cheapen up on how they were made or what they were made with. Sadly we let china, Taiwan, and places like that bring there cheap stuff over here. So now you pay big bucks for things you buy here and they are not always trouble free. So buy up the used good tools while they are still around, and then pass them on to your kids if you have them, use the right tool for the right job you should have no trouble, and if you have a nut too tight heat , most of the time will get her loose. And get your kids into cars, if we don't, all the good ones will be melted down.
Thanks for letting me put my nickle worth in, have a good day and watch your knuckles.

Later 35terraplane


P.S. Has someone got a 1"to2" Mic i can't find my c-clamp

[cobalt327]

Originally Posted by 35terraplane

P.S. Has someone got a 1"to2" Mic i can't find my c-clamp

Hah! Good one!

I DID watch a guy at Fosters (W. Orange Co., FL "pick-a-part" 'yard) use a beam torque wrench to break loose the lower ball joint nut on a Plymouth. Sad- but TRUE! No idea what the range was on it, he might not have completyely ruined it, but man.

[Ray Bell]

I bought a lot of K-Mart Chinese box-open end spanners back twenty years ago when they were cheap...

8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19mm and similar in SAE. $5.95 a set, I think. I will never regret that. They are around, I just pick them up and use them, and I've never had one break. They get lost, that's the only thing wrong with them.

Some types, not those, will bend, occasionally on later ones from 'dubious' sources you'll break an open end, had that happen twice with stuff I've bought for kids for cheap sets to carry in their car for emergencies.

[Carlos Murphy]

I started buying Snap-On tools in 1970 and still have most of them today even though I retired early in Jan 04.
I also have a selection of Mac, Matco, S&K, Wera, Stahwille, Vanadin and others.
If I had it to do all over again I would have done most of my business with Sear's and saved thousands for toy money.
Although Craftsman tools at that time were rather crude compared to Snap-On, Mac, there was not much of a selection back then, no Harbor Freight's or discount tool stores.
From what I've seen, there's not much difference between the top tool makers and Sears now days.
Over the years I've also picked up many tools at flea markets and garage sales.
In the middle of my career all my work tools were of the top makers and all of my home tools were a mixture of Craftsman and "finds"

[adantessr]

Later 35terraplane
P.S. Has someone got a 1"to2" Mic i can't find my c-clamp Quote :


One boss I had back in Wyoming couldn't find his 0-1" mic . His wife was using it as a c-clamp to hold the bookrest on the hinge on her piano . LOL . He was NOT impressed .

[Carlos Murphy]

I'll bet that mic is out of tolerance from her cranking down on it.