Grassroots Motorsports

Register Log in to GRM
- Community

Birthdays
Recently on the Classic Motorsports forums

Subscribe get a full year for only $23.95 Sample Free Test Drive—no strings attached

Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Tool Advice Needed: Snap-On or..?

1 2

April 30, 2009 10:02 p.m. alex HalfDork

I'm a firm believer in good tools. For important stuff, I buy the best tools possible. The entire top drawer of my box is Snap-On, and it's all the stuff I grab for first during a job.

That said, I'm in the market for a compression leakdown tester. Snappy's runs $300, plus $60 per plug adapter. I know this is a good tool, because I've used it fairly extensively at my last shop. My old boss never bought anything but Snap-On. He had Snap-On underwear. But, I'll be using this tool sparingly at most - I do need it for the motor I'm currently working on.

I still have connections to two shops that are blessed by the presence of the Snap-On truck. Should I pop for the leakdown tester from the expensive truck, or look into cheaper options?
April 30, 2009 10:23 p.m. patgizz Dork

harbor freight one works rather well - i figured like you and don't need the $300+ unit for a job i'll do less than once a year.

the ratchets though - snap-on wins in my book.
April 30, 2009 10:25 p.m. Toyman01 Reader

Having broken 3 snap-on 3/8 ratchets, I haven't been real impressed with their tools. That being said, I know nothing about their analysis tools. But if they can't build a ratchet as good as Northern Tools and Walmart, I would probably look elsewhere.
April 30, 2009 10:46 p.m. ReverendDexter HalfDork

Interesting, I've had the opposite experience with Snap-On ratchets - I kept breaking Craftsman 1/4ers, so I ponied up for a Snap-On and was thoroughly impressed. I could torque down lugnuts with that thing, lol.
April 30, 2009 10:50 p.m. z31maniac Dork

Rent one and don't buy?
April 30, 2009 11:04 p.m. joey48442 SuperDork

I like my snap on 1/4,and 1/2 inch ratchets, but my 3/8 is weird. The "ratchet" function is to stiff. It wants to back the bolt back the other direction when you turn the wrench, instead of "clicking"

Joey
April 30, 2009 11:54 p.m. neon4891 SuperDork

My turn off with snap on was the one driver/saleman i had dealt with. He was a shiny happy person playing king over weather or not he would honor the waranty if we used it "wrong" and it broke. That being said, most of my tools are Craftsman and the only one i had to replace was the 3/8" breaker bar that my Father broke.
May 1, 2009 5:17 a.m. foxtrapper SuperDork

Neon,

Got to remember, snap-on does NOT warranty against wearing out or misuse of their tools.

Proper warranty claim procedure as per snap-on corporate is to ship the tool to their headquarters for examination and determination of the warranty claim. This took 6+ weeks some years ago. IF it is determined that the tool is to be covered by warranty, a warranty credit authorization is issued to the person submitting the tool, and the person can obtain a replacement tool. If it is determined that the tool was misued, has worn out, or is otherwise not covered by warranty, no credit is issued.

That proper procedure is what the driver does. When they give you a tool right away to replace your broken one, they are gambling that corporate will indeed warranty the tool when they submit it. If they gamble wrong, the driver is out the money for the new tool they gave you. Even if they gamble right, they are out the money for that tool they gave you for many weeks.

Sucks to be a snap-on driver. As a result, some of them are less than happy with their lot in life. And there's no easy way to bail out, especially if you're new to the job and haven't finished paying off your truck and inventory.

At the jet shop, exploding snap-on ratchets were a near hourly event. Something about the way titanium fasteners stick together just grenades snap-on ratchets. They wouldn't break, they would just blow their guts out across the shop.
May 1, 2009 9:42 a.m. 93celicaGT2 Dork

I haven't had great luck with SnapOn. Mac Tools? YES!
May 1, 2009 9:59 a.m. neon4891 SuperDork

Thanks for the insite on how snap-on does it, But I will stick with a brand with a "No question asked" warranty.

Reminds me of when I had a a friend who was a tire boy at sears. It was a regular occurance that when someone needed a stuby wrench, they would cut their craftsman in half, get the job done then take it to the tool counter and get a new one
May 1, 2009 10:10 a.m. Taiden New Reader

neon4891 wrote:

Thanks for the insite on how snap-on does it, But I will stick with a brand with a "No question asked" warranty.

Reminds me of when I had a a friend who was a tire boy at sears. It was a regular occurance that when someone needed a stuby wrench, they would cut their craftsman in half, get the job done then take it to the tool counter and get a new one

I own a set of Harbor Freight sockets. While these sockets aren't great, I bought a full set of 1/4 3/8 and 1/2 for around $70, and this has gotten me through many swaps. Combining these with a 3/8 and 1/2 husky ratchet makes for a cheap, comfy combo. I've never had a problem with damaging nuts or bolts.

When I am getting a tool that will be wrecked on, I buy a Craftsman for one reason. There are Sears all over the country, so no matter where I am, I can get a free replacement.

Dan from Dan's MC also agrees: http://www.dansmc.com/
May 1, 2009 12:04 p.m. ansonivan New Reader

The new snap-on 80 tooth ratchets seem bulletproof, I've put a year of solid daily use on mine and have no issues. That said, I'm now adult enough to know that breaking tools is not proof of my manhood. I use my 1/2 ratchet for the seriously heavy stuff.

I'm also lucky enough to have a decent snap-on guy, he asks zero questions about broken tools (thank you ebay)
May 1, 2009 8:57 p.m. redbonechkn New Reader

Ive broke a tooth in my 3/8 Snap-on flex ratchet three times this year and got a new head every monday Our Sears won't replace jack unless you act like a Axx and show out they wouldn't exchange my 13mm 3/8 chrome socket when it cracked because the Chrome was peeling and they didn't think it was properly taken care of
May 1, 2009 9:33 p.m. mel_horn HalfDork

neon4891 wrote:

Thanks for the insite on how snap-on does it, But I will stick with a brand with a "No question asked" warranty.

NAPA also sells hand tools (made by KD) with a replacement warranty good at every NAPA store.

The weirdest story came about when I got a call that one of the stores had a customer who was claiming replacement on a bunch of 1/2" drive ratchets. The funny thing was they all had the store warranty tags on them. They were supposed to be disposed by the warehouse in a bonded disposal site. I guess it wasn't that secure.
May 1, 2009 9:45 p.m. Opus HalfDork

If you have access to a truck and can afford the price of admission, go for it. I only have 1 snap on ratchet and all the rest are Crapsman. A trip to sears is no big deal and they have not said no to a return yet. That said, I have only broken 1 ratchet last year and it was my Snap on. I just had it replaced by a friend who is a mechanic.
May 2, 2009 11:47 a.m. ww SuperDork

For precision work, I buy precision tools. For infrequent use or "abusive" jobs, I buy throw away tools. Harbor Freight for breaker bars and other tools that have few or no moving parts, Northern Tool when they have free shipping, Craftsman for stuff that I want to be able to replace on a whim and MAC, Matco for the stuff I need to last forever or need very good precision.

As was mentioned earlier, if you're only going to use it once, rent it unless the rental cost is 50%+ of the purchase price.
May 2, 2009 3:46 p.m. Rob_Mopar New Reader

My leakdown and compression testers are both Matco. I ordered them online a couple years ago. I think they were about 1/2 the price of the Snap-on at that time. Not sure about the current price. I'm very happy with them.

I've given up on Craftsman for new tools. I'll still warranty the ones I have, but the quality isn't anywhere near what it was. I've broken several of the "professional" series needle nose pliers doing very light work. Just a poor castings.

My older Craftsman ratchets are between 15-20 years old now. They hold up fine. Any bought within the last 10 are junk. They strip if you look at them funny. I tried Home Depot's Husky ratchets and they lasted longer than the later Craftsman pieces, but eventually stripped.

Last fall I upgraded to the 80 tooth Snap-On 3/8" ratchet and have been very happy with it. I'm so happy with it I'm going to head back outside to the parts car and use it.

-Rob
May 2, 2009 5:15 p.m. InigoMontoya Reader

I have a couple of ratchets that are made by snap on for Bahco, you can find them on Amazon as a set. Just about the best set of Ratchets I have ever come across, really really comfortable. Just got a set of long handled open-ended wrenches from them in March as well. Nice quality and not the snap on price.
May 2, 2009 6:16 p.m. Trans_Maro Reader

InigoMontoya wrote:

I have a couple of ratchets that are made by snap on for Bahco, you can find them on Amazon as a set. Just about the best set of Ratchets I have ever come across, really really comfortable. Just got a set of long handled open-ended wrenches from them in March as well. Nice quality and not the snap on price.

Nothing is made -for- snapon, they buy from the same bin that other manufacturers buy from.

The catch is they charge 5x as much for the same item. This covers the replacement costs when the item starts breaking.

You're not saving yourself anyhting by buying off the truck. Just do some research and find the brands that are still made in the USA, Canada, Germany or the UK.

Shawn
May 2, 2009 6:43 p.m. DrBoost Reader

There are some things I will buy Snap-On or Mac, things that are in my had, ratchets, wrenches and the like. They actually think about how they are designed. No hard creases or edges to hurt your paws over time. Craftsman is just getting on that boat. And for the guy that thinks Wal-Crap makes better tools than Snap-On, well, I have a Chinese swamp in Florida to sell you.

Now, back to the original topic. I make a leak-down tester. It's just a valve and a few gauges, simple really. I use an adapter from my compression gauge.
May 2, 2009 9:27 p.m. redbonechkn New Reader

you could just go to the local parts house a use their loan a tool. The stores here all have new loan a tools ready to go most only have a small deposit or they will loan to a shop for free
May 3, 2009 12:17 p.m. alex HalfDork

Rental. I had totally forgotten about that. Tells you how long it's been since I've been in a chain autoparts store.

Thanks, y'all.
May 3, 2009 5:39 p.m. Toyman01 Reader

DrBoost wrote:

... And for the guy that thinks Wal-Crap makes better tools than Snap-On, well, I have a Chinese swamp in Florida to sell you....

Walmart ratchet - 10+ years old and still works, still use it.

Snap-on ratchet lasted 2 years after replacing 3 times. It went in the trash can.

Yeah, that snap-on stuff is real good.....Not.

Maybe Snap-on got better, maybe Wally World got worse. But I wasn't impressed with Snap-on's tools, not for what they charge for them.
May 3, 2009 5:51 p.m. 44Dwarf Reader

I've got a Pro-tool? leak down tester i got from jeg's or summit 20+ years ago i use it about 6 times a year works great even bring it to work and have the calibration cheacked it still good!

44
May 3, 2009 6:03 p.m. Capt Slow Reader

Is proto tools still around? I inherited a GIANT socket and combination wrench set from my grandfather that are all proto...

1 2

You'll need to log in to post.