Snapon (brand) question -vs- others...

[Richard]

I get that Snapon sockets/ratchets/other.... are good tools....and they are expensive....perhaps over-priced.

Not trying to open that bag of worms here.

My question is more along the line of quality. If you want a pair of channel lock pliers, comparing Snapon to other brands, (forgetting price) are they BETTER?

Comparing Snapon needle nose to other brands (forgetting price), are they BETTER?

Same with screwdrivers....same with...

I'm looking to replace a couple tools. I don't mind going down to the local hardware store and buying a Klein or other brand as they will usually get my job done. I am however, looking to replace them which means they are starting to fail me. Has me wondering if I'd bought a 'better' brand in the beginning, they might still be going strong.

I don't mind paying for quality so the question is..... is the quality there for the OTHER tools by Snapon?

I don't want a chest of their tools just to puff my chest out.... but.... if their other tools are indeed better, then I'm ok with it.

Thoughts??

 

[Texasmark]

I still use the tools my daddy bought me as a teen back in the '50s at a pawn shop...obviously used. They weren't name brand as I recall. I have many types in my tool box and the Heinz 57 varieties seem to suit my purposes. Your money, your decision. If you want what you think to be the best why should it matter what others think! Yes I can tell the difference in using them and most all function well, maybe not as shiny, excepting the really bottom of the barrel cheapies....the kind you find in the $4.95 type display case near the doors of hardware type stores.

A professional whose livelihood depends on his tools will have a different idea. Other thing is that specialty tools may have to come from large, well established, brand name companies......the half inch-nine sixteenths curved, boxed end wrench that reaches the bolt that locks the distributor on early GM V8 engines (distributor at the rear adjacent to the firewall) is an example....bought it as a teen and still have it.

 

[Birdhunter1]

The best Channel locks I have found are made by Channel Lock and have the light blue handles, the other pliers and wire cutters they have I have found to be good quality too.
I have some Snap On screwdrivers, I haven't found them to be better or worse than most other screwdrivers I have owned and used. When it comes to wrenches I prefer the ones that fit my hands which I have found to be Craftsman, that being said I've got some cheapies here and there that work well too.

One thing Snap On has going for it is the warranty, find a truck and swap it out. However Craftsman, Rigid and several others have a great warranty too that I've not had a complaint about.

 

[LD1]

No doubt anything with the snap on name is gonna be a great tool.

However....once you venture outside standard ratchwts, sockets, and wrenches....I think equal or better quality can be obtained and at a better price point.

I agree with the previous poster. Light blue handle channel locks.....best I have found in an "actual" channel locking pliers.

I'll go down the list.

Adjustable (crescent) wrench...Fuller is the best/smoothest operation I have ever used.

Screwdrivers...whatever's cheap. Because they get abused. Used in ways not designed. For actual screws, there's power tools for that

Pipewrenches.....ridgid aluminum

Battery tools...Milwaukee
Air tools...IR
Electrical tools...Klein is good. But they make cheaper "entry level" stuff too that isn't as good. Greenlee strippers and cutters are great too.

Electrical screwdrivers...wiha

Locking pliers (vise grips)...I like the original. Not fond of everyone's new twists on locking/unlocking mechanism, or auto-asjusting

Hex keys...(Allen wrenches) I like bhondus

Files...Nicholson

Punches and chisels....Hargrave

Ratcheting wrenches....hard to beat gearwrench

Don't use much pliers. Maybe a needle nose every once in awhile. And for what/how I use them there wouldn't be an appreciable difference between HF and snap on

 

[nbking]

You can't go wrong with knipex, I have a few of their hand tools, love klien screwdrivers with the rubber grips, have Craftsman and Kobalt socket sets.

 

[TractorGuy]

In a word, NO!

That said you will hate a set of cheap channel lock type pliers. As Birdhunter1 said it is hard to beat the Channellock brand. Cheap pliers have always been a disappointment to me.

I spent years buying over priced Snap On, Mac, Etc. tools due to the truck coming to my door and being able to make payments was a perk for a young feller. Now when one of those tools break I cannot find a dealer to exchange it and if I do they are indignant about it. Last time I tracked down a Snap On truck to get my dead blow hammer replaced I was told they didn't warranty the cover on them any more. Cheaper and easier to go to HF and buy a new one. I bought a few sets of the HF wrenches for work and the fit and finish were right up there with Snap On in my opinion. The only wrench I ever had broken or worn out was a Mac. No dealer to be found so in the scrape it went.

I have a set of 3 sided handle Snap On screwdrivers that are great but the #2 phillips got lost. My go to screwdriver is a 6 in 1 Stanley I bought at Walmart. When I need a big straight slot or #3 Phillips I grab one of those old Snap On ones. They have a nut base I can put a wrench on for the hard to remove stuff.

 

[4570Man]

I have some old Channel lock brand pliers and cutters that are pretty good. The new ones are absolute garbage. As my dad would say they joined the race to the bottom. My experience with snap on is limited because they’re insanely expensive but Klein needle nose are top notch. Knipex pliers and cutters are top quality. I have a pair of Knipex needle nose and I like the Klein ones better. There’s nothing wrong with the quality they’re just a finer tip tool and I like the beefy Klein’s better. The Doyle brand from HF is actually pretty decent. I’d take those over Channel lock any day.

 

[SoDark]

I can't comment on Snapon, but I've only been buying Channellock and Knipex. The Knipex adjustable pliers are fantastic.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have a friend that has a "thing" for snap on tools. Tens of thousands of dollars worth. But he buys it all used off E-Bay or Craigs List.

 

[atsah]

I have a bunch of snap on tools that I bought many years ago, I also have some S&K tools and they both are very nice tools. That said, I have a bunch of old Craftsman tools my dad had and use them all of the time. I have a few Kobalt, Gear wrench, Channel lock and Cresent, they work just fine as well.

I would never spend the money on another Snap on because tools less than half the price will get the job done and that's all that matters to me. I try to stay away from China made products in general and I will spend more for a quality USA made product. I have some made in Taiwan and they aren't bad.

 

[Birdhunter1]

I will also add a plus one on Kobalt tools from Lowes. Granted above I mentioned Channel Lock makes the best Channel Lock type pliers I've ever used but Kobalt makes some dang good ones too. For what little Kobalt brand tools I have I find they are made well, they fit my hands well and they just flat out work well.
For Crescent wrench I like the Crescent brand but I have several Diamond, Fuller, a few Snap On and again a few Kobalt. If I was to rank them Snap On would be at the bottom of that list for every reason I could think of aside from comfort in my hand.

 

[chim]

It's been about 15 years since I used tools daily to make a living and when I did, there were changes over the years both good and bad with regard to quality. I remember early in my career when Klein screwdrivers (especially phillips) didn't hold up very well. The old transparent green S-K were my choice, and Vaco and Craftsman were OK.

Almost any hinged tool - Channellock, and I especially like the 349 linemen's. Years ago there was a rumor that Channellock was going to discontinue their 349's so I bough another one to make sure I'd always have one.

Battery tools - I'm heavy into DeWalt and the 20V Max platform in particular. They work very well and I can get them heavily discounted through our company. My DCF899 1/2" impact is at work right now waiting for our equipment mechanic (a vendor) to come and work on our Gradall telehandler. It involves removing a wheel, and they want to do a head to head between my DeWalt and their Milwaukee on the lug nuts.

 

[4570Man]

I try to stay away from China made products in general and I will spend more for a quality USA made product. I have some made in Taiwan and they aren't bad.

That limits your options a lot. I don’t know of very many tools made in the USA.

 

[Industrial Toys]

The Snap On Cordless Impact really puts others to shame.

 

[atsah]

That limits your options a lot. I don’t know of very many tools made in the USA.

There are a few. Even Master Mechanic is now made here..

 

[rgr33]

I have been a big fan of Channel Lock pliers of all kinds, and have a sizable collection of them, but recently I tried a knipex locking plier, and a pliers wrench. They are both pretty darn impressive, I can see them lasting a long time. I find myself looking for the pliers wrench more and more.

My screwdriver collection is a mixture of different brands, that survived serious abuse and lived. I got a discount on wiha and felo, so I got a couple to try. The wiha outperformed the felo, but both are improvements over the old craftsman’s and such.

I am still using the old pipewrenches my uncle gave me 25 years ago, tried aluminum, and self adjusting, but didn’t really take to them.

I literally buy $Dollar store hammers because my crew never seems to return them, same with folding pruning saws and sometimes wire cutters. I think they just mostly lose them.

 

[WranglerX]

I used to have a lot of Craftsman tools, were good enough for my casual use, and passed them on to my son (set is probably 55 years old) ...


With Craftsman introducing so much Chinese as of late I don't really know about what is good any more, and now with Stanley/Black & Decker taking over Craftsman line jury is out....

Now have Proto socket sets (standard & deep) and combination wrench sets (all imperial) ... They are good enough... My 49 year old set of Thorsen (life time guarantee) 3/8 drive metric sockets and combination end wrench sets still do their job after 49 years, well except for the 13mm socket, it broke out side, and contacted people who now own Thorsen brand and they wanted me to send it in for analysis... Screw that, cost more for postage then to purchase new socket....

One thing I always do is wipe them down and put them away at end of day.... Now I lose them in proper drawer and not on the floor...

Local hardware stores (I live in back woods of Calif. foothills) have Channel Lock, Irwin and Craftsman, they seem to fit my needs and usage...If what I need is not available locally there is that www thingy...

We have local O'Rilleys auto parts, don't even know what brands the carry for tools...

Dale

 

[WranglerX]

It's been about 15 years since I used tools daily to make a living and when I did, there were changes over the years both good and bad with regard to quality. I remember early in my career when Klein screwdrivers (especially phillips) didn't hold up very well. The old transparent green S-K were my choice, and Vaco and Craftsman were OK.

Almost any hinged tool - Channellock, and I especially like the 349 linemen's. Years ago there was a rumor that Channellock was going to discontinue their 349's so I bough another one to make sure I'd always have one.

Battery tools - I'm heavy into DeWalt and the 20V Max platform in particular. They work very well and I can get them heavily discounted through our company. My DCF899 1/2" impact is at work right now waiting for our equipment mechanic (a vendor) to come and work on our Gradall telehandler. It involves removing a wheel, and they want to do a head to head between my DeWalt and their Milwaukee on the lug nuts.

Interested in outcome... Was thinking of getting DeWalt as all my battery tools are DeWalt... And now DeWalt has adapter to use the 20 volt Lithium in 18 volt line of tools...

https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCA1820-Dewalt-Battery-Adapter/dp/B016K1UD0E

Friend has a Milwaukee "Fuel" battery impact, its a monster, but expensive...

Also noticed in many "car" build shows on TV guys are using the 1/4 inch hex impact for lighter work.... Was surprised when my small DeWalt impact (1/4 inch) drove a 1/2 X 5 inch lag screw into wood (with pilot hole of course)...

Think this socket driver is only tool Harbor Freight made that impressed me...

3 Piece Hex Shank Socket Driver Set

Dale

 

[Agvg]

Of course pro Tools are better, have a STAHLWILLE set that I bought as a kid, saved for a year to buy it and it still a pleasure to use it, same with Hazet, Knipex, Bacho and a lot of other high end tools.

Snap on is on my wish list to


STAHLWILLE - einer der fuhrenden deutschen Werkzeughersteller, Spezialist fur Drehmomenttechnik: Home

Products | HAZET-WERK - Hermann Zerver GmbH & Co. KG


KNIPEX - The Pliers Company. - Home

Home | Premium Tools from Sweden | Bahco UK | BAHCO

But I don't take these in to the field so they stay safe in the garage

 

[ray66v]

I have used every kind of tool professionally.

The premium brands usually are of higher quality. The professional brand sockets do last longer, with everyday use.

I do not feel that the quality of Snap-on is higher than the other top professional brands.

The store brands are often still good, (more than good enough for non-professional use), at a fraction of the price.

Snap-on is by far the most expensive brand. They sometimes sell the exact same tool for a higher price than you can buy it elsewhere.

Less than 5% of my tools are Snap-on. I usually don't pay the premium to buy a Snap-on tool if I can buy it from anyone else, because I don't believe it's necessary. However, occasionally Snap-on does have an item no one else does.

Snap-on has a great marketing strategy, they go to the schools and get the kids hooked early. Those who end up in the trade, often wind up working as indentured servants to pay their snap-on bills. But, that's their choice.