What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Snap-on

jpowell13

Well Known Member
I was picking up a friend at my car mechanic's shop, and the Snap-on dealer was in the waiting room. We got into a conversation while I waited for my friend to finish up and ended up going out to the tool van where I got a demonstration of the differences between my Craftsman wrenches and Snap-on's.

Three things really impressed me: how much better the Snap-on's hold onto a bolt head, how little you need to turn one of their ratchets to get a "click" and how expensive they are. (Over $300 for a set a combo wrenches) The dealer also beat on a Craftsman wrench with one of his leaving dents all over the cheaper wrench to show how much better the Snap-on steel is. I'm thinking of buying a couple of ratchets and a set of SAE wrenches.

How about it A&Ps? Are they worth it?

John
 
They are worth it if . . .

. . you can't live with out them.

. . they fit where nothing else will fit.

. . they have a tool that no one else has.

. . you are making a collection to bequeath to your son upon death.

. . if you can afford them.

. . if you make your living with these tools or someone else buys them.

. . if you can not afford to have one break at 2AM before a holiday and you have to finish the job.

They definitely make good tools and will replace them for your life time. I had a few SO tools as a mechanic decades ago and wore some out. I stopped a truck and they guy looked at the ratchet (it would slip under high torque OUCH!) and said, that was a good one, let me give you a new one. :D

A number of the SO tools I have were pretty special, and they don't make them any more.
 
Last edited:
"Real" mechanics buy and use snap on because they understand the true value of good tools, are they worth it.. you bet :D

There are some other good quality tools out there, but they don't come from Sears.
 
Tools

I use Snap on tools at work and have craftsman tools at the house. I can work all day and every day at work and my hands don't hurt at the end of the day. Snap on tools fit better in your hands. I have wore out at least 4 1/4 in. Drive ratchets and have had them rebuilt with no questions asked. I have a snap on combination wrench set at the house to. I love Snap on I just don't like paying for them!
 
I have a few but not many.

I have been working on hot rods and airplanes for more than 25 years and built several of vans planes. I doubt you could buy a full set of SO tools using only the money of the initial cost of my "lower cost" tools plus the replacement of the few I have broke.......I have gotten by this long so....but I do appreciate the grip, feel, and performance of SO. Just not worth it for me.
 
45 years

I bought my first set of box wrenches when I was 18 working as a mechanic. Snap on replaced them after a year because I used them so much the plating wore off, but still working great. Still have them. As they say, gotta pry them from my cold dead hands.
 
Take the $9 gamble an purchase a Harbor Freight ratchet.... This is a tool that stands up and beyond the typical made in CHINA tool.
 
Proto is a very good brand, too. Grainger sells them.

I've got some HF combination wrenches. Junk, barely fits and thick enough to be minimally useful. Not recommended.

Dave
 
S-K is a reasonable compromise. They have the fit and finish of SO but not quite as costly. Blue Point, SO's "economy" line are decent too and about the same cost or a little less than S-K.
You can pick up SO tool boxes all day long for half retail, like new, and they make a great box. Snap-on plays on the ego of the new mechanic and puts them in the "easy payment plan" at the shop. Before you know it, they are in over their head. First to go seems to be the box.
Craftsman are torturous to use after using a pro tool. There are simply places they won't fit and there are lots of examples in our airframes and engines where a quality tool will save your day.
 
Tools

I have bought Snap On tools off Craigslist. Check with the trucks and see if they have any repo tools.
 
At minimum

A friend gave a me a set of Snap On screw drivers after telling me how much better they fit screws. I was skeptical but after using them I'm surprised at how deficient the others are.

BTW, I have a very high piece count Craftsman set, including both SAE and Metric. Most will never get used. All the day to day sizes get used though.

No substitute for good tools. I'd love to have a full set up Snap Ons but I couldn't justify the cost for the few of them I'd actually use.
 
Thanks

Great advice friends. Frankly, I don't think I ever regretted buying a tool. I'll look into the second hand option. John
 
The cheapest tools I use are Craftsman. I love Snap On tools and if I was making a living turning wrenches 8 or more hours a day 40 or more hours a week, Snap On would be the tool of choice.
 
SNAP ON

I was a master tech for a Toyota dealer before building airplanes it's true for the most part snap on is a good tool, I only owned what was necessary, snap on is kinda a status or bragging right they are good but who do you think pays for that fancy truck. The guys who had to pay that weekly payment to the salesman is sick when they are just starting out and are pressured into buying tools at out rages prices when there are comparable tools such as sk and proto i was one of the most productive in the dealership without that weekly tool payment
 
Snap On

They are costly, but fit and work much better than less expensive tools. If you need to earn a living with hand tools Snap On is a good investment. If you are more of a weekend warrior you can get by with less quality but the good stuff is sure nice to work with. My collection has Snap On sockets, screwdrivers & angle wrenches, Mac combo wrenches and a assortment of tools from other manufacturers including Craftsman.

Don Broussard. A&P, IA, ATP

RV 9 Rebuild in Progress
 
My brother in law gave me 3 Snap On metric combo wrenches For Christmas 35 years ago. Perfect for the motorcycle work I was doing at the time. They remain the preferred wrenches in that size.

At the moment, I salivate like Pavlov's dog every time I see a set of Snap On 1/4" drive swivel sockets. $260 :eek:. My hangarmate has a set and he does not lock his toolbox :cool: For those that don't know, I think they are the most compact and slim units available which means they fit where others fail.
 
Good options

They are the best no doubt, but like others have said S-K, proto, MAC and other high quality tools are out there for less money.
Fewer and fewer tools sold by Sears (and OSH hardware) are Craftsman these days and do not carry the same Craftsman lifetime warranty. Also, Sears is failing and may go the way of Montgomery Ward soon, so the Craftsman line and warranty may go with it.
Tim Andres
 
As a person who has made his living working on airplanes, there are some Snap-On tools that are indispensable, and others that are just "nice to have". Others have mentioned the Snap-On 1/4" ratchets. I have had one of these since receiving it as a gift for my 21st birthday. I love it. But when I'm working on airplanes, my go-to ratchet is a cheapo 1/4" / 3/8" reversible ratchet I picked up for $5 at Home Depot. It has a finer ratchet mechanism and allows me to quickly change socket drive sizes, plus its rubberized handle is easier to grip if your hands are slightly dirty.

The one tool for which I have found no substitute is the Snap-On EC710G flush cutting pliers. I use them only for small tefzel wire, zip ties and lacing cord. They cut perfectly flush and they stay sharp forever, thus requiring little applied force to get the job done. If you are wiring an airplane, these are the best cutters you can buy, bar none.

I'm on my second set of these cutters after my daughter ruined the jaws of my first set while making unauthorized use of them to fabricate jewelry. She learned how expensive jewelry can be when she had to fork over the cash to replace my cutters. Thankfully I purchased them at Oshkosh and saved her the show discount...
 
S-K is a reasonable compromise. They have the fit and finish of SO but not quite as costly. Blue Point, SO's "economy" line are decent too and about the same cost or a little less than S-K.
You can pick up SO tool boxes all day long for half retail, like new, and they make a great box. Snap-on plays on the ego of the new mechanic and puts them in the "easy payment plan" at the shop. Before you know it, they are in over their head. First to go seems to be the box.
Craftsman are torturous to use after using a pro tool. There are simply places they won't fit and there are lots of examples in our airframes and engines where a quality tool will save your day.

I have a lot of SK that my Dad got me in '71. In looking for USA made tools that are forged and available, I called SK and asked, they are forged, from solid metal, not PM tools, all of them according to the rep. I am getting SK for my son as gifts now. Proto - look up on internet - Danaher makes this brand - all USA and forged too. Look at their other brands too.

The clearance of SO is unmatched in tight quarters. Even MAC.

Craftsman used to source from Danaher. I have read they are moving off shore, the modern wrenches are certainly not the appearance quality of ones bought in early '70's. Especially sockets & ratchets.
 
The one Snap On tool I find indispensable for the plane is the ratcheting screwdriver. Williams is a Snap On brand and theirs seems OK too.
 
Snap On

One of the nicest tools I own is a 1/4" drive Snap On ratchet and 1/4" deep well socket sets. I probably use those tools more than any tool in the box.

Their ratcheting screwdrivers are also second to none.

I don't have a lot of Snap On but there is no question they are superior quality.
 
Tool Box

Brought my first Harbor Freight 44" tool box home last night (after watching for sale coupons and carefully perusing the customer reviews - a bit of absolutely necessary due diligence with HF). I think the reviewers are right: S-O is great quality stuff. But so is this particular offshore merchandise. Buy the HF rolling box in whatever size suits your needs and don't look back. Save 75% over the big brand, and apply the thousands you save towards your first S-O screwdriver or something ;)

Full disclosure - rifling through my Dad's collection of hand tools after his passing, I grabbed one oddball wrench out of the box that immediately felt different and better than the Craftsman stuff we always owned growing up. Snap-On. Of course. Where he got it, I have no idea. Probably an auction. No denying the ergonomics are a breed-apart.

-Stormy
 
Lots of good stuff here, but my perspective:

You know the old saying, "You get what you pay for!" Well, in this case, with cheap, or midpriced tools, you get adequate, or good to great tools. With snap-on, you pay for gold plated great tools, but you only get great tools.

Tim
 
I've been collecting Craftsman for 50 years, and they're pretty good for most work. It's those tight spots where they fall short. For example, if you take the box end of a SO combo wrench and put it on a bolt head then turn the wrench over, the arm of the wrench moves a few degrees, not sure how they do that, but it gives you that much more "turn" on the bolt in a restricted location.

My plan now is to look for what Snap-on calls a Basic Student Tool Box (used or repo). Wish I had discovered the difference before I bolted on the wings on my 6A. Would have gladly paid full price for the wrenches to make that chore easier.

John
 
Last edited:
snippedProto - look up on internet - Danaher makes this brand - all USA and forged too. Look at their other brands too.

The clearance of SO is unmatched in tight quarters. Even MAC.

Craftsman used to source from Danaher. I have read they are moving off shore, the modern wrenches are certainly not the appearance quality of ones bought in early '70's. Especially sockets & ratchets.

Bill,
I agree that the quality of Craftsman tools has fallen over the past 15 year. FYI, Craftsman hand tools used to be made by J.H. Williams Tool Company of Tonawanda, N.Y. I still have most of the [Williams made] Craftsman tools I purchased back in the mid 1970s.
I've noticed that the quality of replacements supplied by Sears are not up to my original Craftsman tools. When Sears dropped Williams as their supplier [due to Sears poor financial situation] production was moved to a manufacturer on the Tex/Mex border. At that time, I had to replace a 13mm deep socket, as I had cracked the original. The chrome on the replacement started to peel within 6 months. Can you tell us more about Danaher? Where are they located?
J.H. Williams is now a subsidiary of Snap-On, so that should tell you something about their quality. I see older [Williams made] Craftsman tools being sold, used on EBay, for as much or more than current Craftsman tools sell new at Sears.
Charlie
 
Favorite tools

As a person who has made his living working on airplanes, there are some Snap-On tools that are indispensable, and others that are just "nice to have". Others have mentioned the Snap-On 1/4" ratchets. I have had one of these since receiving it as a gift for my 21st birthday. I love it. But when I'm working on airplanes, my go-to ratchet is a cheapo 1/4" / 3/8" reversible ratchet I picked up for $5 at Home Depot. It has a finer ratchet mechanism and allows me to quickly change socket drive sizes, plus its rubberized handle is easier to grip if your hands are slightly dirty.

The one tool for which I have found no substitute is the Snap-On EC710G flush cutting pliers. I use them only for small Tefzel wire, zip ties and lacing cord. They cut perfectly flush and they stay sharp forever, thus requiring little applied force to get the job done. If you are wiring an airplane, these are the best cutters you can buy, bar none.
snipped

I can second this recommendation for the Snap On EC710G diagonal cutting pliers. I love mine. I actually have a second set of these, brand new in the zip lock bag. I was going to sell them on EBay, but perhaps I should put them up for sale here?
Regarding ratchets, I love the Snap On ratchets I own. For aircraft use, my favorite is a stubby, fine toothed 1/4" drive model TKN72 I bought for working in tight spaces, like the tail cone of your RV. These are great for installing the elevators onto the HS. See

https://store.snapon.com/Round-Head-chrome-1-4--Ratchet-Round-Head-Standard-Handle-1-4--P650770.aspx

I also agree with others about Snap On screw drivers. Their ratcheting, multi tip screw drivers are great. I use them every day. My Mac screw drivers are the equal of my Snap On screw drivers.

Regarding combination wrenches, I prefer Mac & Matco brand to Snap On. The reason is that the open end of these two brands I find superior. While most open end wrenches have two flats with a crescent mid point, the Mac & Matco [and the now defunct Bonney brand] have four flats on the open end. This makes them hold better and less likely to slip or round off the head of the nut/bolt being removed. The Matco brand is less expensive than the Mac brand, but is it's equal. Below is a web link that shows this feature.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Matco-13mm-...:g:d-IAAOSwYIhWi~Dw&item=361462408565&vxp=mtr

My 45 year collection of tools contains Craftsman, Snap On, Mac, Matco, Cornwell, SK, Proto, Bonney & Harbor Freight. Snap On & Mac tools are now so expensive that if I need one, I'll buy it used on EBay or my local flea market for about 1/3 of the new price.

Charlie
 
S.O. tools

My view is different. I have a full set of Snap On Ratchets, wrenches and sockets, also screwdrivers. Other tools are from Craftsman, Mac and Harbor Freight. I rarely use the SO ratchets because I don't like the hand feel, relatively coarse ratchet interval and the slippery polished surface of the tools. I reach much more ofter for the Craftsman (older ones) tools. The only SO's I love are the ratcheting screwdriver (wonderful!) and the stubby 3/8 drive ratchet. Some of the cheap screwdrivers from HF are super comfortable for my hands and the tips fit beautifully in Phillips screws. These rarely slip, and I haven't found the SO tools better in this regard. The surprise for me was a tool set from Costco which is organized beautifully and has very fine ratchets on 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive units. The sockets seem great. In many years of use none of the nuts and bolts which the Craftsman tools have been used on show rounding or distortion... Have found just a few isolated situations where the SO wrenches fit where Craftsman does not. It's nice to have both available, but now the Costco tools are the go to ones for me! YMMV. P.S. I've never had a broken Craftsman wrench, but have had three failed 1/4" ratchets, all replaced with equivalent tools free. Now most of the local Sears stores have closed, so future replacement may not be possible, even with the lower quality items now being sold.
 
Twenty years ago while doing A/C work I decided to buy the best set of screw drivers I could find. I bought a set of Snap On's. A few months later I found an old Craftsman #2 straight blade screw driver on a roof and somehow it became my go to #2. I went out and bought a set of Craftsman when I figured out what had happened. Bought Craftsman before and after that. I agree the quality has come down but still better than most.
 
S.O.

Snap On tools are great but in a farm operation, the crew is more concerned with getting a machine moving during field operations at the expense of managing a premium tool set. I have found the germination of a Snap On is identical to Chinese tools. :)
 
Cost

There's a way around the price.
I too own lots of premium (SO, Cornwell) and Craftsman. I also have some HF. It all has a purpose and I typically buy based on how I plan to use the tool.
We shop for Blue Rays at pawn shops. Off topic, but they're really cheap. I find premium tools quite often. Make a cash offer. Usually they take it. If not, we walk out. Lots of other pawn shops around.
I've never had to return a premium tool but have swapped a few Craftsman and lots of HF. Just another data point.
 
While we are talking abo0ut tools, what is the opinion of Kobalt, the tools sold at Lowe's.

When Kobalt tools first came out, Snap-On was making them according to a retired Snap-On tool salesman. Kobalt tools are now made overseas just like Sears and many of the others.
 
Snap-On Tools

As a young apprentice the Snap-on Truck would come once a week,I couldn't wait to get on that truck and be with the Chrome Goodies it carried.It was the same feeling I had as a child after school when we could go to the penny candy store with leftover change.Snap-on would give you a little red book,so as soon as I cashed my check I had to slip 1/4 of it into the book to pay my tool debt.I worked in a tight shop and the old tech's would lend you a tool one time or till the next time the Snap-on truck came,you were expected to buy it as it has already proven you need it.We made our living with these wrenches as such they paid for themselves many times over.I'll sell them off on ebay as my heavy wrench twisting days are well behind me now.The sockets are prized for their thin walls,there Phillips heads for removing screws without striping.Great tools,expensive and yes everybody should have something Snap-on.IMHO:)
RHill
 
Kobalt

When Kobalt tools first came out, Snap-On was making them according to a retired Snap-On tool salesman. Kobalt tools are now made overseas just like Sears and many of the others.

I've got some. I rate them even with Husky and Craftsman but better than HF.
 
Follow up

2e3o75e.jpg


I just got a set of SO wrenches in the mail from eBay. You can see the difference between Snap on and standard wrenches when you look at the jaws of the crescent end. Seems to make a difference. (I needed some motivation to start this year's condition inspection.) John
 
Back
Top