Snap on or Craftsman tools?

[Kelleyj1837]

So i am going to school to be a heavy diesel tech. Ive been buying one or two things off the snap on truck and paying them off for afew years now. So i dont have to spend a lot when i get a job after collage. Every time i come home i bring the tools with me and putt them in my box. And my dad always says ''your wasting your money on thos snap on tools''. He is a machinest and he wrenches in the garage with all craftsman. now i know they both have lifetme warrenties thats the indestry standard thes days. But what do you think is going to be better for me Snap on or Craftsman.

 

[icanfixall]

My oppinion is neither of them. I do use craftsman at home all the time. But if your making a living off your hand tools look into J H Williams. They are a very good tool used in the oil field industry. Any size you want too. They come in the combo wrenches and all socket sizes in 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 and 1 inch drive... You will not wear one of them out either...

 

[towcat]

all my basic sockets and wrenches are Craftsman. my ratchets are snap-on/mac/matco. pliers can be any of the three. air tools tend to be IR due to the rebuild-able factor. I will buy special-use sockets from any of the three. none have the coverage they used to. be use-specific, not brand-specific.
one more bit of advice......a good platform expandable diagnostic computer is a critical tool in your future. Currently, I'm not happy with putting down any money on the current offerings. If your supplier is willing to let you check out a computer package and test drive in the real world, take full advantage of it. one other part that sucks these days is the need to go back to school yearly to learn how to diagnose the new stuff. take as much advantage of the education you can.

 

[Wicked97]

I have about 40 grand invested in snap on Mac Matco and craftsman. Craftsman sockets are fine but don't mess around with wrenches and ratchets dont be afraid to spend more on those, you definitely get what you pay for.

 

[riotwarrior]

I've been pulling wrenches for over 35 years now...from motor bikes to trucks to cars to some HD machinery.

For all intents and purposes, I think of it this way...

SNAP ON = WORLD WIDE warranty....you can be in Saudi Arabia and likely find a snap on dealer for warranty....

Craftsman = Continental US....You can walk into any sears and swap....no issues...

If you are planning NOW to go over seas...then perhaps Snap On...

If your main plan is Continental US/Canada/North America The less expensive tools means for the same 1000 you invest you get more!

If it was me on a shoe string budget...AKA school...then I'd be buying Craftsman or similar....then on the $pendy stuff that is a specialty item you go to Snap-On, Matco, Mac etc.

I've used the best and the least expensive tools on the market. I don't buy crap. no CHEAPANESE for me....Strictly name brand...

And when you have to MAKE a tool...lets use a BENT and ground 9/16 wrench to fit your IP mount bolts....you can see that grabbing a Craftsman out of your box HURTS less cause this custom tool won't have a warranty...than the premium brands.

Stick with quality name brand items, you will be thank full you do. Do not go to discount stores and buy their brand....

Oh ya...BTW

Cannot go wrong with IR air tools....the Premium HOUSE brands...snapon etc...are expensive and not worth that premium...

JM2CW but my 15K in tools is a lot of tools cause I shop wisely, I'm able to afford a little at a time but it's money well spent...I can even get some bling...I put some inexpensive LED lights into my tool box for those dark sections that u tap to turn on....works great...20 bucks!

Al

 

[Blind Driver2]

Harbor Freight for impact sockets. I haven't broken one yet.

 

[fordf350man]

dont buy off the trucks, they have to charge comission thats why it is so exspensive, i have a mix of all kinds but i am not a big fan of craftsman sockets, broke to many of them, but i have broken many snap on and mac and macto, i never used cornwell, o and if by chance you are a University of Northwestern Ohio student or alumni there is a place in Van Wert ohio that offers a lifetime discount of 40% for all sk tools, its called century trading, but if you dont get the discount get them right off of snap ons website, the tools are much cheaper

 

[FordGuy100]

Craftsman only warranties the made in US stuff...and sadly, more and more of it is made in China. They also wont warranty anything if you use it for your profession.

I have a ~300 piece craftsman set. Its decent, the ratchets leave something to be desired though. I'm looking to get some harbor freight tools to stock up each vehicle for cheap (just your standard sets, just to have in case).

 

[justinray]

Craftsman only warranties the made in US stuff...and sadly, more and more of it is made in China. They also wont warranty anything if you use it for your profession.

I have a ~300 piece craftsman set. Its decent, the ratchets leave something to be desired though. I'm looking to get some harbor freight tools to stock up each vehicle for cheap (just your standard sets, just to have in case).

Yeah, if you tell them you use it for work..

 

[international]

Craftsman except specialty tools. I'm a shade tree/hobby mechanic and have a hard time tracking a truck down when some of my over priced snap on, Mac or Matco tools break. Honestly, I must not be using my tools enough because all I break are craftsman and snap on ratchets. FYI all my local Sears stores won't swap ratchets anymore they send them out to be rebuilt.

 

[redneckaggie]

snap on are good tools but williams are the absolute best.

 

[fordf350man]

williams is the same as snap on, just under a different name like blue point

 

[chris142]

Craftsman are ok for the home owner. Their Raised panel wrenches are fair, raised panel ratchets are garbage. Sockets are pretty good. Craftsman Screwdrivers are absolute trash! Harbor Freight sells better screwdrivers than Craftsman has. HF also has some awsome Plastic ratchets are are the Bees Knees! A-Zone has a Duralast flex ratchet thats a Snap -on copy thats very well liked.

When dealing with imported tools the Chinese stuff is hit and miss. The Taiwan stuff is usually very good. German tools are very good.

Matco and Craftsman are owned by the same parent company. Matco stuff is basically polished Craftsman tools. Mac Knuckle savor wrenches are very good as are Mac screwdrivers.

Cornwell makes awsome ratchets and great wrenches, sockets etc but good luck finding a CW truck.

But once you use Snap-On you will understand why they are the best.
There are other brands like SK and Sunnex that are a great value too.

Ck out the Garagejournal.com for tool discussions.

 

[jaluhn83]

Snap On / Equivalent are good tools, but you're certainly paying a premium for them. Craftsman are pretty decent when you just need to get the job done. Even the cheap chinese tools have a place. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for, but at the same time you don't need to get more than what you need.

I would get cheaper tools now (ie craftsman) at least for the basic tools and then you'll be able to get started without getting into too crazy of debt. Once you get established and as you start getting more specialty tools and the early ones break you can slowly build up a collection of good tools. This also gives you more flexibility. More than one man has invested $50k in snap on tools only to fail out of school or decide they hate the life a few years later, and then you're stuck with a huge loan for something you don't need anymore....

You'll also always have a need for cheap surplus tools... As RW said, you'll wind up needing to make custom tools and what better to cut/weld than the old cheap wrench you don't use anymore?

I worked professionally for ~8 years in a small shop using both my tools and the shop's. The shop had Craftsman and similar cheaper tools and I don't think I ever actually broke a tool in that time. Lost a few, but don't think I broke any.

That's another thing to consider - a lifetime warranty doesn't help when you lose it, or when you accidentally melt a handle or get paint on tools or something similar. Obviously that's all controllable, but it's something else to consider. Much cheaper to replace a $3 socket you lost than a $20 one.... or spend 2 hours looking for the lost socket rather than say f-it and getting another $3 one.

 

[91idi]

I own snap on wrenches because they are great quality. Matco 80 teeth ratchets and Cornell sockets. The Cornell tools that aren't rebaged are made in Ohio. The sockets and wrenches are great! I have knipex pliers and vice grips. I use these tools everyday. Craftsmen are OK if you get the older stuff. I just have seen to many bust if you really lean in on them. Mac also is a great prand. Matco wrenches aren't that great and snap on's ratchets don't impress me. Do a little looking and you can save money but still get quality stuff. I ask the guys I work with before I buy most things.