Man, gotta say I agree totally. I work for myself for the last 18 years, been wrenching for 44. I didn't get into Snap On until I went solo. I have been paying $50 a week for about 15 years. And since I got so used to it, when I finally paid it off 3 years and, he suck me into buying more by saying "well, you know you have $16,000 in credit, right?" And except for a few of them, none better then any others. I have a good tool guy though. He covered me through a hard time a few years back when I fell 65' and broke 107 bones. But nobody thought I would ever walk again, either and freaked when I was working again within 5 months. Listen to this man, stay off the tool truck. They'll bring you back from the dead to pay your bill.
If I had to do it all over again today I’d buy harbor freight boxes and a lot of gearwrench tools, lisle tools, Milwaukee tools and an assortment of other things from amazon,harbor freight and speckle it with snap on here and there.
I did just that! I'm an agriculture mechanic and I bought my 72 inch toolbox at Menards here in central Illinois for 1500 bucks. And my tools are from menards, gear wrench, Amazon, Milwaukee. I felt I did pretty good. I have a few matco tools.
If you get a copy of this months Harbor Freight coupon book/catalog it includes a little editorial that takes it to Snap On over the floor jacks. HF outlines why Snap On charges so much more for a rebranded 3rd party manufactured floor jack than they do. An interesting read related to this post - note that it is from HF so it is written in their favor, but interesting none the less.
Snap on comes by every single week, been the same dudes (father and son) for 15+ years. Cornwell is more recent, but steady over the past few years. I haven't seen a Mac dealer since the week I paid off my scan tool. A lot of truck branded tools are the same, probably even built by OTC or whoever, but they have better features. Airlift for example, has one port and you have to swap the vac/fill hoses, but the snap on has them on opposite sides. And the SO ball joint press can't be beat!
Any Matco socket is Sunex. Pretty sure their swivel impacts are Astro Pneumatic or Grey’s Pneumatic. Ratchets and wrenches are Armstrong. Lot of the shop/specialty tools are OTC and Lisle. Some other stuff in the mix but hey, it is what it is. Mac is literally Stanley and Black and Decker. YES, to a higher standard and higher end, but nonetheless the same. Cornwell I don’t know because I’ve never had a dealer for Cornwell tools but I hear they sell Milwaukee on their trucks (good thing I don’t have one lol.) Snap On is Lisle here and there with a smidge of OTC and Irwin Hanson. Williams makes the hand tools, and Bahco makes their pliers. Air tools are made by Sioux, cordless tools I can’t find any information on. Torque wrenches are made by CDI. Wanna know a VERY dirty secret? Kobalt at Lowe’s is THE EXACT SAME AS BLUE POINT. Don’t believe me? Pick up a socket from Blue Point and one from Kobalt. Why are they same you ask? KOBALT IS OWNED BY WILLIAMS. I know a lot about Snap On because I have a lot of their tools and once I found out how hard I was getting screwed I stopped buying from them
Free market/economy and free country one can buy everything they need off of it or not. What makes the USA great is freedom to make that decision for each individual. However one cannot dictate what they 'want' others to do. Sounds like some of the politicians running for office going to ban oil/gas and hamburgers.
Another side of the coin. If you dont spend some $$ on the truck, they stop coming. That makes warranty issues a hassle down the road and reduces the availability of the specialty items that may ne rxclusive
@@kevinwheeler5595 ya I agree and I've noticed the rebrand shit from the trucks tends to be better like Otc balancer pulley my friend amazoned his and the bolt threads starting to pull off after several uses and the matco rebadge same item I've had at work for 10 years bolts are still fine so idk I have had good luck with truck tools and snapon made usa tools and cornwell usa made tools and Mac usa tools are 90 percent in house and theirs matco all made buy other companies their usa offerings are very good tools in my opinion sk is good stuff but no one really wants to deal with it other than internet gear wrench shit I've had issues with Alot of it some some is good vim is good too wright tools are very good proto is aswell share Alot with Mac tools as they share same plant for manufacturing hazet gedore German tools awesome tools too if you can get access to them
Not my Snapon guy. He would come over that day or send you one the next day. He’s a true tool guy. Dave wolnecki out of kokomo indiana is the best. Always took care of his guys always
I definitely agree with most of what you said. I would make one comment about talking about rebranded tools; Even though many tool truck tools are rebranded there are some cases where the rebranded tool is different than the original manufacturers tool. For example I have a precision instruments torque wrence (who makes Snap-On torque wrenches) the precision instruments version states right on the certificate that it is accurate plus or minus 4% over a whatever whatever scale from end to end whatever that means. The snap on branded version is plus or minus 2% which tells me either one is lying or what is more likely is the Snap-On version is made to higher specifications per Snap-on's request when commissioning the tool. That is one example but I suspect there are others.
I’ve been watching and reading a bunch of content from experienced guys like yourself on this, I’m convinced and confident by now that you don’t need to rush out and run up a bill on the tool truck when you are starting out. With how all these warranties are today and just the shear amount of companies out there who are making solid tools for prices that are affordable, I think I the tool truck stuff is more of an option for me when I’m later into my career and making more money. The person doing the work is more important than the tools, and going into debt for tool truck stuff just isn’t worth.
I could understand how Craftsman wouldn't hold up with daily use. I've had Craftsman tools since the mid 80's and still get good use from them. But yeah, I don't use them everyday. I love the few Snap-on tools I have but I can't justify the cost. Great subject Mike.
When I first started 15 years ago. I would spend Saturday looking at flea markets and yard sales looking for tools. I still have and use those tools today
My snap on dealer burnt bridges with me. When I got started I chose to go with brands like Tekton, Gearwrench, etc. He got so pissed and talked so much shit that I'm certain he wouldn't warranty anything if I did ever buy from him. He told me I was gonna regret not buying good tools because they'd all break. Well 2 years of everyday use later and I haven't broken or lost a single tool and my box has paid for itself
Mac, Matco,and Cornwell tend to rebrand OTC and Lisle, Snap On rebrands their acquired tool company offerings, so Snap On is actually rebranding their subdivisions tools as theirs. There are exceptions, such as their programming J-2534 module, which is a neutered Drew Tech in a red case with Snap On software, which minimizes functionality. I do have a bunch of Snap On tools, as a professional tech, over 20 years in trade, they give me the least amount of headaches. I have a set of Snap On swivel sockets i have had since new in trade, in 3/8 and 1/2" drives. Only one i have ever broken is the 3/8 drive 12pt 12mm (and yes it was on a 1/2" drive impact, and yes it was broken on a rusted up ford driveshaft). So all in all, never mind i have spent 6 figures on snapon tools, they have been fantastic for 20 or more years. Money well spent.
When I started 45 plus years ago I had tools provided for me by the Air Force. After 5 years I had saved up a lot of money and bought a basic set of tools from Grainger and yes I did shop around the dealers. When I separated a year later from active duty and went in the AF Reserves I was ready for civilian life as a working vehicle mechanic. I used and still have the basic set today. I never had a reliable tool truck dealer from any of the brands. I would buy tool truck tools but only cash and carry as I wanted the lowest price and I also never carried debt on tools. On a toolbox I used a Waterloo brand box that was battered and beat up by the time I retired a couple years ago. About 35 years ago I retrained into aviation and we still used hands tools and my tools I originally bought were all cleaned up and I used the same tools in my new chosen field of work. so not having a tool truck a person quickly gets the tools needed at a much lower cost.
Rebranding is huge. Mac is owned by Stanley, Matco only makes their toolboxes, nothing else. Snap on Blue Point is all Chinese made, their temp guns are make by FLIR, etc. Save money where you can, buy on the truck if it's your only option.
When working on cars and light duty trucks you don’t need expensive 1/2” drive sockets or expensive large wrenches. The tolerances on those tools are usually pretty good to begin with. It’s good to spend some money on professional grade 1/4” and 3/8” stuff though because you can warranty it easily and it fits fasteners better.
Wright is my goto since they are family owned and not subject to corpo BS. Made in USA with minimal rebranding. Proto/Blackhawk too. Granted I am industrial so we have a whole different range of things we need/want. Just throwing that out there for anyone it might benefit.
I like my Matco dealer. He is the only one who shows up at the shop so I buy from him to keep him interested in showing up but amazon has such great prices.
In the more recent years before Sears sold Craftsman, Those Craftsman "professional" series ratchets were manufactured by SK. (not to be confused with all of the Chinese and Taiwanese made Craftsman ratchets manufactured by Donaher) Unfortunately, since Stanley-Black N'Decker purchased Craftsman, that Professional line has been deleted. . . . But you can find those Craftsman Professional ratchets on Ebay (but for some reason they cost more now on Ebay than they did new at Sears)
One part you forgot to mention... one difference in an Armstrong ratchet and a Matco ratchet (basically the same thing so says the internet and my own eyes looking at them) is that Matco won’t warranty Armstrong, and vice versa... if a tech is too busy or whatever to ship off a tool to xyz inc. for warranty, the convenience of that box truck once a week is something to consider... plus that box truck runs the roads 5 days a week, and you do have his number... you could go find him one day for lunch, or hell, I’ve gone to my Matco guys house before for something toolbox related...
As far as rebranded tools I know for your pipe wrench that's branded Snap-on are crescent wrenches that are branded Snap-on or owned by Snap-on on company called baaco if I spelled correctly but 1/2 the price and you can buy knipex pliers for half of the tool truck charges so it don't have two brands on it
Great video. Buy tool truck tools if you are going to use the tools daily. Ratchets, sockets, etc. Snap On, Matco and Mac warranty their tools and you can get a replacement rather quickly. If the tool isn’t used frequently then Amazon is a great resource. I do like Milwaukee’s battery operated tools and Home Depot is just a few minutes away to warranty them.
Yes that’s absolutely true..... not all are branded but some to most. I always go on the tool truck to see what I need and also if I don’t know what’s the proper name for the tool I definitely get the name on the truck. Anyways I look on the truck, I identify it, go do my online research based on name of the tool and is there any cheaper substitute same quality. Usually I get the same name way cheaper online. Love this video you did today. Thank you for all the information you provide for us out here. God bless!
WORST ABOUT REBRANDS (tool trucks only 1. Matco 2.Cornwell 3. Mac 4. Snap on I just stopped buying Matco and Cornwell I’m so tired of 90% of there stuff being rebrands. It’s such a shame
Resto Rods Matco other than toolboxes is 100% rebranded product. For about 10 years they were under the ownership of APEX tool group. However Matco has only ever been a toolbox manufacturer.
Back in the late 90s early 2000s there really wasn’t much of difference between Armstrong, Matco, and Craftsman pro. Armstrong was pretty much the OE for the other two.
Yes that are absolutely toolbox manufactures, what’s so frustrating for so many people is being misled my boss and several coworkers buy so much matco stuff and I eventually asked if they knew that in fact they were buying all rebrands and that there are other sources of those tools for a much cheaper price as long as they were accepting of the warranty difference, they had absolutely no idea about how extensive the rebranding was
@@tycobandit Armstrong was the manufacturer of most of the Matco chrome until the Apex split around 2014. Armstrong also made the craftsman line in the 90s until around 2000 when Craftsman went to china. Stanley Mac just purchased Craftsman and is moving production back to the US.
IMO I would still choose going on the tool trucks over online or big store shopping. I maintain good relationships with my tool reps although I am a very picky and demanding customer ! They don’t seem to mind my ways and they provide very convenient services
Matco shows up about once or twice a month here and its always on my day off. Snap on shows up maybe 6 times a year. Wish we had dependable tool reps. I buy a lot from Amazon but you can't do that for everything. Some of the tools from Amazon are awesome, some of them really suck! Lol
Not going to happen as they have to design, build and make the product and it is a smaller arena. Just be thankful they make what they got, otherwise one would really have problems.
In a rural area we don't see much of the tool trucks. The only tools I bought that were tool truck are pribars and ratchets. I'm relegated to buying those online. The big truck companies now have online services. You can buy JH Williams, Proto, Wright, SK, Gear Wrench, Tekton, Craftsman, Channel Lock, klein, Grey pneumatic, Knipex, Wiha and Wera through Amazon. Of course you have harbor freight and Lowes and Nappa. There's nothing wrong with a craftsman or US General tool box. I find that Milwaukee power tools are better than tool truck brands and so is De Walt. Actually the Harbor Freight jacks are the exact same as Snap-On. Wright wrenches known as Wright Grip 2.0 I find are superior to Snap-On. If you do a little research, you can save thousands of dollars just for shopping carefully and doing your homework. There's no need to take out a loan through the tool truck companies.
I know the Carlyle Tools 19 piece wrenches metric set is very similar to Cornwell tools' Blue Power Wrench set. Funny thing is the chrome finish is slightly different.
The amount of tool companies coming out now is astounding and all are trying to compete with the best quality but a decent price. A lot are using the same factories over seas to produce their tools but still most of it seems to be pretty decent quality. And like you said the rebranding happening on the tool truck is becoming more and more and finding their original manufacturer just makes it easier to acquire at a better price which a lot of guys now a days are looking for, a quality tool and a reasonable price.
Here in Portland OR, I have only ever consistently had a snap on dealer, had a cornwell for a couple month's a decade ago haha, mac and matco I have seen trucks driving around but never on my route or had a chance to see one stopped where I could get on his truck. I actually drive once a week to Washington state to see my snap on dealer.
I buy a lot from Snap-On because I'm try to have a small number of high quality tools, not a collection. Take 3/8 ratchets. Most machanic have a whole drawer of them. I have 2. Yes I could have paid like 60% less and got the closest thing gearwrench offers, but having exactly the ratchets I want to use everyday for the rest of my career is more important to me then saving $160.
I've picked up freight twice at the Snap On Distribution center in Midland GA. They seem pretty like pretty nice people to ship from, but I don't think I'd buy from them. I've got used to Amazon. Lots and lots of choices if you have the patience to wait for the couriers
We’re down to just Snapon. Around here ( northern Virginia ) if a tool truck doesn’t sell at least a few tools a month. Or no one owes them a good amount of money. Suddenly they stop showing up. And good luck getting them to swing by to warranty a broken tool.
Hey JTC has some really nice tools, I seen them on amazon. They're like Genius which is a Canadian company that sells Taiwanese tools like jtc and toptul.
I still have complete sets of Craftsman USA sockets and wrenches. Stopped buying Craftsman though several years ago when Sears started requiring receipts for warranty (about the same time they stopped the made in USA thing). The last few years I have gathered up new Carlyle, new Gearwrench, and used "tool truck" brand tools off eBay. I try not to buy a whole bu nch off Amazon as I am not sure of their warranty process. Agree with the rebranded issue. Oh, and one more thing, I recently discovered Vulcan brand (?formerly Mintcraft?) tools at a local Cenex store. I picked up a set of their SAE combination wrenches for $35. They are really good. Very similar to the Carlyle non slip combination wrenches at less than 1/2 the price.
I know this was three years ago, but craftsman is doing pretty good now. And I haven't had an issue with warranty through lowes. Broke my ratchet a couple times the last four years and have just walked in and walked out with a new ratchet within 10 minutes.
I just get it cause of how the dealer I work with is. If he’s good on his warranty I’ll keep buying. Power tools like Milwaukee I’ll buy at Home Depot for half the price they want
Ive done alot of research on who makes what. Some reps dont like me because im not not dumb when it comes to tools and Ive been buying used and from home depot. Home depot online sell gearwrench knipex grey pneumatic tekton and sunnex. among tons of tool websites. Just Google tool stores online and 30 come up. Dont spend 200 on a snap on light when most likely Cobb makes it
I have Snap on..my longest dealer relationship is with them for sure 20+ yrs and within the last three years we have added Cornwell and Matco stopping by our shop and we our out in the middle of nowhere lol I feel lucky we have good service like that. Some ppl in the big city can’t get that kind of service or tool dealers
Luckily our town isn't really really large. 5 snap on franchisees. 4 of them are in town a couple days a week. The guy I use as a walk on initially because I don't have a business location I selected because he's in town 5 days a week. IF he can't get it or is out he can generally get it from another truck the same day the next morning. Certain Snap-On on tools aren't rebranded and those are the ones I look at. Ratchets, I like the fact that if I break a ratchet internals, screwdriver, etc that I can meet him in town anywhere any day of the week or even at his house and get it swapped out. I've even had him leave a tool at places where I know people or if they don't know me he just says have your drivers license. IS he the only tool truck I deal with? Yes. Do I buy alot off Amazon, Acme Tools, other tool sellers regionally? Yes to the extent that I buy more from them than Snap-On. I buy ABN which is auto body now and had a issue with needing a tool sooner than they could ship once. They told me to just put will call in the notes on the order and I can pick it up. Same great warranty and ABN pretty much has anything you can find on Amazon for hand tools, a fair amount of stuff from Snap-On as well. I have my good sockets and ratchets for certain things and everything else is gearwrench, craftsman big time, vim tools, some harbor freight, company that makes snap on's certain lights, I buy from them or just buy Streamlight as they're the best lights around warranty wise and customer service. cp air tools. Some old Mac air tools, Snap-On air tools which I use at home. Electric when in a hurry or away from house. Milwaukee, Snap-On for electric impacts, ratchets, etc. Forgot to ask the other day
We have a Mac guy. Might see Matco guy once a month, haven't seen the Cornwell guy in god knows how long. Never seen snap-on. So Mac pretty much gets our shop's business by default lol.
I feel like some things are good to buy on the tooltruck like ratchets. But all my sockets are sunex, I got from Amazon. They are the same as the Matco ADV sockets. I buy most of my stuff on Amazon/Ebay.
if you didn't mention the last reason, i was gonna type it here. matco should rename themselves "expensive astro". i think its important for people to focus on acquiring a large amount of tools, when the low quality ones are insufficient buy top quality. until then, they are good enough. my mac dealer shows up every other week. so if i break my tool the next day after he leaves, its two weeks to get it to him, then two weeks until i see him again and hopefully he has the replacement/repaired tool.
One question I have is which, if any, hold their value better. I am not in the business but I know some guys who are. When you buy a tool it means someday you are going to sell it if it doesn't break first. One guy I knew was liquidating his big tool carts full of snap-on tools to help his income once he retired. But on the other hand theoretically if you spend less on tools when you buy them you have more to put aside for retirement. I would be interested to know what you experienced guys have to say.
Ron Tiemens - I wouldn’t buy a tool based on what I think it will be worth in the future. I would buy a tool based on it’s return on investment (ROI). If a $20 ratchet will perform as well as a $120 ratchet, why would I care if I could sell the $120 ratchet in the future for $30? Not only that, if you bought it on credit from the tool truck the $120 ratchet may be costing you $150 or more in interest and fees. So maybe your future sale of the item nets you back your finance charges, but you are still out the $100 difference in original costs. Don’t buy high dollar “designer brand” tools to impress your fellow techs and don’t fool yourself into thinking they are an investment that you can cash in at retirement. You are better off saving your money instead of lining the pockets of the big tool trucks that frankly take advantage of a lot of techs that want to have an impressive tool collection.
Like you 20+ years ago there wasn't a lot of chooses where or what you could buy, so the snap on truck was more a better way to buy your tools then traveling 30 miles to go to sears
I think the 90s is a very good example of your comment. By today's standards there hardly any to no difference at all in Snap On vs retail stores. Many stores have durable tools. I really do not see Snap On thriving either like the early 90s.
@@forgedsteelwrench9249 I think you might be right about the changing times and what could be the end of the tool trucks like other businesses the internet is effecting sales I still believe in buying American as much as I can and yes I know it's all not made here as well as supporting small business
@@forgedsteelwrench9249 well I haven't seen asian import tools hold up aswell or Aslong as their usa competitors I have sunex and some gp stuff and it all has failed especially universal impacts their torx bits either soft or too hard European bits are real good pb Swiss hazet stahlwille gedore German made doing Diesel work equipment I've not seen import asian tools hold up overall great failure is normal and that's my experiences
@@doctordiesel5467 well like I said I like American made tool but all tools fail I have tried German tools they are good but the Japanese make some nice tools to like nepros maybe the equal of snapon I want to try some
@@fredkopfinger8885 well Japanese do make some good tools but very pricey and ya they pay import taxes and pay their workers well so I'm not opposed and don't forget about koken I've heard their lineup is real good but hard to get ahold of
agreed. I have around $20k in snapon stuff (you know, a ratchet and two screwdrivers haha) and a lot of icon stuff is direct copies of my snapon stuff and perform pretty well. But, their wrenches work pretty good. The icon screwdrivers kinda stuck and don't really take a beating.
At my shop we have Snap On, Matco, and Cornwell dealers coming every week and I still get 2/3 of my tools online. Some things I wont spend more money on just cause of the name.
Only buy from the tool truck when the deals are way to good to pass up any another time Amazon is the go to. Love my Marco box built better than snap on.
the snap on chrome sockets and line crows feet and wrenches cant be beat! but now you can get a good tool much cheaper what do you do when the matco dealer don't come by any more and you have brokens? I have sk brokens I think I can send back to the company
I was fortunate to have Snap On (USA) handtools thx to my father (he truned wrenches too) but i will tell you this.... The stupid tools would break. I remember BUYING my own tools and having the first generation Duralast tools (Taiwan) and to my surprise they were holding up and even more, when I did not have a breaker bar available to me I would take a cheater bar to the poor 3/8 drive OR when i did not own an impact, i would take a sledge hammer and pound the handle.......it took all the abuse without having to warranty it. I bought much more Duralast (glad i did because they are not made as tough now) after seeing how much they take. Of course my father was able to warranty every ratchet, socket, breaker bar that would break but i just got tired of having to wait on him for a warranty. I do not give up my Duralast tools (soo much sentimental value of my humble beginnings😜) but now own many Matco tools instead of Snap On.
I only have one truck come to my shop. Snap On is it. I do buy a fair amount from him. But I also get a fair amount elsewhere. Some tools just aren’t worth the markup.
FRM, great film. You got a lot of panties wadded up on the Snap-on fanboys! They just cain't fathom all the Snap-on labelled products not being made in the USA. There is lot of excitement in the air over the new ICON tools and tool cabinets from Harbor Freight. Hopefully the expectations will be lived up to, I know I'll be giving the ICON hand tools a serious look.
I watched a video earlier and the lead design guy for icon was a former snap-on employee. They look to be really really good tools. Look up redemption garage if you dont already follow him.
davecampbell120 yeah, I follow Redemption Garage, I watched his film. Justin Dow did a good film as well. Both Fellers each explained the same things and each made mention of something the other one didn’t.
@@bluecollarmoneyinvestingch396 I agree. I cant justify spending $600 on a Snap on impact gun when i can buy one for less than half on Amazon. My amazon impact gun is 3 years old and doing just fine.
Carlyle is great stuff, hate having to deal with the counter guys at NAPA. Wish they'd have a better system to buy off the internet. Don't overlook Wright tools, their impacts are probably the best on the planet, expensive, cheaper than Snappy.
For some reason my employer likes me to take out a line of credit and then go hog wild on the tool truck. He says he's not getting a cut of what I spend, and that the debt isn't meant to keep me chained to the garage, and that it's what I need to do to prove that I'm dedicated to my craft. I can't think for myself because that would mean I have to put on my reality goggles and those make me depressed - so I just keep doing what everyone around me tells me to. The bonus is that now that I'm working more and more, I'm spending less time with my wife and she's seems to be spending more time at the gym with her personal trainer and posting booty pics on her Instagram.
Yeah i owe too damn much on the dang trucks. Its so stupid. But when you need the tool and they are there you suck it up and get it. They have bad points and good points. If you dont have the money you can make payments, but you gotta watch out because some reps will let you get all crazy with the bill. So just be responsible. I get 500$ max pay that down then maybe get some other things
I believe that a new tech should not get on the trucks. 1.they don't make good money.2. Are they going to stay in the automobile industry. 3. Just because the guy next to him. Is known as Billy Big Box. Doesn't mean that you need his stuff.
Most tools are rebranded if you don’t know that you are not to smart if the tool works use it if it feels good sounds good buy it ther are a thousand brands buy what you like make sure they are guaranteed for life most good brands are
I got a buddy who works for Cat and he can buy Cat tools and they are made by the same company that makes snap on on tools, even the part numbers are the same.
Some tools it's okay to buy cheap. A cheap measuring tape is just as good as an expensive one. I can lose a cheap Husky flashlight just as easy I can lose a Streamlight. . . Bosch, Greenlee and Cle-Line drill bits are actually better than tool truck brand drill bits (((B-T-W Cornell drill bits and impact bits are all re-brands made by Irwin. ((( Mac Tools power tools are expensive re-brands of DeWalt (Mac Tools doesn't even try to hide that one anymore)
Yes and no for example I have a matco dealer and snapon i have to say 99.99999 percent of matco is rebranded lisle but what I did notice lisle dosent boast about a life time warranty my dealer will warranty all those for me and snap on yes there's a few things rebranded but alot of stuff isn't isa made anymore
Snap on rebrands tap and dies, rethreader kit, air hammer bits until just recently, most lights they sell are made by someone else, they also rebrand lots of lisle too etc, but as i said they rebrand the least
Well show me 2 day turn around on warranty on a mail in warranty takes at least 2 weeks Amazon tool topia they need it to be sent to them and and then sent back to you
Man, gotta say I agree totally. I work for myself for the last 18 years, been wrenching for 44. I didn't get into Snap On until I went solo. I have been paying $50 a week for about 15 years. And since I got so used to it, when I finally paid it off 3 years and, he suck me into buying more by saying "well, you know you have $16,000 in credit, right?" And except for a few of them, none better then any others. I have a good tool guy though. He covered me through a hard time a few years back when I fell 65' and broke 107 bones. But nobody thought I would ever walk again, either and freaked when I was working again within 5 months. Listen to this man, stay off the tool truck. They'll bring you back from the dead to pay your bill.
Amazon Prime. Gearwrench, Tekton, Capri, VIM.
Selling out America at its best
I try to tell the new guys to stay off the truck. Do they listen? Lol, nope... I hardly go on the truck at all, amazon is my go to.
Stop leaving you’re children
Smart man
If I had to do it all over again today I’d buy harbor freight boxes and a lot of gearwrench tools, lisle tools, Milwaukee tools and an assortment of other things from amazon,harbor freight and speckle it with snap on here and there.
I did just that! I'm an agriculture mechanic and I bought my 72 inch toolbox at Menards here in central Illinois for 1500 bucks. And my tools are from menards, gear wrench, Amazon, Milwaukee. I felt I did pretty good. I have a few matco tools.
If you get a copy of this months Harbor Freight coupon book/catalog it includes a little editorial that takes it to Snap On over the floor jacks. HF outlines why Snap On charges so much more for a rebranded 3rd party manufactured floor jack than they do. An interesting read related to this post - note that it is from HF so it is written in their favor, but interesting none the less.
Snap on comes by every single week, been the same dudes (father and son) for 15+ years. Cornwell is more recent, but steady over the past few years. I haven't seen a Mac dealer since the week I paid off my scan tool.
A lot of truck branded tools are the same, probably even built by OTC or whoever, but they have better features. Airlift for example, has one port and you have to swap the vac/fill hoses, but the snap on has them on opposite sides.
And the SO ball joint press can't be beat!
What makes the USA the greatest Nation on earth is the free markets. More competition the better and each individual can buy what they want.
Tell Snap-On this their prices have gotten out of control.
The freedom to buy things made in other countries if the price and quality is right as well
@@jbthestoner5504 Not without tariffs put on it
Matco ADV impact sockets are Sunex
Yep found that out the hard way!! Lol
Waste of money!
Any Matco socket is Sunex. Pretty sure their swivel impacts are Astro Pneumatic or Grey’s Pneumatic. Ratchets and wrenches are Armstrong. Lot of the shop/specialty tools are OTC and Lisle. Some other stuff in the mix but hey, it is what it is. Mac is literally Stanley and Black and Decker. YES, to a higher standard and higher end, but nonetheless the same. Cornwell I don’t know because I’ve never had a dealer for Cornwell tools but I hear they sell Milwaukee on their trucks (good thing I don’t have one lol.) Snap On is Lisle here and there with a smidge of OTC and Irwin Hanson. Williams makes the hand tools, and Bahco makes their pliers. Air tools are made by Sioux, cordless tools I can’t find any information on. Torque wrenches are made by CDI. Wanna know a VERY dirty secret? Kobalt at Lowe’s is THE EXACT SAME AS BLUE POINT. Don’t believe me? Pick up a socket from Blue Point and one from Kobalt. Why are they same you ask? KOBALT IS OWNED BY WILLIAMS.
I know a lot about Snap On because I have a lot of their tools and once I found out how hard I was getting screwed I stopped buying from them
The tool truck should only be utilized rarely for specialty or lifelong tools like hand tools. You don't need tool truck everything
Free market/economy and free country one can buy everything they need off of it or not. What makes the USA great is freedom to make that decision for each individual. However one cannot dictate what they 'want' others to do. Sounds like some of the politicians running for office going to ban oil/gas and hamburgers.
Another side of the coin.
If you dont spend some $$ on the truck, they stop coming. That makes warranty issues a hassle down the road and reduces the availability of the specialty items that may ne rxclusive
Louis Cates lol I have a tool truck box and mostly tool truck tools. Do as I say, not as I do
@@kevinwheeler5595 Same here, so glad I bought off the tool truck and still do. Prefer QUALITY over quantity.
@@kevinwheeler5595 ya I agree and I've noticed the rebrand shit from the trucks tends to be better like Otc balancer pulley my friend amazoned his and the bolt threads starting to pull off after several uses and the matco rebadge same item I've had at work for 10 years bolts are still fine so idk I have had good luck with truck tools and snapon made usa tools and cornwell usa made tools and Mac usa tools are 90 percent in house and theirs matco all made buy other companies their usa offerings are very good tools in my opinion sk is good stuff but no one really wants to deal with it other than internet gear wrench shit I've had issues with Alot of it some some is good vim is good too wright tools are very good proto is aswell share Alot with Mac tools as they share same plant for manufacturing hazet gedore German tools awesome tools too if you can get access to them
Tool truck rebrands on Instagram gives out the private manufacturers to a lot of tools!!
Ya they saved me a lot of money highly recommend them
Not my Snapon guy. He would come over that day or send you one the next day. He’s a true tool guy. Dave wolnecki out of kokomo indiana is the best. Always took care of his guys always
6 tool truck!!! Wow 6 different way to bust your wallet!!!
I got a used Matco ratchet on Ebay for $40, been using it everyday, I got it maybe 4 or 5 months ago. I already got my money's worth.
I definitely agree with most of what you said. I would make one comment about talking about rebranded tools; Even though many tool truck tools are rebranded there are some cases where the rebranded tool is different than the original manufacturers tool. For example I have a precision instruments torque wrence (who makes Snap-On torque wrenches) the precision instruments version states right on the certificate that it is accurate plus or minus 4% over a whatever whatever scale from end to end whatever that means. The snap on branded version is plus or minus 2% which tells me either one is lying or what is more likely is the Snap-On version is made to higher specifications per Snap-on's request when commissioning the tool. That is one example but I suspect there are others.
I’ve been watching and reading a bunch of content from experienced guys like yourself on this, I’m convinced and confident by now that you don’t need to rush out and run up a bill on the tool truck when you are starting out. With how all these warranties are today and just the shear amount of companies out there who are making solid tools for prices that are affordable, I think I the tool truck stuff is more of an option for me when I’m later into my career and making more money. The person doing the work is more important than the tools, and going into debt for tool truck stuff just isn’t worth.
I could understand how Craftsman wouldn't hold up with daily use. I've had Craftsman tools since the mid 80's and still get good use from them. But yeah, I don't use them everyday. I love the few Snap-on tools I have but I can't justify the cost. Great subject Mike.
When I first started 15 years ago. I would spend Saturday looking at flea markets and yard sales looking for tools. I still have and use those tools today
My snap on dealer burnt bridges with me. When I got started I chose to go with brands like Tekton, Gearwrench, etc. He got so pissed and talked so much shit that I'm certain he wouldn't warranty anything if I did ever buy from him. He told me I was gonna regret not buying good tools because they'd all break. Well 2 years of everyday use later and I haven't broken or lost a single tool and my box has paid for itself
Mac, Matco,and Cornwell tend to rebrand OTC and Lisle, Snap On rebrands their acquired tool company offerings, so Snap On is actually rebranding their subdivisions tools as theirs. There are exceptions, such as their programming J-2534 module, which is a neutered Drew Tech in a red case with Snap On software, which minimizes functionality. I do have a bunch of Snap On tools, as a professional tech, over 20 years in trade, they give me the least amount of headaches. I have a set of Snap On swivel sockets i have had since new in trade, in 3/8 and 1/2" drives. Only one i have ever broken is the 3/8 drive 12pt 12mm (and yes it was on a 1/2" drive impact, and yes it was broken on a rusted up ford driveshaft). So all in all, never mind i have spent 6 figures on snapon tools, they have been fantastic for 20 or more years. Money well spent.
They rebrand way more than that, tap and dies are rebranded,rethreading kit is rebranded, drill bits are also, until recently their air hammer bits to
When I started 45 plus years ago I had tools provided for me by the Air Force. After 5 years I had saved up a lot of money and bought a basic set of tools from Grainger and yes I did shop around the dealers. When I separated a year later from active duty and went in the AF Reserves I was ready for civilian life as a working vehicle mechanic. I used and still have the basic set today. I never had a reliable tool truck dealer from any of the brands. I would buy tool truck tools but only cash and carry as I wanted the lowest price and I also never carried debt on tools. On a toolbox I used a Waterloo brand box that was battered and beat up by the time I retired a couple years ago. About 35 years ago I retrained into aviation and we still used hands tools and my tools I originally bought were all cleaned up and I used the same tools in my new chosen field of work. so not having a tool truck a person quickly gets the tools needed at a much lower cost.
Rebranding is huge. Mac is owned by Stanley, Matco only makes their toolboxes, nothing else. Snap on Blue Point is all Chinese made, their temp guns are make by FLIR, etc.
Save money where you can, buy on the truck if it's your only option.
Mac Stanley proto and now craftsman!! Lol
When working on cars and light duty trucks you don’t need expensive 1/2” drive sockets or expensive large wrenches. The tolerances on those tools are usually pretty good to begin with. It’s good to spend some money on professional grade 1/4” and 3/8” stuff though because you can warranty it easily and it fits fasteners better.
Wright is my goto since they are family owned and not subject to corpo BS. Made in USA with minimal rebranding.
Proto/Blackhawk too.
Granted I am industrial so we have a whole different range of things we need/want. Just throwing that out there for anyone it might benefit.
I like my Matco dealer. He is the only one who shows up at the shop so I buy from him to keep him interested in showing up but amazon has such great prices.
Amazon don't warranty tools send in wait for it back
I only have 2 trucks that stops off at my shop. Matco and snap on. I wish we had a Gearwrench tool truck or one of the independent ones.
Maybe an independent tool truck with gearwrench, grey pneumatic, proto, sk, and maybe even harbor freight brands
Matco and Snapon 2 of the best, MAC is good to options are always great.
No point in buying GW at list prices.
@@MrAnonymousRandom yup
Great video frm. I always do research before making a purchase. Sometimes I buy things I know are rebranded if I expect they will wear out or break.
In the more recent years before Sears sold Craftsman, Those Craftsman "professional" series ratchets were manufactured by SK. (not to be confused with all of the Chinese and Taiwanese made Craftsman ratchets manufactured by Donaher) Unfortunately, since Stanley-Black N'Decker purchased Craftsman, that Professional line has been deleted. . . . But you can find those Craftsman Professional ratchets on Ebay (but for some reason they cost more now on Ebay than they did new at Sears)
One part you forgot to mention... one difference in an Armstrong ratchet and a Matco ratchet (basically the same thing so says the internet and my own eyes looking at them) is that Matco won’t warranty Armstrong, and vice versa... if a tech is too busy or whatever to ship off a tool to xyz inc. for warranty, the convenience of that box truck once a week is something to consider... plus that box truck runs the roads 5 days a week, and you do have his number... you could go find him one day for lunch, or hell, I’ve gone to my Matco guys house before for something toolbox related...
As far as rebranded tools I know for your pipe wrench that's branded Snap-on are crescent wrenches that are branded Snap-on or owned by Snap-on on company called baaco if I spelled correctly but 1/2 the price and you can buy knipex pliers for half of the tool truck charges so it don't have two brands on it
Across town? 30 min away? Excursion? Chit man my local is over 2 hrs away
Agreed. Living in the midwest, anything under an hour is a short drive.
Great video. Buy tool truck tools if you are going to use the tools daily. Ratchets, sockets, etc. Snap On, Matco and Mac warranty their tools and you can get a replacement rather quickly. If the tool isn’t used frequently then Amazon is a great resource. I do like Milwaukee’s battery operated tools and Home Depot is just a few minutes away to warranty them.
Icon seems to be very good quality and tryimg to compete with the tool truck bramds...im stoked for it
Like the snap on jacks harbor freight sells for less than 200 dollars
Yes that’s absolutely true..... not all are branded but some to most. I always go on the tool truck to see what I need and also if I don’t know what’s the proper name for the tool I definitely get the name on the truck. Anyways I look on the truck, I identify it, go do my online research based on name of the tool and is there any cheaper substitute same quality. Usually I get the same name way cheaper online. Love this video you did today. Thank you for all the information you provide for us out here. God bless!
WORST ABOUT REBRANDS (tool trucks only
1. Matco
2.Cornwell
3. Mac
4. Snap on
I just stopped buying Matco and Cornwell I’m so tired of 90% of there stuff being rebrands. It’s such a shame
Don't forget all the smaller names having one mfr make for them when they make a run of tools but they just slightly modify them.
Resto Rods Matco other than toolboxes is 100% rebranded product. For about 10 years they were under the ownership of APEX tool group. However Matco has only ever been a toolbox manufacturer.
Back in the late 90s early 2000s there really wasn’t much of difference between Armstrong, Matco, and Craftsman pro. Armstrong was pretty much the OE for the other two.
Yes that are absolutely toolbox manufactures, what’s so frustrating for so many people is being misled my boss and several coworkers buy so much matco stuff and I eventually asked if they knew that in fact they were buying all rebrands and that there are other sources of those tools for a much cheaper price as long as they were accepting of the warranty difference, they had absolutely no idea about how extensive the rebranding was
@@tycobandit Armstrong was the manufacturer of most of the Matco chrome until the Apex split around 2014. Armstrong also made the craftsman line in the 90s until around 2000 when Craftsman went to china. Stanley Mac just purchased Craftsman and is moving production back to the US.
IMO I would still choose going on the tool trucks over online or big store shopping. I maintain good relationships with my tool reps although I am a very picky and demanding customer ! They don’t seem to mind my ways and they provide very convenient services
Matco shows up about once or twice a month here and its always on my day off. Snap on shows up maybe 6 times a year. Wish we had dependable tool reps. I buy a lot from Amazon but you can't do that for everything. Some of the tools from Amazon are awesome, some of them really suck! Lol
I love snap on but Snap on needs to make only special tools or drop the price on the tool the you can get in other places for a fraction of the price
Not going to happen as they have to design, build and make the product and it is a smaller arena. Just be thankful they make what they got, otherwise one would really have problems.
Most of their crap is rebranded... They don't generally design or manufacture most of their tools.
Hey mike just watching some of your older videos. I watch the channel daily. Love that revel x 🔥
In a rural area we don't see much of the tool trucks. The only tools I bought that were tool truck are pribars and ratchets. I'm relegated to buying those online. The big truck companies now have online services. You can buy JH Williams, Proto, Wright, SK, Gear Wrench, Tekton, Craftsman, Channel Lock, klein, Grey pneumatic, Knipex, Wiha and Wera through Amazon. Of course you have harbor freight and Lowes and Nappa. There's nothing wrong with a craftsman or US General tool box. I find that Milwaukee power tools are better than tool truck brands and so is De Walt. Actually the Harbor Freight jacks are the exact same as Snap-On. Wright wrenches known as Wright Grip 2.0 I find are superior to Snap-On. If you do a little research, you can save thousands of dollars just for shopping carefully and doing your homework. There's no need to take out a loan through the tool truck companies.
Too many mechanics use a ratchet as a breaker bar. They’re so many options, even a Lowes, Home Depot, Harbor Freight, and Amazon.
Who gives a fuck if it's lifetime warranty 😂
I know the Carlyle Tools 19 piece wrenches metric set is very similar to Cornwell tools' Blue Power Wrench set. Funny thing is the chrome finish is slightly different.
The amount of tool companies coming out now is astounding and all are trying to compete with the best quality but a decent price. A lot are using the same factories over seas to produce their tools but still most of it seems to be pretty decent quality. And like you said the rebranding happening on the tool truck is becoming more and more and finding their original manufacturer just makes it easier to acquire at a better price which a lot of guys now a days are looking for, a quality tool and a reasonable price.
Here in Portland OR, I have only ever consistently had a snap on dealer, had a cornwell for a couple month's a decade ago haha, mac and matco I have seen trucks driving around but never on my route or had a chance to see one stopped where I could get on his truck. I actually drive once a week to Washington state to see my snap on dealer.
I buy a lot from Snap-On because I'm try to have a small number of high quality tools, not a collection.
Take 3/8 ratchets. Most machanic have a whole drawer of them. I have 2. Yes I could have paid like 60% less and got the closest thing gearwrench offers, but having exactly the ratchets I want to use everyday for the rest of my career is more important to me then saving $160.
I've picked up freight twice at the Snap On Distribution center in Midland GA. They seem pretty like pretty nice people to ship from, but I don't think I'd buy from them. I've got used to Amazon. Lots and lots of choices if you have the patience to wait for the couriers
We’re down to just Snapon. Around here ( northern Virginia ) if a tool truck doesn’t sell at least a few tools a month. Or no one owes them a good amount of money. Suddenly they stop showing up. And good luck getting them to swing by to warranty a broken tool.
Yep more reasons to not buy from the truck. It's like downward spiral.
Central VA and we also only have snap on that only comes when there is an update.
Hey JTC has some really nice tools, I seen them on amazon. They're like Genius which is a Canadian company that sells Taiwanese tools like jtc and toptul.
I still have complete sets of Craftsman USA sockets and wrenches. Stopped buying Craftsman though several years ago when Sears started requiring receipts for warranty (about the same time they stopped the made in USA thing). The last few years I have gathered up new Carlyle, new Gearwrench, and used "tool truck" brand tools off eBay. I try not to buy a whole bu nch off Amazon as I am not sure of their warranty process. Agree with the rebranded issue. Oh, and one more thing, I recently discovered Vulcan brand (?formerly Mintcraft?) tools at a local Cenex store. I picked up a set of their SAE combination wrenches for $35. They are really good. Very similar to the Carlyle non slip combination wrenches at less than 1/2 the price.
I know this was three years ago, but craftsman is doing pretty good now. And I haven't had an issue with warranty through lowes. Broke my ratchet a couple times the last four years and have just walked in and walked out with a new ratchet within 10 minutes.
snap on probes are by power probe, so both are good lol. ones a bit more expensive not surprising. I do love snap on ratchets tho
We used to have 4 or 5 trucks come by but now only the Mac truck comes every week, and Snappy maybe once a month.
Pawn shops can be amazing, you'll find all the old indestructible crap there, just maybe a little rusty.
Back in the day there was mainly Craftsman and Snap-on. We didn't have much of a choice.
I just get it cause of how the dealer I work with is. If he’s good on his warranty I’ll keep buying. Power tools like Milwaukee I’ll buy at Home Depot for half the price they want
Yes save money where you can but for ratchets and wrenches snap on is the best.
Ive done alot of research on who makes what. Some reps dont like me because im not not dumb when it comes to tools and Ive been buying used and from home depot. Home depot online sell gearwrench knipex grey pneumatic tekton and sunnex. among tons of tool websites. Just Google tool stores online and 30 come up. Dont spend 200 on a snap on light when most likely Cobb makes it
I have Snap on..my longest dealer relationship is with them for sure 20+ yrs and within the last three years we have added Cornwell and Matco stopping by our shop and we our out in the middle of nowhere lol I feel lucky we have good service like that. Some ppl in the big city can’t get that kind of service or tool dealers
Yup its great to have service internet may be cheaper on some stuff but the internet doesn't order you a new tool or swap out on the spot
Love this guy's honesty
Luckily our town isn't really really large. 5 snap on franchisees. 4 of them are in town a couple days a week.
The guy I use as a walk on initially because I don't have a business location I selected because he's in town 5 days a week.
IF he can't get it or is out he can generally get it from another truck the same day the next morning.
Certain Snap-On on tools aren't rebranded and those are the ones I look at. Ratchets, I like the fact that if I break a ratchet internals, screwdriver, etc that I can meet him in town anywhere any day of the week or even at his house and get it swapped out.
I've even had him leave a tool at places where I know people or if they don't know me he just says have your drivers license.
IS he the only tool truck I deal with? Yes.
Do I buy alot off Amazon, Acme Tools, other tool sellers regionally? Yes to the extent that I buy more from them than Snap-On.
I buy ABN which is auto body now and had a issue with needing a tool sooner than they could ship once. They told me to just put will call in the notes on the order and I can pick it up. Same great warranty and ABN pretty much has anything you can find on Amazon for hand tools, a fair amount of stuff from Snap-On as well.
I have my good sockets and ratchets for certain things and everything else is gearwrench, craftsman big time, vim tools, some harbor freight, company that makes snap on's certain lights, I buy from them or just buy Streamlight as they're the best lights around warranty wise and customer service. cp air tools. Some old Mac air tools, Snap-On air tools which I use at home. Electric when in a hurry or away from house.
Milwaukee, Snap-On for electric impacts, ratchets, etc.
Forgot to ask the other day
We have a Mac guy. Might see Matco guy once a month, haven't seen the Cornwell guy in god knows how long. Never seen snap-on. So Mac pretty much gets our shop's business by default lol.
I feel like some things are good to buy on the tooltruck like ratchets. But all my sockets are sunex, I got from Amazon. They are the same as the Matco ADV sockets. I buy most of my stuff on Amazon/Ebay.
I'm A Matco Guy. But I've Been Buying a lot online. Especially Specialty Stuff. Most the Time I Can Have it the Next Day
Yup amazon & tooltopia is your best friend 🙏
if you didn't mention the last reason, i was gonna type it here. matco should rename themselves "expensive astro". i think its important for people to focus on acquiring a large amount of tools, when the low quality ones are insufficient buy top quality. until then, they are good enough. my mac dealer shows up every other week. so if i break my tool the next day after he leaves, its two weeks to get it to him, then two weeks until i see him again and hopefully he has the replacement/repaired tool.
One question I have is which, if any, hold their value better. I am not in the business but I know some guys who are. When you buy a tool it means someday you are going to sell it if it doesn't break first. One guy I knew was liquidating his big tool carts full of snap-on tools to help his income once he retired. But on the other hand theoretically if you spend less on tools when you buy them you have more to put aside for retirement. I would be interested to know what you experienced guys have to say.
Ron Tiemens - I wouldn’t buy a tool based on what I think it will be worth in the future. I would buy a tool based on it’s return on investment (ROI). If a $20 ratchet will perform as well as a $120 ratchet, why would I care if I could sell the $120 ratchet in the future for $30? Not only that, if you bought it on credit from the tool truck the $120 ratchet may be costing you $150 or more in interest and fees. So maybe your future sale of the item nets you back your finance charges, but you are still out the $100 difference in original costs.
Don’t buy high dollar “designer brand” tools to impress your fellow techs and don’t fool yourself into thinking they are an investment that you can cash in at retirement. You are better off saving your money instead of lining the pockets of the big tool trucks that frankly take advantage of a lot of techs that want to have an impressive tool collection.
@@montestu5502 Makes a ton of sense. Buy for ROI and if you get something for the tool when you are done with it, that is extra.
Like you 20+ years ago there wasn't a lot of chooses where or what you could buy, so the snap on truck was more a better way to buy your tools then traveling 30 miles to go to sears
I think the 90s is a very good example of your comment. By today's standards there hardly any to no difference at all in Snap On vs retail stores. Many stores have durable tools. I really do not see Snap On thriving either like the early 90s.
@@forgedsteelwrench9249 I think you might be right about the changing times and what could be the end of the tool trucks like other businesses the internet is effecting sales I still believe in buying American as much as I can and yes I know it's all not made here as well as supporting small business
@@forgedsteelwrench9249 well I haven't seen asian import tools hold up aswell or Aslong as their usa competitors I have sunex and some gp stuff and it all has failed especially universal impacts their torx bits either soft or too hard European bits are real good pb Swiss hazet stahlwille gedore German made doing Diesel work equipment I've not seen import asian tools hold up overall great failure is normal and that's my experiences
@@doctordiesel5467 well like I said I like American made tool but all tools fail I have tried German tools they are good but the Japanese make some nice tools to like nepros maybe the equal of snapon I want to try some
@@fredkopfinger8885 well Japanese do make some good tools but very pricey and ya they pay import taxes and pay their workers well so I'm not opposed and don't forget about koken I've heard their lineup is real good but hard to get ahold of
I'm rapidly becoming a fan of the Icon stuff from HF. Hell, my favorite ratchet is just a regular Pittsburgh Pro extendable one.
agreed. I have around $20k in snapon stuff (you know, a ratchet and two screwdrivers haha) and a lot of icon stuff is direct copies of my snapon stuff and perform pretty well.
But, their wrenches work pretty good. The icon screwdrivers kinda stuck and don't really take a beating.
At my shop we have Snap On, Matco, and Cornwell dealers coming every week and I still get 2/3 of my tools online. Some things I wont spend more money on just cause of the name.
Only buy from the tool truck when the deals are way to good to pass up any another time Amazon is the go to. Love my Marco box built better than snap on.
the snap on chrome sockets and line crows feet and wrenches cant be beat! but now you can get a good tool much cheaper what do you do when the matco dealer don't come by any more and you have brokens? I have sk brokens I think I can send back to the company
I've been badly cut by peeling chrome on a snapoon end wrench. Plus their wrenches are too thin, it hurts when you really start pulling on them.
I was fortunate to have Snap On (USA) handtools thx to my father (he truned wrenches too) but i will tell you this.... The stupid tools would break. I remember BUYING my own tools and having the first generation Duralast tools (Taiwan) and to my surprise they were holding up and even more, when I did not have a breaker bar available to me I would take a cheater bar to the poor 3/8 drive OR when i did not own an impact, i would take a sledge hammer and pound the handle.......it took all the abuse without having to warranty it. I bought much more Duralast (glad i did because they are not made as tough now) after seeing how much they take. Of course my father was able to warranty every ratchet, socket, breaker bar that would break but i just got tired of having to wait on him for a warranty. I do not give up my Duralast tools (soo much sentimental value of my humble beginnings😜) but now own many Matco tools instead of Snap On.
I only have one truck come to my shop. Snap On is it. I do buy a fair amount from him. But I also get a fair amount elsewhere. Some tools just aren’t worth the markup.
Sk is a good tool I’ve had a broken 15 in my tray for 4 plus years now. Can’t find anyone to warranty it
FRM, great film. You got a lot of panties wadded up on the Snap-on fanboys! They just cain't fathom all the Snap-on labelled products not being made in the USA. There is lot of excitement in the air over the new ICON tools and tool cabinets from Harbor Freight. Hopefully the expectations will be lived up to, I know I'll be giving the ICON hand tools a serious look.
I watched a video earlier and the lead design guy for icon was a former snap-on employee. They look to be really really good tools. Look up redemption garage if you dont already follow him.
davecampbell120 yeah, I follow Redemption Garage, I watched his film. Justin Dow did a good film as well. Both Fellers each explained the same things and each made mention of something the other one didn’t.
I rather buy tools on amazon and use the money saved to invest in my retirement plan.
A lot of tech these days don't think about savings for the future
Retirement is especially important for techs. We work physically demanding jobs and cant wrench forever.
@@bluecollarmoneyinvestingch396 I agree. I cant justify spending $600 on a Snap on impact gun when i can buy one for less than half on Amazon. My amazon impact gun is 3 years old and doing just fine.
I will still buy off the tool truck but youre right i try to just do my research honestly
I believe Irwin makes the tap and dies sets for everyone
Bocho makes the pwz line I know to I bought some knipex version of these
Carlyle is great stuff, hate having to deal with the counter guys at NAPA. Wish they'd have a better system to buy off the internet. Don't overlook Wright tools, their impacts are probably the best on the planet, expensive, cheaper than Snappy.
i ask snap on how much for a set of sockets 320 same set i paid 80 for 40 years ago .i wonder when i retire can i still get 80 for them ?
Thanks! Great perspectives as always 👌👍
For some reason my employer likes me to take out a line of credit and then go hog wild on the tool truck. He says he's not getting a cut of what I spend, and that the debt isn't meant to keep me chained to the garage, and that it's what I need to do to prove that I'm dedicated to my craft. I can't think for myself because that would mean I have to put on my reality goggles and those make me depressed - so I just keep doing what everyone around me tells me to. The bonus is that now that I'm working more and more, I'm spending less time with my wife and she's seems to be spending more time at the gym with her personal trainer and posting booty pics on her Instagram.
My scanner just got stolen. Had delfi in a PC , all data , peco scope. All in a brief case . Gone . I can't afford to do it again .
Yeah i owe too damn much on the dang trucks. Its so stupid. But when you need the tool and they are there you suck it up and get it. They have bad points and good points. If you dont have the money you can make payments, but you gotta watch out because some reps will let you get all crazy with the bill. So just be responsible. I get 500$ max pay that down then maybe get some other things
LANG tool and SP tool [ schey prduct inc ] LISLE tool are all rebrande tool Co for SNAP ON tools
Giving folks the view from both sides so they can make an informed decision. We need people like you in Washington! 😂
Was told QUALITY over quantity money was taught that long time ago. Nothing worse than a bunch of garbage tools money down a toilet bowl.
Great video as always, no BS just the truth
I believe that a new tech should not get on the trucks.
1.they don't make good money.2. Are they going to stay in the automobile industry. 3. Just because the guy next to him. Is known as Billy Big Box. Doesn't mean that you need his stuff.
I don't think I've worked at 6 shops in the last 50 years that had even 1 tool truck coming in.
Most tools are rebranded if you don’t know that you are not to smart if the tool works use it if it feels good sounds good buy it ther are a thousand brands buy what you like make sure they are guaranteed for life most good brands are
Hey FRM what do you think of the new harbor freight icon series I haven’t seen any professional guys give their opinion other than Justin Dow
I got a buddy who works for Cat and he can buy Cat tools and they are made by the same company that makes snap on on tools, even the part numbers are the same.
Some tools it's okay to buy cheap. A cheap measuring tape is just as good as an expensive one. I can lose a cheap Husky flashlight just as easy I can lose a Streamlight. . . Bosch, Greenlee and Cle-Line drill bits are actually better than tool truck brand drill bits (((B-T-W Cornell drill bits and impact bits are all re-brands made by Irwin. ((( Mac Tools power tools are expensive re-brands of DeWalt (Mac Tools doesn't even try to hide that one anymore)
Buy a harbor freight backup ratchet so you can wait till next week ..... we have 4 trucks Mac ,matco,snap on . Independent
I hanvt seen a matco
truck come around the
shop in ages. did matco
go out of business?
Nope. Work at a dealership and still owe them for my ratchet and sockets. Very much still in business.
Thank you . Preach
I’m with you on this one 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Yes and no for example I have a matco dealer and snapon i have to say 99.99999 percent of matco is rebranded lisle but what I did notice lisle dosent boast about a life time warranty my dealer will warranty all those for me and snap on yes there's a few things rebranded but alot of stuff isn't isa made anymore
Snap on rebrands tap and dies, rethreader kit, air hammer bits until just recently, most lights they sell are made by someone else, they also rebrand lots of lisle too etc, but as i said they rebrand the least
Very good advice brother
Well show me 2 day turn around on warranty on a mail in warranty takes at least 2 weeks Amazon tool topia they need it to be sent to them and and then sent back to you