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I have used many brands of tools over the years.
Only rarely has the cheapest piece of shit failed to do the job.
Most of my tools say Craftsman on them and that's simply because of that no-questions warranty and Sears being a mere mile from home when I bought them.
A long time ago... decades.
Something that rubs wrong is the snobbery of the folks who've dropped starter home money into Snap-On.
They act like you're making do with other tools and that Snap-On turns that bolt better.
I've had the exact same number of failures with Snap-On as Craftsman. 2. Both were 1/4 drive socket wrenches.
Both were cheerfully and swiftly replaced once I'd gotten to the vendor.
An hour for Sears. A week of stalking the truck for Snap-On.
Snap-On is a lot better when they stop by your place every week, but when you're not a commercial customer... a huge pain in the ass.
I am acutely aware that I don't use my tools to the same duty cycle as a professional, so that extra quality and price just don't come into play very often.
Especially considering the tools most likely to break are often the most likely to grow legs.
Back in the days of Craftsman tools only being sold at Sears, that was all I bought. Their no questions asked lifetime warranty and replacement with a new tool kept me coming back. As Sears started their downward slide, I brought in a 1/2" ratchet that was malfunctioning. It was replaced with a "repaired" unit. Now... I by quite a bit of my tools from Harbor Freight. The tools are inexpensive and they stand behind everything. Some of their stuff has surprising quality. As far as Snap-On goes, I have a few of their tools that I have acquired, and during my brief stint in aviation the truck came around once every couple of weeks. My only dealing with them was to swap out a broken set of Blue Point safety wire pliers. That stuff is stupid expensive for no apparent reason other than the name.
ReplyDeleteI still use the same set of SK Wayne that I bought in 1970 when I got my first car. I actually like the combo wrenches better than Snap-On. They are more rounded on the shaft section and much more comfortable to use..........
ReplyDeleteMy father bought Craftsman, so when I started my tool collection, I bought Craftsman. As did my brother.
ReplyDeleteI remember trying to take an axle nut off and snapping the 1/2" breaker bar, with 4 foot cheater bar. Drove to Sears, got a replacement. Went to parking lot, broke it. Replaced it. Broke it. Replaced it. Decided to try left hand thread, no breaky.
It was the last breaker bar they had. They told me where the next closest Sears was.
My brother and I bought a set of snap on screwdrivers for our father one Christmas. Not because they were better, but because bro's tool set was always complete but for some reason dad's tools kept going missing. This way it was easy to see if dad's tools ended up in bro's toolbox.
I have a 3/8 drive ratchet set from JC Penney from about 1973. I've used that set forever and it has never done anything wrong. They were trying to be as good as Craftsman and made it.
ReplyDeleteIt's one of three sets I have; two Craftsman sets and that one. While I was trying to take my milling machine apart for the CNC conversion, I put a socket on one of four bolts I couldn't move, on my 1/2" Craftsman, and literally stood on the wrench (with one foot, not all my weight) and the ratchet was fine. I eventually got it loose with a 1/2" breaker bar.
I also have a lot of older Craftsman tools from back when they were still "Made in USA". Unfortunately I found out after the first Sears bankruptcy and them moving production to China that they were no longer obliged to honor the old warranty. If they chose to replace my broken crescent wrench, I'd have to accept a Chinese made one.
ReplyDeleteNowdays I mostly buy stuff from Harbor Freight because for the most part their stuff seems to be of similar quality to the stuff that is sold under the Craftsman or other similar brand names (Husky, Black & Decker), except at often a much lower price. Some of their cheaper line of power tools are a little dodgy, but their better lines are surprisingly good for the money.
Lowe's appears to be honoring the warranty if you're willing to accept a current production nearest equivalent rather than the same part number.
DeleteI have a few Snap-On pieces that didn't have a Craftsman equivalent. I also have the cheap version of a Snap-On tool, my electric impact wrench is a circa 1989 Craftsman industrial grade I got off the bargain shelf for $50 and I immediately worked out that it was the same Black & Decker tool as the $250 Snap-On minus the red plastic and chrome plating. The majority of my toolbox is old Craftsman bought when the lifetime warranty meant something and Sears was on the way home from work.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine, with a full chest of Snap-On tools, has quipped that you're not getting a free replacement, you've paid for five of them up front.
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