Tool Comparison

[EricTheCarGuy]

This video has a longer title: Craftsman vs Craftsman Professional vs Harbor Freight vs Matco vs Mac vs Snap-on

It’s too long for the forum so I’m including it here.

So these are my opinions on these tools that I’ve used for years. Please keep in mind that these are my opinions. Also, be sure to consider use. The DIYer won’t use their tools in the same way a professional would and therefore the ROI is different for both parties.

Topic

[Andrew Button]

You know, I suppose one could accept the fact that one time, Craftsman tools were good. That time is gone. Been decades since they made much worth buying. I hit Harbor Freight tools for certain things – maybe something I am going to use once and throw away or use once a decade. What I have in my box is what I have an use, nobody sees it but me. However, the bigger shop environments are not so friendly or forgiving. I have a SK tools from the Eisenshower administration… broken, not that I remember — I even read somewhere they might have been made at the same factory as Snap-on back then, however as good as they might be, they have no shop credibility. I know OLD independant mechanics with old junk tools that can fix anything, however they would be insulted endlessly for not having truck tools if they were in dealerships. Its a herd mentality especially for young techs. Years and years ago, I worked for a guy who had a huge cabinet full of Snap-on stuff, and he snickered at my SK stuff, however the Craftsman that I brought in to use at the time he actually threw in the trash and said to use his Snap-on tools only customers cars. (I don’t care what the brand is, if its not a polished finished wrench, I will not only not use it, to this day, I will scrap it). Pittsburg beats on sears on this one, totally. When it was all said and done, he probably did me a huge favor and saved me a lot of busted knuckles and damaged fasteners. It was at the time that I realized that using junk tools in a professional setting just doesn’t work, at all. Its like going into a gunfight with with a plastic water pistol. Now if somebody else can get away with this, more credit to them, however I remember working one of my own cars, it was a Duster with a 440 engine, and I didn’t have a good quality socket adaptor (something like a Wards brand maybe) at that time, and I believe I was loosening an idler arm bolt with a breaker bar or something in the front of the car, and that adaptor sheared like it was made of wax. This type of thing is TOTALLY unacceptable at a shop for many reasons, but its things like that make people only buy from truck tools.
I would, in a bind use OLD craftsman tools on something while wearing leather gloves, regrettably, however the new stuff they sell from China would just ruin stuff besides my hands. My exception to using Sears tools that rule is those sand finished ratchets from Sears… worst tool in existance, simply garbage. Even Walmart ratchets are better than those, but I don’t own any. Cheap air impact tools from Harbor Freight i wouldn’t even allow near my shop, my pets, my home, maybe even on my property., and the reason is because they cheap air tools fail. And when air tools fail, its potentially like having a grenade go off in the shop. Would I want to see any techs hand blown off or have his face and body filled with shrapnel, or have the internal guts of a chinese air gun go flying into a customers vehicle.. Not a chance. No pro I know would even consider that risk.I actually watched a Harbor Freight soldering iron cook itself internally one time when trying to use it 110 shorted out starts fires in microseconds— lucky for me, it was outside, but I could have lost the whole shop, maybe the entire block, homes, businesses, potentially burned down because of cheap tools like that. I can assure anybody that even a minor repair on a car due to a small shop mishap costs WAY than just buying the good stuff beforehand and hand or facial reconstructive surgery is more expensive than any snap-on tool out there. And my last piece is this. There are certain places I know of that only a snap-on tool will fit. The center support underneath the valve body in Turbo400 tranny is a 12 point bolt, and there is almost no room between it and the machined aluminum around it. Only a snap-on thin wall socket will fit in there, nothing else I know of. There are many other things like this when doing the daily thing.

[Gary]

[quote=”MDK22″ post=124669]A name is exactly that a name. I look at the quality of the tool I could care less about the name. It is stupid to play favorites. I have Craftsman tools that were used in a steel mill for 35yrs that still work and work well. It all depends on the quality. A name does not dictate quality. I have returned for my money back Snap-On and Mac Tools. People are going to say what they will say and do what they will do but, I look at stuff subjectively not objectively and in every instance I have seen the huge Pros and Cons to tool truck tools.

Buyng stuff only USA made I respect too but, it is a fight that has already been lost. I wish it wasn’t that way but, it is.[/quote]

I wouldn’t say the fight is lost, we can still bring manufacturing back…with some major policy changes…but I won’t get into that here.

[James O’Hara]

I stretched the jaws and rounded bolts using Snap-On’s Flank Drive + Combo wrenches none ratcheting with 10mm, 13mm, 14mm, and 1/2″ The bolts are 10.9 hardness. I then got a replacement set thinking it might have been a forging problem both me and the dealer. Replacement set does the same thing. I am doing this with no cheater all by hand and body strength. The sets I had bought cost 700 dollars. My craftsman cost 70. The craftsman I expect the jaws to spread on. The others I did not and the first time it happened I punched the frame rail for a big rig when it rounded off. (They don’t really move at all when you do that believe me) My coworkers same Snap-On same style 2 yrs older then mine don’t do that at all not even slightly. You want to explain to me and my knuckles why I should spend that much money. Oh I forgot to mention when i did put that much force on the wrenches my hands hurt for 3 days afterwards. When I use my craftsman the same amount of force it only hurts for 1 day afterwards. Yes, it is a lot of force i was putting on them I do not care for 700 dollars they should take ever little bit of it. I have also had co workers break their snap-on ratchets and i hand them my expert and it doesn’t break taking the same stuff off. A name is a name.

[Gary]

[quote=”MDK22″ post=124709]I stretched the jaws and rounded bolts using Snap-On’s Flank Drive + Combo wrenches none ratcheting with 10mm, 13mm, 14mm, and 1/2″ The bolts are 10.9 hardness. I then got a replacement set thinking it might have been a forging problem both me and the dealer. Replacement set does the same thing. I am doing this with no cheater all by hand and body strength. The sets I had bought cost 700 dollars. My craftsman cost 70. The craftsman I expect the jaws to spread on. The others I did not and the first time it happened I punched the frame rail for a big rig when it rounded off. (They don’t really move at all when you do that believe me) My coworkers same Snap-On same style 2 yrs older then mine don’t do that at all not even slightly. You want to explain to me and my knuckles why I should spend that much money. Oh I forgot to mention when i did put that much force on the wrenches my hands hurt for 3 days afterwards. When I use my craftsman the same amount of force it only hurts for 1 day afterwards. Yes, it is a lot of force i was putting on them I do not care for 700 dollars they should take ever little bit of it. I have also had co workers break their snap-on ratchets and i hand them my expert and it doesn’t break taking the same stuff off. A name is a name.[/quote] I agree, it a total case by case basis sort of thing. We can’t judge a tool simply because of the brand just like a car can’t be judged based on it’s brand. As a GM guy, I can admit that the Chevette and the Vega were crap yet the Corvette and the Chevelle are/were great. Goes for anything in life really.

[Author]

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