I'm a professional Engineer in an automotive 'component design' role and I've worked on cars: maintenance, MOT repair and vehicle restorations, for most of my life.
Most of my tools are unknown brands or old stuff given/inherited from friends and relatives.
I inherited a Snap-On Ferret 1/4" drive Ratchet from my Dad and he inherited it from his Dad. Date code on it suggests it was made in 1939 which is about when my Grandfather worked for The Austin Motor Company at Longbridge, Birmingham.
So when I recently mangled the ratchet mechanism in my 1/2" drive Ratchet (cheap ratchet and not worth fixing) I thought "Ooo I wonder how much a Snap-On version would be?" The answer is between £220 and £300 depending upon which version you want. That seems a bit too much for what is a relatively simple device. However I still want one (vanity?) and have bought a New-Old-Stock from eBay for 1/2 that price.
Does the STW 'hive-mind' think that Snap-On tools are worth the extra cost?
Or are they the 'Rapha' or 'Park Tools' version of automotive tool manufacturers?
I don't think they are rapha or park who just rebrand stuff.
But no. Not for me as a non wrench my income doesn't depend on them. All day everyday no messing?... Maybe.
The snap-on truck stops outside my house sometimes for a nearby garage. Oft tempted to poke my head in.
No personal experience but from reviews and other discussions I've seen they're trading a lot on past reputation these days. They still have some high quality stuff in their ranges but a lot is average at best (and priced way above average). I can see why Yanks want them (at least the stuff still made in America) but generally there's better options
Similar to above. I do a lot of home mechanical stuff on my cars and Snap Ons reputation doesn't seem great. TBF, the Halfords Professional stuff with the lifetime guarantee is brilliant.
I thought Park Tool stuff was everyday bike tools, with a bit of brand name/blue colour mark-up. I had always assumed Abbey would be like Snap-On?
Anyway, if you are still getting decent use out of it in 86 years time, then it's excellent value.
I think they may have been worth it a few years back when Snap On were good and a lot of other stuff was rubbish. These days there are plenty of decent tools for a lot less money. As mentioned Halfords pro tools are good. I've also just bought a tiny 1/4" rachet from AliExpress for £4. Feels really nice and I can't see anything that I'll use a 1/4" rachet on putting much strain on it. I do have some old Snap-On tools are they aren't especially great. The rachet is very course on one, chrome is coming off another one. Bought from car boot sales or in job lots so can't complain, but I would if I'd paid £200.
Hmm I've never heard of Abbey but their tools are very pretty and seem over-priced. So I can see why you'd say that!
I think the snap on sales man would sell to people in garages on their rounds offering discounts and putting stuff on the book in years past and some under the counter offers too. Its amazing to see how tools have become a statement on sites now 😂 brand allegiances and having far to much kit.
I indulged last year on a secondhand Snap-On 1/4” ratchet (it certainly looked new, the Seller said they never used it), expecting it to be really tight and positive clicking. It wasnt. The amount of play in it was what I would expect from a £5 online no-name purchase. I have a Bahco 1/4” set, and the ratchet in that is far better quality than the Snap-On. It wasnt just that one, I searched online,and it was quite common to have brand new ratchets that were ‘wobbly’ from new.
I thought Park Tool stuff was everyday bike tools
Not even very good everyday tools.
Used to work in a shop run who was Park sponsored (ex pro owned the place) within a month the lovely blue shadow board in the work shop was peppered with alternative colours...
The best thing about Snap On was the no quibble exchange or repair that they offered on some models BITD. No idea if it's still a thing though (Late 80's, I was 16, working part time in a commercial depot, 40-50 mechanics and ~500 vehicles to look after. Some of them old enough to draw their own pension or with a million plus miles on the clock, so good tools were needed!)
I would suggest £220 -£300 for a single 1/2 ratchet handle is "taking the ****ing piss". A quick google around says that Wera, Facom, Bahco, Gedore, Beta, Stahlwille (all of which are pro quality) are in the £50-£75 range.
I've got 1/4 and 3/8 Teng sets, and a 1/2 Britool set from before they were taken over by Facom. All have been bombproof so far, and the 3 sets together would have cost less than 1/2 of one of those Snapon handles.
I've got a Snap On top box from the '80s, which I bought from a car boot sale in the early noughties. Compared to other '80s tools it might have been great. Compared to my Halfords Professional roll cab it's a bit shit. Compared to my Homak 41" roll cab and top box it's utterly toss. Compared to my West German Hazet Assistents it's also toss.
I've got a couple of bits of Snap On and Blue Point I've acquired (mainly from scrappies) and none of it's any better than Gedore/Hazet/Stahlwille/Bahco.
I've got some. Not impressed. They're ok, but for that price I'd expect better. Broke a T handled torx wrench and the mole grips are useless.
I'd already stopped buying them before i stopped buying American. Bahco are US owned so that's a no from me too. Teng are good, but specifically for the OP and his ratchet have a look at a Wurth Zebra, been very impressed with mine in the twelve years I've had it
I'm in the engineering side of heavy manufacturing /chemical industry so my tools have seen action and abuse.
Gedore for spanners/sockets/ratchets etc. Wera for hex keys/screwdrivers etc.
Snap-on are shiny bling bought on the drip as it's so bloody expensive.
I've no experience, but I thought the thing with them is they have a no questions asked replacement policy if you somehow manage to break one of their tools?
The Halfords Advanced tools are very good. I've invested in a full set (175 piece kit) and my son's gone for the tools/sockets in the foam inserts as he want's a cabinet. He's fixing cars constantly. The lifetime warranty is a deal. You often get them on sale, like currently for Easter.
I work in construction so no need for snap on but won't buy anymore Estwing, crappy handles that always fail now, Bahco socket set only goes up to maybe 13mm I've had for years and is faultless even the snappy box is great, buckets that cost £5 but can last for ages whereas a £1 one are ready to flood your kitchen if you fill it with hot soapy water. Stabila levels can't remember the last time I bought one as they are overrated and last one is a 8m tape just a mid range as they all fail in winter with water and grit, never use the full 8m as it will fail
My understanding of why Snap-On is so popular in the trade is due to their finance offers - if you are starting out as an apprentice or mechanic where you are expected to have your own tools, they will do you a finance deal on a big Snap-On box to get you started, then keep coming back round with the van to sell you new stuff every few months...
I just remember i have a 19mm snap on ratcheting spanner i found in the middle of the road. Handy.
Oh…snap on tools…not strap on tools…
…as you were…
There are a couple of SO spanners in the tool boxes at work, I don’t like the feel of them in my hand, not comfy to hold, don’t seem anything special.
I like my Wera ratchets.
Never used Snap On. Not really seen in Germany much.
Masters of marketing.
Their modus operandi was to get the apprentices hooked/addicted. Those people then they spend their career telling everyone snap on is the best (perpetuating the myth) becuase it would be embrasssing to admit that they got duped by the snap on van when they were younger and are still paying off their 11foot long special edition gold trimmed roller cab.
That is from experience of automotive engineering.
I now work in aviation, and there is greater variation - potentially becuase it's much harder for a Snap On franchised seller to get access into a hangar.
Its good stuff, I have a few second hand snap on bits - but it's not the only good stuff.
Does the STW 'hive-mind' think that Snap-On tools are worth the extra cost?
Nope, not at all but if you can offset the initial purchase cost against tax then why not, for a hobbyist/tinkerer/average spanner monkey working as a mechanic in a garage then nowt wrong with Halfords pro or similar.
I now work in aviation, and there is greater variation - potentially becuase it's much harder for a Snap On franchised seller to get access into a hangar.
They also aren't allowed ordinary chrome plated tools near the engines, which (i think) pretty much all snap on are.
I thought the torque wrench came with Life time calibration.which for a mechanic is important, it's done in the van so you don't have to send it off for a week. Plus annually pay whatever it costs for a calibration cert.
Rest of the stuff are just tools . Not sure what is the best or worst snap on probably in the top for price and middle of the scale for quality
Well, Thanks everyone. The consensus is pretty much what I've thought for the last 50 years. Amongst the best of the tool manufacturers but too expensive.
My new 1/2" Ratchet has arrived and I have to say I'm very happy with the quality. It feels like a nice piece of kit. It's a good size and shape and there's a very smooth ratchet action. No button-release for the socket-retaining ball-bearing but that's not a big issue.
They also aren't allowed ordinary chrome plated tools near the engines, which (i think) pretty much all snap on are
Mine is NOT chrome plated - it's called 'industrial finish' (GS80A) but it's basically a chemical oxidising process. Looks very cool though 😎
Can still remember the horror of finding a cheap spanner on a workbench that someone had modified to fit into an enclosed space on a flame tube, rather than using the right tool for the job (that needed to be checked out from the tool store).
Cheap chromium tool that had been cut and welded to fit. Had to audit the entire build facility, every single tool. Ended up finding three. Out of thousands.
Though it (finally) put an end to everyone having their own toolboxes. So some good came out of it.
I don't think I've got any Snap-On tools but I do like Wera and Klein tools. I think my ratchet wrenches are Bosch.
Bike tools never had issue with IceToolz. bit cheaper than Park.
Little and Large?
My Grandads 3/8” (mistake in the OP) Snap On Ferret with my new 1/2” Snap On Ratchet 😀
@mert - can you tell us why Chrome plated tools aren't allowed around aircraft?
I assume it's because the plating can flake off and end up somewhere it shouldn't but I'd love to know :o)
IIRC at very high temps the wrong sort of chromium can react with the Nickel (and possibly some others) alloying elements in the hot end of the engine (flame tube, support casing, turbine blades and discs etc) eventually causes microcracking and bits falling off. So yes, flakes getting where they shouldn't, and lots of the bits in a jet engine are harder than the plating/base material of the spanner. So you will get flakes.
Ironically enough, we used to use *other* sorts of chromium for temperature, corrosion and wear resistance on some of the same components... (hexavalent Chrome was popular IIRC, which may or may not be the case any more as they banned it everywhere else!)
FWIW, the audit was 25+ years ago, and i've not worked in aerospace since!
I'm another one for not buying new snap on stuff when I need it, pricing seems absolutely nuts on them and I'm not sure the quality is better from any other good stuff
They do rebrand some things. I bought a thread chaser/rethreading set and I bought the Lang set, which are supposed to be the best ones. They manufacture the Snap On set
I have lots of hand tools and automotive bits, not much Snap on stuff. Mix of all sorts and generally pretty nice, but I've bought a few halfords advanced bits recently and I've found the quality to be excellent
hexavalent Chrome was popular IIRC
Ah yes, Hexavalent chrome!
It was banned in my industry too (automotive engineering) around 2005'ish. It caused a lot of work finding a replacement that gave the same or similar level of corrosion resistance. A lot of Brake Calipers were plated with Hexavalent Chrome and we must have spent over two years testing and validating a replacement! 😆
Never had beyond the argos special, which is utterly crap, and has pretty much died internally.
So usual YT ratchet test and results are one from company called Tekton was as good as snap on, but a lot less price.
I've got a snap on screwdriver just seems to work better than most. Also built up a 1/4 drive socket rail from various singles purchased on ebay during lockdown. Also have a tool chest purchased cheap as a oily mess in a garage auction, turned our to be an original when cleaned up. Agree seems to be heavy marketing more than outright quality.
Bus mechanic here
No Snap on are overrated and over priced.
Ratchets, sockets: Koken and Facom
Spanners: Facom and Bahco
Pliers and grips: Knipex
Screw drivers: Wera
the above brands in my personal experience of many years, make better priced and better performing hand tools than Snap On.
The Halfords Advanced tools are very good. I've invested in a full set (175 piece kit) and my son's gone for the tools/sockets in the foam inserts as he want's a cabinet. He's fixing cars constantly. The lifetime warranty is a deal.
I had cause to take up Halfords on their warranty after the ratchet failed in a driver. They were complete arseholes about it because I didn't have the receipt from however many years ago I'd bought the set.
Granted, that's a sample size of "one" and I could just have been unlucky with a jobsworth. But, well, keep the receipt just in case.
Though it (finally) put an end to everyone having their own toolboxes. So some good came out of it.
Shared tools? shudder
The amount of people even within a trade who have no mechanical sympathy is astounding. The answer to "can I just borrow...?" is "no." Show me what you want and I'll do it for you.
The last time I lent out a tool it was to the two guys who did our office maintenance, I figured they'd know what they were doing so I broke my rule and lent them my nice expensive ratcheting screwdriver. They used it as a ****ing drift, it came back with a handle shaped like a mushroom cloud.
Snap-On appeal to hunter-gatherer instints like football and Pokemon cards, a sort of compulsive behaviour. The van used to turn up every couple of weeks and the mechanics would gather around to get their fix of shiny stuff, even if they'd probably never use it. The bigger the fuller the tool chest the higher your status in the garage.
I used Gordon, "made in Sheffield" until it broke then bought Britool, which meant having to go and buy it rather than wait for the Snap-On man.
By the time I moved to Europe and metric the cheap tat was no longer cheap tat and even cheap tat sockets would put up with me bouncing up and down on the breaker bar until something other than the socket broke.
I've just had a look though my recent buys and there are no "name" brands apart from Shimano for most of the bike stuff and a DT spoke key.
Well, Thanks everyone. The consensus is pretty much what I've thought for the last 50 years. Amongst the best of the tool manufacturers but too expensive.
My new 1/2" Ratchet has arrived and I have to say I'm very happy with the quality. It feels like a nice piece of kit. It's a good size and shape and there's a very smooth ratchet action. No button-release for the socket-retaining ball-bearing but that's not a big issue.
They also aren't allowed ordinary chrome plated tools near the engines, which (i think) pretty much all snap on are
Mine is NOT chrome plated - it's called 'industrial finish' (GS80A) but it's basically a chemical oxidising process. Looks very cool though 😎
Snap-on industrial is far cheaper than retail, but is only available to companies, so that ratchet has most likely been 'acquired' by an employee.
The black industrial range is aimed at companies where Snap-on provide the tool, and will warranty it for a set period of time. Things like production lines, where they'll guarantee a tool will work for x production hours, at which point it gets binned, and a new tool put into use.
One of my previous employers trialled Snap-on tooling, and it was all based on the industrial range.
I had a good chat with the local rep at the time, and it was quite an interesting setup, but it wasn't something the local reps normally dealt with, as you had to go direct to Snap-on to arrange it. The local rep wouldn't touch anything industrial, unless HQ told them to, or gave them permission to.
I've got a few Snap-on tools, but most have only ever been bought on offer, as some of the offers can be pretty good value. Last local rep I dealt with was quite open about some stuff being too expensive unless on offer, and didn't even carry any ratchets unless there was a deal on.
The chances are, quite a few people on here will own tools produced by a Snap-On company, as they own Norbar, and Bondhus, along with several other companies that they avoid mentioning on any of the relevant websites.
I had cause to take up Halfords on their warranty after the ratchet failed in a driver. They were complete arseholes about it because I didn't have the receipt from however many years ago I'd bought the set.
Granted, that's a sample size of "one" and I could just have been unlucky with a jobsworth. But, well, keep the receipt just in case.
I had a ratchet fail on my halfords advanced set too. I had same response as i'd lost the receipt. They actually sell a replacement ratchet mechanism for them for a fiver or something, well they did back then. So managed to fix it pretty cheaply.
Pleased with my 40 year old Halfords set with lifetime guarantee, only gets occasional use, but still as good as new.
I snapped a Halfords Pro 6mm hex socket so popped it down to see what they'd say. No problem was the response and I left with a shiny new socket within minutes even though I don't have the receipt.
At work we mostly use Snap On but I've got a little Bahco 1/4" drive set that fits in my pocket which is useful. At home I have the aforementioned Halfords Pro set that must be over 20 years old and a Bahco pass-through set, plus assorted odds and sods that are bought on an as required basis.
@mert - I was working for TRW during 2005 :o)
Halfords Professional Tools - I’ve had very good experience with them. One socket, same socket, broke twice in use and was simply replaced. No questions at all!
Snap-On “Industrial Finish” - it seems to be available to anyone. It’s listed on the Snap-On website here: GS80A with Industrial Finish
Shared tools? shudder
The right tools for the right job on the right station. No pissing about.
Is the same in most industrial assembly areas.
Only people who have their own tools are the service/maintenance crew
